Deck 4: Informal Fallacies

Question 1

The primary difference between formal and informal fallacies is that

A) formal fallacies involve invalid inferences while informal fallacies involve rhetoric.
B) formal fallacies involve explicit use of an invalid argument form while informal fallacies involve problems with the argument's content.
C) formal fallacies are identifiable while informal fallacies are not.
D) arguments committing formal fallacies can be repaired while those committing informal fallacies are beyond repair.

Answer 1

formal fallacies involve explicit use of an invalid argument form while informal fallacies involve problems with the argument's content.

Question 2

Rejecting an opponent's argument on the ground that the person's own actions are inconsistent with the argument's conclusion involves which of the following fallacies?

A) abusive ad hominem
B) straw man
C) appeal to ignorance
D) tu quoque

Answer 2

tu quoque

Question 3

The fallacy of equivocation is committed by arguments whose persuasiveness depends on

A) a statement that is ambiguous due to faulty sentence structure or grammatical error.
B) distorting the opponent's argument by equating it with an oversimplified version.
C) equating the attributes of the parts with those of the whole.
D) two (or more) meanings of a word or phrase being used in the argument when the argument's validity . requires a single meaning of that word or phrase.

Answer 3

two (or more) meanings of a word or phrase being used in the argument when the argument's validity . requires a single meaning of that word or phrase.

Question 4

The argument "The Republican Party is wealthy, so John Boehner is wealthy" commits the fallacy of

A) division
B) circumstantial ad hominem
C) composition
D) appeal to the people

Question 5

The fallacy of false dilemma involves

A) assuming the point to be proved.
B) relying on an ambiguity in the meaning of one or more premises.
C) assuming that a certain list of alternatives is complete when it isn't.
D) relying on a controversial moral principle in order to solve a dilemma.

Question 6

The slippery slope fallacy is a type of

A) argument against the person fallacy.
B) begging the question fallacy.
C) appeal to unreliable authority fallacy.
D) false cause fallacy.

Question 7

Superstitious beliefs, such as that breaking a mirror brings bad luck for seven years, are examples of

A) a false cause fallacy.
B) an appeal to unreliable authority.
C) begging the question.
D) a fallacy of complex question.

Question 8

Which of the following is a type of fallacy involving irrelevant premises?

A) ad hominem
B) equivocation
C) false cause
D) argument from ignorance

Question 9

Arguments that derive their persuasiveness from a threat to an individual's well-being commit the fallacy of

A) appeal to the people
B) appeal to pity
C) appeal to force
D) abusive ad hominem

Question 10

Which of the following is not a fallacy involving ambiguity?

A) begging the question
B) amphiboly
C) equivocation
D) composition

Question 11

Which of the following is not a fallacy of irrelevance?

A) Appeal to Force
B) Appeal to Unsuitable Authority
C) Appeal to the People
D) Appeal to Ignorance

Question 12

Which of the following is not a fallacy involving unwarranted assumptions?

A) Complex Question
B) Composition
C) False Dilemma
D) Begging the Question

Question 13

The sentence "Senator Samson denied having sex with her intern in front of a full Congress yesterday" is ambiguous because it is

A) equivocal-there's a word that has more than one possible meaning.
B) amphibolous-the sentence structure is faulty.
C) negative-it says what she did not do rather than what she did.
D) an attack on the Senator rather than her argument.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of an argument that commits the fallacy of begging the question?

A) "Sue will get an A only if she passes the final. I know she passed the final, so she must have got an A. "
B) "We must not give in to the demands of terrorists. To do so would be cowardly, not brave."
C) "We must believe that they are the children of the gods, for how can we doubt the word of the children
Of the gods?"
D) "Each of us has an obligation to feed children. How can you look into the eyes of a starving child and tell her you won't give her any food?"

Question 15

The false cause fallacy occurs when

A) one appeals to the opinion of an authority on causation and explanation to answer a question about something outside his or her field of expertise.
B) one possible cause of a phenomenon is assumed to be a (or the) cause although reasons are lacking for excluding other possible causes.
C) one asks a question that illegitimately presupposes some causal claim alluded to in the question.
D) one appeals to the desire to be accepted by others in order to gain acceptance of a claim that one thing caused another.

Question 16

Which of the following is a complex question?

A) "Where is the bathroom?"
B) "Is there a test in this class today?"
C) "What's your name?"
D) "How long have you been an alcoholic?"

Question 17

Which of the following is a standard informal fallacy?

A) The is-ought fallacy
B) The Red Herring fallacy
C) The Intentional fallacy
D) The fallacy of misplaced concreteness

Question 18

A fallacy is a common mistake in reasoning that tends to be psychologically persuasive.

Question 19

Informal fallacies are fallacies that involve a misuse or distortion of information.

Question 20

The tu quoque fallacy charges the opponent with using complex or obscure language in order to confuse the issue.

Question 21

The straw man fallacy is the error of thinking you know more than you really do about the topic under discussion.

Question 22

Arguments that are flawed because they contain ambiguities or a confusion between closely related concepts are called fallacies of ambiguity.

Question 23

When someone falsely claims to have written something, that person has committed the fallacy of composition.

Question 24

Someone begs the question whenever they make a claim that raises additional questions.

Question 25

Appealing to the opinion of your logic teacher in order to settle a dispute about whether a particular argument is valid commits the fallacy of appeal to unreliable authority.

Question 26

The false cause fallacy is committed when one possible cause of an event is assumed to be the cause even though reasons are lacking for excluding other possible causes.

Question 27

A complex question is a question that has no clear or widely agreed-upon answer.

