Topics for test 2

The following are the topics to be covered. The proportion of the test covering each will approximate the proportion of the classes so far that have been devoted to that topic. Your homework and the collection of old tests will provide specific examples of the kinds of questions I might ask.

Analysis. Be able to analyze the logical form of a sentence as fully as possible using conjunction, negation, and disjunction and present the form in both symbolic and English notation.

Synthesis. Be able to synthesize an English sentence that has a given logical form.

Derivations. Be able to construct derivations to show that entailments hold and to show that they fail. I may tell you in advance whether an entailment holds or leave it to you to check that using derivations. There may be a derivation where detachment and attachment rules may be used and where they will shorten the proof; but there will be other derivations where you must rely on the basic rules, either because detachment and attachment rules do not apply or because I tell you not to use them.

I might also ask you to answer a question about derivations, either one you have given or derivations in general. For example, you might be asked about a particular point in a derivation to list the active resources and goal or to indicate all the basic rules that could be applied. I might also ask, though this is less likely, that you explain why a given derivation rule is legitimate. (You’ve seen questions of the first sort in your homework; for an example of the second sort, see question 8 of test 1 from fall 2000.)