Deck 7: Activity-Based Costing and Activity-Based Management

Question 1

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
First bicycle rider: How come when we coast downhill you always go so much faster than I?
Second bicycle rider: Because I'm heavier. Heavier things fall faster.
Third bicycle rider: Wait a minute. I thought that was what Galileo proved wrong.
Second bicycle rider: C'mon! That's only common sense. Heavy things are bound to fall faster. Just look at how fast I coast-and I'm the heaviest.

Answer 1

Mixed in with the faulty casual explanation is the reasonable generalization that you always coast faster downhill than I do.

Question 2

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
I've seen brochures depicting the scenery in the Ozark Mountains, and it's beautiful. I'm even thinking of retiring to Arkansas, since it's clearly such a beautiful state.

Answer 2

Biased generalization.

Question 3

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Invest in real estate! Buy a house! It's the best investment you will ever make. Despite occasional temporary dips, home prices have always gone up. You can't go wrong if you buy a house.

Answer 3

Despite the "size" of the sample, there are important differences between it and the target: the number of additional homebuyers is declining; consumer debt has risen dramatically; and discretionary income has been shrinking. Can we expect entry-level university students to know such things? Maybe not. But we can expect them to understand the importance of carefully checking out arguments like this before they contract a major debt.

Question 4

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
We're gonna have trouble with that new paper boy, honey. He's been late twice already.

Question 5

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Hey, let's start shopping at Musgrave's. It's a whole lot cheaper. I stopped in there yesterday on the way home and found strawberries there for 79¢ a basket and ground beef for $1.29 a pound. And they weren't even on sale!

Question 6

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Bill bought one of those Burn-Rite wood stoves last year, and it smoked up his house all winter. Those stoves are not worth the high prices we pay for them.

Question 7

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
According to one of the leading consumer magazines, the best-built cars these days are Japanese. Cars built by foreign manufacturers have just outclassed those built in the United States, it appears.

Question 8

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
The photographs from the first roll of that new Kodak film were really good. I'll tell you, that film is good stuff.

Question 9

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
From a letter to the editor: "The news media can never be trusted. Shortly before the Geneva summit, the Washington Post decided that a news scoop concerning a confidential letter from the secretary of defense to the president was more important news than a coordinated posture by our negotiating team."

Question 10

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
I went into that office supply store on Jackson Avenue the other day, and I can tell you that I'm not ever going back. They're the rudest people I've ever seen in a retail business. The guy who waited on me griped constantly about it being inventory time, and he was of no help at all in finding what I wanted to buy.

Question 11

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Remark made while driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike: "We've seen nine cars with license plates from west of the Mississippi today, and six of them have been from Texas. Texans must travel more than other people."

Question 12

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
I watched Nova on public television the other night, and it was great! I'm going to be in front of the tube every week for it from now on.

Question 13

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
I certainly did not enjoy the first meeting of that class. I think I'll drop it; I don't want a whole semester of meetings like that.

Question 14

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
A reliable statewide study found that one western town (which we won't name) had an unusually high rate of death from cancer. The study, done during the 1970s, showed the cancer death rate for white females to be 175.4 per 100,000, compared to 154.9 for the state. One resident dismissed the finding as follows: "Statistics! You can prove anything you want with statistics! There's no more cancer here than anywhere."

Question 15

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Goldman may have won the Supervisor of the Year award, but that just means they didn't look very hard for a winner. I know a couple of people who work in Goldman's division, and they say that he's a real pain to work for. I'd sooner trust my friends than some awards committee.

Question 16

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Housing is far too expensive in this country. Why, the median price of a home in most of California is now over $350
,000.

Question 17

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Overheard: "You don't think this country is in a slump? Get real. George here was laid off before Memorial Day, and Howie's wife and a whole bunch of other people lost their jobs when the Safeway over on Jeffrey closed down. These are tough times."

Question 18

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
If you think the people of Phoenix are going to give up their rights to water from the Colorado River to Los Angelenos, you'd better think about it some more. Read the letters to the editors of the Phoenix newspapers, and you'll see what I mean. People are really hot under the collar about the issue.

