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Ats2946 Sample Exam s2 2017
Ats2946 Sample Exam s2 2017
Critical Thinking
Sample Exam
General directions
• This exam consists of EIGHT (8) questions. Some questions have more than one part.
• Write your answers in the booklet provided. You can answer the questions in any order,
but make sure you clearly indicate which question you are answering.
(1) Put the argument from the following passage into standard form and construct an
argument map diagram. There is no need to include unstated premises (assumptions) in
your answer. (20 marks)
Utilitarianism is a more demanding ethical code than any other. For it says that we should
always act to bring about the best consequences. So utilitarianism demands that we
sacrifice our own interests whenever a greater good can be achieved by doing so, and that
is almost always the case.
(2) For each of the following short arguments; (a) say whether the argument is deductively
valid or invalid. Then (b) if you think the argument is invalid, explain why the argument is
invalid – that is, explain how it is possible for the premises to all be true and the conclusion
false. If you think the argument is valid, then represent the logical form of the argument,
making sure you indicate what your schematic letters stand for. (6 marks each, for each a
total of 24 marks)
(i) Students will only succeed in their studies if they do sufficient work outside of class.
But if students do sufficient work outside class, they will not have time for a part time job.
Therefore, no student with a part time job will succeed in their studies.
(iii) The death penalty is immoral. The death penalty results in some innocent people
being wrongly executed. Anything that results in some innocent people being executed is
morally wrong.
(iv) If what was shown on television did not affect people’s behaviour, then television
advertising would never influence viewers to buy a product. But we know that it does. So
it cannot be true that television does not affect behaviour.
(3) Read the information from the two sources below, which concern a dispute concerning the
safety of the chemical triclosan. Write a short evaluation of the credibility of each source
with regard to this issue. For each source, you should answer the following questions:
2 marks for each of the above five questions, for each source. 20 marks in total; 100-200
words for each source.
There is evidence that triclosan is an endocrine disruptor and impacts thyroid function and
thyroid homeostasis. A 2009 study found that triclosan decreased thyroid hormone
References
[1] Zorrilla, L., et al (2009). The effects of Triclosan on Puberty and Thyroid Hormones in Male Wistar Rats.
Toxicological Sciences. 107(1) 56-64.
[2] Heath, R., et al (2000). Inhibition of the Staphylococcus aureus NADPH-dependent enoyl-acyl carrier
protein reductase by triclosan and hexchlorophene. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 275: 654-59.
[3] Aiello, A.E., et al (2005). Antibacterial Cleaning Products and Drug Resistance. Emerging Infectious Diseases.
11(10)
[4] SCCS (Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety), Preliminary opinion on triclosan antimicrobial resistance),
23 March, 2010. European Commission, Brussels.
Environmental activists have sounded the alarm suggesting that consumers face serious
health risks from the antibacterial chemical triclosan, which manufacturers have safely used
in soap and other personal care products for decades. Unfortunately, green hype has led
federal regulators to force companies to try to do the impossible—prove that their products
For example, the claim that triclosan disrupts human thyroid functioning is based on a study
where researchers dosed rats with high amounts of the chemical, which has little relevance to
humans exposed to trace amounts in the environment. [1] Similar rodent studies also find
that many naturally occurring chemicals found in food cause health problems when given to
rats and mice in high doses, including such foods as broccoli, coffee, pickles, and more. [2]
We do not need an FDA review of these foods to know they are safe to eat and that these
rodent studies are not particularly relevant to human health risks from trace chemicals.
References
[1] Crofton, KM; Paul, KB; DeVito, MJ; Hedge, JM, “Short-term in Vivo Exposure to the Water Contaminant
Triclosan: Evidence for disruption of thyroxine?” Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, Vol. 24 (2007.): pp.
194–197.
[2] For example, see National Research Council, Committee on Comparative Toxicology of Naturally Occurring
Carcinogens, Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet: A Comparison of Naturally Occurring and
Synthetic Substances (Washington DC: National Academies Press, 1996),
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309053919.
