Question 1

Whatever is dull is stupid. This knife is extremely dull. Therefore, this knife is extremely stupid.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy here is equivocation, which occurs when a word is used in two different senses in an argument. In this case, "dull" is used to mean both "not sharp" and "stupid," which are two different meanings of the word.

Question 2

Whoever fires a gun at another person should be arrested. But those cowboys on the movie set are firing their guns at each other. Thus, those cowboys should be arrested.

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of accident by applying a general rule (anyone firing a gun at another should be arrested) to a specific situation (actors on a movie set) where the general rule should not be expected to apply due to the context of acting or simulation.

Question 3

Mary Beth complains that our curriculum is weak in areas relating to diversity. But have you seen that girl's tattoos? They're really something else-especially the red one right above her rear. And she must have a pound of metal stuck in her body. Two big loops hang from her ears, there's a small bar bell through her tongue, and another through her navel. Let's see ... . Shall we move on to the next topic?

Accepted Answer

This is a clear example of a red herring fallacy, as the speaker is attempting to distract from Mary Beth's valid point about the curriculum by bringing up her tattoos and piercings, which are not relevant to the discussion.

Question 4

Benjamin Franklin wrote, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Therefore, since old Ben would never lie about anything so important as God, we must conclude that God does indeed exist.

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of appeal to unqualified authority by relying on Benjamin Franklin's statement about beer and happiness as evidence for the existence of God, despite Franklin not being an authority on the existence of God.

Question 5

Health care is a fundamental right. This is so because citizens have a right to the necessities of life. And this follows from the fact that life is a fundamental right. And naturally this is true because the state has the obligation to protect life. And why is this true? Because the state has an obligation to provide health care. And this follows from the fact that health care is a fundamental right.

Accepted Answer

This statement is an example of begging the question, as the conclusion of the argument is essentially restating the premise in a slightly different way. There is no substantive evidence or reasoning offered to support the claim that healthcare is a fundamental right or that the state has an obligation to provide it.

Question 6

Every player on the varsity chess team is very good. Therefore, the team is very good.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Every player on the varsity chess team...

Question 7

So, you insist on going to the movies tonight. Why do you always have to get your own way?

Accepted Answer

The statement presents a loaded question that assumes the person always insists on getting their own way, which may not be true. It also implies a negative behavior without evidence. This is a classic example of a complex question fallacy.

Question 8

Frank, I know you'll want to lend me the down payment money for my new house. After all, you wouldn't want the IRS to find out that you failed to report a hundred thousand dollars of income on your last tax return.

Accepted Answer

This is an appeal to force or coercion, as the speaker is using the threat of exposing Frank's tax evasion to pressure him into lending money.

Question 9

Every word in this sentence is meaningful. Therefore, the sentence is meaningful.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of composition occurs when one assumes that what is true of the parts must be true of the whole. In this case, just because every word is meaningful does not necessarily mean the entire sentence is meaningful.

Question 10

Either you support the administration's policies or you don't deserve to be called a patriotic American. The choice should be obvious.

Accepted Answer

This is a false dichotomy because it presents only two options - either agreeing with the administration's policies or being unpatriotic - when there may be other valid opinions or ways to show patriotism.

Question 11

During the two years that Abigail has served as president of the Crescent Society, several of its members have suffered from insomnia. Thus, in the interests of better sleep for these people, the Society should elect a new president.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the false cause fallacy because there is no logical connection between Abigail's presidency and the members' insomnia. Just because something happens after another thing does not necessarily mean that the first thing caused the second thing. Therefore, the conclusion that a new president should be elected to address the insomnia issue is not logically supported.

Question 12

This unopened can of iced tea contains lemon juice. Therefore, every single spoonful of it contains lemon juice.

Accepted Answer

The answer of This unopened can of iced tea contains...

Question 13

Andrew's new smartphone works well in fringe areas. Therefore, probably Madison's new smartphone, which is the same make and model as Andrew's, with the same service provider, works well in fringe areas, too.

Accepted Answer

This is a valid argument based on the assumption that two identical smartphones with the same service provider will perform the same way in the same conditions. Therefore, there is no fallacy present in this statement.

Question 14

Either Britney Spears is a surgeon or Annette Bening is an astronaut. Therefore, it follows that either Annette Bening is an astronaut or Britney Spears is a surgeon.

Accepted Answer

The statement is logically consistent and simply reverses the order of the two conditions, without introducing any logical fallacy.

Question 15

In a random poll of 400 students from Belview College, 83 percent said that they own a smartphone. Therefore, probably most Belview students own a smartphone.

Accepted Answer

The statement does not commit a fallacy; it makes a reasonable generalization based on a significant sample size (400 students), suggesting that it's probable most students at the college own a smartphone.

Question 16

Paul said that his new dog eats virtually anything and is very fond of children. Therefore, you shouldn't let your little boy get anywhere near that dog.

Accepted Answer

The statement is an example of amphiboly because it is ambiguous and could be interpreted in different ways. The first part suggests that the dog is not selective in what it eats, while the second part suggests that the dog is friendly towards children. However, the conclusion drawn by Paul that the little boy should not get near the dog is not directly supported by either of these statements.

Question 17

Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan argues in favor of reducing Social Security benefits. But this guy is just another one of those right-wing crazies who has no sense of social responsibility. Nobody should listen to his nonsense.

Accepted Answer

The statement attacks Paul Ryan personally, calling him a "right-wing crazy" without addressing his arguments or providing evidence to refute his claims. This is an ad hominem or argument against the person fallacy.

Question 18

Nobody has ever proved that the ready availability of guns causes an increase in the number of murders and robberies. Hence, we conclude that the availability of guns has no effect on the frequency of these crimes.

Accepted Answer

This argument commits the fallacy of appeal to ignorance by claiming that because nobody has proven a causal relationship between gun availability and crime rates, then it must not exist. Just because something hasn't been proven doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and the burden of proof should be on the person making the claim that guns don't contribute to increased crime rates.

Question 19

Members of the jury, surely you will not find Dr. Costello liable for amputating the wrong leg of his patient. During four years of medical school this poor man groped and struggled just to get by. Unlike his fellow students, he had no rich parents to pay his way. And during residency he was forced to work 16-hour days, rising before dawn and slaving away long after sunset. And now this lawsuit. Nobody deserves to be treated this way.

Accepted Answer

The statement appeals to pity by highlighting Dr. Costello's difficult journey to become a doctor and portraying him as a sympathetic figure who should not be punished for a mistake. However, this emotional appeal distracts from the issue at hand, which is the wrongful amputation of the patient's leg, and does not provide a valid defense for Dr. Costello's actions.

Question 20

Marsha Taylor, the college president, argues that it's inappropriate to have condom-dispensing machines on campus. Apparently Taylor is completely anti sex. Just abolish sex altogether. That's what she wants. But without sex there would be no human race. And no animals either. Obviously Taylor's argument makes no sense whatsoever.

Accepted Answer

The argument misrepresents Marsha Taylor's stance by exaggerating her position to an absurd degree, which is a classic example of a straw man fallacy.

Quiz 3: Informal Fallacies