Question 19

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Sharon's father thinks the idea of a space-based laser missile defense is entirely feasible, and he should know-he's a physicist who specializes in laser technology, and he has a degree in computer science."
"Yeah, well, he may be right, but he also works for the defense industry. There's a pot of gold in it for him if people believe that. He's probably not the most reliable source."

Question 20

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"A Prairie Home Companion" must be a pretty popular radio program around here. About half my friends have copies of the book the program's host recently published.

Question 21

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Fox News is totally biased. If you don't believe it, try listening to the Sean Hannity program."

Question 22

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"More and more women are determining what everybody watches on TV. Just look at that show on HBO, starring Lena Dunham, Girls, its called. Everybody's watching that show. Everybody."
-Rush Limbaugh

Question 23

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Look, we make people buy liability car insurance, so there's no reason to complain about making people buy liability insurance when they buy a gun."

Question 24

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"They want to make it illegal for a running back to hit someone with his helmet? Next thing you know they won't even allow tackling."

Question 25

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"They won because they wanted it more than we did."

Question 26

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Will women like our new menu? Let's ask one of the female servers. As a woman, she will know."

Question 27

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Yawns are contagious. Ask anyone."

Question 28

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"We had the worst inflation of my lifetime in the late '70s, then Ronald Reagan got elected and during his term in office it dropped from over thirteen percent to about four percent. Shows you what a smart president can do."

Question 29

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"John, my Republican friend, never leaves a tip. Why is it Republicans are so selfish?"

Question 30

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Mike blew a tire on the way over here. Make a note never to buy Goodyear tires."

Question 31

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"People who attend elite private universities tend to live longer than people who attend state colleges. If we figure out a way to send children of modest means to the elite universities, they would live longer."

Question 32

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Don't sweat. They won't stop you for speeding. The cops have yet to stop me for texting."

Question 33

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Hello Mom? Yeah, it's me.... Fine. Great, in fact. Massachusetts is super-I've never had so much fun.... No.... Yes! And listen, I've just met the most wonderful guy. And I'm sure he's rich. You should just see the expensive car he drives...."

Question 34

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"If the legislature can get away with requiring background checks, it will be encouraged to go forward with universal registration of guns, then to eventual banning of gun ownership. Let's not start down this path."

Question 35

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I have every right to burn tires in my back yard. It's a free country."

Question 36

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"First they bailed out AIG because it was 'too big to fail.' Next time it will be the medium-sized banks. Then us taxpayers will foot the bill for every last business failure, and they won't be able to print enough money to keep up with it all."

Question 37

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Nicotine patches don't work. They sure didn't work for me."

Question 38

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"We can't close the farmers' market. It's a tradition in this town."

Question 39

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I'm reading right here about this high school teacher in Red Bluff? Caught dealing drugs right there at the school? They will let anyone teach these days."

Question 40

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"After his friends and relatives said a prayer for Pete, his cancer went into remission."

Question 41

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Shoot, millions of people sunbathe. It can't hurt you."

Question 42

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Look at Bill Gates. He didn't go to college, and he's a millionaire. College is such a waste of time."

Question 43

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Her information about deceased people comes from sources in another dimension."

Question 44

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Hey, it works! After I sprinkled Arm and Hammer around the sink, the ants disappeared."

Question 45

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Jesus Christ is widely recognized as the greatest man who ever lived."

Question 46

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"This new boss won't let us work from home. If she gets away with it, pretty soon they'll be making us spend nights and weekends right here at the office."

Question 47

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"If you don't think having a good attitude promotes good health, look at how many 100-year olds have a good attitude."

Question 48

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I recently met a young fellow who went to More Science High who really knew his stuff. He knew a lot more physics than most kids his age. They really do a good job at that school."

Question 49

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"My cousin has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his service in Afghanistan. We're going to have huge numbers of mentally troubled soldiers coming home from this war."

Question 50

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Young people aren't interested in politics. We have more important things to do. My friends couldn't care less who is elected president."

