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6-61
119.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"We beat the prices of our competitors. We would not say this if it weren’t true."
Begging the question.
120.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Of course we should be able to go to the concert. Mom doesn’t want us to have any fun
at
all! She treats us like babies. I’m fed up."
Straw man ("…no fun at all"); Appeal to emotion (outrage—"I’m fed up!" Petulance sounds
appropriate here too!).
121.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Honey, you are so understanding. Would you do the dishes this once?"
Appeal to emotion (apple polishing).
6-62
122.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"It is essential that we arrive early. Shake a leg, or we will leave without you."
Appeal to emotion, scare tactics.
123.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Malamutes are difficult to train. Have you ever seen one that isn’t?"
Misplaced burden of proof.
124.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Outlawing hate speech—the latest bright idea from so-called progressives."
Ad hominem, genetic fallacy.
6-63
125.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Tell me this. If you aren’t losing your hearing, then how come you can’t hear so well.
Well?"
Begging the question.
126.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"C’mon, only conspiracy-theory nuts believe stuff like that."
Ad hominem, guilt by association.
127.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"You think drilling is less risky? I doubt it. That’s just oil industry propaganda."
Ad hominem, genetic fallacy.
6-64
128.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"The new Secretary of Defense says he’ll prosecute the war in the Middle East in
accordance with current American policy. But you realize, don’t you, that as soon as he got
home from Vietnam he began to criticize American policy there."
Ad hominem (inconsistency).
129.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Pryor’s diatribe against gun control is flat-out nonsense. He probably doesn’t believe that
stuff himself."
Ad hominem.
130.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"When Keith installed a new windshield for me he spent the whole time listening to talk
radio. If you hire him, don’t pay attention to anything he says."
Ad hominem, poisoning the well.
6-65
131.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Gun control is pointless. We can’t stop every lunatic from getting his hand on a gun."
False dilemma (the perfectionist fallacy).
132.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Jasmine believes dogs think just like people, but just can’t talk. And that’s not her
looniest idea about dogs. I wouldn’t take seriously any advice she gave you about your
pup’s health."
Ad hominem, poisoning the well.
133.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Buy now while supplies last!"
Scare tactics.
6-66
134.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"The assemblyman came out against the Marijuana Legalization Initiative a couple of
years ago. Maybe he’s been reading the polls because now he’s all for it. He doesn’t
convince me."
Ad hominem.
135.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"After Sara got back from Cuba she raved about the wonderful health care there. Spare
me. I know Sarah. She would praise a communist country even if people were dying in the
streets."
Ad hominem.
136.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Nobody can prove that demons don't exist. Therefore, they exist."
Appeal to ignorance.
6-67
137.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"A trans-American oil pipeline would be great for the economy. People against it just want
to make it harder for us to drive big cars. They want to make us drive little tiny
electric cars that don’t go over 30 miles per hour and need to be charged up every night.
Who wants that!"
Straw man, and irrelevant on other grounds—even if true, the remarks do not relate to how
the pipeline would effect the economy.
138.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"And speaking of flip-flopping, our Secretary of State, Mr. Kerry, fought in the war in
Vietnam, then spoke out against it after he got home, and now he expects us to think his
foreign policy makes sense?"
Ad hominem.
139.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"I will reduce your mortgage payments by 25 percent. Take the offer while you can. It is a
very good deal. If you don’t, you can expect to hear from my friend, the sheriff."
Appeal to emotion, scare tactics.
6-68
140.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Don't you just love hearing somebody [Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City] who
violated New York City's term limit law to run for mayor a third time lecturing us on portion
control? When it came to the portions of terms he could serve, he was insatiable."
—Rush Limbaugh
Ad hominem.
141.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"That Ehrman fellow started off as a fairly fundamentalist religious person, but after all
that education and study, he finally wound up being an atheist. His opinions about the
scriptures are not the ones you want to listen to."
Ad hominem.
142.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Do you think you might learn something about farming by watching the Amish? Come on!
Those people are still living in the 19th century, or maybe the 18th."
Ad hominem.
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143.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
DEVELOPER: "They’re telling us to make changes to comply with the new water
standards."
DEVELOPER’S PARTNER: "That’s nuts. We’ve already spent a ton of money on that
place."
Irrelevant conclusion.
144.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Either we secure our borders, or illegals will be taking over the country. This, to me, is a
no-brainer."
False dilemma.
145.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Prof. Stooler assigned two extra paragraphs to read. Dude thinks we don’t have anything
better to do."
Ad hominem.
6-70
146.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"You hear that idea at Tea Party conventions. I’m surprised you agree with it."
Ad hominem, guilt by association.
147.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Conservatism isn’t dead? Who says?"
Misplaced burden of proof.
148.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"The world will end on January 1. It has been written. People who don’t believe it will be
left behind."
Appeal to emotion, scare tactics.
6-71
149.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
First poll watcher: "The decision in
Gore v. Bush
in 2000 was that George W. Bush won the
election in Florida."
Second poll watcher: "But the question is whether that was a correct decision, given all
the problems of voting in Florida."
First poll watcher: "Like I said, the decision went for Bush, so that’s your answer."
Irrelevant conclusion.
150.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"There can’t be anything worthwhile in this new operating system. Microsoft comes out
with a new OS every two years, it seems like."
Irrelevant conclusion.
151.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"This offer is good for a short time only!"
Appeal to emotion, scare tactics (You’ll miss out if you don’t act now!).
6-72
152.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Requiring restaurants to post calories will never get everyone to stop overeating. What a
waste of time."
The perfectionist fallacy.
153.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Forget those polls. They come from CBS."
Ad hominem, genetic fallacy.
154.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Geoff thinks currency not backed by gold or silver is inherently worthless. But that can’t
be right. He’s just saying that because he invested everything he owns in gold and silver."
Ad hominem.
6-73
155.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"Move to Toronto? Why would anyone want to live on the North Pole?"
Straw man.
156.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"I hear jocks and fraternity types grumbling about the homework, but I expect more from
you."
Appeal to emotion, apple polishing.
157.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"She is trustworthy; after all, she swears she is, and you can’t doubt that."
Begging the question.
6-74
158.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage taken from the text.
"Women should not be allowed in combat, because it is prohibited by the Defense
Department."
Begging the question.
159.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"One professor to another: One of my students missed class because of illness. How could
anyone possibly think attendance is optional?"
Irrelevant conclusion.
160.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage.
"You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the son of God; or else a madman
and something worse."
—C.S. Lewis
False dilemma.
