Logic exams give almost no partial credit, which changes how the subject has to be revised. A question in a course built on A Concise Introduction to Logic, 14th Edition by Patrick J. Hurley asks you to name a fallacy, judge a syllogism or read a truth table, and there is no space between right and wrong for a well-argued near miss. That makes speed and accuracy on the mechanical parts — distribution, mood and figure, the order of operations in a truth-functional formula — worth more than an elegant understanding of the theory behind them. Students who can explain validity in an essay still lose marks by miscounting a distributed term.
Why this test bank helps
Accuracy of this kind comes from volume, but only if every attempt is corrected. Each item here is followed by a written rationale naming the specific rule at work — which term was distributed where, which fallacy the passage commits and why the near neighbour does not fit, which row of the table makes the argument invalid. Working through many short items with that feedback is how the mechanical steps become fast enough to leave attention for the questions that are genuinely hard.
What’s inside
- Questions arranged in the book’s chapter order, so each week of reading has its own block of practice.
- Mixed formats — multiple choice, true/false, symbolization items and short argument-analysis passages.
- A written rationale beneath every question, naming the rule and separating it from the fallacy it resembles.
- Heavy practice on fallacy identification and syllogism testing, the two areas that carry the most marks.
- One organized PDF, ready to download as soon as checkout completes.
Topics covered
- Argument identification — premises, conclusions, indicator words, and telling arguments from explanations and reports.
- Validity and strength — deductive against inductive reasoning, soundness, cogency and counterexample testing.
- Fallacies of relevance — ad hominem in its varieties, appeal to force, appeal to pity, straw man and red herring.
- Fallacies of weak induction and presumption — hasty generalization, false cause, begging the question, false dichotomy and equivocation.
- Language and definition — intension and extension, emotive force, and the criteria for a good lexical definition.
- Categorical logic — the four standard forms, distribution, the square of opposition and immediate inferences.
- Categorical syllogisms — mood and figure, Venn diagram testing, and the rules with their associated formal fallacies.
- Propositional and predicate logic — symbolization, truth tables, natural deduction rules and quantifier translation.
Who it’s for
Undergraduates taking introductory logic or critical reasoning from this edition, whether as a philosophy requirement or as a general education course, and anyone revising for a paper made up of many short, unforgiving items.
How to use it (the right way)
Work in short timed blocks rather than long sessions, because the skill being trained is quick accurate recognition. For every fallacy item you miss, write the name of the fallacy you chose beside the correct one and note the single feature that separates them. This is a study aid. Use it in line with your institution’s academic-integrity policy — for preparation and self-testing, not as a substitute for the coursework and never as material taken into a graded assessment.
Sample question (shows the format — your download contains the full set)
Q. Professor Adams argues that the legal drinking age should be raised. His argument can be dismissed, since he is a heavy drinker himself. Which fallacy does this passage commit?
- A. Ad hominem tu quoque
- B. Appeal to unqualified authority
- C. Straw man
- D. Red herring
Answer: A. The argument is rejected by charging the arguer with hypocrisy rather than by addressing the reasons offered, which is the you-too variety of ad hominem. B would require citing someone as an authority in a field where they have no standing, and no authority is cited here. C would require restating Adams’s argument in a distorted form and then refuting the distortion; his argument is not restated at all. D would require diverting to a different issue, whereas this passage stays on the drinking age and attacks the person.
Edition & format
- Matches: A Concise Introduction to Logic, 14th Edition, by Patrick J. Hurley.
- Format: Digital PDF, delivered instantly after checkout.
- Access: Lifetime — re-download from your account at any time.
Chapter numbering and exercise content change between editions of this book. Please confirm the edition above matches the one your course assigned before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Which edition does this match? The 14th Edition. Earlier editions are listed separately, since both the chapters and the examples change between them.
How do I receive it? Immediately after checkout, from your order confirmation page and from your account.
Do all the questions include rationales? Yes. Each explanation names the rule or fallacy and distinguishes it from the option most students choose instead.
Is using a test bank allowed? As practice material it is an ordinary study resource. Follow your institution’s academic-integrity policy and keep it out of any graded assessment.
More titles for this subject are in History & Humanities Test Banks.
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