CHAPTER 8
WHAT SHOULD I AVOID?
True or False
8-1 Fallacies only occur when arguers intentionally attempt to deceive their listeners or
readers.
8-2 Hasty generalizations occur when there are insufficient cases presented to warrant
the claim.
8-3 A hasty generalization will occur if your reasoning is based upon an atypical
example.
8-4 When you assert that what is true of the whole will be true of its parts, you risk
committing a fallacy of composition.
8-5 The fallacies of composition, division, and refutation can occur when arguers resort
to using emotional rather than logical appeals.
8-6 “The food at Wally World is bland and overpriced. I wouldn’t bother getting
8-7 Begging the question occurs when the claim is supported by reasons that do nothing
8-8 A non sequitir is an argument in which the character of the arguer rather than the
8-9 An ad hominem argument is one in which the character of the arguer rather than the
arguments he or she advanced is attacked.
8-10 If you have no response to the arguments of another, you should offer an ad
hominem argument to avoid committing the fallacy of avoiding the issue.
8-11 When you offer arguments applying the tests of proof, source credibility, and sound
reasoning to demonstrate the deficiencies in another person’s arguments, you are
committing the fallacy of employing ad hominem arguments.
8-12 When an arguer abandons his original position on an issue and adopts a new one, a
8-13 The primary difference between an argument from dilemma and the fallacy of
forcing a dichotomy is that in the latter the choices available to the listener or reader are
8-14 It is not an error in reasoning to ask your audience to accept a claim because no
proof contradicting it exists.
8-15 Appealing to emotions such as pity and fear will always result in the commission of
a fallacy.
8-16 An argument from authority is fallacious if the use of the authority prevents the
other side of the issue from receiving a fair hearing.
8-17 An argument from authority is fallacious if the source of opinion lacks expertise.
8-18 As long as we remember that meanings are in words, and use the appropriate
words, we can avoid committing fallacies of language.
8-19 Because a word may have a number of legitimate meanings, you need to be careful
not to commit errors of ambiguity or equivocation.
8-20 A good way to avoid committing a fallacy of language is to use as much of the
Multiple Choice
8-1 In this category of fallacy in argumentation, the problem is often the result of a flaw
in the warrant that justifies the mental leap between grounds and claim. Errors of this
kind fall into the category of fallacies
(a) in reasoning.
(b) of appeal.
(c) in language use.
(d) of evaluation.
8-2 Arguments that offer conclusion based on insufficient information, too few
instances, atypical examples, or offer conclusions that overstate what is warranted by the
evidence are referred to as
(a) hasty generalizations.
(b) fallacies of composition.
(c) ad hominem arguments.
(d) forced dichotomies.
8-3 “Since the Pegasus, a wide bodied commercial jetliner has been shown to have
serious design flaws, it is reasonable to assume that other wide bodied commercial
jetliners, such as the Valkyrie, have serious design flaws.” What fallacy of reasoning does
this argument commit?
(a) Composition.
(b) Division.
(c) Refutation.
(d) None, the argument is not fallacious.
8-4 “You say the food at Wally World is bland and overpriced. Did you try the tacos or
the hot wings? Did you use the family feast plan, which can save you a lot of money? Did
you really give the food at the park a fair shot?” This argument commits the fallacy of
(a) hasty generalization.
(b) the fallacy of refutation.
(c) ad ignorantium argument.
(d) circular reasoning.
8-5 A straw man argument is one in which an arguer does which of the following?
(a) Directs attention to the refutation of an argument that was never raised.
(b) Restates an argument in a way that makes it appear weaker.
(c) Commits a transfer fallacy.
(d) All of the above
8-6 “If we accept the argument about the lack of safety of the Pegasus, then we must
abandon whatever faith we have in the free enterprise system as we know it,” is a
statement that commits the fallacy of
(a) circular reasoning.
(b) use of technical jargon.
(c) appeal to authority.
8-7 “Safety questions not withstanding, I think everyone will admit that the Pegasus is a
much more comfortable passenger plane than the Valkyrie or any other wide bodied jet.”
This argument commits the fallacy of
(a) circular reasoning.
(b) hasty generalization.
(c) simple evasion.
(d) forcing a dichotomy.
8-8 When an arguer abandons their original position on a particular argument and adopts
a new one, they are committing the fallacy of
(a) shifting ground.
(b) non sequitir.
(c) division.
8-9 When an arguer magnifies the importance of a weak argument out of proportion and
uses it to discredit the other person’s entire position, the arguer risks committing the
fallacy of
(a) simple evasion.
(b) shifting ground.
(c) ad hominem argument.
8-10 An argument from dilemma becomes a fallacious when
(a) the choices it offers are too simplistic.
(b) the arguer fails to account for the possibility of partial or multiple causality.
(c) the arguer fails to consider alternative choices fully.
(d) All of the above
8-11 One type of fallacy is to claim “that because we cannot prove something has not
happened or does not exist, it therefore must have happened or must exist.” We call this
(a) a fallacy in reasoning.
(b) a fallacy of appeal.
(c) a fallacy in language use.
8-12 When a claim is justified on the basis of the fact that the majority of people believe
it, the arguer may be committing the fallacy of offering an __________ argument.
(a) ad absurdum
(b) ad hominem
(c) ad ignorantium
(d) ad populum
8-13 “How can we question the safety of the Pegasus when so many people choose to fly
on them each and every day?” This is an example of an appeal to
(a) ignorance.
(b) the people.
(c) tradition.
(d) fear.
8-14 “It is foolish to claim that the Pegasus is unsafe, after all the Federal Aviation
Administration has certified it to fly and has not revoked that certification,” is a
statement which commits the fallacy of appeal to
(a) ignorance.
(b) the people.
(c) tradition.
8-15 An argument from authority becomes a fallacious appeal to authority when
(a) a seemingly authoritative source of opinion lacks real expertise on the subject.
(b) the authority is characterized as infallible and used to shut off further discussion
of the issues.
(c) the use of authoritative opinion prevents a fair hearing of the other side of the
issue.
8-16 Asking your audience to accept something because it represents the customs of our
society, rather than because the issues justify its acceptance, commits the fallacy of
appeal to
(a) ignorance.
(b) the people.
(c) authority.
(d) tradition.
8-17 “More people are killed and injured every year in their bathtubs than in Pegasus. I
suppose the next thing you will argue is that we should give up bathing.” This argument
commits the fallacy of
(a) appeal to fear.
(b) refutation.
(c) appeal to ignorance.
(d) reducing a claim to absurdity.
8-18 Which of the following is NOT a fallacy in language use?
(a) Equivocation
(b) Ambiguity
(c) Emotionally loaded language
(d) Definition by negation
8-19 If in answering your question about how people reason, your professor uses the
terms “epistemological” and “ontological,” and you have no idea what those two terms
mean, the professor may be committing
(a) a fallacy in reasoning.
(b) a fallacy of appeal.
(c) a fallacy in language use.
(d) All of the above
8-20 “The university’s golf course is terrible. The rough is so uneven that you could
break your wrist trying to get your ball out of a thick patch, while five feet away you
could destroy a club on a rocky patch.” This argument commits the fallacy of using
(a) ambiguous language.
(b) equivocal language.
(c) emotionally loaded language.
(d) technical jargon.