Chapter 17 Practice

What error in reasoning is exemplified by the following statement? French movies are all dull. I saw three of them last semester in my film class and couldn't stay awake through a single one.

hasty generalization

According to your textbook, what kind of reasoning is used in the following statement? Last summer, a five-year-old boy in Seattle was killed by his brother when the two were playing with their father's gun. Last month, four-year-old Dylan Jackson accidentally killed himself after finding a loaded gun at a friend's home during a birthday party. In Tampa, Florida, a two-year-old shot himself in the chest with a pistol left in the family couch. Clearly, children in America are at risk from gun accidents.

reasoning from specific instances

What kind of reasoning is used in the following statement? In recent months, newspapers have carried reports of vicious dogs attacking people in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Boston, and Orlando. These reports show that dog attacks are an increasingly serious problem nationwide.

reasoning from specific instances

What kind of reasoning is used in the following statement? In recent years there have been a number of highly publicized cases of sexual harassment in business, government, and education. Thus we can conclude that sexual harassment continues to be a problem for women in the workplace.

reasoning from specific instances

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? Why should we worry about endangered animal species when thousands of people are killed in automobile accidents each year?

red herring

According to your textbook, it is especially important to use evidence in a persuasive speech to

reinforce your reasoning.

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? If we encourage elementary school students to use computers in the classroom, they will spend less time reading books. As a result, they will fall way behind in developing reading, writing, and thinking skills. Pretty soon we will have a generation of illiterates on our hands.

slippery slope

Which of the following statements about speaker credibility is true?

The same speaker can have high credibility for one audience and low credibility for another audience

Which of the following is recommended in your textbook as a way to enhance your credibility in a persuasive speech?

a. explain your expertise on the speech topic b. deliver your speeches fluently and expressively c. establish common ground with your audience d. all of the above

"The only way to keep our children from becoming involved with drugs and crime is to enforce a strict curfew every night of the week" is an example of which of the following fallacies?

either-or

What contemporary researchers term credibility, Aristotle termed

ethos

Evidence and reasoning are the two major elements of persuasion that Aristotle called

logos

Which of the following is presented in your textbook as a guideline for reasoning from specific instances in a persuasive speech?

Avoid sweeping conclusions not justified by the specific instances.

Which of the following is presented in your textbook as a guideline for reasoning from specific instances in a persuasive speech?

a. reinforce your argument with statistics and testimony c. avoid generalizing too hastily

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? Representative Thompson's school proposal may be first rate, but don't forget that he never attended college himself.

ad hominem

According to your textbook, what kind of reasoning is used in the following statement? Five years ago, we came together as a community by voting to build a new elementary school. Today we are asking you to come together again, this time to build a new recreational facility. If we did it before, we can do it again.

analogical reasoning

What kind of reasoning is used in the following statement? Requiring students to sign an honor code has reduced the incidences of cheating at George Mason University. If we adopt such a code at our school, it will help us reduce the amount of cheating as well.

analogical reasoning

As your textbook explains, when reasoning from principle in a persuasive speech, it is particularly important that you

assess whether you need to support your general principle with evidence

According to your textbook, which of the following statements is true?

b. A public speaker should not substitute emotional appeal for evidence and reasoning. c. Emotional appeal is usually inappropriate in a persuasive speech on a question of fact.

According to your textbook, all of the following are tips for using evidence in a persuasive speech except

balance the amount of evidence used to support each main point.

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? Every presidential administration in recent memory has engaged in questionable fundraising activities, so I don't see any reason why it is wrong for the current administration to do so.

bandwagon

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? Everyone runs red lights when they're in a hurry, so there's no reason I shouldn't do it, too.

bandwagon

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? More than 31 states now have laws permitting citizens to carry concealed weapons. The popularity of these laws shows that allowing people to carry concealed weapons is a good idea.

bandwagon

What kind of reasoning is used in the following statement? U.S. children raised in two-parent families with incomes below the poverty line have a greater incidence of school absences, lower test scores, and less chance of finishing high school than do children raised in one-parent households with incomes at least 10 percent above the poverty line. We can see, therefore, that it is the economic stability of the family, not its family structure, that determines a child's ability to succeed in school.

causal reasoning

Efram's audience was persuaded by his speech because they perceived him to be sincere, trustworthy, and to have their best interests at heart. Which factor of credibility influenced Efram's audience?

character

According to your textbook, the two most important factors affecting the credibility of a persuasive speaker are

competence and character.

. Developer Martin Cray had low credibility when he began his speech to a neighborhood group opposed to a new shopping center he hoped to build. During the speech, his credibility increased because his audience was impressed with his command of the facts and his willingness to work with the neighborhood on plans for the shopping center. According to your textbook, the credibility produced by everything Martin said and did during the speech is called ____ credibility.

derived

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? We have only two choices. Either we fully support the government's counter-terrorism measures or we become traitors who give comfort to our enemies.

either-or

As your textbook explains ________ are usually the most effective supporting materials if you want to increase the emotional appeal of a persuasive speech.

examples

What error in reasoning is exemplified by the following statement? I always wear my blue sweater when I take an exam, but I couldn't find it yesterday. If I had worn it yesterday, I would not have flunked my accounting exam.

false cause

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? In high school I didn't have to study at all and I earned good grades in all my classes, so I'm sure I don't need to study to do well in my college classes.

invalid analogy

When reasoning from specific instances in a persuasive speech, you should be especially careful to

keep from generalizing too hastily.

Studies have found that public speakers will usually be more persuasive when they

present evidence in specific rather than general terms.

In her speech on chewing tobacco, Catherine made the following argument: To be effective, laws governing chewing tobacco sales to minors must be enforced and must have adequate penalties for people who violate the law. My proposal will significantly increase both enforcement provisions and penalties for violators. Therefore, my plan will be effective. What kind of reasoning did Catherine use?

reasoning from principle

What kind of reasoning is used in the following statement? We should be taking every step we can to protect our health. Getting vaccinated against bacterial meningitis will help protect our health. Therefore, each of us should get vaccinated against bacterial meningitis.

reasoning from principle