Deck 6: Performance Evaluation: Variance Analysis

Question 1

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
All this talk about secondhand smoke causing cancer, I just don't get it. How does it happen? WHEN does it happen? The first time you take a breath in a smoky room? The second time? The third? You can never pin it down exactly.

Answer 1

Line-drawing fallacy (assuming the conclusion is that indirect smoking doesn't cause cancer).

Question 2

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
No, I do NOT believe that a murderer ought to be allowed to live. No way! Murderers have forfeited the right to live because anyone who murders another person has lost that right.

Answer 2

Begging the question.

Question 3

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Look, the governor's office is supposed to list chemicals that are suspected to be poisonous, but let's not put them on the list officially until we know for sure that they're harmful. Otherwise, we just cause a lot of unnecessary trouble for the people who make and use the chemicals."

Answer 3

Misplaced burden of proof (special circumstances-high stakes).

Question 4

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
No, I don't believe we ought to reinstate the death penalty in this state. Doing it isn't going to prevent all crime, and you know it.

Question 5

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Of course the Task Force on Crime is going to conclude that crime is on the way up. If they conclude it's on the way down, they'd have to disband the task force, wouldn't they?"

Question 6

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
You saw what the former governor of Illinois did: He declared a moratorium on executions in the state. It was a good thing, too, because it turns out that a large number of the inmates on death row had to be turned loose because DNA evidence proved them innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt. It's about time we got serious about the fact that we've been convicting innocent people and sentencing them to death.

Question 7

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"The administration's proposal to declare hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land as 'roadless areas' is a huge mistake, and I'm against it. The whole point of the proposal-and it will succeed if the President gets his way-is to lock the American people out of those areas."

Question 8

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"The San Jose Mercury News made some explosive and unsubstantiated charges in articles earlier this year suggesting the Central Intelligence Agency helped start the crack epidemic in the United States. The CIA has often behaved scandalously over the years, but no one, including the Mercury News, has produced credible evidence the CIA organized or took part in drug dealing by the Contras or that the rebels flooded Los Angeles with drugs to finance their war against the Sandinistas."
-New York Times

Question 9

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
No, I do NOT believe that a murderer has a right to live, and here's why: The criminal justice system in this country has gotten completely out of control, what with rapists, murderers, you name it-all getting off scot-free. It's got to change!

Question 10

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"People in Hegins, Pennsylvania, hold an annual pigeon shoot in order to control the pigeon population and to raise money for the town. This year, the pigeon shoot was disrupted by animal rights activists who tried to release the pigeons from their cages. I can't help but think these animal rights activists are the same people who believe in controlling the human population through the use of abortion. Yet, they recoil at a similar means of controlling pigeons. What rank hypocrisy."
-Rush Limbaugh

Question 11

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"It really gripes me to see Bill Clinton talking about how cigarette smoking is a big contributor to public health costs. You want to know how much you can trust him on that subject? Well, even he himself admits to smoking cigars!"

Question 12

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"You can't say that he is uneducated. At what point does someone become educated?"

Question 13

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
When several people in Harvey's department get new computers, he is annoyed because he is not among them. "I'll tell you what," Harvey says to his wife, "if they want to rip me off by not getting a new computer for me, I'll just rip them off for extra office supplies. They've got a lot of stuff at work we could use around here, and they'll have no way of knowing that it's gone. Turnabout's fair play."

Question 14

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"When [Nidal] Ayyad [convicted of conspiring to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993] complained that 'human rights advocates' had not monitored his treatment during months of detention, [U.S. District Judge Kevin T.] Duffy interjected: 'Did human rights organizations monitor the people whom you killed?'"
-Robert L. Jackson, in the Los Angeles Times

Question 15

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Disgruntled faculty member to a colleague: "It is clear to me what I'm up against with that class. Their idea of a successful course is one in which they get a passing grade by putting in the absolutely minimal amount of time and effort. If they can get the grade without learning anything, so much the better."

Question 16

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Richard Nixon once said, 'Tip O'Neill's the most ruthless speaker in history.' Being called 'ruthless' by Nixon is like Ross Perot criticizing your haircut."
-Sandy Grady, Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Question 17

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"I don't believe we ought to believe the so-called 'admissions' of the Liggett and Myers Company. I think the only reason they're now agreeing with tobacco critics about the addictive powers of nicotine and the nicotine-level manipulation by the company is to get themselves off the hook and avoid bigger trouble, even if it means getting the other tobacco companies into bigger trouble."

Question 18

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
You show me when an embryo becomes a human person, just show me! Tell me exactly when it is. When it's just an egg, the size of a pin head? When it divides once? Twice? Three times? When? Where you gonna draw the line? An embryo is not a person, and that's that.

