How many of the five rules of validity could be applied without examining the conclusion?

A) 0
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5

The five rules of validity include both structural and content-based considerations. Two of these rules can be applied without examining the conclusion: ensuring the argument has at least one premise and ensuring the premises are relevant to the subject matter. The other rules require examining the conclusion to assess its logical connection to the premises, its truth based on the premises, and avoiding circular reasoning.