What Is A Legal Claim?

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| By Kdelapla

Kdelapla

Community Contributor

Quizzes Created: 10 | Total Attempts: 22,953

Questions: 10 | Attempts: 587 | Updated: Mar 21, 2023

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Here's a short quiz on the concepts discussed in this tutorial.

Questions and Answers

1.

In logic the terms “statement”, “proposition” and “claim” are commonly used to mean the same thing — namely, an assertion that can be true or false (but not both).
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
The terms "statement," "proposition," and "claim" are commonly used interchangeably in logic to refer to an assertion that can be either true or false.

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2.

Not all sentences can function as claims for argumentative purposes.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. Questions don't count, for example. Nor do imperatives (commands). Nor do claims that are so vague or ambiguous that we can't understand what's being said.

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3.

For a sentence to function as a claim in an argument, there must be a shared understanding among all relevant parties of the meaning of the sentence.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. This is a not a trivial requirement. A lot of unproductive debate is based on a failure to make clear what the issue is and what claims are actually being asserted.

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4.

In the context of logic and argumentation, to understand the meaning of a sentence is to understand what it would mean for the sentence to be true or false.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. Again, this isn't a trivial point. There may be other ways that language can carry meaning (think of poetry, think of metaphor, etc.), but for purposes of argumentation we need clarity, and this is a good test for clarity - do everyone understand what it would mean for the claim to be true rather than false?

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5.

If the meaning of a sentence is vague at all, then it cannot function as a claim in an argument.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
False. All language will have some degree of vagueness. The relevant question is whether the claim is TOO vague, given the argumentative context.

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6.

Can the following function as a claim in an argument? “Are you going to the beach this weekend?”
- A.
  
  Claim
- B.
  
  Not a claim
Correct Answer
B. Not a claim

Explanation
Not a claim. This is a question. Questions can't be either true or false.

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7.

Can the following function as a claim in an argument? “Put your hands in the air and turn around!”
- A.
  
  Claim
- B.
  
  Not a claim
Correct Answer
B. Not a claim

Explanation
Not a claim. This is a command. Commands can't be either true or false.

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8.

So-called “rhetorical questions” are actually not questions at all, but statements disguised as questions.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. Sometimes we use the grammatical form of a question when we're really making an assertion. Sarcastic questions often function this way.

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9.

Prediction: “Tomorrow is a day of new opportunities.”
- A.
  
  Too vague to function as a claim
- B.
  
  Too ambiguous to function as a claim
- C.
  
  Both
- D.
  
  Neither — this can function as a claim
Correct Answer
A. Too vague to function as a claim

Explanation
I picked (a) for this, but my students insist that you can also read "opportunities" as being ambiguous. Don't feel bad if you picked (c), you're in good company.

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10.

Prediction: “Today you will receive a phone call at 3:31 PM, from a man asking about donations to the Red Cross.”
- A.
  
  Too vague to function as a claim
- B.
  
  Too ambiguous to function as a claim
- C.
  
  Both
- D.
  
  Neither — this can function as a claim
Correct Answer
D. Neither — this can function as a claim

Explanation
(d) It's very clear what's being asserted here.

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Current Version
Mar 21, 2023

Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team
Feb 12, 2013

Quiz Created by
Kdelapla

What Is A Legal Claim?

In logic the terms “statement”, “proposition” and “claim” are commonly used to mean the same thing — namely, an assertion that can be true or false (but not both).

Not all sentences can function as claims for argumentative purposes.

For a sentence to function as a claim in an argument, there must be a shared understanding among all relevant parties of the meaning of the sentence.

In the context of logic and argumentation, to understand the meaning of a sentence is to understand what it would mean for the sentence to be true or false.

If the meaning of a sentence is vague at all, then it cannot function as a claim in an argument.

Can the following function as a claim in an argument? “Are you going to the beach this weekend?”

Can the following function as a claim in an argument? “Put your hands in the air and turn around!”

So-called “rhetorical questions” are actually not questions at all, but statements disguised as questions.

Prediction: “Tomorrow is a day of new opportunities.”

Prediction: “Today you will receive a phone call at 3:31 PM, from a man asking about donations to the Red Cross.”