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Chapter 08 Formal Fallacies and Fallacies of Language Answer Key
Short Answer Questions
1.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If you are rich, then your car is something like a Mercedes or a Bentley. Oh! Is that your
Bentley, you rich old thing, you?
Affirming the consequent
2.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If Shelley has read the Republic, then she’s bound to know who Thrasymachus is. And,
since she clearly does know who Thrasymachus is, we can conclude that she must have
read the Republic.
Affirming the consequent
3.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
"If you just realized what I just realized, then we'd be perfect for each other and we'd
never find another. But you didn't just realize what I just realized." -Colby Calait
Denying the antecedent
4.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If Global Warming is for real, then the mean global temperature would have risen over the
past ten years. Global Warming is not for real. Therefore the mean global temperature
hasn't risen over the past ten years.
Denying the antecedent
5.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If you didn’t take the final, you didn’t pass the course. However, you did take the final. So
you passed the course.
Denying the antecedent
6.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
For sure, if the test drive had gone well, Dwayne would have bought the car. But the test
drive did not go very well, so he’ll pass up the purchase.
Denying the antecedent
7.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If Joel had paid his taxes on time, he wouldn’t be audited. But he didn’t pay on time, so
you know he’s going to be audited.
Denying the antecedent
8.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Otterhounds are crazy about water, just like that dog. That dog, therefore, is an
Otterhound.
Affirming the consequent
8-4
9.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
All German Shepherds are dogs, and some dogs are not trained to attack people.
Therefore, some German Shepherds are not trained to attack people.
Undistributed middle
10.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Mark: Jessica got low grades in this semester due to the recent demise of her father.
Judy: Oh, so now you're trying to excuse her low grades?
Confusing explanations with excuses
11.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Of course the girl was carrying binoculars! The witness said he saw her with binoculars.
Amphiboly
12.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Caesar’s salad is made from romaine lettuce, and that’s what this house salad is made
from. So this must be the house Caesar salad.
Undistributed middle
13.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Professor Stooler wants to conserve clean air and water. If that doesn’t make him a
Conservative, I don’t know what does.
Equivocation
14.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If walking out of class seems right to you, then obviously it’s your right to do it.
Equivocation
15.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The sign says "No individuals without identification may pass." So that must mean that all
individuals
with
identification may pass, right?
Confusing contraries with contradictories
16.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Anna Karenina is the best novel ever written; therefore each chapter is the best ever
written.
Division
17.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
This institution is well known for its liberal thinkers. Therefore, each person in this
institution is a liberal thinker.
Division
18.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Stockton has the lowest credit rating of any city in the region. My cousin lives in Stockton,
so I’m betting his credit is down the tube.
Division. The fact about Stockton is not about persons taken collectively.
19.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The sign says "Cash only this line," and you’re paying cash. So you have to get in this line.
Amphiboly (The sign may mean "This line accepts only cash"; others may too.)
20.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The average family has two-and-a-half children. The Hansons, next door, are an average
family, so they must have two-and-a-half children. I don’t know, maybe a stepson or
something.
Equivocation
21.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Every event is caused; therefore the sum total of events is caused.
Composition
22.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
There was not one exercise in Don’s program that should have caused him back pain. So I
can’t see how his back trouble is the result of his exercise program.
Composition (What’s true of the individual exercises needn’t be true of the whole
program.)
23.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The last four races have been won by horses whose jockeys were wearing pink. I think
there’s something about colors going on here—I’d bet on whatever horse has a jockey in
pink for the next race.
Gambler’s fallacy
24.
In the following passage, is an explanation clearly being offered as an excuse or
justification?
Harry: Mary couldn't make it to the event because she broke her ankle.
Sam: Don't try to give excuses for her absence!
Confusing explanations with excuses
25.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Daryl likes to race cars. I bet he will become a professional race car driver rather than
something boring like a retail salesperson or office clerk.
Overlooking prior probabilities
26.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
"Most professional dancers are women. Therefore, most women are professional dancers."
Faulty inductive conversion
27.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Hard to believe, but jockeys wearing pink have won the last four races. Do you know how
unlikely it is that it could happen a fifth time in a row? Bet on a horse with a jockey
wearing different colors this time.
Gambler’s fallacy
28.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If the president is right, we need immigration reform. If the vice president is right, we need
immigration reform. Therefore, if the president is right, the vice president is right.
Undistributed middle. (This is tricky: The president and vice president could be discussing
many different items, and the president could be right about all of them and the vice
president right about only immigration reform.)
29.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Anybody who is well-informed reads at least one newspaper every day, and Murray reads
two newspapers daily. So we can agree that Murray is a well-informed person.
Undistributed middle
30.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Been playing Lotto for years and haven’t won a dime. I’m due.
Gambler’s fallacy
31.
Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
"Most rich people are old. Therefore, most old people are rich."
Faulty inductive conversion
Multiple Choice Questions
32.
To think that what holds true of a group automatically holds true of the individuals in the
group is known as the fallacy of
A.
composition.
B.
division.
C.
accident.
D.
hasty generalization.
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