Which of the following is an example of an argument?
AThe sky is blue.
BI think cats are better than dogs.
CIt's raining, so you should bring an umbrella.
DWhat time is it?
An argument requires at least one premise and a conclusion connected by a reasoning relationship. 'It's raining' is the premise; 'bring an umbrella' is the conclusion supported by it. A bare statement, an isolated opinion, and a question are not arguments — they make no claim supported by evidence.
Question 2 True / False
The conclusion of an argument is expected to generally appear at the end of the passage.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
Conclusions most commonly appear at the end of a passage, following the premises that support them — this is the natural 'because X, therefore Y' structure. However, conclusions can also appear at the beginning or middle. They are ultimately identified by their logical role (the claim the premises support), not strictly by position, but end-of-passage is the typical default.
Question 3 Short Answer
What is the difference between a premise and a conclusion in an argument?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: A premise is a statement offered as a reason or evidence; a conclusion is the statement the premises are meant to establish or support.
The logical relationship is asymmetric: premises do the supporting, the conclusion is what gets supported. Identifying which role each statement plays is the first step in evaluating whether the reasoning actually works.