In a classical deductive syllogism, what must be true for the argument to be classified as 'sound', or alithis syllogismos?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Valid form and true premises
- Step 1: In formal Aristotelian logic, an argument is valid if its conclusion follows necessarily from its premises. For a syllogism to be sound, it must possess both a formally valid structure and factual truth in all its premises. Answer: Valid form and true premises. Why not the others: "Inductive empirical evidence" characterizes inductive strength rather than formal deductive soundness; "Rhetorical consensus agreement" concerns audience persuasion (pathos/ethos) rather than logical soundness; "Plausible analogical reasoning" produces inductive probability rather than strict deductive validity.
Practise more Textual Cohesion, Argumentation and Rhetoric.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Panhellenic Examinations (Greece) mock tests.
More Textual Cohesion, Argumentation and Rhetoric questions
- Which type of logical argument moves from specific empirical observations to a probable universal conclusion?
- What rhetorical figure is characterized by the deliberate omission of conjunctions between successive clauses or words?
- Which rhetorical figure is exemplified by the phrase 'an eloquent silence spoke across the room'?
- In rhetorical analysis of persuasive essays, what constitutes an argument 'ad hominem'?
- What syntactic function do transitional discourse markers such as 'omws' and 'entoutois' primarily perform?
- In textual composition (Ekthesi), what is the primary structural purpose of the topic sentence in a paragraph?