Question 1

"I knew I wouldn't win the lottery because a black cat crossed my path right after I bought the ticket." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?
A)Ad hominem attack
B)Appeal to authority
C)Appeal to tradition
D)Faulty analogy
E)Faulty cause

Accepted Answer

This statement is committing the fallacy of faulty cause (also known as post hoc ergo propter hoc), which assumes that because one event follows another, the first event caused the second event. In this case, the person believes that the black cat caused them not to win the lottery, even though there is no logical connection between the two events.

Question 2

A claim that attempts to prove that something is
A)fact.
B)conjecture.
C)value.
D)policy.
E)coherence.

Accepted Answer

A claim that attempts to prove something is a fact, meaning it is verifiable and can be supported by evidence.

Question 3

"Everyone in our group has signed the petition.You should,too." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?
A)Ad hominem attack
B)Appeal to authority
C)Appeal to popularity
D)Appeal to tradition
E)Appeal to novelty

Accepted Answer

This is an appeal to popularity or bandwagon fallacy, which assumes that something is true or good simply because many people think or do it.

Question 4

The act of proving that an argument is invalid and/or un
A)argumentation.
B)refutation.
C)argumentativeness.
D)reasoning.
E)cooperative argumentation.

Accepted Answer

Refutation is the act of proving that an argument is invalid or unfounded. Argumentation refers to the process of constructing or presenting arguments, whereas argumentativeness refers to a tendency to argue or be argumentative. Reasoning refers to the use of logic to reach a conclusion, and cooperative argumentation involves working together to construct or evaluate arguments.

Question 5

In what order should you use the following steps when presenting an argument?
A)Summarize your argument,provide reasons,support your claim,state your claim
B)Support your claim,summarize your argument,state your claim,provide reasons
C)State your claim,support your claim,provide reasons,summarize your argument
D)Provide reasons,summarize your argument,state your claim,support your claim
E)State your claim,summarize your argument,provide reasons,support your claim

Accepted Answer

It is best to start with stating your claim, then providing support for your claim with reasons, and then summarizing your argument to reinforce the point. This order allows the audience to understand the main point of the argument first, followed by the supporting evidence.

Question 6

Which step in refuting an argument would be characterized by a statement such as "I don't support the increase in student activity fees for two reasons: the college just raised tuition 5 percent and the poor economy has stressed many students and their parents to the limit"?
A)Assess the reasoning
B)State the opposing claim
C)Assess the evidence
D)Listen to the argument
E)Preview your objections

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which step in refuting an argument would...

Question 7

"If lawyers develop their cases with help from other lawyers,why can't I write my term paper with help from other students?" What fallacy is being committed in this statement?
A)Appeal to authority
B)Hasty generalization
C)Faulty cause
D)Faulty analogy
E)Ad hominem attack

Accepted Answer

The fallacy being committed in this statement is faulty analogy. While lawyers may work collaboratively with other lawyers to develop their cases, writing a term paper is not analogous to developing a legal case. The two tasks require different skill sets and levels of collaboration, so it is not reasonable to assume that one can use the same approach to complete both tasks.

Question 8

When refuting an argument,in which order should you use the following steps?
A)State the claim you oppose,assess the evidence,assess the reasoning,summarize your refutation
B)Listen to the argument,assess the evidence,state the claim you oppose,give an overview of your objections
C)Give an overview of your objections,assess the evidence,state the claim you oppose,summarize your refutation
D)Listen to the argument,assess the evidence,assess the reasoning,state the claim you oppose
E)Summarize your claim,provide reasoning,state your claim,support your claim

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence for refuting an argument involves first listening to the argument to fully understand it, then assessing the evidence presented in the argument to identify any weaknesses or flaws, next stating the claim you oppose to clarify your position, and finally giving an overview of your objections to summarize your refutation. This approach ensures a thorough and structured refutation.

Question 9

"My opponent says we can lower taxes.He can't be believed or trusted.Ten years ago,he admitted to being an alcoholic." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?
A)Faulty cause
B)Hasty generalization
C)Appeal to popularity
D)Appeal to authority
E)Ad hominem attack

Accepted Answer

The statement attacks the opponent's credibility by bringing up a past personal issue, rather than addressing the actual argument about lowering taxes. This is an ad hominem attack.

Question 10

"My uncle's visit to New Mexico was horrible.The weather was bad,and the people were unfriendly.New Mexico is not a good choice for a vacation." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?
A)Ad hominem attack
B)Hasty generalization
C)Appeal to popularity
D)Faulty analogy
E)Faulty cause

Accepted Answer

The statement is committing the fallacy of hasty generalization by drawing a conclusion about the entire state of New Mexico based on one person's negative experience.

Question 11

"According to a 1984 article in the Midland Times Herald,gang activity is not a significant problem in the community." What criticism should be made about this piece of evidence?
A)It's not recent.
B)It's not statistically valid.
C)It's biased.
D)It's not identified.
E)It's not consistent.

Accepted Answer

The evidence is not recent and may not reflect the current situation in the community.

Question 12

"According to NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws),marijuana is a harmless drug that has no long-term side effects." What criticism should be made about this piece of evidence?
A)It's not recent.
B)It's not statistically valid.
C)It's biased.
D)It's not identified.
E)It's not consistent.

Accepted Answer

NORML is an organization that advocates for the legalization of marijuana, so their statement may be biased in favor of their agenda.

