Critical Thinking A Student's Introduction Chapter 5: Logical Fallacies-I

Identify a true statement about the concept of relevance. A. A statement can be positively relevant, negatively relevant, or logically irrelevant to another statement. B. One statement is irrelevant to another if it counts against that other statement. C. There are two ways in which a statement can be relevant or irrelevant to another. D. A statement can only be relevant to another statement if it provides logically conclusive reasons for thinking that the second statement is true.

A. A statement can be positively relevant, negatively relevant, or logically irrelevant to another statement.

When an arguer inappropriately tries to arouse feelings of pity or compassion from his or her listener or readers, the fallacy of _____ is said to have occurred. A. Appeal to pity B. Begging the question C. Personal attack D. Scare tactic

A. Appeal to pity

Identify the ways to commit the fallacy of begging the question. (Check all that apply.) A. Assume the conclusion of the argument as one of the premises B. State the opposite of the conclusion C. Use vagueness to obscure the intended meaning of the conclusion D. Restate the conclusion in slightly different words

A. Assume the conclusion of the argument as one of the premises D. Restate the conclusion in slightly different words

Practicing bull fighting as a sport is crazy because engaging in such bloody games is insane. This argument commits the fallacy of _____. A. Begging the question B. Equivocation C. Attacking the motive D. Two wrongs make a right

A. Begging the question

When a key word is used in two or more senses in the same argument and the apparent success of the argument depends on the shift in meaning of that word, the fallacy of _____ is committed. A. Equivocation B. Begging the question C. Straw man D. Personal attack

A. Equivocation

True or false: In case of both fallacies of relevance and fallacies of insufficient evidence, the premises are logically irrelevant to the conclusion. A. False B. True

A. False

A premise is positively relevant to its conclusion only when it _____. A. Provides some evidence for accepting the conclusion B. Provides logically inconclusive reasons for accepting the conclusion C. Is completely true D. Is completely false

A. Provides some evidence for accepting the conclusion

Which fallacy apparently gets its name from a technique used to train English foxhounds? A. Red herring fallacy B. Begging the question fallacy C. Equivocation fallacy D. Straw man fallacy

A. Red herring fallacy

Suppose the following dialog between two friends Janet and Bryan. Janet: Why didn't you vote this year? It is your duty as a citizen to do so. Bryan: Really? I know that you didn't either, so I'll think about it when you do. What kind of fallacy is this? A. The fallacy of look who's talking B. The fallacy of appeal to pity C. The fallacy of attacking the motive D. The fallacy of two wrongs make a right

A. The fallacy of look who's talking

Suppose the following dialog between two friends Felicity and Sandra. Felicity: It's wrong to lie. Just imagine how bad you would feel if someone lied to you. Sandra: But you told me you lied to your mother about where you were last night. So, lying really isn't wrong, is it? Identify the types of fallacies being committed in this example. (Check all that apply) A. The fallacy of look who's talking B. The fallacy of two wrongs make a right C. The fallacy of attacking the motive D. The fallacy of appeal to pity

A. The fallacy of look who's talking B. The fallacy of two wrongs make a right

As opposed to the look who's talking fallacy, the fallacy of two wrongs make a right involves _____. A. An attack on the arguer's motives B. An excuse to justify an apparently wrongful act C. An accusation of hypocrisy D. The provision of solid evidence in favor of the argument

B. An excuse to justify an apparently wrongful act

1. X is biased or has questionable reasons for offering an argument. 2. Therefore, X's argument or claim should be rejected. This is the general pattern of the fallacy of _____. A. Look who's talking B. Attacking the motive C. Personal attack D. Appeal to pity

B. Attacking the motive

Identify the condition under which a statement (a premise) is considered to be relevant to another (the conclusion). A. Even if unrelated, the premise and conclusion are both true B. Even if the premise is completely false C. Only if the premise is completely true D. Only if the conclusion is likely to be true

B. Even if the premise is completely false

In an argument, if the reasons offered by the arguer are logically impertinent to the conclusion, a _____ is said to have occurred. A. Fallacy of accent B. Fallacy of relevance C. Fallacy of division D. Fallacy of regression

B. Fallacy of relevance

True or false: The fallacy of look who's talking occurs when an arguer criticizes a person's hypocritical behavior. A. True B. False

B. False

If a premise, assumed to be true, provides at least come reason for thinking that the conclusion is false, it is said to be _____ to the conclusion. A. Relatively frivolous B. Negatively relevant C. Completely impertinent D. Direcly extraneous

B. Negatively relevant

Most parents have criticized Principal Robertson with negligence toward his appearance. But Principal Robertson is a kind and Friendly person who was a star student of this very school. These parents clearly don't know what they are talking about. This argument commits the _____ fallacy. A. Straw man B. Red herring C. Equivocation D. Begging the question

B. Red herring

Professor Collins has argued against the percentile system of ranking. Clearly. He is against any performance-evaluation methods that may improve the performance of students in the long run. This is an example of the _____ fallacy. A. Red herring B. Straw man C. Begging the question D. Equivocation

