Chapter 7: Introduction to Fallacies
Which of the following is the translation for post hoc, ergo propter hoc?
After this, therefore because of it.
"They say the woods behind our house is haunted and it is true! Last night, my brother Joshua wandered alone into the woods and later, we found him lying unconscious under a tree. Who else could have been responsible for him losing consciousness, but ghosts?" What type of a fallacy is this?
Argument by Anecdote
This is a type of hasty generalization in which the evidence to support a claim is an isolated story.
Argument by Anecdote
What type of hasty generalization relies on a story as the evidence?
Argument by Anecdote
"People always harp on me for smoking and say that I'm going to die of lung disease. Hog wash! My grandpa smoked a pipe every day of his life and lived to be 95!" What fallacy is this?
Argument by anecdote
When one attempts to disprove (or support) a cause-and-effect claim by telling a story, one is committing the fallacy of _____.
Argument by anecdote
"Don't join the drama club! None of our friends are signing up for that." What type of fallacy is this?
Bandwagon fallacy
Student to teacher: "You should give extra credit assignments. Every other professor is doing it." What type of fallacy is this?
Bandwagon fallacy
"Mr. Gates is a successful businessman; he would make a successful president." What is a problem with this analogy?
Being a successful businessman and being a successful president may require different skill sets.
"Jamal conducted a survey of people standing outside a bar and found that almost all of them opposed the new ordinance that prohibits smoking in public places." What is the problem with this study?
Biased sample
"Emma takes great care of her dog. She'd be a great babysitter." What part of this analogy might have some legitimacy?
Both situations involve taking care of living things.
Which of the following fallacies is committed when a speaker or writer assumes that the fact that two events happen at about the same time establishes that one caused the other?
Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
Which of the following means "with this, therefore because of it?"
Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
"She was eating bagels both times the principal informed her that her son had been suspended. She concluded that eating bagels was bad luck." What fallacy did she commit?
Cum hoc ergo propter hoc
"A and B happened at the same time. Therefore A caused B." What fallacy does this best represent?
Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc
"Almost all the people who called into MSNBC's news program were against the new Republican initiative. Therefore, I don't think that the public will support the initiative in the long run." What fallacy is this?
Fallacy of biased sample
This type of fallacious argument is supposed to raise the probability of the conclusion, but are so weak that they fail to do so.
Fallacy of induction
"Healthcare is far better in France. My aunt, who lives in Paris, has a number of health problems but receives excellent care." What type of fallacy is this?
Fallacy of small sample
"People are racist in this neighborhood. I heard a racial slur as I was walking down the street yesterday." What type of fallacy is this?
Fallacy of the lonely fact
Mariah and Jennifer are both famous and wealthy. Mariah likes furs. Therefore, Jennifer probably likes furs, too. What type of fallacy is this?
False analogy
Coming to a conclusion based on evidence from atypical cases is known as what type of fallacy?
Generalization from exceptional cases
"Premature infants are often given a high protein diet to improve their growth. Therefore, if your child is small, you should significantly increase protein consumption." What fallacy is this?
Generalizing from exceptional cases
After the first day of class, I decided that the professor's logic classes were boring. I dropped the class.What type of fallacy is this?
Hasty generalization
What is another term for a fallacy known as Generalizing from Too Few Cases?
Hasty generalization
What type of fallacy is the Fallacy of the Lonely Fact?
Hasty generalization
"My English teacher says meteors are mainly composed of nickel. Therefore, the meteor I saw last night was composed of nickel." What type of fallacy could this be?
Mistaken appeal to authority
"Everyone knows that life doesn't exist on Mars. That's why I don't believe such crazy things." What type of fallacy is this?
Mistaken appeal to popularity
"How can certain religions be against consuming caffeine? People have been consuming caffeine for centuries." What type of fallacy is this?
Mistaken appeal to tradition
"Of course democracy is the best form of government. We've had this form for over 200 years." What type of fallacy is this?
Mistaken appeal to tradition
Which fallacy is used when a person tries to justify a practice on the grounds that it is commonly done?
Mistaken appeal to tradition
"After neighbors set carved pumpkins on their doorsteps, little children dressed like goblins went around begging for candy. Janel concluded that the pumpkins drove the children crazy." What fallacy did Jamal commit?
Overlooking a possible common cause
"George woke up with spots all over his body. A few hours later, he had a raging fever. George concluded that the spots caused his fever." What type of fallacy is this?
Overlooking a possible common cause
"The snow season begins when days grow short. Therefore, snow causes shorter days." What fallacy is committed here?
Overlooking a possible common cause
Jack had a terrible headache after he was cited for driving under the influence. He concluded that the strain of being cited gave him a headache. In the context of the fallacies related to cause and effect, which of the following fallacies is best illustrated in this scenario?
Overlooking a possible common cause
"The president's poll numbers improved slightly this week. Therefore people like him more this week." What fallacy might be involved here?