(4) Put the following argument into standard form and identify at least one unstated premise
(assumption) that is required by the argument. (4 marks)
No computer will ever be able to do everything that some human minds can do, for there
are some problems that cannot be solved by following any set of mechanically applicable
rules. Yet computers can only solve problems by following some set of mechanically
applicable rules.
(5) Read the following report which describes the results of a survey about the study habits of
Monash university students. Identify the sample, population and target property and
comment on whether the survey supports the conclusion drawn in the report. (12 marks;
100-200 words).
A questionnaire about study habits was given to a random sample of students taking a
large introductory philosophy unit at Monash University. The sample of 50 students
reported that they spent on average 90 minutes per week studying for the unit outside class.
It was calculated that the margin of error due to sampling variation for this estimate was
plus or minus 6 minutes. Therefore, we can be reasonably confident that the true average
amount of time students spent studying for this unit outside class is between 84 and 96
minutes per week.
(6) Assuming the premises in the following argument are true, do they support the conclusion
that there is a causal link between the art therapy program and the reduction in behavioural
A study looked at group of 250 children aged 8-11 years old who had been diagnosed with
extreme behavioural problems such as violent tantrums. The children were given art
therapy over a period of six weeks. At the end of the six week period, independent
observers assessed the children and only 50 of them (20%) showed behavioural problems.
The researchers concluded that art therapy can play a significant role in reducing
behavioural problems in children.
(7) The reasoning in each of the following arguments is flawed in some way. For each argument,
briefly explain where the argument goes wrong. (4 marks each for a total of 12 marks)
(i) Some historians claim that the people who built a ring of stones thousands of years ago in
Britain were knowledgeable about astronomy. The evidence for this claim is that two of the
stones determine a line pointing directly to the position of the sun at sunrise at the spring
equinox. But there are many stones in the ring, so the chance that one pair will point in an
astronomically significant direction is large. The historians claim is therefore false.
(ii) Regular exercise such as swimming makes you fitter. Andrew swims regularly but, Darren
does not. So Andrew is probably fitter than Darren.
(iii) Mary: Did you know that no two snowflakes are alike?
Jane: I don’t think that’s true. Look at this book – it has a photo of two identical snowflakes.
Mary: It must be. All snowflakes are different, so this photo must consist of two duplicated
images of the same snowflake.
(8) Read the following opinion piece from a newspaper; state the main conclusion and then
write a short evaluation of the argument. Your evaluation should consider the following
questions:
1. Support: If the premises were true, would they provide a sufficient reason to accept the
conclusion?
2. Truth: Are the premises true?
Are Julian Assange and WikiLeaks really doing anything that unusual? After all, leaks are a
legitimate part of contemporary journalism; nobody objects when cabinet discussions are
leaked during a general election for example. The diplomatic cables published by
WikiLeaks were first given to the mainstream press, who vetted the documents for
sensitive or risky information. WikiLeaks only published the edited cables. WikiLeaks even
asked the US State Department for help editing risky documents, a practice common when
the press deals with classified material. WikiLeaks is therefore legitimate journalism, which
makes recent actions by the U.S. government particularly disturbing.
The U.S government has clearly been trying to remove corporate support for WikiLeaks.
Amazon.com, which was hosting WikiLeaks for a short time, dropped its account when
the company received calls from staff of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security:
asking “Are there plans to take the site down?” Another company, Tableau, which was
providing software for WikiLeaks to visualise the data, was also contacted by congressional
staff. They severed their relationship with the site too. Visa, Mastercard and Paypal have all
followed suit, banning donations to WikiLeaks.
These political attempts to choke WikiLeaks’ funding and foundations are a clear breach of
freedom of the press. No matter how new the medium, it is an absolute and fundamental
infringement of free speech when a government tries to gag a media outlet it doesn’t like.
Adapted from ‘The Weight of the Word’, by Chris Berg, published in The Age newspaper,
December 2010. Chris Berg is a research fellow with the Institute of Public Affairs.