English Lesson Six - Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies

Choose the loaded words that Nixon uses in paragraph 3.

confidence political integrity

Nixon used ________ at the beginning of the speech when he was trying to establish his credibility.

ethos

What is the meaning of the word smear, based on the context?

a slanderous accusation

occurs when a person tries to make the audience feel sympathetic toward a person or idea

G. appeal to pity

occurs when the speaker presents himself or herself as just an "average" person in order to win the support of the common people

H. plain folks

In paragraph 9, Nixon present two options - either he charges political expenses to the taxpayers or he uses money given in donations to pay for them. What fallacy does he use?

false dilemma

Nixon's use of Lincoln's words in his speech was done to ____.

identify himself with a famous political leader

What is Nixon's main purpose in delivering this speech?

to prove his innocence

a misrepresentation of the opposing viewpoint, making it easy to attack

A. straw man

occurs when a person tries to gain support by arousing feelings of fear

B. appeal to fear

a personal attack on another individual in an attempt to distract the audience from the issue at hand and to cause them to view the individual in a negative way

C. ad hominem

occurs when a situation is described as if there were only two possible choices, when there are actually several

D. false dilemma

indicates that because many people believe something is true, then it must be true

E. appeal to commonly held opinion

an error in reasoning that produces a flawed argument

F. fallacy

A false dilemma is NOT a type of logical fallacy.

False

At the ending of the speech, Nixon uses __________ to attack the current Administration.

ad hominem

Nixon uses ______ when he discusses Stevenson and Sparkman, the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates opposing Eisenhower and Nixon.

ad hominem

What fallacy does Nixon use in his references to Communism, corruption in government, and American casualties of the Korean War?

an appeal to fear

What is the historical context of Nixon's speech?

in response to accusations that he used money inappropriately

Nixon used ________ in paragraph 8 when he included numbers and figures.

logos

What proof does Nixon offer to convince his audience that he is innocent?

provided an audit

Nixon uses _______ to appeal to the audience when he read the letter.

pathos

Nixon uses the ___________ fallacy in paragraphs 19-25 when he presents himself as the average person.

plain folk

In paragraph 26, Nixon famously discusses how his family received their dog Checkers and says that "they'll probably be saying this about me, too," indicating that his opponents would attack him for accepting a dog as a gift. By mischaracterizing the other side, what fallacy does Nixon use?

straw man