Overlooking the Possibility of Random Variation
"I was eating grapes when I noticed a rash on my finger. I must be allergic to grapes." What fallacy could this be?
Overlooking the possibility of coincidence
"The email was titled 'Money Bags' and said that if I forwarded the message, I would receive cash. Sure enough, I sent it out to 200 friends, and the next day my tax refund showed up." What fallacy is this?
Overlooking the possibility of coincidence
Tina develops a nervous tick while living near a nuclear power plant and concludes that the tick has to do with the plant. In the context of the fallacies related to cause and effect, which of the following fallacies is best illustrated in this scenario?
Overlooking the possibility of coincidence
Which fallacy ignores the fact that simultaneously occurring events need not always be causally related?
Overlooking the possibility of coincidence
"In a randomized experiment, lab rats who were exposed to two hours of moonlight each night for six months had a higher rate of stomach cancer than a similar group of rats who did not have exposure. This indicates that moonlight causes cancer in rats." What type of fallacy might be possible here?
Overlooking the possibility of random variation
"Jamal kicked a 60-yard field goal for the first time last night. Clearly he's hot! He probably will kick one even further next game." What fallacy does this reasoning commit?
Overlooking the possibility of regression
"I hadn't won at golf all year. Then I found a lucky rabbit foot and began a winning streak. Now I'm a champion, thanks to that rabbit foot." What type of fallacy is this?
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Which fallacy mistakenly assumes that because an event precedes another event, it caused it.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
"Most respondents in a FOX News poll said they would vote Republican in the next presidential election. Therefore, most Americans will vote Republican in the next presidential election." What fallacy is this?
Self-selection fallacy
"I can't believe they increased the school day by 30 minutes. Next year it will be another 30 minutes and the following year, they'll tack on 30 minutes more. Soon, we'll have 10-hour school days!" What fallacy is this?
Slippery slope
"You want to ban Harry Potter? What is next? Shakespeare?" What type of fallacy does this represent?
Slippery slope
A survey conducted in Florida observed that all dancers in the state could also sing well. Therefore one can conclude that all singers in Florida are good dancers. What possibility does this argument overlook?
The Possibility of Reversed Causation
"You should buy this newly launched electronic gadget. It is very popular these days." Which type of fallacy is this?
The bandwagon fallacy
"Lying is always wrong. So, when Mr. Gies told the Nazi authorities that he had no idea where the Frank family was hiding, he was committing a misdeed." What type of fallacy is this?
The fallacy of accident
Tabitha read that as sex education became more widespread, sexually transmitted diseases became more common. She concluded that sex education caused the increase in sexually transmitted diseases. What possibility was she overlooking?
The possibility of reversed causation
"I asked for volunteers in the class to fill out my survey. From my results, I can tell that most students expect to do well in the class." What is the problem with this analysis?
The sample is self-selected
"College students at the University of Arizona are exceptionally smart. I tested 5 students and each scored incredibly well." What is the problem with this reasoning?
The sample is too small.
Which of the following fallacies is an argument that rests on an unsupported warning that is controversial and tendentious, to the effect that something will progress by degrees to an undesirable outcome?
The slippery slope fallacy
"She's had a series of loser boyfriends simply because she is unlucky in love." What type of fallacy is this?
Untestable explanation
When a person assumes that a general statement automatically applies to a specific case that could be exceptional, the person is committing the fallacy of _____.
accident
A weak _____ is a type of argument based on debatable or unimportant similarities between two or more things.
analogy
When someone tries to support a contention by citing evidence from a non-authoritative source, it is a mistaken appeal to _____.
authority
Sometimes a speaker or writer will try to get one to do something by suggesting that everyone or most people are doing it. The idea is not to cite what people believe as evidence of the truth of a claim. Rather, the attempt is made to induce one to do something by making one feel out of step with things if one doesn't. This is the _____.
bandwagon fallacy
In the context of fallacies related to cause and effect, it is often said that correlation does not prove _____.
causation
Fallacies of _____ are arguments that fail to raise the probability of the conclusion.
induction
The mistaken appeal to common practice, which is sometimes called mistaken appeal to tradition, is a variant of the mistaken appeal to _____.
popularity
When a person treats an issue that cannot be settled by public opinion as if it can, the person is committing a fallacy of mistaken appeal to ______.
popularity
Any identifiable group of things or persons to be analyzed is the _____.
population
If the average value of a variable in a population is atypical on one measurement, it is likely to be less atypical on the next measurement. When we overlook this fact, we overlook the possibility of _____.
regression
A subset of a population is also known as a(n) ____.
sample
Some logicians treat the _____ fallacy as a version of scare tactics.
slippery slope
An anecdote is a type of _____.
story
An explanation that cannot possibly be tested commits the fallacy of _____ explanation.
untestable
