Final answer:
A statement is a sentence that has a truth value and can be either true or false. Sentence A ("Whales are aquatic mammals.") is a true statement, whereas Sentences B and C are suggestions and do not possess truth value, and thus are not statements.
Step-by-step explanation:
A statement is a sentence that has a truth value, meaning it can be either true or false. Let's examine the sentences given:
- Sentence A: "Whales are aquatic mammals." This sentence makes a claim about reality that is true, hence it has a truth value and is considered a statement.
- Sentence B: "I suggest that you practice your arithmetic." This is a suggestion, not a claim about reality that can be true or false, so it does not have a truth value and is not a statement.
- Sentence C: "I suggest that you familiarize yourself with your computer's operating system." Similarly to Sentence B, this does not have a truth value as it's a suggestion and therefore is not a statement.
The distinction between statements and other sentences lies in the ability to judge their truthfulness. A statement aligns with the correspondence theory of truth if it corresponds to a fact in reality. For instance, the truth of "Whales are aquatic mammals" corresponds with the factual state of affairs regarding whales. Knowing whether a sentence is a statement is essential for understanding its application in logical structures like conditionals and universal affirmative statements.