Question 13

Paulo survived a car crash without any major injury while not wearing a seatbelt.If he uses this example to prove that seatbelts are not needed,he has failed to test his evidence for
A)consistency.
B)relevancy.
C)recency.
D)credibility.
E)interest.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Paulo survived a car crash without any...

Question 14

Some group members have suggested that the company sponsor an annual picnic rather than a more formal annual dinner.John disagrees with the others because the company has held a formal dinner every year for more than 10 years.Which fallacy of argument could be attributed to John's comment?
A)Ad hominem attack
B)Appeal to authority
C)Appeal to popularity
D)Appeal to tradition
E)Faulty cause

Accepted Answer

John's argument of continuing with the formal dinner because it has been a tradition for more than 10 years is an appeal to tradition fallacy. Just because something has been done a certain way in the past does not necessarily mean it is the best or only way to do it in the future.

Question 15

A claim that suggests that something will or will not happen is a claim of
A)fact.
B)conjecture.
C)value.
D)policy.
E)coherence.

Accepted Answer

A claim of conjecture suggests that something will or might happen in the future, based on speculation rather than solid evidence.

Question 16

"Don't go to that restaurant.I went once,and the service was awful." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?
A)Appeal to tradition
B)Faulty analogy
C)Hasty generalization
D)Faulty cause
E)Appeal to authority

Accepted Answer

The person is making a hasty generalization based on their single experience at the restaurant. They are assuming that all experiences at the restaurant will be the same as theirs without any evidence to support that claim.

Question 17

"Sex education in schools promotes teenage promiscuity." This statement is an example of a claim of
A)fact.
B)conjecture.
C)value.
D)policy.
E)fiction.

Accepted Answer

The answer of "Sex education in schools promotes teenage promiscuity."...

Question 18

A claim that recommends a particular course of action is a claim of
A)fact.
B)conjecture.
C)value.
D)policy.
E)coherence.

Accepted Answer

A claim that recommends a particular course of action is a claim of policy. This type of claim proposes a specific action or solution to a problem, and is typically expressed as an "ought" statement. It is different from a claim of fact, which asserts that something is true, or a claim of value, which assesses the worth of something.

Question 19

The president and chief executive of a virtual web space in which users can share comments claims,"The best innovations occur when you have networks of people with diverse backgrounds gathering around a problem." What type of evidence is used in this example?
A)Fact
B)Statistic
C)Illustration
D)Opinion
E)Example

Accepted Answer

The statement is an opinion because it expresses the speaker's belief about how the best innovations occur, rather than presenting factual data, statistics, illustrations, or specific examples to support the claim.

Question 20

You should ask all of the following questions when trying to determine the objectivity or accuracy of evidence from an Internet source EXCEPT
A)"Is statistical data well labeled and easy to read?"
B)"Are the sources of information available for verifying their claims?"
C)"Does the evidence account for opposing points of view?"
D)"Is the information free of grammatical,spelling,and typographical errors that could indicate a lack of quality control?"
E)"Do you agree with the source's claims and point of view?"

Accepted Answer

The question is about determining the objectivity or accuracy of evidence from an Internet source. Personal agreement or disagreement with a source's claims and point of view is not relevant to evaluating its objectivity or accuracy. The other four questions listed are relevant to evaluating objectivity and accuracy, such as whether statistical data is well presented, sources are provided, opposing views are presented, and the information is free of errors.

Quiz 10: Critical Thinking and Argumentation in Groups

"I knew I wouldn't win the lottery because a black cat crossed my path right after I bought the ticket." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?

A claim that attempts to prove that something is

"Everyone in our group has signed the petition.You should,too." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?

The act of proving that an argument is invalid and/or un

In what order should you use the following steps when presenting an argument?

Which step in refuting an argument would be characterized by a statement such as "I don't support the increase in student activity fees for two reasons: the college just raised tuition 5 percent and the poor economy has stressed many students and their parents to the limit"?

"If lawyers develop their cases with help from other lawyers,why can't I write my term paper with help from other students?" What fallacy is being committed in this statement?

When refuting an argument,in which order should you use the following steps?

"My opponent says we can lower taxes.He can't be believed or trusted.Ten years ago,he admitted to being an alcoholic." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?

"My uncle's visit to New Mexico was horrible.The weather was bad,and the people were unfriendly.New Mexico is not a good choice for a vacation." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?

"According to a 1984 article in the Midland Times Herald,gang activity is not a significant problem in the community." What criticism should be made about this piece of evidence?

"According to NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) ,marijuana is a harmless drug that has no long-term side effects." What criticism should be made about this piece of evidence?

Paulo survived a car crash without any major injury while not wearing a seatbelt.If he uses this example to prove that seatbelts are not needed,he has failed to test his evidence for

Some group members have suggested that the company sponsor an annual picnic rather than a more formal annual dinner.John disagrees with the others because the company has held a formal dinner every year for more than 10 years.Which fallacy of argument could be attributed to John's comment?

A claim that suggests that something will or will not happen is a claim of

"Don't go to that restaurant.I went once,and the service was awful." What fallacy is being committed in this statement?

"Sex education in schools promotes teenage promiscuity." This statement is an example of a claim of

A claim that recommends a particular course of action is a claim of

The president and chief executive of a virtual web space in which users can share comments claims,"The best innovations occur when you have networks of people with diverse backgrounds gathering around a problem." What type of evidence is used in this example?

You should ask all of the following questions when trying to determine the objectivity or accuracy of evidence from an Internet source EXCEPT