Exam 3: Clear Thinking,critical Thinking,and Clear Writing

Using a name or description of an item that you can't point to,provide a definition by example for "problem." If you have difficulty doing so,try to identify the source of the trouble.

Evaluate the following claim,paying particular attention to problems of clarity.Note that claims may also present problems of knowability,though we don't address knowability per se in this chapter. "Caution:Cigarette smoking is hazardous to your health."

Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities),syntactically ambiguous,or free from ambiguity:She looks more like her mother than her father.

Evaluate the following claim,paying particular attention to problems of clarity.Note that claims may also present problems of knowability,though we don't address knowability per se in this chapter. Nobody under seventeen is permitted unless accompanied by an adult.

It is possible to explain the meaning of the word "thing" by using a definition by example.

Define "humble" by synonyms,using one synonym that carries a complimentary meaning and one that carries a derogatory emotive meaning.

Classify the following:"If you want to know what a successful philosophy major looks like,look at Steve Martin."

Evaluate the following claim,paying particular attention to problems of clarity.Note that claims may also present problems of knowability,though we don't address knowability per se in this chapter. The universe and everything in it doubled in size last night.

Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities),syntactically ambiguous,or free from ambiguity:Sign in a hotel:NO SMOKING ROOMS AVAILABLE.

If you want to define a word for a person who knows nothing of your language,you're stuck with definitions by example.

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. He may have trouble with the long putts,but nobody is better at dropping his shorts.

Which item in the following set of claims has the most negative emotive meaning? My new roommate a.talks all the time. b.loves to talk. c.is a great talker. d.hardly ever gives his larynx a rest.

For "politician," provide an analytical definition that is flattering.

Using a name or description of an item that you can't point to,provide a definition by example for "classification system." If you have difficulty doing so,try to identify the source of the trouble.

Considering the context in which it was most likely uttered,would you say the following claim is ambiguous,too vague,or neither? POLICE NAB STUDENTS WITH PAIR OF PLIERS -Journal and Courier (Lafayette,Ind. )

Classify the following definition according to its use:to reduce vagueness,to introduce or explain a new or unusual word,to evoke an attitude about something,or to accomplish some other purpose. Energy-efficient house:a house that,at a minimum,has no teenagers.

Classify the following:"An ogre is a monster who dines on humans."

Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities),syntactically ambiguous,or free from ambiguity:Headline:Park ends spraying Dutch for elm disease.

Classify the following definition according to its use:to reduce vagueness,to introduce or explain a new or unusual word,to evoke an attitude about something,or to accomplish some other purpose. "'Best-seller' just means 'not written for anyone with an I.Q.of over a hundred and one.'"-George L.Farris,author of several non-best-sellers

Indicate whether this informal definition is by example,by synonym,or analytical:"Foppish" means "dandy."