Question Questions

Are you really trying to tell me that Smith is a good president? What the hell are you smoking?

Smith is not a good President.

When do you want to have dinner?

You want to eat dinner at time X"; which-question

Why did Suzie and Luisa, who hated and bad-mouthed each other growing up as kids, wind up being business partners after graduating college?

Why did Suzie and Luisa become business partners?

[Professor to colleague] "I must admit I don't see any reason why you published that paper.

Why do you want to publish that paper?

How can I get my cat to stop chasing mice?

Why the hell do you even own a cat?

How can I get better gas mileage?

Why would I want to help you?

What's your name?

What's yours?

"Victim Tied Nude Cop Testifies"

"A nude cop has testified that the victim was tied up" or "A cop has testified that the victim was tied up nude."

"Woman Better after Being Thrown from High-Rise"

"A woman thrown from a high-rise is recovering" OR "A sick woman improved after being thrown from a high-rise building."

"Milk Drinkers Turn to Powder"

"Drinkers of regular milk are turning into powder" or "Drinkers of regular milk are now using powdered milk instead."

"Do it in a microwave oven, save time"

"Have sex in the microwave oven and it will save time" or "Cook in the microwave and it will save time."

Should I invest in Amazon stock?

"I should invest in Amazon stock"; "I should not invest in Amazon stock"; whether-question.

Where do people fear panda bears?"

"People in region r fear panda bears"; which-question.

"Jumping Bean Prices Affect Poor"

"Rising prices of beans affects the poor" OR "The poor are affected by the price of jumping beans."

"Old School Pillars are Replaced by Alumni"

"The old pillars have been replaced by new ones by the alumni" OR "Individual alumni have been substituted for old pillars in the school."

"Ban on Soliciting Dead in Los Angeles"

"The proposed law prohibiting sales didn't get approved by the Los Angeles city council" OR "The Los Angeles city government has banned sales pitches directed at corpses."

"March planned for Next August"

"The protest march is planned for August" or "The month of March is planned to actually occur in August."

"Shouting Match Ends Teachers' Hearing"

"The teachers' hearing ended with a shouting match" OR "The teachers lost their hearing because of the shouting."

"Town Approves Animal Rule"

"Town has approved a new law regarding animals" or "Town has given its approval to letting animals rule."

Which type of food should we have tonight:: Italian; Chinese; or French?

"We should have Italian food"; "We should have Chinese food"; "We should have French food"; whether-question.

Do you believe America is in decline?

A real question about whether the listener thinks America is in decline.

Are you in pain?

A real question asking if the listener is feeling in pain.

Does President Smith really believe that his policies really ended the recession? I doubt it.

A rhetorical question saying that Smith's policies did not end the recession

Is your sister always this stupid?

A rhetorical question saying that the listener's sister is being stupid in this situation.

Is America in decline? Unfortunately, its stalled economy, declining population and weakening military power suggest that it is.

A rhetorical question stating that America is in decline.

Why are you so hostile towards me? I'll tell you why: it's because I married your girlfriend.

A rhetorical question stating that the listener's hostility is rooted in jealousy.

Why are you such a pig?

An abusive question likening the listener to a pig.

Did Atlantis really exist?

Atlantis did exist"; "Atlantis did not exist"; whether-question.

When did Atlantis exist?"

Atlantis existed at time t"; which-question.

"NATO will collapse if but only if Germany doesn't."

Biconditional; "NATO will collapse"; "Germany will collapse."

"He lives in California, so he must be an environmentalist activist."

Californians are all environmentalist activists.

"Why do I say cats come in different colors? Well, look over there—isn't that cat black? Now look over there—isn't that cat orange? You dig?

Cats come in different colors.

What should we conclude from the fact that in 48 states, daycare for a four-care-old costs more than tuition to a four-year college? How about this, Sherlock: we should conclude that day-care establishments are routinely over-charging poor mothers. After all, the expenses in teaching four-year-olds have to be much less than that of teaching college students.

Daycare establishments are over-charging mothers.

"Fred has argued that raising taxes will lead to another recession. But Fred's a billionaire, so naturally he's going to take that view."

Fred is subtly being accused of being biased because he is rich. But biased people can be right. Appeal to hate.

If global warming is really happening, the polar ice caps would be melting. But are they melting? Hardly. What do you deduce from this? Like, duh!"

Global warming is a false theory."

Why do I say that belief in God is universal? Because everyone in every culture holds that a Supreme Being exists.

God" means "Supreme Being"; "universal" means "everyone in every culture."

Look, the argument is simple. If the universe is deterministic, then human choice is determine ~But if human choice is determined, then it can't be free. But isn't it obvious that the universe is deterministic? So what do you conclude?

Human choice is not free.

"There is such a thing as objective moral truths, because we can just see them!

If a person doubted whether there are "objective" moral truths, you wouldn't convince him there are by making the even more dubious claim that we can just see them.

