Order Description

The obvious guidelines apply: you must clearly indicate which question you are answering; you must answer each question separately; your answers must be typed; you must double-space your answers; you must leave at least 1 inch margins on all
sides; you must use a font that is at least 12 point; you must use normal-sized paper (i.e. paper that is 8.5 inches by 11 inches).
You (absolutely, positively) must write up your answers on your own. Failure to do so may result in catastrophic consequences.
You are not required to consult sources other than the assigned readings. In fact, you are discouraged from doing so. You are not absolutely forbidden from doing so; but, if you do consult additional sources, you must cite them. If, for whatever reason, you
quote from the assigned readings, you must cite them, too. Again, failure to cite may result in catastrophic consequences.
I am looking for specific answers. Each question is carefully designed to get you to give me a specific answer. No question is an invitation for you to wax poetic on matters metaphysical. Saying interesting and true things can actually count against
you—if what you say does not answer the question.
Many questions can be answered in a single word or a single sentence. Few questions (if any) cannot be answered in a short paragraph. If you are writing two or three paragraphs—or, worse yet, more than that—in answer to a question, you have
probably not understood it. You should be able to answer all of the questions in 4 or 5 pages. If you’re taking more than 5 pages, your answers are probably too long: go back and make them more concise.
Your grade will be based on what you actually say—and not on what you meant to say, or were trying to say, or wished you had said. You can come to me afterwards and say things like “I know I wrote ‘infinitely many’ in answer to the question about
how many members the empty set has, but I meant to write ‘none’.” You can say that; but, even if I believe you, I won’t change your grade. The questions are divided into parts and come in a particular order. This is not an accident. Often the answer to one question in a part will be related to the answer to an earlier question in that part. As a result, the details of your answer to one question
in a part might depend on the details of your answer to an earlier question in that part. In answering the later question, you might find that you need to go back to the earlier question and straighten out some of the details of your answer. If this happens, do what you obviously should do: namely, go back to the earlier question
and straighten out the details of your answer.