2.1 The Truth Condition

Approved & Edited by ProProfs Editorial Team

The editorial team at ProProfs Quizzes consists of a select group of subject experts, trivia writers, and quiz masters who have authored over 10,000 quizzes taken by more than 100 million users. This team includes our in-house seasoned quiz moderators and subject matter experts. Our editorial experts, spread across the world, are rigorously trained using our comprehensive guidelines to ensure that you receive the highest quality quizzes.

Learn about Our Editorial Process

| By Kdelapla

Kdelapla

Community Contributor

Quizzes Created: 10 | Total Attempts: 24,589

Questions: 5 | Attempts: 383 | Updated: Mar 19, 2023

Settings

Feedback

During the Quiz End of Quiz

Difficulty

Sequential Easy First Hard First

Play as

Quiz Flashcard

Create your own Quiz

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Whatsapp Share on Pinterest Share on Email Copy to Clipboard Embed on your website

Quiz yourself on the terms and concepts you learned in this section!

Questions and Answers

1.

“The earth is motionless at the center of the universe.” This statement would be plausible to a Medieval audience but is not plausible to a modern audience.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. I'm assuming that "modern audience" means an audience informed by the consensus of mainstream scientific opinion. You can find people today who still think the earth is motionless at the center of the universe, but these don't qualify as a "modern audience" in this sense.

Rate this question:
2.

A premise can be plausible to a given audience and still be false.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. Plausibility is independent of the actual truth or falsity of a claim. The case of medieval belief in a motionless earth is a good example.

Rate this question:
3.

The persuasive power of an argument is a function of the subjective plausibility of its premises for a given audience, not a function of the actual truth of the premises.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
The explanation for the given correct answer is that the persuasive power of an argument is determined by how believable or plausible its premises are to a specific audience, rather than whether the premises are actually true. In other words, an argument can be persuasive even if its premises are not objectively true, as long as they are perceived as plausible by the audience being targeted. This highlights the importance of understanding and appealing to the beliefs and values of the intended audience when trying to make a persuasive argument.

Rate this question:
4.

If an argument has false premises, the argument is necessarily a bad one, regardless of the subjective plausibility of the premises for a given audience.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
False. The premises may be false, but an audience may still have good reason to believe them, given the evidence available. And if so, then they may function as premises of a good argument, in the sense that the premises give the audience good reasons to accept the conclusion.

Rate this question:
5.

“Cell phone usage is a leading cause of brain cancer”. Can this statement can be (objectively) true for some audiences but (objectively) false for others?
- A.
  
  Yes
- B.
  
  No
Correct Answer
B. No

Explanation
No. Plausibility may vary from audience to audience, but the actual truth or falsity of a claim like this one does not. Whether cell phone usage is a leading cause of brain cancer is true or false independent of what anyone happens to believe about it. If it's true, it's true for everyone, and if it's false, it's false for everyone.

Rate this question:

Quiz Review Timeline +

Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

Current Version
Mar 19, 2023

Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team
Aug 24, 2012

Quiz Created by
Kdelapla

2.1 The Truth Condition

“The earth is motionless at the center of the universe.” This statement would be plausible to a Medieval audience but is not plausible to a modern audience.

A premise can be plausible to a given audience and still be false.

The persuasive power of an argument is a function of the subjective plausibility of its premises for a given audience, not a function of the actual truth of the premises.

If an argument has false premises, the argument is necessarily a bad one, regardless of the subjective plausibility of the premises for a given audience.

“Cell phone usage is a leading cause of brain cancer”. Can this statement can be (objectively) true for some audiences but (objectively) false for others?