Deck 2: Language and Rhetoric

Question 1

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Every time I go to a chiefs game they lose. My friends won't let me go anymore; they say the losing streak is all because of me!

A) Base rate fallacy
B) Mistaking correlation for cause
C) Ad hominem circumstantial
D) Inversion of cause and effect

Answer 1

Mistaking correlation for cause

Question 2

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Yes, but you would say that, wouldn't you? If your cousin's elected Vice President, you'll have a direct line to the President.

A) Red Herring
B) Ad hominem circumstantial
C) Epistemic fallacy
D) Deriving ought from is

Answer 2

Ad hominem circumstantial

Question 3

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Medical researchers have detected a correlation between the medication I'm taking for osteoporosis and cancer. I'm not taking any chances, I'm going to stop taking it, it causes cancer.

A) Mistaking correlation for cause
B) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
C) Inversion of cause and effect
D) Conflation of cause and effect

Answer 3

Mistaking correlation for cause

Question 4

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Look, there's really no alternative here. Either we buy food or we buy beer, we can't have both.

A) Deriving ought from is
B) Perfectionist fallacy
C) False dilemma
D) Attacking a straw man

Question 5

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: You say that it's a straight choice between beer and food, but I simply don't agree that those are the only two options, and, anyway, you always drink more than I do.

A) Fallacy of affirming the consequent
B) Smokescreen
C) Red Herring
D) False dilemma

Question 6

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Of course Jo knows that Paul Hewson is the lead singer of U2, she must do, she knows that Bono is their front man.

A) Appeal to ignorance
B) Epistemic fallacy
C) Majority belief
D) False dilemma

Question 7

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: If it's raining, it's good weather for fishing. It's great weather for fishing, so it must be raining.

A) Tu quoque
B) Fallacy of affirming the antecedent
C) Deriving ought from is
D) Fallacy of affirming the consequent

Question 8

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: The President says he's committed to finding solutions to tackling climate change, but there he is jetting around in Air Force One, pumping out carbon emissions like they're pure oxygen. Why should we take any notice of what he says?

A) Fallacy of denying the consequent
B) Begging the question
C) Conflation of legality with morality
D) Tu quoque

Question 9

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: There's conclusive evidence that smoking causes cancer. So if you don't smoke, you won't get cancer.

A) False dilemma
B) Inversion of cause and effect
C) Ad hominem
D) Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Question 10

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Of course these politicians support tax breaks for landlords. They all have investment properties of their own.

A) Ad hominem circumstantial
B) Conflation of legality with morality
C) Perfectionist fallacy
D) Fallacy of affirming the consequent

Question 11

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: If you think I'm going to let you have a cell phone at your age, you've got another think coming. Once you've got a cell phone, you'll want an i-pod, then it'll be an i-phone, and before I know it you'll be demanding I buy you a sports car.

A) Perfectionist fallacy
B) Tu quoque
C) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
D) Slippery slope

Question 12

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Polls show 65% of New Zealanders think David Shearer would be no good as Prime Minister. So he would clearly be a lousy Prime Minister.

A) Majority belief
B) Red Herring
C) Fallacy of affirming the consequent
D) Base rate fallacy

Question 13

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: If people drink too much they end up with liver damage. But as Alice never drinks her liver will be fine.

A) Fallacy of denying the antecedent
B) Ad hominem circumstantial
C) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
D) Straw Man

Question 14

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Of course there's nothing wrong with shouting and swearing at your children and calling them names. They didn't make that illegal yet!

A) Majority belief
B) Epistemic fallacy
C) Conflation of legality with morality
D) Fallacy of affirming the antecedent

Question 15

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: How can you say she wouldn't make a good Vice President, when you were Vice President of the Golf Club, you did a terrible job.

A) Tu Quoque
B) Perfectionist fallacy
C) Begging the question
D) False dilemma

Question 16

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: So the government wants to make carbon offset payments compulsory for all domestic and international air travel. What's the point? That approach alone won't solve global warming.

