Question

Premise 1 all television shows that aired in the twentieth century were game shows. Premise 2 supermarket sweep was a television show that aired in the twentieth century. Conclusion: therefore, supermarket sweep was a game show. How does this argument hold up in terms of truth and validity.

Answer 1

Answer: The argument is valid, but not all the premises are true.

Explanation:

An argument is valid only if the conclusion follows from the premises: given that all premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. In logic, the truth is a quality of statements (premises and conclusions), whereas validity is a feature of the argument itself.

The fact that Supermarket Sweep was an American television game show is something anyone can easily check. However, not all television shows that from the twentieth century were game shows. So in this case the argument is valid, but not all the premises are true.