Exam 3: Informal Fallacies

Frances, since you studied chemistry last year, you should know the answer to this. Is calcium a metal or a nonmetal?

Karen bought a new red Nissan Altima, and she says she gets great gas mileage. Tony, who has the same driving habits as Karen, also bought a new Nissan Altima-a yellow one, but with the same size engine and transmission. Probably he gets great gas mileage too.

Ladies and gentlemen, the minds of our children are in jeopardy. Today a reckless band of heathen teachers is shoving Darwinism down our children's throats. This ridiculous theory holds that human beings, the children of God, developed from mere monkeys. It holds that blind accident accounts for all life. Down with this godless theory! Fire the heathen teachers! Return God to the classroom!

Attorney Jane Welch has over 20 suits. Therefore, her wardrobe must be rather substantial.

Health care is a fundamental right. This is so because citizens have a right to the necessities of life. And this follows from the fact that life is a fundamental right. And naturally this is true because the state has the obligation to protect life. And why is this true? Because the state has an obligation to provide health care. And this follows from the fact that health care is a fundamental right.

Dorothy has blue eyes and blond hair. Therefore, probably her identical twin sister Theodora has blue eyes and blond hair.

April Bradley's arguments in favor of solar power are hardly worth listening to. After all, look where she graduated from-Northeast Texas State. That's hardly Ivy League. And look at how she dresses. Yuck!

Frank, I know you'll want to lend me the down payment money for my new house. After all, you wouldn't want the IRS to find out that you failed to report a hundred thousand dollars of income on your last tax return.

Nobody has ever seen Janice Rogers eat beef, chicken, lamb, pork, or any other kind of meat. We conclude that Janice is not a meat eater.

Either the Nile or the Amazon is the longest river. But the Amazon is not the longest river. Therefore, the Nile is the longest river.

Dr. Sylvia Newman, the world famous biochemist, says that the widespread use of pesticides poses a serious threat to public health. Therefore, we should take this warning seriously and investigate further the extent of the threat.

Richard has been doing very poorly in biology this term. Therefore, he should schedule an appointment with the professor so he can criticize and berate her teaching ability.

More people in America drink Budweiser than any other beer. Clearly, then, if you drink beer, you should drink Bud.

George argues that prize fighting should be outlawed. But many prize fighters have been great athletes-Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Rocky Marciano, and Joe Louis, to name just a few. Clearly George is mistaken.

Amy, since you know something about algebra, you can probably help me out with this. What is the value of x in the equation x² + 3x = 22?

Smooth, round stones apparently have the power to cure the flu. The last time Harriet got the flu, she put 10 smooth, round stones in her left pocket, and each day she transferred one of them to her right pocket. After all the stones were transferred, the flu was gone! Many others have tried this cure, and it has worked every time.

Movie star Marci Downs says in magazine ads that the new Porsche XKG is the sexiest car on the road. But you shouldn't take what she says too seriously because she's paid thousands of dollars to make these ads.

I know that Harper is a millionaire, but he couldn't have earned that money all by himself-at least not honestly. Harper is a total fool without a shred of business sense, and he wastes every spare nickel on idiotic video games.

Ed Jackson argues that the war in Iraq was a tragic mistake. But look who's talking! Before his recent discharge, Jackson was participating in the very war he now condemns. Obviously his arguments can't be trusted.

United Airlines flight 863 was late arriving in Houston, and flight 722 was late getting into LA-as was flight 429. Apparently all United Airlines flights are late these days.