Question 19

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
You show me when a fetus wasn't a person, just show me! Tell me exactly when it is. When the baby is born? Well, why not just a day before that? Or the day before that? Or the day before that? Where you gonna draw the line? You gotta say life begins with conception.

Question 20

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"The police asked the neighbors on both sides of the Owens's home whether they'd ever seen either of them do any drugs. They all agreed they hadn't, so it's a pretty safe bet they aren't really drug users."

Question 21

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Listen, friends, it's our money the board of supervisors wants to spend putting sewers and other improvements out there in that Antelope Creek development. And you know who's going to profit from it the most? The developers, who don't even live around here. I tell you, we have sat back and done nothing long enough! It's high time we told these out-of-town interlopers or antelopers or whatever they are to go mess with somebody else's town. I won't stand for it any more!

Question 22

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Who cares if the president was guilty of sexual harassment? He got some progress made in terms of jobs, health care, and welfare reform. Those are the important issues!

Question 23

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Gays in the military? No way. Clinton promoted the idea just to get the homosexual vote.

Question 24

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
The next speaker is going to speak in favor of the idea. But she works for the gun lobby. Don't even bother listening to what she says.

Question 25

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
You know very well I don't care what Mason says about investments or, for that matter, anything else.
That guy is the most money-grubbing creep I've ever run into; all he ever cares about is where his next dollar is coming from. He can take his opinions and stick 'em in his ear.

Question 26

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Was the president guilty of sexual harassment as the Republicans said? Hey, give me a break! What's important is jobs, health care, and welfare reform.

Question 27

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Those four officers who killed the innocent man in New York by mistake should be found not guilty of any crime. None of them had ever been in any kind of trouble before, and, tragically, this kind of thing is just going to happen when we have aggressive police work.

Question 28

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"It's obvious that God created the universe. Can you prove that he didn't?"

Question 29

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Letter to the editor: "In rejoinder to your July 21 editorial, I certainly don't see how you can criticize the striking Springfield Unified School District teachers who carried their own signs. Let us not forget that you endorsed and supported city council members Holt and Donazetti, who not only paraded up and down Main Street with their own placards, but also got young children out of school to parade with them."
-North State Record

Question 30

Identify any fallacies in the following two passages. Why are they different?
Letter to the editor: "Your food section frequently features recipes with veal, and you say veal is a wholesome, nutritious dish. I disagree. Do you know how veal comes to be on your plate? At birth a newborn calf is separated from its mother, placed in a dark enclosure, and chained by its neck so that it cannot move freely. This limits muscular development so that the animal is tender. It is kept in the dark pen until the day it is cruelly slaughtered."
-Cascade News

Question 31

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Gays in the military? Either let 'em in, or keep out all minorities; take your choice. I'm for letting them in. The alternative is ridiculous.

Question 32

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Overheard: "When it comes to the issue of growth in this town, you're either part of the solution, or you're part of the problem."

Question 33

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
I know it was not very nice to overcharge them like that for the room, but all's fair in love, war, and business, my dear. Besides, if the situation were reversed and we were desperate for lodging, they would have bled us for all we're worth.

Question 34

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Gays in the military? Yes. Maybe you favor excluding everyone except for white Anglo-Saxon males with adolescent personalities, but not me.

Question 35

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
From a prosecutor's closing statement at a trial: "In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, there can be absolutely no doubt that this defendant committed these terrible murders. Look at the mother of the victim, sitting over there, and the father-their lives are forever destroyed by this evil deed. Never again will they know the peace and happiness that was their due. Put yourselves in their shoes, and you will know whether or not this man is guilty."

Question 36

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Of course that can't be a legitimate proposal. They're just trying to get the city council to pass a regulation that will stir up some business for them.

Question 37

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"The second group that has latched on to the environmentalist movement... wants to preserve the earth at all costs, even if it means that much of the Third World will be forever condemned to poverty. Rather than elevate the Third World, they want to move us closer to Third World conditions. That's somehow cleaner, purer. It's the way things were before Western white people came along and terrorized the earth by inventing things. They want to roll us back, maybe not to the Stone Age, but at least to the horse and-buggy era."
-Rush Limbaugh

Question 38

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
No, I don't believe that Uncle Bob is really gone forever. He was like a father to me, and I believe that someday, somehow or other, we'll see one another again; I don't think I could go on if I didn't believe that.

Question 39

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
This business of American car manufacturers having joint ventures with foreign car makers really stinks. Think of the consequences of not being able to buy American-made cars. No jobs for American car workers, no big cars, no ready supply of parts, no consumption of American steel. I think we should prohibit joint ventures.

Question 40

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Preferential treatment in hiring is something we must support; after all, can you think of a reason why we shouldn't?

Question 41

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Doesn't the fact that very few first-rank economists accept Marxist economic ideas suggest to you that there may be something wrong with those ideas?"
"Not at all. Those economists are all tools of the ruling capitalist parties. I dismiss their views out of hand."

