A Reasoning Teaser Socrates arrives at a bridge guarded by a powerful lord, Plato, and begs to be allowed to cross.

Plato replies: I swear that if the next utterance you make is true I shall let you cross, but if it is false I shall throw you in the water. Socrates replies: You are going to throw me in the water. What happens next? Is Socrates thrown in the water or not If Plato does not throw him in the water, Socrates has spoken falsely and should be thrown in; but if he is thrown in, Socrates has spoken truly and should not be thrown in. This is what we call a PARADOX. Key Terms: Revised Premise Each CR argument contains at least one premise. Premises are pieces of information that provide evidence used to support the conclusion of the argument. For the purposes of Critical Reasoning arguments, premises are facts not subject to dispute. Conclusion The conclusion is the endpoint of the line of reasoning of an argument. Think of it as the result of the argument. The line of reasoning leading to a conclusion is often where errors in logic are made. Assumption Assumptions are unstated facts and logical connections in an argument. In order for the conclusion of an argument to be true, the assumptions upon which that argument is based must also be true. Argument Central to every CR question is the argument. An argument is an ordered line of reasoning composed of premises, assumptions, and a conclusion. Understanding the elements of an argument is essential to performing well in this section. Deductive Logic vs. Critical Reasoning: A comparative Have a look at the argument below: 1. Most actors are celebrities. 2. Aamir is an actor. 3. Therefore Aamir is a celebrity. The argument above is Deductively invalid as it is not consistent. The argument above is a fairly good Critical Reasoning (CR)argument as the conclusion is more than likely to occur. Additional premises can strengthen and weaken the original argument, in case of an CR argument. For logicians, the term valid is only applicable to Deductive arguments. A practical Approach to Critical Reasoning questions Sample Argument: A girl said to her friend: See that boy and girl. They are holding hands. They must be committed to each other and must be in a relationship.

Step 1: Identify the Premise

Premise Indicator words: ] because since

In that owing to given that we know this by

for as indicated by this can be seen from

for example due to for the reason that

The premises of the argument are: A girl said to her friend: See that boy and girl. They are holding hands. Sample Argument: A girl said to her friend: See that boy and girl. They are holding hands. They must be committed to each other and must be in a relationship. Step 2: Identify the Conclusion
Conclusion Indicator words: thus therefore so accordingly shows that conclude that hence clearly follows that consequently as a result must be that for this reason

The conclusion of the argument is: They must be committed to each other and must be in a relationship. Sample Argument: A girl said to her friend: See that boy and girl. They are holding hands in public. They must be committed to each other and must be in a relationship. Step 3: Identify the assumption Keep in mind: An assumption is an unstated premise of the argument: that is, an integral component of the argument that the author leaves for granted and unsaid. In other words, the Argument can be analogized to a house; the Premises are like walls, the conclusion is like the roof, and the Assumptions are like the foundation (the hidden part of the structure). Identify the Assumption Answer: In this case, the girl assumes that anyone who holds hands has to be a girlfriend-boyfriend (that is in a relationship). No that wise an assumption, is it?

Sample Argument: A girl said to her friend: See that boy and girl. They are holding hands in public. They must be committed to each other and must be in a relationship. Step 4: Weaken the argument Keep in mind: The key to weaken an argument is to undermine the conclusion, not necessarily destroy it. Following are some examples of words or phrases used to indicate that your

task is to weaken the argument: Weaken attack Challenge damage

undermine call into question

refute counter argue against cast doubt

One way to weaken an argument is to attack the assumption of the argument. Weaken the argument Answer: All we need to say is something as simple as this: A cousin was helping another by holding her hand. (This way they do not have to be in a relationship) Sample Argument: A girl said to her friend: See that boy and girl. They are holding hands in public. They must be committed to each other and must be in a relationship. Step 5: Strengthen the argument Keep in mind: Strengthen questions ask you to support the argument in any way possible. Speaking in numerical terms, any answer choice that strengthens the argument, whether by 1% or by 100%, is correct. Following are some examples of words or phrases used to indicate that your task is to strengthen the argument: Strenghten support

helps

most justifies

One way to strengthen an argument is to support the assumption of the argument. Strengthen the argument: All we need to say is something as simple as this: In modern times, holding hands in public has become the symbol of relationships. (This way they do not have to be in a relationship) PRACTICE QUESTION Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument above? A. Bicycles are inspected more often than scooters. B. The number of bicycle accidents is several hundred thousand times higher than the number of scooter accidents. C. Many bicycle owners are known not to stop on traffic lights whereas a most scooter owners follow the regulation. D. Scooter accidents are generally the fault of car owners, who bang into them and not those of the ones driving the scooters. E. Bicycles do not carry pillions generally but scooters do. Correct Answer: B Q2. A world-renowned painter recently won a lawsuit against an ice-cream manufacturer for commiserating another graphic designer to design the ice-creams packing in a style similar to the painter. Because of the judgment of the case, manufacturers will have to stop asking graphic designers now to copy the freely available designs of famous painters. And the end result will an increase in the cost of package design as employing the services of known artists would cost more than those of graphic designer that merely imitate their style. The conclusion above is based on which of the following assumptions? A. People cannot distinguish between an original work and its imitation.

B. Manufacturers will continue to use well-known painting styles in their packaging. C. Ice-ream manufacturers around the country are shocked by this judgment. D. Manufacturers will continue to use graphic artists to imitate the artistic style of famous painters. E. The sale of the product depends on its packaging. Correct Answer: B Q3. Navneet Pencils manufactures and sells the same pencils as Camlin does. Employee wages account for forty percent of the cost of manufacturing pencils at both factories. Navneet is seeking a competitive edge over Camlins supply. Therefore, to promote this end, Navneets should lower employee wages. Which of the following, if true, seriously weakens the argument above? A. Because they make a small number of specialty artists pencils, pencil manufacturers cannot receive volume discounts on raw materials. B. Lowering wages would reduce the quality of employee work and this reduced quality would lead to lowered sales. C. Navneets Pencils has taken away twenty percent of Camlins Supply business over the last year. D. Camlins Supply pays its employees, on average, ten percent more than does Navneets Pencils. E. Many people who work for manufacturing plants live in areas in which the manufacturing plant they work for is the only industry. Q3. Navneet Pencils manufactures and sells the same pencils as Camlin does. Employee wages account for forty percent of the cost of manufacturing pencils at both factories. Navneet is seeking a competitive edge over Camlins supply. Therefore, to promote this end, Navneets should lower employee wages. Which of the following, if true, seriously weakens the argument above? A. Because they make a small number of specialty artists pencils, pencil manufacturers cannot receive volume discounts on raw materials. B. Lowering wages would reduce the quality of employee work and this reduced quality would lead to lowered sales. C. Navneets Pencils has taken away twenty percent of Camlins Supply business over the last year. D. Camlins Supply pays its employees, on average, ten percent more than does Navneets Pencils. E. Many people who work for manufacturing plants live in areas in which the manufacturing plant they work for is the only industry.