PHILOSOPHY MIDTERM –
AUBURN 2025 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
Argument - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A set of reasons to support belief or action
Premise - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A reason an argument supports belief or action
Conclusion - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Result surmised by the argument
Reconstruction - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Explicit and Implicit premises that make up an
argument laid out
Standard Form - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>1. First premise. (Justification of the first premise),
2. Second premise. (Justification of the second premise), 3. Third premise. (Justification of the
third premise) ... n. Nth premise. (Justification of the nth premise), Conclusion. (Justification of
the conclusion)
Justification - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If it is an assumption or the assumptions the inference
is based upon
Assumption - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A direct pull from the text. Quotations!!!
Inference - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A Premise pulled from a collection of assumptions
Principle of Charity - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>This entails that one interprets an author's
work as sympathetically as possible, so as to reconstruct the most rational argument one can. In
simple terms, one should suppose that the author is not an idiot or trying to deceive, and One
should give the author the benefit of the doubt.
Argument Analysis - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Discovering how the argument is intended to
work before judging whether it does work.
Truth-Preserving (TP) - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>"deductions." convincing because the truth
of its premises is incompatible with the falsehood of its conclusion. That is, the conclusion
cannot be false if the premises are true. Test for Validity: If the premises were true, then the
conclusion would have to be true. Test for Soundness: The argument is valid, and all its premises
are true.
Non-Truth-Preserving (NTP) - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>argument compiles a heap of reasons
that make the conclusion probable.
Chain - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If this is true this HAS to be true; TP
, Heap - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If these are true this SHOULD be true; NTP
Validity - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>truth preserving, if the premises were true, then the
conclusion would have to be true.
Modus ponens - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If it is, then it is, the rule of logic stating that if a
conditional statement ("if p then q ") is accepted, and the antecedent ( p ) holds, then the
consequent ( q ) may be inferred.
Modus tollens - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If it is, then it isn't, the rule of logic stating that if a
conditional statement ("if p then q ") is accepted, and the consequent does not hold ( not-q ), then
the negation of the antecedent ( not-p ) can be inferred.
Soundness - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>truth preserving, The argument is valid, and all its
premises are true.
Strength/Weakness - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>NTP: if the premises were true, then one
should accept the conclusion.
Cogency - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>NTP: The argument is strong, and all its premises are
true.
Induction - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>specific form of reasoning in which the premises of an
argument support a conclusion, but do not ensure it.
Argument by Analogy - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>an argument that asserts that because two
items are the same in one respect, they are the same in another respect.
Abduction - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>to infer a premise from a conclusion. For example, since
if it rains, the grass gets wet, one can abduce (hypothesize) that it probably rained
Fallacy - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>bad argument; Something is wrong with the inference or
something is wrong with the content
Diagnosis - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>I. It is an attempted TP argument that is invalid, II. It is
an attempted NTP argument that is weak, III. It depends on a false (or unacceptable) premise.
Begging the Question - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>occurs when an argument's premises assume
the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it.
Elenctic (Socratic) Method - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Pose questions other than answers. See
there is no one correct answer unless all others had been ruled out
The Euthyphro Problem - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>What is PIOUS?
AUBURN 2025 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
Argument - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A set of reasons to support belief or action
Premise - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A reason an argument supports belief or action
Conclusion - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Result surmised by the argument
Reconstruction - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Explicit and Implicit premises that make up an
argument laid out
Standard Form - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>1. First premise. (Justification of the first premise),
2. Second premise. (Justification of the second premise), 3. Third premise. (Justification of the
third premise) ... n. Nth premise. (Justification of the nth premise), Conclusion. (Justification of
the conclusion)
Justification - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If it is an assumption or the assumptions the inference
is based upon
Assumption - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A direct pull from the text. Quotations!!!
Inference - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>A Premise pulled from a collection of assumptions
Principle of Charity - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>This entails that one interprets an author's
work as sympathetically as possible, so as to reconstruct the most rational argument one can. In
simple terms, one should suppose that the author is not an idiot or trying to deceive, and One
should give the author the benefit of the doubt.
Argument Analysis - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Discovering how the argument is intended to
work before judging whether it does work.
Truth-Preserving (TP) - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>"deductions." convincing because the truth
of its premises is incompatible with the falsehood of its conclusion. That is, the conclusion
cannot be false if the premises are true. Test for Validity: If the premises were true, then the
conclusion would have to be true. Test for Soundness: The argument is valid, and all its premises
are true.
Non-Truth-Preserving (NTP) - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>argument compiles a heap of reasons
that make the conclusion probable.
Chain - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If this is true this HAS to be true; TP
, Heap - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If these are true this SHOULD be true; NTP
Validity - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>truth preserving, if the premises were true, then the
conclusion would have to be true.
Modus ponens - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If it is, then it is, the rule of logic stating that if a
conditional statement ("if p then q ") is accepted, and the antecedent ( p ) holds, then the
consequent ( q ) may be inferred.
Modus tollens - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>If it is, then it isn't, the rule of logic stating that if a
conditional statement ("if p then q ") is accepted, and the consequent does not hold ( not-q ), then
the negation of the antecedent ( not-p ) can be inferred.
Soundness - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>truth preserving, The argument is valid, and all its
premises are true.
Strength/Weakness - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>NTP: if the premises were true, then one
should accept the conclusion.
Cogency - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>NTP: The argument is strong, and all its premises are
true.
Induction - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>specific form of reasoning in which the premises of an
argument support a conclusion, but do not ensure it.
Argument by Analogy - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>an argument that asserts that because two
items are the same in one respect, they are the same in another respect.
Abduction - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>to infer a premise from a conclusion. For example, since
if it rains, the grass gets wet, one can abduce (hypothesize) that it probably rained
Fallacy - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>bad argument; Something is wrong with the inference or
something is wrong with the content
Diagnosis - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>I. It is an attempted TP argument that is invalid, II. It is
an attempted NTP argument that is weak, III. It depends on a false (or unacceptable) premise.
Begging the Question - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>occurs when an argument's premises assume
the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it.
Elenctic (Socratic) Method - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>Pose questions other than answers. See
there is no one correct answer unless all others had been ruled out
The Euthyphro Problem - CORRECT ANSWER>>>>What is PIOUS?
