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Chapter 03 Test C
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INSTRUCTIONS: Select the answer that best characterizes each argument.
1. Either you vote for Senator Rogers or you don’t care about the environment. The choice is yours.
a. Complex question.
b. Begging the question.
c. No fallacy.
d. Appeal to force.
e. False dichotomy.
2. The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech for everyone. Therefore, children have a right to sass their parents.
a. Accident.
b. You, too (tu quoque).
c. Appeal to force.
d. Missing the point.
e. No fallacy.
3. Nobody has ever seen Rosie run, jog, lift weights, ride a bicycle, or engage in any other form of exercise. Probably
Rosie doesn’t get much exercise.
a. False cause.
b. No fallacy.
c. Appeal to ignorance.
d. Hasty generalization.
e. Suppressed evidence.
4. Carol has a Rottweiler dog, and it attacked and seriously injured one of her neighbors. David has a Rottweiler and it
chewed up his wife. The conclusion is obvious that Rottweilers are just plain vicious.
a. Argument against the person, abusive.
b. No fallacy.
c. Red herring.
d. Hasty generalization.
e. Composition.
5. In his testimony to the grand jury, Steve Porter said that the CEO of the Syntex Corporation conspired with the CFO to
defraud investors. Therefore, since Porter is in a position to know and has no reason to lie, we can conclude that these
officers did indeed engage in such a conspiracy.
a. No fallacy.
b. Amphiboly.
c. Appeal to unqualified authority.
d. False cause.
e. Begging the question.
6. Attorney Jane Welch has over 20 suits. Therefore, her wardrobe must be rather substantial.
a. Division.
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b. Begging the question.
c. Equivocation.
d. No fallacy.
e. Amphiboly.
7. The vast majority of Americans believe in God. Therefore, you should believe, too.
a. Tu quoque (you, too).
b. No fallacy.
c. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
d. Appeal to the people.
e. False dichotomy.
8. Whoever is vain is hardhearted because if they weren’t hardhearted they wouldn’t be vain.
a. No fallacy.
b. False cause.
c. Appeal to unqualified authority.
d. Missing the point.
e. Begging the question.
9. Bowser, a German shepherd, had a terrible flea problem. But after one application of FleasOff, Bowser had no fleas for
four months. Tango is also a German shepherd with a terrible flea problem. Therefore, FleasOff should also be useful in
eliminating Tango’s fleas.
a. False cause.
b. No fallacy.
c. Weak analogy.
d. Accident.
e. Hasty generalization.
10. Old Mrs. Fogarty has won at Bingo on the last six weekends, which is quite remarkable. Therefore, she is almost
certain to lose next weekend.
a. No fallacy.
b. Missing the point.
c. False cause.
d. Weak analogy.
e. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
11. This pamphlet from the hospital says I should eat right before surgery. Apparently I should go into the operating room
with a full stomach.
a. Equivocation.
b. Appeal to ignorance.
c. Missing the point.
d. No fallacy.
e. Amphiboly.
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12. Every hair on Jane’s head is blond. Therefore, Jane is a blond.
a. Composition.
b. Begging the question.
c. No fallacy.
d. Hasty generalization.
e. Division.
13. Sarah argues that all of us should support the school bond issue on the September ballot. But it’s obvious why she
argues this way. She has six kids currently attending public school. Clearly her argument is worthless.
a. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
b. No fallacy.
c. Appeal to unqualified authority.
d. Argument against the person, abusive.
e. You, too (tu quoque).
14. My goodness, Jackie, I haven’t seen you since high school. Tell me, are you still as vain as you used to be?
a. Begging the question.
b. Red herring.
c. Appeal to pity.
d. Complex question.
e. No fallacy.
15. Either Honda or Nissan makes the Altima. But it isn’t Honda. Therefore Nissan makes the Altima.
a. Suppressed evidence.
b. No fallacy.
c. False dichotomy.
d. Composition.
e. Straw man.
