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54.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Jeremy died shortly after the chemotherapy treatments; I’m convinced it was the chemo
that killed him."
Post hoc
.
55.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"There’s no unemployment in this country. I had no problem finding a job."
Argument by anecdote.
56.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Jesus Christ is widely recognized as the greatest man who ever lived."
Mistaken appeal to popularity.
7-22
57.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Young people aren’t interested in politics. We have more important things to do. My
friends couldn't care less who is elected president."
Hasty generalization.
58.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I recently met a young fellow who went to More Science High who really knew his stuff.
He knew a lot more physics than most kids his age. They really do a good job at that
school."
Hasty generalization/Generalizing from exceptional cases.
59.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"This new boss won’t let us work from home. If she gets away with it, pretty soon they’ll
be making us spend nights and weekends right here at the office."
Slippery slope.
60.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Shoot, millions of people sunbathe. It can’t hurt you."
Mistaken appeal to common practice.
61.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Americans generally think teachers should be paid more. This was demonstrated in a
large survey done in Boston."
Generalizing from exceptional cases/Biased sample.
62.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"It was a mistake giving the Oscar to Daniel Day-Lewis. A survey the very next day showed
more people thought Ben Affleck deserved it."
Mistaken appeal to popularity.
7-24
63.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"The lights came back on immediately after that huge clap of thunder—how on earth did
the thunder make that happen?"
Post hoc
.
64.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Pete went into cardiac arrest while praying, so praying must have caused the attack."
Post hoc
.
65.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"No, we shouldn’t start Daylight Savings Time in February. No state does that."
Mistaken appeal to common practice.
7-25
66.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"American Idol dropped a little in the ratings this week. It must be the new judge."
Post hoc
, overlooking coincidence or random variation.
67.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"This student isn’t good at math. Therefore she won’t be good at writing, either."
Weak analogy.
68.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"You start talking to these door-to-door missionaries, before you can blink they will be
dragging you off to their church."
Slippery slope.
7-26
69.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Sparky has been much friskier since I’ve started feeding him raw meat. It’s good for him."
Post hoc
.
70.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Generally speaking, people with college degrees earn more than people who drop out of
high school. Therefore you will earn more if you buy one of our degrees. We are offering
steep discounts this week."
Accident.
71.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"He’s a great boxer. He will become an excellent dancer."
Weak analogy.
7-27
72.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Once we let the federal government regulate mortgage lending practices, where will it
stop? The entire free enterprise system—the backbone of American prosperity—will
collapse under the weight of government regulation."
Slippery slope.
73.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I don’t think the S.E.C. should be able to require corporations to disclose their political
donations. I wouldn’t want some federal regulator going through my checkbook. It’s none
of their business what people do with their money."
Weak analogy.
74.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"A lot more people are near-sighted these days. Check out those kids over there on their
computers. They all wear glasses."
Hasty generalization/Generalizing from exceptional cases—possible biased sample.
75.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"My trip to Ixtapa was terrific. I’m sure you’ll have a great time if you go to Acapulco."
Weak analogy.
76.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"The Constitution doesn’t give you the right to own grenade launchers; therefore it doesn’t
give you the right to own assault rifles."
Weak analogy.
77.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"I see your new car is a Honda SUV. My mom bought a Honda Civic last year, and she gets
great gas mileage. You’ll be pleased with the mileage you get with your car."
Weak analogy.
7-29
78.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"What’s all this fuss about people being delayed at airports? I arrived at the airport this
morning and fifteen minutes later I had checked my bag, passed through security, and was
at my gate. I wasn't delayed at all."
Hasty generalization.
79.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Being overweight can’t be all that bad for you. Eighty percent of the population over 25 is
overweight."
Mistaken appeal to popularity.
7-30
80.
Identify any type of fallacy in the following passage.
From a column by Suzanne Fields, in the
Washington Post
, after George W. Bush had
given a speech at Bob Jones University (well known for its anti-Catholic stance) and been
attacked for it by fellow Republican John McCain:
"John McCain’s attacks on George W. as an anti-Catholic bigot are over the line.... The
governor of Texas made mistakes at Bob Jones University. He admitted them. He wasted
an important opportunity to rebuke Bob Jones’ anti-Catholicism and its ban on interracial
dating.... His performance and prominence there was ill thought-out, but it doesn’t prove
bigotry. It was also the height of hypocrisy when Mr. McCain exempted his supporter Rep.
