Week 6 Exercises

Exercise 1

(a) Translate the following sentences into categorical form and state which of the four forms— A, E, I,
O—you have used. (b) If you think that any sentence is ambiguous as to which of the categorical forms it
exemplifies, say so and explain why. Note: The point here is not to consider whether the statements
made are true or false, acceptable or unacceptable, but merely to write them in categorical form as A, E,
I, or O.

Every dog has his day.

This statement belongs in the A category, all members of the S category are members of the P category.

No man can serve two masters.

This statement belongs in the E category, no member of the S category can be a member of the P
category.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

This statement is ambiguous because it somewhat belongs to A, where all the S category does the
opposite of all the P category, but they are not really connected statements.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

This is an E statement; all members of the S category are not members of the P category.

At least one new drug proved to be harmful to the patients.

 This is an I statement, at least one member of the S category is a member of the P

category.

Nothing succeeds like success.

This statement is ambiguous because it mimics an E statement but “nothing succeeds” is not really a
category.

Finders keepers, losers weepers. (Hint: Use two statements.)

This is an A and E statement because all members of the S category are members of the P category as
individual phrases. But as a complete sentence, members of the S category are not members of the P
category.

Some consumers are not concerned to save money.

This is an O statement; some members of the S category are not part of the P category.

Good fences make good neighbors.

This is an A statement; all members of the S category are members of the P category.

Experience is the mother of wisdom.

This is an A statement; all members of the S category are members of the P category.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

This is an A statement; all members of the S category are members of the P category

Exercise 2

For each of the following arguments, (a) put the premises and the conclusion into categorical form.
Check to see whether the argument is a syllogism. (Remember, in a syllogism, there are two premises
and one conclusion. All are in categorical form, and there are exactly three categories in the statements;
each category term appears twice.)

1. The common cold has economic costs. Any illness that has economic costs should be taken seriously.
Therefore, the common cold should be taken seriously.

This is an I statement because some members of the S category in premise one (illnesses) are members
of the P category (economic costs). There are three categories; illness, economic costs, and the
combination that should be taken seriously. Therefore, the argument has syllogism.

2. Some businesses succeed by cutting labor costs. Any business that cuts labor costs is exploiting its
workers. Therefore, some businesses exploit their workers.

This is an I statement because some members of the S category in premise one (business that cuts labor
costs) are members of the P category (exploiting their workers). There are two categories; businesses
that cut labor costs who are exploiting their workers and those who don’t. Therefore, there is no
syllogism in the argument.

3. All foods that can be kept on the shelf for several weeks without rotting are foods containing
additives. Some foods that contain additives are hazardous to the health of allergy sufferers. Therefore,
some foods that can be kept on the shelf for

This is an I statement because some members of the S category in premise one (additives) are members
of the P category (hazardous to health). This statement is also an A category because all foods that can
be kept on the shelf for several weeks have additives. There are three categories; foods with long shelf
life, foods with additives, and additives that have health hazards. Therefore, the argument has syllogism.

4. No fishermen are loggers and some loggers are not hunters; therefore some

The first phrase is an E category, no members of the S category are members of the P category. The
second phrase is an O category, some members of the S category are not members of the P category.
There are only 2 categories so there is no syllogism.

5. Some lions are mammals because all animals that give birth to their young alive are mammals, and all
lions give birth to their young alive.

The first phrase is an I statement because some members of the S category are members of the P
category. The second and third statement are A categories because all members of the S category are
members of the P category. Therefore, there is syllogism.

6. All zoos are places in which animals may be bred, and no places in which animals may be bred should
keep animals in cramped conditions. Thus, no zoo s

The first phrase is an A statement all members of the S category are members of the P category. The
second phrase is an I statement where no members of the S category are members of the P category.
Since there are only 2 categories the argument has no syllogism.

7. No shoes without traction are safe for mountain climbing. All shoes safe for mountain climbing are
sturdily built. Therefore, some shoes without traction are not sturdily built.

The first phrase is an I statement where no members of the S category are members of the P category.
The second phrase is an A statement all members of the S category are members of the P category. The
third phrase is an O statement where some members of the S category are not members of the P
category. There are three categories, therefore there is syllogism in the argument.
8. Only those who are fast cyclists can manage the trip from Calgary to Banff. Pedro is a fast cyclist.
Therefore, Pedro can manage the trip from Calgary to Banff.

The first statement is an I statement where some members of the S category are members of the P
category. The second statement is an A statement where all members of the S category are members of
the P category. The third statement is an A statement where all members of the S category are members
of the P category. Therefore, there is syllogism in the argument because there are three categories.

9. All appeals to supernatural causes are ultimately based on ignorance. All arguments based on
ignorance are fallacious. Therefore, all appeals to supernatural causes are fallacious.

The first statement is an A statement where all members of the S category are members of the P
category. The second statement is an A statement where all members of the S category are members of
the P category. The third statement is an A statement where all members of the S category are members
of the P category. Since there are three categories, there is syllogism in the argument.

10. Only candidates under the age of 30 are eligible for the internship program. Malema is not under
30. Therefore Malema is not eligible for the internship program.

The first statement is an I statement where some members of the S category are members of the P
category. The second phrase is an O statement where some members of the S category are not
members of the P category. The third statement is an E statement where all members of the S category
are not members of the P category. Therefore, there is no syllogism in the argument.