Which of the following arguments is fallacious because the middle term is…
2026
Which of the following arguments is fallacious because the middle term is present in both positive and negative instances and violates the rule that it should not be present in the negative instances?
- A.
Fire is cold because it is a substance
- B.
The hill has fire because it is knowable
- C.
Sound is eternal because it is produced
- D.
Wherever there is fire there is smoke
Attempted by 2 students.
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Correct answer: B
The question describes a logical fallacy where the middle term appears in both positive and negative instances, violating syllogistic rules of inference. The argument 'The hill has fire because it is knowable' exemplifies this, as the term 'knowable' applies to both fire and non-fire entities like water. This makes the reason too broad, failing to establish a necessary connection between the subject and the predicate.