Critical Reasoning: Argument Structure - Identifying Premises & Conclusions Using Conjunctions

**(1)** People in the second half of the fourth decade of their lives purchase more chocolate than do people in any other age group. **(2)** The prevalent belief that children love chocolate more than adults do is thus at least inaccurate if not utterly wrong. Which of the following best describes the argument's structure?

Very good! The word *thus* characterizes a {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}, which means that the sentence in which it appears is the argument's {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}.

Not exactly. Does the word *thus* characterize a {color:light-green}**premise**{/color} or a {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}?

That's right. The word *thus* indeed characterizes a {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}, which means that the sentence in which it appears is the argument's {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}.

Nope. The word *thus*characterizes a {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}, which means that the sentence in which it appears is the argument's {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}.

No, that's not right. That's impossible: an argument cannot consist of {color:light-blue}**conclusions**{/color} only. An argument must include at least one {color:light-green}**premise**{/color}.

No, sorry. One of these two statements is based on the other. In other words, one sentence is a {color:light-green}**premise**{/color} and one is a {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}.

Sentence 1 is a premise, and Sentence 2 is a conclusion.

Sentence 1 is a conclusion, and Sentence 2 is a premise.

Sentences 1 and 2 are both premises.

Sentences 1 and 2 are both conclusions.

A premise

A conclusion