Question 42

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Why do I spend so much on clothes? Well, it's either that or look like a bum, and I know which of those I prefer.

Question 43

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
When he was twelve, Walter Polovchak and his family were permitted to emigrate from the Soviet Union to the United States. Walter's father, however, eventually decided to return to Russia and was pressured by the Soviet Embassy to take Walter with him. The American Civil Liberties Union sided with Walter's father, rather than with Walter, who wished to remain in Chicago. When the case reached the courts, the legal arguments of the ACLU were criticized by some editorial writers on the grounds that in most other instances involving the rights of children, the ACLU had always sided with the child. Commented one law professor: "The ACLU's actions regarding Walter can be understood only in terms of 'an unwillingness to criticize communism.'"

Question 44

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Well! Finally, after all these years, the telephone company makes an error on my bill in my favor! And I'm surely not going to point it out to them. They've been gouging me since telephones first came into existence.

Question 45

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Overheard: "I don't know why Barbara won't go out with me. She must think I'm too intense for her."

Question 46

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"You cannot support his stand on reforming public education. He sends his own children to private schools!"

Question 47

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Clearly, Mexico desperately needs financial help in handling its $96 billion foreign debt, since without any aid Mexico cannot possibly reduce that enormous sum, and it is urgent that it be reduced.

Question 48

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Getting on Senator Davis's case about the propriety of some of his financial dealings strikes me as just plain carping. Davis made a considerable economic sacrifice when he left private industry and entered politics; the people of this district are lucky to have him there.

Question 49

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
I just learned why all those theories about nonhumans building the Great Pyramids and the Easter Island statues and so on are full of baloney. The guy who wrote about them was once a hotel manager somewhere in Switzerland, and he was once convicted of embezzlement. No wonder those theories smelled fishy!

Question 50

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"I certainly don't think much of the totalitarian form of government. A so-called free election with only one candidate is not free at all."
"Oh, I don't know. I don't think it's all that bad."
"Why not?"
"Just look at our elections. Sure, we have more than one person running, but the candidates are all alike. They might just as well be one person, for all the difference there is among them."

Question 51

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Are you telling me that you're twenty-one years old and still a virgin? I'd keep quiet about that if I were you-you'd be the laughingstock of the dorm if that were widely known.

Question 52

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Frankly, I don't think you would be satisfied with anything less than our Model 24, which allows for more expansion than any other personal computer in its class. The way you catch on to things-something I can tell just from the questions you've asked here in the store-you're not going to be happy with a machine whose limits you'll soon reach.

Question 53

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Yeah, sure the Los Angeles district attorney believes that O. J. Simpson got a fair trial. But before you sign on to something like that, you might notice that O. J. is a black man and that the Los Angeles district attorney is a white man. That tells you all you need to know about his opinion of fair trials.

Question 54

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
From a defense attorney's closing remarks at a trial: "This young man isn't guilty of a crime. No, ladies and gentlemen, it's society that's guilty of a crime, a crime against the very person on trial here. The society that wants to send him to prison for half his life is the same society that produced the rotten neighborhood in which he was born and grew up, that saw to it that he got a fifth-rate education, that gave him pimps and drug dealers for role models, and that offered him the choice between street crime or jobs nobody else would take. This jury-you-can do something to right the wrong that has been done to this young man...."

Question 55

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Of course God created the universe. How do I know? Because he is the Creator."

Question 56

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"I say let's splurge and buy seats on the fifty-yard line. I know a place we can get them for twenty-five dollars apiece."
"Good grief! Maybe you want to spend every last cent we make on a football game, but not me. Are you nuts?"

Question 57

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
This river has been changing its course every couple of years for the past few thousand years. Now they've decided that the banks need to be stabilized. Who does the Army Corps of Engineers think it is to come in here and decide they know something Mother Nature doesn't?

Question 58

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
I don't think postmodern expressionism is decent art. It's another style spawned by the East Coast art establishment, and, frankly, I'm tired of that group's dictating to the rest of the art world.

Question 59

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Ad for a store that sells pianos: "Pianos are our only business. You'll get the best deal at the piano experts."

Question 60

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
In spite of its hypocritical announcement that North Korea has ceased nuclear testing, it is safe to assume that the North Koreans have done no such thing, for at present we have no means of verifying their so-called moratorium.

Question 61

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"It says here that smoke from wood-burning stoves, no matter how airtight they're supposed to be, gets into your house and is a health hazard."
"No way. We just spent close to a thousand dollars on this new stove; what you're reading can't be ."

Question 62

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
You can't trust the arguments you find in that magazine. It's well known as a right-wing apologist for the wealthy.

