Deck 8: Watch Out for Logical Fallacies

Question 1

A fallacy is an error in reasoning.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The appeal to the people fallacy attacks all people.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The snob appeal fallacy attacks snobbish people.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The slippery slope fallacy is used only in the winter, on snowy days.

Question 5

The red herring fallacy is employed only by fishermen.

Question 6

The fallacy of illicit appeal to authority is wrong because authorities are always wrong.

Question 7

The begging the question fallacy is a case of circular reasoning.

Question 8

The genetic fallacy is a fallacy in the science of genetics.

Question 9

Some fallacies are logically valid arguments.

Question 10

The appeal to the people fallacy is about things that appeal to people.

Question 11

The fallacy of composition is usually committed by cooks.

Question 12

The fallacy of division is usually committed by mathematicians.

Question 13

The fallacy of equivocation occurs when a word is used with one meaning in one place in an argument and then is used with a different meaning later on in the argument, and the argument works only if the shift in meaning is undetected.

Question 14

The following is one of the fallacies identified in the text: Don't accept his conclusion; he associates with known gangsters.

Question 15

The following is one of the fallacies identified in the text: You should agree with my conclusion; I've had a lot of bad luck in my life and it hasn't been my fault either.

Question 16

The following is not one of the fallacies identified in the text: the gumball fallacy.

Question 17

The following is not one of the fallacies identified in the text: the fallacy of the forgotten ellipses.

Question 18

The following is not one of the fallacies identified in the text: the fallacy of the misplaced comma.

Question 19

The following argument commits the fallacy of division: The average person is 5 foot 8 inches tall. Joe is a person. So Joe must be 5 foot eight inches tall.

Question 20

The following argument commits the fallacy of composition: Each brick weighs less than ten pounds. So this brick building must weigh less than ten pounds.

Question 21

The following argument commits the fallacy of division: Each car in the lot is a Ford. So the lot is a Ford.

Question 22

The following argument commits the fallacy of composition: Water is composed of Hydrogen and Oxygen. These are gases. So water is a gas.

Question 23

Which of the following contain ad hominem fallacies?
1. Senator Smith was involved in serious criminal activities before he was elected. He was let out of jail on a technicality. Senator Smith is the sponsor of the new housing bill. Therefore, the new housing bill is not a good bill.
2. Senator Smith was involved in serious criminal activities before he was elected. A U.S. senator should be trustworthy. Therefore, Senator Smith is not qualified to be a U.S. senator.
3. Professor Jones says that socialism is a good thing. But Professor Jones is a former member of the Communist Party and once advocated killing all priests and nuns. So socialism must not be a very nice system.

Question 24

Name the Fallacy.
-Joe: We need new laws to protect the disabled. They are being marginalized in our overly competitive society.
red: I disagree. Everybody is disabled in one way or another. Are you going to make a set of laws protecting each person? That would be ridiculous.

Question 25

Name the Fallacy.
-Camper at a summer camp: The camp P.A. system should play rock 'n' roll music.
Camp director: Heavy metal music is devil music-it will destroy the moral fiber of our youth.

Question 26

Name the Fallacy.
-Nuclear power is dangerous and should be outlawed. I know this is true because Woody Harrelson said so, and he's a famous Hollywood actor.

Question 27

Name the Fallacy.
-Joe: You shouldn't trust anyone in authority.
Rita: Why?
Joe: My college teacher told me so.

Question 28

Name the Fallacy.
-Ed, you really should take Suzie to the prom; after all, she hasn't had a date in a year, and she's really lonely.

Question 29

Name the Fallacy.
-You really should not evict that tenant, even though he hasn't paid any rent in six months, for he lost his job, he lost his wife, he lost all his money gambling, and he doesn't have anywhere to go except to move back with his folks.

Question 30

Name the Fallacy.
-You say that all actions are determined, but that is false, for I saw Fred playing basketball last night, and he didn't act very determined about winning.

Question 31

Name the Fallacy.
-This matter is best decided by an authority. Professor Jones isn't much of an authority, for his kids don't obey him (so he has little authority around the house). So Professor Jones should not decide the matter.

Question 32

Name the Fallacy.
-The sign at the Schaeffer School of Carpentry says: "Enroll in our school and learn how to build a house in three months." So I guess when I graduate, I'll be able to build my own house in three months.

Question 33

Name the Fallacy.
-There's no sign saying "No Trespassing," so it must be OK to walk on this property.

Question 34

Name the Fallacy.
-Fred is a good person, and Rita is a good person. So if they get married, they'll make a good couple.

Question 35

Name the Fallacy.
-Professor A is a good teacher, and professor B is a good teacher. They plan to team teach a course together next fall, so they will make a good teaching team.

Question 36

Name the Fallacy.
-Joe has been missing for five years, but he must be alive, because nobody has reported him dead.

Question 37

Name the Fallacy.
-We should not pass a bill providing tuition assistance to students, for it we do that, then they'll want all their college paid for by the taxpayer. Eventually, they'll want the state to pay for their food and housing and beer and all their expenses. Then they'll want the taxpayers to pay for all their living expenses and it will bankrupt the state.

Question 38

Sue has a good voice. Joe has a good voice. So they should make a good musical duo.