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Problem of the Week: A Tale of Two Arguments

Two arguments are given below:

Argument A Argument B
Billy Bob planned to major in criminal justice or pre-law. Since Billy Bob is majoring in criminal justice, he must not be majoring in pre-law. Botany graduates work in parks or research labs. Linda Lou got her degree in Botany last year and doesn't work in a park, so she must be working a research lab.


(a) Represent both Argument A and Argument B in symbols.

(b) Knowing the common argument forms we have covered in class, decide which argument (if any) is valid, and which argument (if any) is invalid.

(c) Say which common argument form or common fallacy each argument is an example of.