BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI

First Semester - 2007-2008

SYMBOLIC LOGIC
PHIL C221
Comprehensive Examination

Room No. 2217/2221 Max Marks 40.0

Date: 14.12.2007 Duration 3 Hours

1. Define Deductive Argument. State and discuss with the help of examples the nature
and purpose of proposition in Deductive Argument. (4.0)

2. Draw and compare Traditional Square of Opposition and Modern Square of

Opposition. (4.0)

3. Put each of the following syllogisms into standard form, name its mood and figure,
and test its validity by means of Rules.
(a) All supporters of popular government are communists, so all supporters of
popular government are opponents of the Bharatiya Janata Party, since all
communists are opponents of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
(b) No spaniels are good hunters, because no spaniels are gentle dogs, and all
gentle dogs are good hunters. (4.0 × 2 = 8.0)

4. Symbolize the following statements:

Modern Propositional Logic
a) India wins its first game if either Pakistan wins its first game or Sri Lanka wins its
first game.
b) Either India and Sri Lanka win their first games or it is not the case that if Sri
Lanka wins its first game, then Pakistan wins its first game.
c) If India and Sri Lanka both do not win their first games, then India and Sri Lanka
do not both win their first games.
Quantification Logic
d) Some politicians are both honest and intelligent.
e) Only film stars and cricketers are both indispensable and overpaid.
f) Any human being shouts if he is angry. (6.0)

5. Symbolize and construct both a formal proof of validity and an indirect proof of
validity for the following argument:
If she studies the sciences, then she prepares to earn a good living, and if she studies
the humanities, then she prepares to live a good life. Either she studies the sciences or
she studies the humanities. If she studies the sciences, then she does not prepare to
live a good life, and if she studies the humanities, then she does not prepare to earn a
good living. Therefore, she prepares to earn a good living if and only if she does not
prepare to live a good life. (3.0 + 3.0 + 2.0 = 8.0)

1
6. Symbolize and prove the invalidity of the following argument, using a model
containing two elements a and b.
Some actors are idiots and some actors are comedians. Therefore, all comedians are
idiots. (4.0)

7. Write a brief note on each of the following:

a) Validity
b) Attributes of Binary Relations
(3.0 × 2 = 6.0)