16. Sheri argues in favor of reducing the Defense Department budget. It appears what Sheri wants is no Defense
Department at all. But without a Defense Department, we would have no army, navy, or air force, and any foreign nation
could invade our country at will. Clearly we can’t allow this. Thus, Sheri’s argument is crazy.
a. Missing the point.
b. Red herring.
c. Appeal to unqualified authority.
d. No fallacy.
e. Straw man.
17. Anyone who fails a drivers test is allowed to retake it. But a calculus test is no less of a test than a drivers test.
Therefore, anyone who fails a calculus test should be allowed to retake it.
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a. False cause.
b. No fallacy.
c. Weak analogy.
d. Accident.
e. Missing the point.
18. Betty is opposed to capital punishment by lethal injection. But doctors inject patients with all sorts of medicines every
day. For example, vaccines against flu, pneumonia, and tetanus are injected into millions of patients. Antibiotics are
injected for a whole host of bacterial infections, and insulin is injected for diabetes. Obviously Betty’s views are not
supported by the evidence.
a. Red herring.
b. Appeal to pity.
c. No fallacy.
d. Slippery slope.
e. Straw man.
19. Collins is a terrible pool player. But every pool player is a human being. Therefore, Collins is a terrible human being.
a. Division.
b. Composition.
c. Amphiboly.
d. Equivocation.
e. No fallacy.
20. Pop singer Beyoncé Knowles says on TV, “Embrace your past, but live for now (by drinking Pepsi).” But you really
shouldn’t take these Pepsi ads too seriously because Beyoncé is paid millions of dollars to make them.
a. Appeal to unqualified authority.
b. No fallacy.
c. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
d. Appeal to ignorance.
e. Appeal to pity.
21. Harry shouldn’t be thrown out of college for cheating. He’s been on academic probation for the past year, and this has
caused terrible stress. The poor guy hasn’t been able to sleep at night, he can’t keep his food down, and he’s constantly sick
with worry about his future. Surely you can find it in your hearts to give him a second chance.
a. Missing the point.
b. Appeal to force.
c. False cause.
d. No fallacy.
e. Appeal to pity.
22. The first thing many airline passengers do on arrival is make a phone call. TravelCom is a company that installs and
operates coin operated phones in airports. Therefore, it would be a good idea to buy stock in TravelCom.
a. Suppressed evidence.
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b. No fallacy.
c. Accident.
d. Appeal to ignorance.
e. Red herring.
23. This .75 liter bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey is 40% alcohol. Therefore, every one-ounce shot of it is 40% alcohol.
a. Division.
b. Suppressed evidence.
c. No fallacy.
d. Hasty generalization.
e. Composition.
24. Pauline’s argument for stricter drug laws is as worn out as she is. Her brain has practically calcified, she can hardly
remember anything, and she confuses the letter carrier with the gardener. I’m afraid we’ll just have to pass over her
argument.
a. Missing the point.
b. Argument against the person, abusive.
c. No fallacy.
d. Red herring.
e. Appeal to unqualified authority.
25. Every hair on Tony’s head will fall out within five years. Therefore, Tony will be bald within five years.
a. Hasty generalization.
b. False cause.
c. Composition.
d. No fallacy.
e. Division.
26. Shortly after retiring from his job, Mr. Lopez had a heart attack and died. The same thing happened to Mrs. Harris. I
think the message is clear: Whatever you do, never retire from your job.
a. Hasty generalization.
b. Slippery slope.
c. No fallacy.
d. Appeal to the people.
e. False cause.
27. Some halfwits manage to succeed in business. Therefore, some people who manage to succeed in business are
halfwits.
a. Amphiboly.
b. Weak analogy.
c. Begging the question.
d. No fallacy.
e. Argument against the person, abusive.
