For each of the following, determine if it's an argument or an explanation. If it's an argument, underline or highlight the conclusion.

1. There must be a rat in my apartment. Something keeps getting into the trash and the dog can't reach the trash can.
2. The reason the dog can't reach the trash is that she has arthritis in her hips.
3. Drive is his favorite movie because it has such a good soundtrack.
4. Every time I drink tequila I get sick, but I never get sick when I drink whiskey. Tequila is probably harder on me than whiskey.
5. Domination is a name for unjust forms of power. Gaslighting is an unjust form of power. So, gaslighting is a kind of domination.

Determine if the following arguments are valid using the informal method for testing validity. If the argument is invalid, briefly describe a counterexample.

6. If she's into you, she'll give you her number. She gave you her number! So, she must be into you.

7. Katie hates bananas. You know that's a banana, so Katie is going to hate that.

8. My dog barks every time she thinks someone is at the door. She's barking, so I guess there must be someone at the door.

Give the missing premise to each of the following arguments. Try to make the missing premise as plausible as one can.

9. You should never show up late to class, because showing up late irritates the professor.

10. Christopher is a philosopher, so you know he must be kind of a jerk.

Produce a standard format outline of these arguments and show how they would be diagrammed using Van Cleve's method.

11. God simply must exist. God, by definition, is the greatest possible being. The greatest possible being is as perfect as it is possible to be. But it's more perfect to exist than not to exist. So, to say "God does not exist" is to say that the perfect being is not the perfect being. That's a contradiction. Contradictions are always false. That's why we can be sure that God exists.

12. Christopher is very clumsy. He falls off his bike and injures himself at least once a year. Also, Shannon will tell you that he hardly ever takes his dog for a walk without tripping on the leash. Shannon is his girlfriend so she would know.

13. Imagine that everyone else suddenly started to believe that only your happiness matters. Isn't that just imagining everyone else suddenly losing their mind? I think so. The only way everyone else could suddenly believe that only your happiness matters is if they went insane. But here's the thing: It can't be rational for you to believe something that it would be insane for everyone else to believe. Doesn't this mean you shouldn't believe that only your happiness matters?

Are the following examples of assuring, guarding, or discounting? explain the answer

14. Maybe you've heard that Christopher McCammon has a good rating on Rate My Professors, but I'm here to tell you he couldn't teach his way out of a paper bag.

15. Look, it's complicated, but trust me: there's never a good reason to get a cat.

16. It's possible a car might hit you; so, you should never ride a bike.

17. No sensible person takes philosophy seriously. If you want to know the truth, ask a scientist.