Question 1

Practically all the students in Professor Kane's English class copy their term papers from the Internet. Therefore, since you're in that class, you should do this, too.

Accepted Answer

A)  Begging the question. 
B)  Tu quoque (you, too). 
C)  Appeal to the people. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Accident. 
A)  Begging the question. 
B)  Tu quoque (you, too). 
C)  Appeal to the people. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Accident.

Question 2

Barbara lost 15 pounds after taking the new InstaThin supplement for 6 weeks. Tiffany has the same metabolism, lifestyle, diet, body type, age, height and former weight as Barbara. Therefore, probably Tiffany could lose about 15 pounds if she takes InstaThin for 6 weeks.

Accepted Answer

A)  Weak analogy. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Amphiboly. 
D)  Argument against the person, circumstantial. 
E)  False cause. 
A)  Weak analogy. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Amphiboly. 
D)  Argument against the person, circumstantial. 
E)  False cause.

Question 3

Sarah argues that all of us should support the school bond issue on the September ballot. But it's obvious why she argues this way. She has six kids currently attending public school. Clearly her argument is worthless.

Accepted Answer

A)  Argument against the person, circumstantial. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
D)  Argument against the person, abusive. 
E)  You, too (tu quoque). 
A)  Argument against the person, circumstantial. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
D)  Argument against the person, abusive. 
E)  You, too (tu quoque).

Question 4

Aspirin is a drug that relieves pain, and it is appropriately purchased over the counter. Morphine, like aspirin, is a drug that relieves pain. Therefore, it would be appropriate that morphine be available over the counter.

Accepted Answer

A)  Weak analogy. 
B)  Appeal to pity. 
C)  Appeal to ignorance. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
A)  Weak analogy. 
B)  Appeal to pity. 
C)  Appeal to ignorance. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Appeal to unqualified authority.

Question 5

The president of our college has promised to stop drinking on campus. Apparently the president has a drinking problem.

Accepted Answer

A)  Equivocation. 
B)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
C)  Amphiboly. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Suppressed evidence. 
A)  Equivocation. 
B)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
C)  Amphiboly. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Suppressed evidence.

Question 6

In which of the following statements is an attribute predicated distributively?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lemons are sour. 
B)  Cancer fatalities are increasing. 
C)  Model T Fords are disappearing. 
D)  Stars are numerous. 
E)  Bank robberies are frequent. 
A)  Lemons are sour. 
B)  Cancer fatalities are increasing. 
C)  Model T Fords are disappearing. 
D)  Stars are numerous. 
E)  Bank robberies are frequent.

Question 7

During the past two hundred years no one has been cured of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, it is unlikely that anyone will be cured in the next two hundred years.

Accepted Answer

A)  Equivocation. 
B)  Amphiboly. 
C)  Suppressed evidence. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Appeal to pity. 
A)  Equivocation. 
B)  Amphiboly. 
C)  Suppressed evidence. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Appeal to pity.

Question 8

This carton contains heavy cream. Therefore, it weighs more than that identically sized carton of ordinary cream.

Accepted Answer

A)  Accident. 
B)  Equivocation. 
C)  Amphiboly. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Composition. 
A)  Accident. 
B)  Equivocation. 
C)  Amphiboly. 
D)  No fallacy. 
E)  Composition.

Question 9

This one-liter glass vial contains a 3 percent solution of sulfuric acid. Therefore, every cubic centimeter of its contents is a 3 percent solution of sulfuric acid.

Accepted Answer

A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Suppressed evidence. 
C)  Division. 
D)  Hasty generalization. 
E)  Composition. 
A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Suppressed evidence. 
C)  Division. 
D)  Hasty generalization. 
E)  Composition.

Question 10

Children should be seen and not heard. Therefore, it was wrong for that drowning child to scream for help.

Accepted Answer

A)  Accident. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Begging the question. 
D)  Hasty generalization. 
E)  False dichotomy. 
A)  Accident. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Begging the question. 
D)  Hasty generalization. 
E)  False dichotomy.

Question 11

After eating a Big Mac for breakfast, poor Steve had a heart attack and died. The message is clear: Never eat a Big Mac for breakfast.

Accepted Answer

A)  False cause. 
B)  Weak analogy. 
C)  No fallacy. 
D)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
E)  Hasty generalization. 
A)  False cause. 
B)  Weak analogy. 
C)  No fallacy. 
D)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
E)  Hasty generalization.

Question 12

Every member of the Viking Society was born in Norway. Therefore, the Viking Society was born in Norway.

Accepted Answer

A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Complex question. 
C)  Composition. 
D)  Hasty generalization. 
E)  Division. 
A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Complex question. 
C)  Composition. 
D)  Hasty generalization. 
E)  Division.

