Logic Chapter 3 Practice Test Matching: Match each of the following concepts to the most accurate definition. Fallacy Arguer uses a threat to convince the audience. Bandwagon Arguer arouses desire to be part of a large group of people. Accident Conclusion depends on an either... or... statement that ignores other options. Appeal to unqualified authority Arguer applies a general rule to a specific case that the rule does not properly cover. Straw Man An error in reasoning Appeal to force Conclusion depends on an unlikely chain reaction of occurrences that leads to the conclusion. Tu quoque Arguer cites an unreliable authority as evidence. Weak Analogy The conclusion of the argument depends on a defective comparison of two things. Division Arguer presents the person they are arguing with as a hypocrite or someone who doesn t act in accordance with their own claims. False dichotomy An attribute is improperly transferred from whole to parts. Slippery Slope Arguer distorts the opponent s argument and then attacks the distorted argument.
Informal Fallacies: Select the most appropriate fallacy for each of the arguments below. 1. Either you spend $200 on a pair of True Religion jeans or everyone will think you are out of style. a. Appeal to force b. Bandwagon c. False dichotomy 2. Every member of the Viking Society was born in Norway. Therefore, the Viking Society was born in Norway. 3. The number of alcoholics has risen steadily for the past 20 years and so has the number of treatment centers. Therefore, to cut down on alcoholism we should eliminate the treatment centers. 4. Children should be seen and not heard. Therefore, it was wrong for that drowning child to scream for help.
5. You had better believe in God because, if you don t, you will suffer from the torment of eternal damnation. d. Appeal to force 6. Eddie, one of your friends was asking about you the other day. He wanted to know if you are still smoking crack. What should I tell him next time I see him? Are you still lighting up? b. Begging the question c. Complex question 7. The government has no right to spy on its citizens because citizens have a right to privacy. And this is true because such a right is guaranteed by the constitution which follows from the fact that our founding fathers recognized the sanctity of individual privacy against the intrusive power of the government. And of course this is true because the government has no right to spy on its citizens. b. Begging the question c. Complex question 8. Nobody every observed the supposed Big Bang that created the universe. Therefore, the Big Bang theory of the universe must be false. a. Appeal to the people b. Appeal to unqualified authority c. Appeal to ignorance
9. My friend Steve told me that he loves to watch the Cardinals game in his man cave after work. Thus, he must have an incredibly large man cave for them to play an entire Major League Baseball game down there. 10. Astronomers study stars. Nicole Kidman is a star. Therefore, astronomers study Nicole Kidman. 11. Members of the jury, surely you will not find defendant Carlos guilty of burglary. Carlos is a visitor from our neighbor to the south, where he has eight young brothers and sisters. Those poor kids and their impoverished mother live a desperate hand-to-mouth existence. Carlos was hoping only to send a few more dollars home to ease their suffering. In the name of humanity, you must vote to acquit this caring brother. a. Appeal to the people b. Appeal to pity c. Appeal to ignorance 12. The president of our college has promised to stop drinking on campus. Apparently, he must have a serious drinking problem if he is publicly promising to stop drinking on the job.
13. A major cause of immorality is ignorance. Many people truly do not understand what the good is and how to bring it about. If only they knew the good and how to act, then they would do it and the world would be a better place. The conclusion is clear: we must execute all of these ignorant people who are dragging down society. 14. Pet owners argue for a law to ensure that pet food is free of lethal contaminants. Apparently they are unaware that half the children of the world eat contaminated food and drink polluted water every day. Thousands of these kids die regularly from cholera. The nations of the world should unite to halt this ongoing tragedy. In the mean time, we can forget about pets. a. Red herring c. Appeal to ignorance d. Straw man 15. Dr. David Sherman of the National Skin Cancer Society reports that tanning salons pose a serious risk for skin cancer. But of course he is going to say that. He works for the National Skin Cancer Society so he has to find causes of skin cancer whether they are real or not. Therefore, we should reject his claims and forget about those proposed regulations on the tanning industry. c. Against the person-circumstantial d. Against the person-tu quoque
16. Your little cousin Tommy wants a slingshot for his birthday, but you shouldn t give him one. If you do, next he ll want a BB gun. Then a 22 rifle. After than it will be high powered rifles and an AK-47. You don t want your cousin heading down this path so you had better not buy him that slingshot. a. Red herring d. Straw man 17. This cherry pie is delicious. One of the ingredients in this pie is backing powder. Thus, baking powder is probably delicious, too. d. Division 18. Either Kansas or Ohio is situated on the Mississippi River. But Ohio is not on the Mississippi. Therefore, it must be Kansas. a. Appeal to ignorance b. Red herring c. False dichotomy 19. While driving on the freeway a big truck cut me off when it changed lanes. A few days earlier, another truck tailgated me and yet another refused to dim its lights. The conclusion is obvious that truckers these days are as rude as they are reckless. a. Weak analogy d. Hasty Generalization
20. Those boarding a bus are never required to pass through a security checkpoint. Therefore, those boarding an airliner should not be required to pass through a security checkpoint. a. Weak analogy d. Hasty Generalization 21. The televangelist Jimmy Swaggart claims that America s sexual immorality are destroying society and we should turn away from our lustful, hedonistic ways. But this is obviously nonsense. Jimmy Swaggart was found trying to use the services of prostitutes on two separate occasions. c. Against the person-circumstantial d. Against the person-tu quoque 22. The first thing people do when they get off a plane is make a phone call. Therefore, it would be a good idea to invest money in TravelCom, a company that installs coinoperated phones in airports. a. Weak analogy d. Hasty Generalization e. Suppressed evidence 23. Shortly after retiring, Mr. Lopez had a heart attack and died. The same thing happened to Ms. Fogel after she retired. The conclusion is obvious: you should never retire, it is just too dangerous. a. Weak analogy d. Hasty Generalization
24. You should never get your child a fish because once you do they will want a hamster. Then they will want a dog and a pony. Pretty soon they will want a hippo and a whale and those just cost too much to feed. a. Red herring d. Straw man 25. Everyone knows that you should "turn the other cheek." Thus, when someone steals your car, you should not alert the police as this would not be turning the other cheek.