Question 28

An ad hominem fallacy is directed at a person rather than the argument the person gives.

Question 29

The fallacy of appeal to authority is committed when one appeals to what a person of talent or expertise says about a matter outside her or his field of expertise.

Question 30

The appeal to ignorance fallacy involves the claim that something must be ) because it hasn't been proven false (or

Question 31

The fallacy of equivocation is committed when an inference is invalid because it depends on an ambiguity due to sentence structure.

Question 32

The fallacy of division involves drawing an invalid inference from the nature of a whole thing to the nature of its parts.

Question 33

A false dilemma is a situation in which one must choose between doing what one wants to do and doing what is right.

Question 34

Appeals to authority are only acceptable when the authority is reliable and the subject is in that authority's field of expertise.

Question 35

The slippery slope fallacy is a type of false cause fallacy that involves the assumption that a particular chain reaction will occur but there is insufficient evidence that one event in the chain will cause the next.

Question 36

The fallacy of complex question is committed by inferences that rely on the answer to a question that illegitimately presupposes some conclusion alluded to in the question.

Question 37

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Logicians have shown that all purported proofs of the existence of God are fallacious. We can conclude, therefore, that God does not exist.

Question 38

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Why were Hollings and so many of his colleagues eager to pump life into the Fairness Doctrine? Because they were prime beneficiaries of its constraints on broadcasters. Hollings himself credited the doctrine with providing the media exposure he needed to win his first statewide race. (John Fund, "Broadcasting Should Not be Regulated," in Censorship: Opposing Viewpoints)

Question 39

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
The Yankees were a dominating team this year and Jorge Poseda was a member of that team. So, Jorge Poseda was a dominating player this year.

Question 40

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
That biscotti ought to be good-I used only the best ingredients in it.

Question 41

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Time is money. Time is always passing. So, money is always passing.

Question 42

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Groucho Marx: Last night I shot an elephant in my pajamas. What he was doing in my pajamas I'll never know!

Question 43

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
It was either steal the $100 or let my son's illness go untreated. I couldn't just let his illness go untreated, so of course I had to steal the $100!

Question 44

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
I just know that getting the flu shot gives me the flu! Last year, I decided to get the flu vaccine and what do you know? I caught the flu. The same thing happened the year before that, and the year before that! There's no way I'm getting the flu shot again this year. I've had enough of the flu!

Question 45

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Teacher: So, tell me Stephen, did you plagiarize this paper, too?
Stephen: No, of course not!
Teacher: So, you admit you've plagiarized your other papers!

Question 46

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
I know that religion is a necessary support for the human spirit because all living past presidents of the United States say so.

Question 47

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, '. . .
Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land; and they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours which grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses. . . .'" (Bible, Exodus 10:3-6)

Question 48

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
It's true that several college professors have testified that marijuana is harmless and nonaddictive. But these same professors have admitted that were marijuana legal they themselves would smoke some!

Question 49

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
My dog is smarter than Rush Limbaugh! I wouldn't listen to a thing Mr. Limbaugh says!

Question 50

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
From a B. C. comic strip . . .
B. C.: Bugs. YECHT. Bugs. YAPTH. And more bugs. Bugs in the dirt. Bugs in the trees. Bugs in the flowers. Bugs in the breeze. Thank goodness for rocks, the one thing on the planet that ain't got no bugs. What are you skritching, Peter?
Peter: I am etching in stone a comprehensive plan to solve the social and economic ills of mankind . . . It's got a few bugs in it, but . . .
B. C.: Liverwurst! I bet there ain't no bugs in liverwurst!

Question 51

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
The Russians have a natural talent for ballet, as you can see by watching the Bolshoi Ballet.

Question 52

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
As far as I'm concerned, we need pay no attention to the president of the college when it comes to education because he has no authority in education. He doesn't even have enough authority to prevent students from staging protest rallies.

Question 53

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Bumper sticker: They took the Bible out of the schools and now the prisons are full.

Question 54

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim. (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. I Ch. 1)

Question 55

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
America-Love it or leave it!

Question 56

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
All thoughts and beliefs are events that take place in the brain. The brain, of course, is a physical object, and so mental events must be physical events. So, where are thoughts located? Being physical events, they must occur in the brain.

Question 57

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Germans are mostly Lutheran. Giesela Schmidt is German. So, Giesela is mostly Lutheran.

Question 58

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
All of the morally advanced people in the neighborhood are buying electric cars to save the planet. So, your next car should be an electric car as well.

Question 59

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
You should not listen to those who preach concern for the environment. For all those so called environmentalists want to do is hug trees, get rid of technology and return to the Stone Age!

Question 60

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
Hugo told me it was true that he was the strongest wrestler in the village, and the reason he gave for why I should believe him was that he would have to push my face in the mud if I didn't.

Question 61

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
There is a lot of talk these days about what we could all do to save energy. But, it is very important for humans beings to have enough energy to do the physical activities they need to do to get through life. If you don't have any energy, then you just will not feel like doing anything at all.

Question 62

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
There is a lot of talk these days about what we could all do to save energy. But, it is very important for humans beings to have enough energy to do the physical activities they need to do to get through life. If you don't have any energy, then you just will not feel like doing anything at all.

Question 63

The following passage contains an argument that commits at least one informal fallacy. Name the type of fallacy committed and explain why the passage is an example of that type.
There is a lot of talk these days about what we could all do to save energy. But, it is very important for humans beings to have enough energy to do the physical activities they need to do to get through life. If you don't have any energy, then you just will not feel like doing anything at all.