Chapter 6
TRUE-FALSE
T F 1. The responsibility for the quality of information a team uses rests only on the member
providing it.
T F 2. Most conclusions from evidence are in terms of what is probably true, not positively
true.
T F 3. The criteria for evaluating a source of information rest only on his or her expertise in
the subject matter.
T F 4. An inference is the process in the mind that links data or evidence to conclusions or
claims.
T F 5. Inductive reasoning draws general conclusions from specific instances.
T F 6. A fallacy is an inference that does not follow sound reasoning processes.
T F 7. Values have no place in logical reasoning.
T F 8. Once you know a person’s cultural background, you can be quite sure of the values
that will affect his or her reasoning.
T F 9. In analyzing information for reasoning you need to know more than how much data
you have.
T F 10. When analyzing information and reasoning with team members, it’s a sign of
weakness to change your mind.
T F 11. In Toulmin’s system of analysis, terms such as “probably,” or “possibly,” are used to
qualify the claim.
T F 12. If your team concludes that the campus has a parking problem because each person
has had trouble finding a parking space, it is reasoning inductively.
T F 13. When one of your sources acknowledges what an opponent might say against his or
her argument, then according to Toulmin’s analysis your source is stating his or her
warrant.
T F 14. A source for your team’s data is an expert on global warming. A politician attacks
your source with the allegation that he is a wife-beater. That’s a fallacy called an “ad
hominem” argument.
T F 15. Cause and effect reasoning is a very reliable means of decision making.
T F 16. A fallacy is simply a statement that is not true.
T F 17. Value statements are always emotional and have no relation to logical arguments.
T F 18. Once you know a person’s cultural background, you can be quite sure of the values
that will affect his or her reasoning.
T F 19. An argument may be logically valid and still may contain untrue statements.
T F 20. A team norm should be to consider all information the property of the team so no one
must feel defensive about its quality when the team discusses it.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. In diagramming an argument, the term that refers to the rationale for linking the evidence to
the claim is the:
A. Data
B. Qualifier
2. The argument that “All politicians are dishonest, therefore Senator Roberts is dishonest,”
represents which type of reasoning?
A. Inductive
3. When using cause-and-effect reasoning, which of the following should be included in the
analysis?
A. Could there be multiple causes?
B. Does the effect always follow the cause?
4. Stereotyping people based on gender or ethnicity is an example of which of the following
fallacies?
A. Special pleading
B. Appeal to authority
5. Which of the following best describes the relationship between assumptions and values?
A. Values and assumptions are the same things.
B. Culture influences values but not assumptions.
6. A project team is trying to find ways to bridge cultural differences in the community.
Someone suggests that your project team should model itself after a swat team on television.
Their suggestion is a fallacy of
A. A sweeping generalization
B. Circumlocution
7. A despondent classmate groans, “Either I’ll have to dig ditches or get my Ph.D.” This is a
fallacy of:
D. Appeal to authority
E. None of the above
8. When using inductive reasoning, which of the following should be included in the analysis?
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
9. A fraternity favoring members of the football team to join their chapter is a case of:
A. True dilemma
B. Appeal to authority
10. Which of the following is UNTRUE of fallacies?
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
ESSAYS
1. Reasoning involves drawing conclusions from evidence. Briefly develop some criteria for
evaluating evidence (or information) and identify aspects a team should examine carefully when
using it.
2. An objective of reasoning is to determine what is probably true. Explain how probability
relates to certainty in drawing conclusions. Use specific reasoning approaches (inductive,
deductive, or cause-and-effect) in your explanation. Is probability harder for a team to assess
than for an individual? Why?
3. Reasoning involves mental processes connecting information and ideas. The processes in one
individual can be affected by culture, gender, personal experiences, values, and assumptions.
Describe, then, some of the particular problems a team of individuals faces when trying to reason
together. What can members do to help make the process work?