Question 13

Stacy is a terrible poker player. But every poker player is a person. Therefore, Stacy is a terrible person.

Accepted Answer

A)  Amphiboly. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Suppressed evidence. 
D)  Equivocation. 
E)  Composition. 
A)  Amphiboly. 
B)  No fallacy. 
C)  Suppressed evidence. 
D)  Equivocation. 
E)  Composition.

Question 14

Cynthia, you know a lot about geography. Tell me. Does Zambia share a border with the Congo?

Accepted Answer

A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Begging the question. 
C)  Division. 
D)  Complex question. 
E)  Missing the point. 
A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Begging the question. 
C)  Division. 
D)  Complex question. 
E)  Missing the point.

Question 15

Andrew's new smartphone works well in fringe areas. Therefore, probably Madison's new smartphone, which is the same make and model as Andrew's, with the same service provider, works well in fringe areas, too.

Accepted Answer

A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Slippery slope. 
C)  False cause. 
D)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
E)  Weak analogy. 
A)  No fallacy. 
B)  Slippery slope. 
C)  False cause. 
D)  Appeal to unqualified authority. 
E)  Weak analogy.

Question 16

The bandwagon argument is a variety of:

Accepted Answer

A)  False cause. 
B)  Missing the point. 
C)  Appeal to ignorance. 
D)  Appeal to the people. 
E)  Red herring. 
A)  False cause. 
B)  Missing the point. 
C)  Appeal to ignorance. 
D)  Appeal to the people. 
E)  Red herring.

Question 17

Mr. Rankin has just given his argument favoring equal pay for women. It seems what he is saying is that working women should become men. They should all go out and get sex change operations. That's what Rankin wants. Well, I think we are all smart enough to reject that argument.

Accepted Answer

A)  Argument against the person, abusive. 
B)  Argument against the person, circumstantial. 
C)  Red herring. 
D)  Missing the point. 
E)  Straw man. 
A)  Argument against the person, abusive. 
B)  Argument against the person, circumstantial. 
C)  Red herring. 
D)  Missing the point. 
E)  Straw man.

Question 18

Betty is opposed to capital punishment by lethal injection. But doctors inject patients with all sorts of medicines every day. For example, vaccines against flu, pneumonia, and tetanus are injected into millions of patients. Antibiotics are injected for a whole host of bacterial infections, and insulin is injected for diabetes. Obviously Betty's views are not supported by the evidence.

Accepted Answer

A)  Red herring. 
B)  Appeal to pity. 
C)  No fallacy. 
D)  Slippery slope. 
E)  Straw man. 
A)  Red herring. 
B)  Appeal to pity. 
C)  No fallacy. 
D)  Slippery slope. 
E)  Straw man.

Question 19

No one has ever proved that smoking small amounts of marijuana over long periods of time is harmful. We can therefore conclude that this practice is completely safe.

Accepted Answer

A)  Red herring. 
B)  False cause. 
C)  No fallacy. 
D)  Appeal to ignorance. 
E)  Slippery slope. 
A)  Red herring. 
B)  False cause. 
C)  No fallacy. 
D)  Appeal to ignorance. 
E)  Slippery slope.

Question 20

Most elderly people who are hospitalized with cancer eventually die from the disease. Thus, if an elderly person wants to recover from cancer he or she must, at all costs, refuse hospitalization.

Accepted Answer

A)  Appeal to ignorance. 
B)  Appeal to the people. 
C)  Accident. 
D)  False cause. 
E)  Hasty generalization. 
A)  Appeal to ignorance. 
B)  Appeal to the people. 
C)  Accident. 
D)  False cause. 
E)  Hasty generalization.

Practically all the students in Professor Kane's English class copy their term papers from the Internet. Therefore, since you're in that class, you should do this, too.

Barbara lost 15 pounds after taking the new InstaThin supplement for 6 weeks. Tiffany has the same metabolism, lifestyle, diet, body type, age, height and former weight as Barbara. Therefore, probably Tiffany could lose about 15 pounds if she takes InstaThin for 6 weeks.

Sarah argues that all of us should support the school bond issue on the September ballot. But it's obvious why she argues this way. She has six kids currently attending public school. Clearly her argument is worthless.

Aspirin is a drug that relieves pain, and it is appropriately purchased over the counter. Morphine, like aspirin, is a drug that relieves pain. Therefore, it would be appropriate that morphine be available over the counter.

The president of our college has promised to stop drinking on campus. Apparently the president has a drinking problem.

In which of the following statements is an attribute predicated distributively?

During the past two hundred years no one has been cured of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, it is unlikely that anyone will be cured in the next two hundred years.