Lindsey Graham from similar criticism for his accepting an honorary degree from Bob
Jones U., and not uttering a single syllable of criticism."
Is the last sentence an example of ad hominem fallacy or common practice fallacy in
defense of George Bush, or is it merely a request for fair play?
81.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"My students’ scores have improved dramatically since I started giving tests online, which
indicates that students learn more on online courses."
Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc
(or
post hoc, ergo propter hoc
, depending on how you analyze
it).
7-31
82.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"People who play bingo twice a week live on average seven years longer than people who
stay at home. Playing bingo can lengthen your life."
Cum hoc;
overlooking coincidence, random variation, or common cause.
83.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"The rates of prostate cancer among first responders to the attacks on the Twin Trade
Towers are higher than among onlookers. Something in the dust obviously causes prostate
cancer."
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
.
84.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Man to his wife: Poopsie, I bought a lot of this soap. Everyone at the Amway party said it
works great."
Mistaken appeal to authority or mistaken appeal to popularity.
7-32
85.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"He says health care in England stinks. He should know. He speaks with an English
accent."
Mistaken appeal to authority.
86.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Smoking behind our back will only lead to a life of crime, Junior."
Slippery slope.
87.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Caffeinated coffee is bad for your nervous system. Just ask anybody, including coffee
drinkers."
Mistaken appeal to authority.
88.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Melinda has two dachshunds who lived to be over 15, so when she recommended a diet
for Jobie, my Doberman, I figured she knew what she was talking about."
Post hoc, ergo propoter hoc
and weak analogy.
89.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Attendance is up today. They must think there is a test."
Cum hoc,
overlooking random variation.
90.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"My kindergarten class seemed unusually antsy today. I wonder if they were all on a sugar
high."
Cum hoc,
overlooking random variation.
7-34
91.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"Allison Fischer [a world-famous pool player] played snooker before she turned to
American style 9-ball. It had to be the snooker that made her such a fine 9-ball player."
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
.
92.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"What are they are talking about, it rains a lot in Seattle? We went there in October—had
nothing but beautiful weather."
Generalizing from exceptional cases, biased sample.
93.
Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
"A friend of mine became a Christian recently and soon after won a six-figure lottery. God
looks after his own."
Post hoc, ego propter hoc
(argument from anecdote-causal variety).
Multiple Choice Questions
7-35
94.
As Harold is driving down the road from Glenn County to Montclair, he crosses into Salem
County and notices that the pavement deteriorates. "I guess they don’t keep up their roads
very well in this county," he says. Which of the following best fits the scenario?
A.
biased generalization
B.
hasty generalization
C.
neither biased nor hasty
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
95.
As Harold is driving down the road from Glenn County to Montclair, he crosses into Salem
County and notices that the pavement deteriorates. "I guess they don’t keep up their roads
very well in this county," he says. The sample in this passage is
A.
roads in Glenn County.
B.
roads in Salem County.
C.
the road he’s driving on now.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
96.
"They say Japanese carmakers put out the best cars in the world, all things considered.
But that can’t be right—the Toyota I bought last year had to be returned to the shop five
times!" This is
A.
a biased generalization.
B.
a hasty generalization.
C.
neither biased nor hasty.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
7-36
97.
"They say Japanese carmakers put out the best cars in the world, all things considered.
But that can’t be right—the Toyota I bought last year had to be returned to the shop five
times!" The sample is
A.
my Toyota.
B.
Japanese cars.
C.
the best cars in the world.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
98.
"They say Japanese carmakers put out the best cars in the world, all things considered.
But that can’t be right—the Toyota I bought last year had to be returned to the shop five
times!" The population is
A.
my Toyota.
B.
Japanese cars.
C.
the best cars in the world.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Essay Questions
7-37
99.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem
not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of
why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"The problem isn’t really with banning assault weapons; heck, I personally think it’s stupid
to want to own an assault weapon. The problem is that, once the government realizes that
an assault weapons ban is not resulting in fewer gunshot victims, it will turn to semi-
automatic weapons and require registration of them. But, of course, that won’t reduce the
number of victims either. We might finally get to a point where there are no more gunshot
victims, but it’ll only be after all guns have been banned and the ones out there now have
all turned to rust."
Slippery slope.
100.
Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem
not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text, by giving a brief explanation of
why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
No, I don’t think I believe in "three strikes and you’re out" for convicted felons. Next thing
it will be two strikes, then one strike. Then we’ll be sticking people in jail for life for
misdemeanors. It’s not good policy.
Slippery slope.