A) Base rate fallacy
B) Begging the question
C) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
D) Perfectionist fallacy

Question 17

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Of course carrying a little bit of cannabis for your own use is immoral, it's illegal, isn't it?

A) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
B) Conflation of legality with morality
C) Red herring
D) False dilemma

Question 18

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Alice never drank until she left home and went to university, but these days she seems to be a raging alcoholic. There's no doubt about it - university made her into a drunk!

A) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
B) Fallacy of denying the antecedent
C) Common practice
D) Straw man

Question 19

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Richie McCaw is a great sportsman. When he says Heatorama heat pumps are the best, he must know what he's talking about.

A) Appeal to authority
B) Epistemic fallacy
C) Ad hominem
D) Fallacy of denying the consequent

Question 20

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: A large study recently showed that children who get enough sleep between the ages of 2 and 5 are less likely to be obese at age 7. Clearly that extra hour of sleep makes them thin.

A) Straw man
B) Fallacy of denying the antecedent
C) Majority belief
D) Mistaking correlation for cause

Question 21

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: Bullying is everywhere - it can't be totally eliminated. So all this work to construct anti-bullying policies is a waste of everyone's time.

A) False dilemma
B) Perfectionist fallacy
C) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
D) Epistemic fallacy

Question 22

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: I think my sister's new partner, Frances, will like the gift we have bought her. We're giving her a fishing rod. She lives in Canada and most people who live in Canada live near a river, a lake or an ocean and most people who live near water like to fish.

A) False dilemma
B) Majority belief
C) Mistaking correlation for cause
D) Base rate fallacy

Question 23

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: The government keeps talking about greater monitoring of families with young children, and greater penalties for child abuse. But there will always be people who abuse or neglect their children, so there's no point in adopting such measures.

A) Perfectionist fallacy
B) Fallacy of denying the antecedent
C) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
D) Base rate fallacy

Question 24

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: The Social Development Minister says too many people want hand-outs from the government. She can talk! She spent years receiving government assistance.

A) False dilemma
B) Ad hominem
C) Tu quoque
D) Mistaking correlation for cause

Question 25

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: We should preserve marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. If we undercut traditional ideals of marriage by allowing gay people to marry, before you know it we'll be allowing polygamous relationships, and then incestuous ones, and people will end up being able to marry their own brothers and sisters! No gay marriage!

A) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
B) Smokescreen
C) Fallacy of denying the antecedent
D) Slippery slope

Question 26

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: New Zealand is currently experiencing a drought. The drought followed closely on moves to allow gay people to marry. Clearly, this is causing the drought.

A) Common practice fallacy
B) Fallacy of affirming the consequent
C) Majority belief
D) Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Question 27

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: David Beckham is the best midfielder ever to play for England and he says that Arbarmi jeans are his favourite. They must be the best.

A) Appeal to authority
B) False dilemma
C) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
D) Smokescreen

Question 28

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: My Dad says smoking is bad for you. But as he smokes like a chimney, I reckon he doesn't know what he's talking about.

A) Tu quoque
B) Common practice fallacy
C) Ad hominem
D) Mistaking correlation for cause

Question 29

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: If it's raining, we can't play tennis outdoors. We can't play tennis outdoors, so it must be raining.

A) Tu quoque
B) Epistemic fallacy
C) Fallacy of affirming the consequent
D) Attacking a straw man

Question 30

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: I really want to learn to fish. It must be a great way to spend your holidays and weekends, and a vast majority of people here in New Zealand enjoy fishing.

A) Common practice fallacy
B) Fallacy of denying the antecedent
C) Attacking a straw man
D) Ad hominem circumstantial

Question 31

Select the fallacy or bad argument technique which occurs in the following argument: These herbal infusions of marijuana ought to be banned! Kids start on these legal highs, but they soon switch to illegal drugs like marijuana, and from there it's a short step to serious drugs like ecstasy and cocaine. And before you know it, they're all P addicts.

A) Confusing correlation with cause
B) Slippery slope
C) Common practice fallacy
D) Straw man