Identify the type of argument and determine its validity with a Venn diagram.Premise: If you try hard, then you will succeed.Premise: You did not try hard.Conclusion: You will not succeed.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The type of argument is called Denying the Hypothesis. We have p = you try hard and q = you will succeed. The second premise asserts that p is false for you, which we show by putting an X outside the p circle. However, we do not know whether the X should also be outside the q circle, because the premise says nothing about whether you succeeded. Thus, we put the X on the border of the q circle. The Venn diagram shows that the premises do not lead necessarily to the conclusion, so the argument is invalid. It is possible that, despite your not trying hard, you might still succeed.