Exam 1: Basic Concepts

Jim Searcy, a religious prophet who now lives in Cypress, claims that the Prince of Wales is the Antichrist. Therefore, we must conclude that the Prince of Wales is up to no good.

After having a part time job for more than a year, I have gotten used to the fact that the government takes money from me every two weeks to put toward Social Security. It isn't fair that I should pay for some old person's rent in Florida. Despite my dislike of the right wing, I find the idea of privatizing appealing. I would much rather keep that money to invest in mutual funds, stocks or my college education. Andy Irwin, Letter to the Editor

Jenny and Francine were awarded National Merit Scholarships and both love mathematics. Jenny breezed through Dr. Marshall's calculus class with an "A". Thus, Francine should do well in that class, too.

In the expression "If religion dictates what counts as science, then the future of education is doomed," the statement "The future of education is doomed" is called the:

PART A Some fettuccines are not taste sensations, for no low fat recipes are taste sensations, and some fettuccines are not low fat recipes. The form of this argument is: PART B Which of the following substitutions proves the argument invalid?

The significance of meat eating for future human evolution was enormous. Not only did it provide a secure source of high quality protein, but as an accidental by product, it made possible the development of larger brains. The nutritive demands of nerve tissue are high-higher in fact than the demands of the other types of tissue in the human body. One can meet these demands on a vegetarian diet, but the overall nutritive value of a given amount of such food is less than that of the same amount of meat. William A. Haviland, Cultural Anthropology, 5th ed.

The highway sign says that the risk of forest fires in this area is extremely high right now. Therefore, we must conclude that the risk of forest fires is indeed high right now.

The power that modifies, influences, and controls climate originates with the sun. The amount of sunlight striking a particular area of the globe determines the level of warmth and ultimately the movement of air and the amount of precipitation. Because the earth is a globe that rotates about a tilted axis, the amount of sunlight striking the earth varies by region and time. Gary S. Moore, Living with the Earth, 3^rd ed.

Sugar never spoils or gets moldy because it has an extremely low moisture content. This low moisture content dehydrates and kills microorganisms that might cause mold, and it impedes chemical changes that could cause spoilage.

All credit cards are invitations to overspend, and some invitations to overspent are precursors of bankruptcy. Therefore, some credit cards are precursors of bankruptcy.

Harnessing the clean, abundant energy of the sun and wind is critical to solving the global warming problem. Technological advances have brought the cost of electricity generated by the wind down by 82 percent since 1981. Solar energy technology has made remarkable progress as new photovoltaic cells have been developed to convert even greater amounts of sunlight directly into electricity. Today the costs of wind and solar power are becoming competitive with dirty coal-fired plants. Sierra Club, "Global Warming Solutions"

The U.S. is the largest single market in the world in terms of national income. It represents roughly 25 percent of the total world market for all products and services. Thus, U.S. companies that wish to achieve maximum growth potential must "go global" because 75 percent of the world market potential is outside their home country. Warren J. Keegan and Mark C. Green, Global Marketing

The bumper sticker says "Vote for Frank Jordan for Sheriff." The obvious conclusion is that Jordan is the best man for the job.

In the expression, "Carbon monoxide is poisonous because it prevents hemoglobin from supplying oxygen to the body," the statement "Carbon monoxide is poisonous" is called the:

According to a widely respected poll, 60% of the voters in Pennsylvania support Amelia Kerrigan for Governor. Therefore, Kerrigan will probably win, since the election is only two days away.

Prior to their extinction, Neanderthals had been widespread in Europe for 100,000 years. Then 50,000 years ago, modern humans moved into Europe from Africa. Twenty-six thousand years after that the last Neanderthal died. At one time it was thought that the Neanderthals were killed by climate change, but this theory has now been discounted. So why did the Neanderthals perish? Probably they were killed by the humans.

Apple seeds and cherry pits are poisonous because they contain cyanide compounds. Your body can detoxify small quantities of these compounds, but larger doses can lead to difficulty in breathing, increased blood pressure and heart rate, and kidney failure. Reactions can include coma, convulsions, and death from respiratory arrest. Anne Marie Helmstine, "Your Guide to Chemistry"

PART A If champagne contains alcohol, then minors should avoid it, so champagne contains alcohol, because minors should avoid it. The form of this argument is: PART B Which of the following substitutions proves the argument invalid? A) C = Napoleon was killed in a plane crash, M = Napoleon is alive. B) C = cats, M = mammals. C) C = Albert was killed in a car accident; M = Albert is dead. D) C = cats, A = dogs, M = mammals. E) C = Benjamin Franklin was killed in a plane crash; M = Benjamin Franklin is dead.

Either Leonardo da Vinci or Andrew Wyeth painted the Mona Lisa. But it clearly wasn't da Vinci. Therefore, Andrew Wyeth painted the Mona Lisa.

I was appalled to read that many communities are accommodating-or pandering to-the owners of sport utility vehicles by increasing the size of parking spaces. Apparently, officials in these cities just want to go with the flow, when they could be using parking-space politics to encourage the use of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. When will Americans come to their senses and see the S.U.V. for what it is? It's an outsized extension of egotistical consumerism. I'm sick of being pushed around by the egotists in their Tahoes and Excursions who think nothing of misusing nonrenewable oil and gas reserves, as well as increasing pollution. Jane F. Carlson, Letter to the Editor