Question

Use the law of syllogism to make a conclusion If the power goes out, then the freezer will stop working. If the freezer stops working, then the ice cream will melt.

A) If the freezer stops working, then the power must be out
B) If the ice cream melts, then you will need a straw
C) If the power goes out, then it will be hot.
D) If the power goes out, then the ice cream will melt

Answer 1

The law of syllogism allows us to combine two conditional statements to make a logical conclusion. The correct answer, using this law, is D) If the power goes out, then the ice cream will melt, because it directly follows from the given statements about the freezer and ice cream.

Step-by-step explanation:

To use the law of syllogism to make a conclusion based on the provided statements, we need to identify a chain of logical relationships where the conclusion of one statement becomes the premise of the next. The given statements are:

1. If the power goes out, then the freezer will stop working.
2. If the freezer stops working, then the ice cream will melt.

The law of syllogism allows us to combine these two conditional statements into one larger conditional statement by taking the premise of the first and the conclusion of the second, provided that the conclusion of the first matches the premise of the second. Following this logic, we conclude:

If the power goes out, then the ice cream will melt.

This logical conclusion is represented by option D in your list of choices. The other options either reverse the logical direction of the original statements (A), introduce new premises that are not part of the logical chain (B and C), or make unrelated conclusions (B and C).