B. Straw man

When an arguer distorts or misrepresents an opponent's argument or claim in order to make it easier to attack, the _____ fallacy is said to have been committed. A. Equivocation B. Straw man C. Begging the question D. Red herring

B. Straw man

Whether a statement is relevant to another usually depends on _____. A. Whether the premises proves the conclusion to be true or false B. The context in which the statements are made C. The validity of the statements themselves D. Whether the premises are true or false

B. The context in which the statements are made

A scare tactic is a fallacy when _____. A. The statement involved is simple B. The premises are logically irrelevant to the conclusion C. The threat is stated explicitly D. The stated threat is actually carried out

B. The premises are logically irrelevant to the conclusion

Choose the correct statements about straw man fallacies. (Check all that apply) A. They involve inappropriate appeals to the audience's emotions. B. They are extremely common in politics. C. They provide logically relevant support for their conclusion. D. They distort an arguer's views to make them seen weaker.

B. They are extremely common in politics. D. They distort an arguer's views to make them seen weaker.

True or false: The fallacy of scare tactics is committed when an arguer threatens harm to a reader or listener if he or she does not accept the arguer's conclusion. A. False B. True

B. True

Student to professor: I know I was supposed to submit my report today, but could I get an extension? My hamster has been sick for the last few days, and I have to babysit for my neighbor's daughter every night. This is an example of the fallacy of _____. A. Scare tactic B. Personal attack C. Appeal to pity D. Begging the question

C. Appeal to pity

Coach Johnson has argued in favor of a building a swimming pool for senior students in the new school campus. But considering his personal benefits of increased revenue from additional students, his argument can be disregarded as being biased. This argument commits the fallacy of _____. A. Appeal to pity B. Personal attack C. Attacking the motive D. Look who's talking

C. Attacking the motive

All the cool kids of the class are going to skip school for a week and go for a road trip. You should go with them. This is a(n) _____ argument. A. Straw man B. Red herring C. Bandwagon D. Equivocation

C. Bandwagon

Julia said that the movie she saw yesterday was a great watch. The main purpose of a watch is to tell time. So, the movie must have told time very accurately. This argument is an example of the fallacy of _____. A. Scare tactics B. Begging the question C. Equivocation D. Straw man

C. Equivocation

The earth is not flat. Therefore, smoking in public places should be banned. This premise is _____ to its conclusion. A. Adversely relevant B. Partially irrelevant C. Logically irrelevant D. Negatively relevant

C. Logically irrelevant

Bandwagon arguments are fallacious because _____. A. Most popular beliefs are false and practice evil B. They distort an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack C. The fact that a belief is popular does not prove that it is true D. The premises are relevant to the conclusion

C. The fact that a belief is popular does not prove that it is true

The fallacy of personal attack occurs only if an arguer rejects another person's argument or claim and attacks _____. A. The motivation behind the claim B. The practicality of the claim C. The individual offering the claim D. The justification of the claim

C. The individual offering the claim

The fallacy of look who's talking is committed when _____. A. An argument made by a person with questionable motives is rejected B. A person is criticized for practicing what he/she preaches C. A person tries to justify a wrongdoing D. An argument made by a hypocrite is rejected

D. An argument made by a hypocrite is rejected

The error of criticizing a person's motive for offering a particular argument or claim, rather than examining the worth of the argument or claim itself is referred to as the fallacy of _____. A. Personal attack B. Appeal to pity C. Look who's talking D. Attacking the motive

D. Attacking the motive

An argument that plays on a person's desire to be popular, accepted, or valued is called a(n) _____ argument. A. Equivocation B. Straw man C. Red herring D. Bandwagon

D. Bandwagon

When an arguer states or assumes the point to be proven as the premise, the fallacy of _____ is committed. A. Straw man B. Red herring C. Two rights make a wrong D. Begging the question

D. Begging the question

As opposed to the straw man fallacy, the red herring fallacy involves _____. A. Rejecting someone's argument or claim by attacking the person B. Misrepresenting another person's argument or claim C. Using a key word ambiguously D. Changing or evading the subject

D. Changing or evading the subject

When an argument or claim is rejected by attacking the person making the claim rather than the argument or claim itself, it is known as the fallacy of _____. A. Look who's talking B. Straw man C. Attacking the motive D. Personal attack

D. Personal attack

All rats are reptiles. Remy is a rat. So, Remy is a reptile. This is an example of _____. A. Indefinite relevance B. Direct impertinence C. Complete impertinence D. Positive relevance

D. Positive relevance

Politician to politician: I deserve to be a senator. You should withdraw your name from the race and support me while you still can. If not, the consequences could be regrettable. This is an example of the fallacy of _____. A. Appeal to pity B. Begging the question C. Red herring D. Scare tactics

D. Scare tactics

When an arguer tries to justify a wrong by citing another wrong, he is committing the fallacy of _____. A. Attacking the motive B. Appeal to pity C. Look who's talking D. Two wrongs make a right

D. Two wrongs make a right

An argument that contains mistake in reasoning is known as a(n) _____.

Logical fallacy