Which one of the following formal fallacies is committed in the given argument? All athletes are sportspersons. No actor is an athlete. Therefore no actors are sportspersons.

Correct option is A

The given argument commits the Fallacy of Illicit Process of the Major Term.
· Major Premise: "All athletes are sportspersons."
· Minor Premise: "No actor is an athlete."
· Conclusion: "No actors are sportspersons."
The major term here is "sportspersons", which is distributed in the conclusion ("No actors are sportspersons") but not distributed in the major premise ("All athletes are sportspersons").
Illicit Process of the Major Term:
· A term cannot be distributed in the conclusion unless it is distributed in the premise.
· In this case, the predicate "sportspersons" is not distributed in the major premise ("All athletes are sportspersons") but is distributed in the conclusion.
Information Booster: 1. Key Terms in the Argument:
· Major Term: Predicate of the conclusion (sportspersons).
· Minor Term: Subject of the conclusion (actors).
· Middle Term: The term connecting the major and minor terms (athletes).
2. Rules for Valid Syllogism:
· A term distributed in the conclusion must be distributed in the premises.
· The middle term must be distributed at least once.
· At least one premise must be affirmative.
Additional Knowledge · Option (b): Fallacy of Illicit Process of Minor Term
· Incorrect. The minor term ("actors") is properly distributed in both the premise and conclusion.
· Option (c): Fallacy of Exclusive Premises
· Incorrect. Not relevant here as one premise is affirmative.
· Option (d): Existential Fallacy
· Incorrect. The issue lies in term distribution, not existential assumptions.