Which term refers to a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from what preceded?

Which term refers to a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from what preceded?

• A. Non sequitur
• B. Ruse
• C. Iterative
• D. Pusillanimous

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is spotting a jump in reasoning where the conclusion doesn’t follow from what was stated before. That mismatch is called a non sequitur — literally, “it does not follow.” In reasoning or rhetoric, a non sequitur signals that the link between the premises and the conclusion is missing or irrelevant, so the conclusion isn’t supported by what came before. For example, if someone says, “The cat is on the mat, therefore it will rain tomorrow,” the fact about the cat has nothing to do with tomorrow’s weather, so the conclusion doesn’t follow. Other terms here describe something else entirely: a ruse is a trick or deception, iterative means repeating steps, and pusillanimous means cowardly.

The main idea here is spotting a jump in reasoning where the conclusion doesn’t follow from what was stated before. That mismatch is called a non sequitur — literally, “it does not follow.” In reasoning or rhetoric, a non sequitur signals that the link between the premises and the conclusion is missing or irrelevant, so the conclusion isn’t supported by what came before.

For example, if someone says, “The cat is on the mat, therefore it will rain tomorrow,” the fact about the cat has nothing to do with tomorrow’s weather, so the conclusion doesn’t follow.

Other terms here describe something else entirely: a ruse is a trick or deception, iterative means repeating steps, and pusillanimous means cowardly.