This carton contains heavy cream. Therefore, it weighs more than that identically sized carton of ordinary cream.

This one-liter glass vial contains a 3 percent solution of sulfuric acid. Therefore, every cubic centimeter of its contents is a 3 percent solution of sulfuric acid.

Children should be seen and not heard. Therefore, it was wrong for that drowning child to scream for help.

After eating a Big Mac for breakfast, poor Steve had a heart attack and died. The message is clear: Never eat a Big Mac for breakfast.

Every member of the Viking Society was born in Norway. Therefore, the Viking Society was born in Norway.

Stacy is a terrible poker player. But every poker player is a person. Therefore, Stacy is a terrible person.

Cynthia, you know a lot about geography. Tell me. Does Zambia share a border with the Congo?

Andrew's new smartphone works well in fringe areas. Therefore, probably Madison's new smartphone, which is the same make and model as Andrew's, with the same service provider, works well in fringe areas, too.

The bandwagon argument is a variety of:

Mr. Rankin has just given his argument favoring equal pay for women. It seems what he is saying is that working women should become men. They should all go out and get sex change operations. That's what Rankin wants. Well, I think we are all smart enough to reject that argument.

No one has ever proved that smoking small amounts of marijuana over long periods of time is harmful. We can therefore conclude that this practice is completely safe.

Most elderly people who are hospitalized with cancer eventually die from the disease. Thus, if an elderly person wants to recover from cancer he or she must, at all costs, refuse hospitalization.

Basic Concepts

Language: Meaning and Definition

Categorical Propositions

Categorical Syllogisms

Propositional Logic

Natural Deduction in Propositional Logic

Predicate Logic

Analogy and Legal and Moral Reasoning

Causality and Mills Methods

Probability

Statistical Reasoning

Hypotheticalscientific Reasoning

Science and Superstition

Filters

Exam 3: Informal Fallacies

Practically all the students in Professor Kane's English class copy their term papers from the Internet. Therefore, since you're in that class, you should do this, too.

Barbara lost 15 pounds after taking the new InstaThin supplement for 6 weeks. Tiffany has the same metabolism, lifestyle, diet, body type, age, height and former weight as Barbara. Therefore, probably Tiffany could lose about 15 pounds if she takes InstaThin for 6 weeks.

Sarah argues that all of us should support the school bond issue on the September ballot. But it's obvious why she argues this way. She has six kids currently attending public school. Clearly her argument is worthless.

Aspirin is a drug that relieves pain, and it is appropriately purchased over the counter. Morphine, like aspirin, is a drug that relieves pain. Therefore, it would be appropriate that morphine be available over the counter.

The president of our college has promised to stop drinking on campus. Apparently the president has a drinking problem.

In which of the following statements is an attribute predicated distributively?

During the past two hundred years no one has been cured of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, it is unlikely that anyone will be cured in the next two hundred years.

This carton contains heavy cream. Therefore, it weighs more than that identically sized carton of ordinary cream.

This one-liter glass vial contains a 3 percent solution of sulfuric acid. Therefore, every cubic centimeter of its contents is a 3 percent solution of sulfuric acid.

Children should be seen and not heard. Therefore, it was wrong for that drowning child to scream for help.

After eating a Big Mac for breakfast, poor Steve had a heart attack and died. The message is clear: Never eat a Big Mac for breakfast.

Every member of the Viking Society was born in Norway. Therefore, the Viking Society was born in Norway.

Stacy is a terrible poker player. But every poker player is a person. Therefore, Stacy is a terrible person.

Cynthia, you know a lot about geography. Tell me. Does Zambia share a border with the Congo?

Andrew's new smartphone works well in fringe areas. Therefore, probably Madison's new smartphone, which is the same make and model as Andrew's, with the same service provider, works well in fringe areas, too.

The bandwagon argument is a variety of:

Mr. Rankin has just given his argument favoring equal pay for women. It seems what he is saying is that working women should become men. They should all go out and get sex change operations. That's what Rankin wants. Well, I think we are all smart enough to reject that argument.

No one has ever proved that smoking small amounts of marijuana over long periods of time is harmful. We can therefore conclude that this practice is completely safe.

Most elderly people who are hospitalized with cancer eventually die from the disease. Thus, if an elderly person wants to recover from cancer he or she must, at all costs, refuse hospitalization.

Basic Concepts

Language: Meaning and Definition

Categorical Propositions

Categorical Syllogisms

Propositional Logic

Natural Deduction in Propositional Logic

Predicate Logic

Analogy and Legal and Moral Reasoning

Causality and Mills Methods

Probability

Statistical Reasoning

Hypotheticalscientific Reasoning

Science and Superstition

Filters