Claiming that a member of a group must have some characteristic of that group is which informal fallacy?
A) the fallacy of amphiboly
B) appeal to ignorance
C) the fallacy of division
D) the fallacy of accent

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To ascribe to a member of a group a characteristic of that group is to commit the fallacy of division. The following argument commits this fallacy: "Germans are punctual. Olly is German. Therefore, Olly is punctual." The first claim is a claim about a group (Germans). It only conveys that most Germans or perhaps the average German is punctual. It by no means follows that all Germans are punctual. And so it does not follow that Olly is punctual, even though he is a German.

Claiming That a Member of a Group Must Have Some