Question 51

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"PCs are better than Macs. Macs still command only a fraction of the personal computer market."

Question 52

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Seals are dying at an unprecedented rate at the very same time ocean temperatures are rising. They are being killed by global warming."

Question 53

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I got sick shortly after my trip-all because of the recycled air in the airplane."

Question 54

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Nobody knows more about a person than his mother. So when Ralph's mother claims he's innocent, I'm betting he is."

Question 55

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Jeremy died shortly after the chemotherapy treatments; I'm convinced it was the chemo that killed him."

Question 56

It must have affected my mental state, because I didn't score that well again for almost a year."

Question 57

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"In this country anyone can become a billionaire. Take Mitt Romney, for an example."

Question 58

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Evil spirits are making him sick."

Question 59

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"There's no unemployment in this country. I had no problem finding a job."

Question 60

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Well I'll be! Look at the great gas mileage we got on this trip! Not a whole lot better than usual, but still nothing to sneeze at. Shows you what a tune-up will do."

Question 61

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"What's all this fuss about people being delayed at airports? I arrived at the airport this morning and fifteen minutes later I had checked my bag, passed through security, and was at my gate. I wasn't delayed at all."

Question 62

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I see your new car is a Honda SUV. My mom bought a Honda Civic last year, and she gets great gas mileage. You'll be pleased with the mileage you get with your car."

Question 63

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Being overweight can't be all that bad for you. Eighty percent of the population over 25 is overweight."

Question 64

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"A lot more people are near-sighted these days. Check out those kids over there on their computers. They all wear glasses."

Question 65

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"My students' scores have improved dramatically since I started giving tests online, which indicates that students learn more on online courses."

Question 66

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"It was a mistake giving the Oscar to Daniel Day-Lewis. A survey the very next day showed more people thought Ben Affleck deserved it."

Question 67

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"You start talking to these door-to-door missionaries, before you can blink they will be dragging you off to their church."

Question 68

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Pete went into cardiac arrest while praying, so praying must have caused the attack."

Question 69

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Generally speaking, people with college degrees earn more than people who drop out of high school. Therefore you will earn more if you buy one of our degrees. We are offering steep discounts this week."

Question 70

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"The lights came back on immediately after that huge clap of thunder-how on earth did the thunder make that happen?"

Question 71

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"He's a great boxer. He will become an excellent dancer."

Question 72

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"American Idol dropped a little in the ratings this week. It must be the new judge."

Question 73

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Once we let the federal government regulate mortgage lending practices, where will it stop? The entire free enterprise system-the backbone of American prosperity-will collapse under the weight of government regulation."

Question 74

Identify any type of fallacy in the following passage.
From a column by Suzanne Fields, in the Washington Post, after George W. Bush had given a speech at Bob Jones University (well known for its anti-Catholic stance) and been attacked for it by fellow Republican John McCain:
"John McCain's attacks on George W. as an anti-Catholic bigot are over the line.... The governor of Texas made mistakes at Bob Jones University. He admitted them. He wasted an important opportunity to rebuke
Bob Jones' anti-Catholicism and its ban on interracial dating.... His performance and prominence there was ill thought-out, but it doesn't prove bigotry. It was also the height of hypocrisy when Mr. McCain exempted his supporter Rep. Lindsey Graham from similar criticism for his accepting an honorary degree from Bob Jones U., and not uttering a single syllable of criticism."

Question 75

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"No, we shouldn't start Daylight Savings Time in February. No state does that."

Question 76

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"This student isn't good at math. Therefore she won't be good at writing, either."

Question 77

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"My trip to Ixtapa was terrific. I'm sure you'll have a great time if you go to Acapulco."

Question 78

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Americans generally think teachers should be paid more. This was demonstrated in a large survey done in Boston."

Question 79

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Sparky has been much friskier since I've started feeding him raw meat. It's good for him."

Question 80

Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"The Constitution doesn't give you the right to own grenade launchers; therefore it doesn't give you the right to own assault rifles."