Identify the type of argument and determine its validity with a Venn diagram.Premise: If you break curfew, then you will be punished.Premise: Thelma was punished.Conclusion: Thelma broke curfew.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The type of argument is called Affirming the Conclusion. We have p = you break curfew and q = you will be punished. The second premise asserts that Thelma was punished, which we show by putting an X in the q circle. However, the premise says nothing about whether Thelma broke curfew, so we put the X on the border of the p circle to indicate that we don't know whether the X belongs inside or outside this circle. The Venn diagram shows that the premises do not lead necessarily to the conclusion, so the argument is invalid. Thelma may have been punished for some other reason.