Question 63

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
In response to the woman who felt that Chicago Honeybear cheerleaders were being exploited by men who viewed the Honeybears as sex objects, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko devoted a column to the subject, suggesting that such women are hypocrites. The most sexually motivated of all sports fans, he said, are females, who gather in front of the TV screen solely to gawk at the muscular thighs and lean hips of the "hunks."

Question 64

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Letter to the editor: "Should people on welfare be allowed to play the lottery? I say no. It's time we did something about the welfare rip-off in this country. I believe in charity for the poor, but free-loading parasites who are too lazy to get out and do an honest day's work-I say cut them off at the knees!"
-North State Record

Question 65

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
It isn't so important how they're made or how long they last or how much they cost. These are the best jeans because they're incredibly popular right now. Sometimes I think you just don't understand style.

Question 66

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Marty: If we keep on the way we are going, we will destroy civilization on this planet.
Tracy: That's so depressing. I think we need to think well of things.

Question 67

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Because of [Abraham] Lincoln's policies the cemeteries of the nation were sown with 600,000 premature bodies, long turned to dust now, but in their time just as open to the promise of life as any young draft dodger of the 1960s."
-From Tom Landess, "The Dark Side of Abraham Lincoln," The Southern Partisan

Question 68

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Sure, driving after you've been drinking can get you into trouble with the law, but if you're careful and stay in control I don't think there's anything wrong with it. What makes something like that wrong is endangering others; so as long as you haven't drunk enough to impair your control, you aren't doing anything wrong."

Question 69

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
You shouldn't wear anything made of white harp seal fur. Do you know how they get that fur? Baby harp seals, which are among the sweetest-looking creatures on earth, are clubbed to death right in front of their mothers when they are just days or weeks old.

Question 70

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Another letter to the editor on the same subject: "It is positively disgraceful that welfare recipients can spend some of their checks on lottery tickets." If they can afford to spend their monthly allowances on the lottery instead of things that are essential, such as food, shelter, and clothing, then they don't need public assistance. Why should I, a taxpayer, shell out my money to them for that purpose?
-North State Record

Question 71

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
News report: The city council's internal affairs committee voted to allow public access to the city's five creeks. But Councilwoman Shelly Harvard voiced strong opposition to the public access requirement. "Why do we want to allow access to the creek?" she asked. "Are we going to turn this into a town where anyone can walk across a person's lawn?"

Question 72

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Revenge of the Nerds was really a funny movie. I know because I was a nerd myself, and that's really the way it was!

Question 73

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Cheryl is deciding which of the girls who are rushing her sorority she wants most to join. Pearl and Maria are trying to convince Cheryl that Debra is the best of the rushees and that Cheryl should vote for Debra when the time comes.
"Debra has a wonderful personality, and she'll fit right in," Pearl says. "All the other sisters are going to vote for her."
"And she'll be really hurt if you don't support her," Maria points out. "She thinks you like her a lot."
"Besides," Pearl says, "she and I are very close. She's just about the best friend I ever had."

Question 74

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
It's clear enough to me that Senator John McCain would have made a great president. Look, it isn't often that we get a chance to elect a guy who's a war hero, a prisoner of war in an enemy prison camp, and we ought to have done it when we had the chance.

Question 75

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
I know there are people who think that Sarah is too impetuous and flighty. But these qualities only make her exciting to me and make me love her all the more.

Question 76

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Don't give me reasons where feelings are concerned; I can't be argued out of my feelings.

Question 77

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"To the people who brought you 'The Great American Smokeout,' we make The Great American Challenge. We challenge the American Cancer Society to clean up the air in its 'smoke free' offices. We are willing to bet there isn't much cigarette smoking at American Cancer Society offices. But, according to a recent study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), cigarette smoke also wasn't the problem in 98 percent of 203 buildings reported to have indoor air problems.... Indoor air inspections resulting from worker complaints typically find viruses, fungal spores, bacteria, gases, closed fresh air ducts, and ventilation systems in need of maintenance."
-Full-page ad in USA Today, sponsored by the Tobacco Institute

Question 78

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
I know it probably puts me in the unfashionable minority these days, but I really don't think much of Hank Williams's music. Ever since I learned that he drank a lot and took drugs, I've felt that way.

Question 79

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Did Amundsen beat Scott to the South Pole? Hardly, sir! 'Twould be disastrous indeed for the Empire if we allowed ourselves to believe Norwegians with dogs could ever best red-blooded English males!

Question 80

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
In a letter to the editor of a newspaper, a certified nutritionist criticized an editorial that had appeared earlier in the paper advocating a ban on raw milk. He wrote, "You call for an 'outright ban on commercial sales' of raw milk. Yet, by your own figures, you relate about 123 California cases of Salmonella dublin [food poisoning], which represents a miniscule danger compared to the lives lost by smoking cigarettes."
-Sacramento Bee