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28. Johnny, you better not tell anyone that I stole the apple from the teacher’s desk. I’m sure you don’t want to come to
class with a bloody nose and a black eye tomorrow.
a. Appeal to force.
b. No fallacy.
c. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
d. Straw man.
e. Appeal to pity.
29. The U.S. has a right to eradicate dictatorships wherever it finds them. Dictators crush the right of self-governance
given by God to all of his children. Dictators suppress liberty and freedom. They sacrifice the lives of their people to
satisfy their own corrupt aims and desires. Dictators are vile monsters! They embody the power of Satan wherever they
dwell. Down with dictatorships everywhere!
a. No fallacy.
b. Suppressed evidence.
c. Argument against the person, abusive.
d. Appeal to the people.
e. Appeal to unqualified authority.
30. If U.S. Presidents start more wars, then the U.S. will go broke. If U.S. Presidents start more wars, then every country
will boycott U.S. products. Therefore, if every country boycotts U.S. products, then the U.S. will go broke.
a. This argument contains a fallacy of illicit transference.
b. This argument contains a fallacy of relevance.
c. This argument contains no fallacy.
d. This argument contains a fallacy of ambiguity.
e. This argument contains a formal fallacy.
31. Colleen, you know something about American history. Tell me, did the Civil War start in 1860 or 1861?
a. Begging the question.
b. No fallacy.
c. False dichotomy.
d. Complex question.
e. Missing the point.
32. More and more cars in this state are unable to pass the fuel emissions test. Therefore, it seems clear we should relax
the emissions standard.
a. Straw man.
b. No fallacy.
c. Missing the point.
d. Appeal to unqualified authority.
e. Argument against the person, abusive.
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33. The song “I lost My Love in Nashville” is very sad. But every song is composed of notes. Therefore, every note in that
song is very sad.
a. Division.
b. False cause.
c. Missing the point.
d. No fallacy.
e. Composition.
34. Madam Voodoo, the famous psychic, says she has communicated with departed souls. Therefore, it follows there is
life after death.
a. Red herring.
b. Straw man.
c. Argument against the person, abusive.
d. Appeal to unqualified authority.
e. No fallacy.
35. Joe Bradley has thick calluses on both of his hands. Thus, it would appear that Joe does a lot of manual labor.
a. False cause.
b. Accident.
c. No fallacy.
d. Composition.
e. Appeal to ignorance.
36. You should never buy your child a goldfish, because next it will be a hamster and then a rabbit. After that the kid will
scream for a cat, and then a dog. Next it will be a horse, then a water buffalo, and finally an elephant. The cost of pet food
will drive you to the poor house.
a. No fallacy.
b. Slippery slope.
c. Begging the question.
d. False cause.
e. Appeal to force.
37. Paul’s argument against hiring undocumented immigrants is totally worthless. For six years Paul hired an
undocumented nanny from Guatemala to take care of his kids.
a. Argument against the person, abusive.
b. Appeal to unqualified authority.
c. Straw man.
d. No fallacy.
e. You, too (tu quoque).
38. There is no possibility that Jenny could have knitted this beautiful scarf. Jenny can hardly count to 10, she has the
dexterity of a bull moose, and she has absolutely no sense for style or color.
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a. Composition.
b. False cause.
c. Argument against the person, abusive.
d. No fallacy.
e. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
39. Ending one’s own life is morally permissible because people are rightfully in charge of their own lives. And this is so
because people have the freedom to determine their own destiny. And this follows from the fact that people have the
moral right to decide whether they live or die. And this is true because ending one’s own life is morally permissible.
a. Equivocation.
b. Slippery slope.
c. False cause.
d. No fallacy.
e. Begging the question.
40. Nobody has ever proved that the universe wasn’t created in six days. Therefore, we must conclude that the universe
was indeed created in six days, just like it says in Genesis.
a. Appeal to ignorance.
b. False dichotomy.
c. No fallacy.
d. Hasty generalization.
e. Appeal to unqualified authority.