"Why do I think illegal immigration should be stopped? For several reasons, really. Illegal alien labor has lowered wage and work standards in the United States. Also, not only are illegal aliens displacing American workers, we taxpayers have to pay for their social services. For example, their children are packing our schools, our emergency rooms are losing because illegals use them as free health clinics, and our welfare offices are packed with illegal aliens."

Illegal immigration should be stopped.

We should accept more students because then our tuition revenue would increase. And if we have more money, we could expand. And if we were bigger, we could accept more students."

In essence, the argument here goes from "If we had more students we could expand" to "If we could expand we could have more students." This never tells us how we can in fact expand or have more students.

People must hate John, since people despise liars and cheats.

John is a liar and a cheat.

Juan: "C'mon, girl, hook up with me tonight." Anna: "Why should I?" Juan: "Why shouldn't you?

Juan doesn't prove that Anna should meet him, he instead asks her to prove she shouldn't. Shifting the burden of proof.

"Now, your magazine has called your cover model Kate Hughes 'voluptuous'. But this term means very full-figured and curvaceous. And Ms. Hughes wears a size two dress. Would you please use language more accurately?"

Kate Hughes is not accurately described as "voluptuous."

Legalizing drugs will lessen crime, you say? That isn't in the least clear to me. While legalizing drugs may decrease robberies and burglaries committed by drug addicts needing money to buy drugs, it may very well increase crimes committed while under the influence of drugs, for examples, homicides, driving while under the influence, child abuse, and sexual abuse.

Legalizing drugs may not reduce crime.

Letter to the editor of a car magazine: "It amazes me that not one Lexus made your list of the 12 safest cars on the roa ~Every Lexus model sold in the U.S. is rated a Best Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Moreover, every Lexus model sold has the highest rating by the National Highway Administration in crash tests."

Lexus deserves to be on your list of 12 safest cars.

Do I believe Luigi would make a good manager? Hardly.

Luigi would not make a good manager.

Luisa: "My house is haunted. It is full of ghosts." Maria: "What is your evidence?" Luisa: "Well, what is your evidence that there aren't any ghosts in my house?"

Luis offers no proof for her dubious claim, but demands that Maria prove her wrong. But the burden of proof lies upon the person making the claim. Shifting the burden of proof.

Luisa: "My house is haunted. It is full of ghosts." Maria: "What is your proof?" Luisa: "My proof is that in all of human history, nobody has found any evidence that ghosts don't exist."

Luisa offers no proof for her dubious claim, but says instead that nobody can prove ghosts don't exist. Appeal to ignorance (shifting the burden of proof).

The world's leading eye doctors are increasingly convince ~Lutein is essential for the eyes. Lutein helps keep the macula of the eye healthy, and the macula is critical for your vision.

Lutein is essential for eye health

"How can we truly measure health? For each of us, one entirely subjective indicator of health is how we feel, both physically and emotionally. But the age at which people die is precisely measurable and provides a good indicator of the health of the population as a whole. And here the data show clearly that major improvements in health have been achieve ~From 1900 to 2020, the average lifespan of Americans has gone up by a whopping 75%: from 46 years to 80years! This is astounding, no?"

Major improvements in health have been achieved.

Roberto: "Look, there is a problem of evil you should acknowledge. You say that God is all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful. Yet babies often die of dreadful illnesses. God must know of their suffering. God must care about their suffering. And God must be able to stop their suffering. But the suffering continues." Marco: "Whatever, dude. I mean, what a silly argument."

Marco dismisses Roberto's reasonable by calling it "silly." Pooh-poohing.

Luisa: "You better watch out! That ladder isn't as safe as it looks!" Maria: "I'm glad to hear you say that the ladder is safe."

Maria distorted what Luisa said by leaving out the words "isn't as" and "as it looks.". Accent

Fred: "I think you should start dating me..." Maria: "In your dreams!"

Maria is saying she won't date Fred.

Your brain is made of molecules. Molecules do not have consciousness. Therefore, your brain cannot be the source of consciousness.

Molecules together can interact to form consciousness. Composition.

Neanderthals buried their dead, and the remains of the dead last indefinitely. This is how we know that Neanderthals lived in both Europe and the Middle East.

Neanderthal remains have been found in Europe and the Middle East.

There is no bloody chance that the French—the French!—will invade Germany.

Negation; "The French will invade Germany."

Fred, "Ted, why do you claim that astronauts never landed on the moon?" Ted, "Because Mayor Tina Louise says so, and she doesn't lie." Fred, "How do you know she doesn't lie?" Ted, "Because she tells the unvarnished truth, and is totally honest in her statements."

No actual evidence is given that Mayor Tina Louise doesn't lie, it is just repeated in different words. Begging the question.

Why do I think that the President is incompetent? Because he can't accomplish anything, no matter how hard he tries. His is absolutely unable to succeed at even the simplest things.

No actual evidence is given that the President is incompetent. Instead, it is built into the phrases "can't accomplish anything" and "absolutely unable to succeed." Begging the question.

Ad in magazine:: "The Play Box Ultimo is the number one game console in America. Your friends probably own their own ones already. What are you waiting for?"

No evidence is given that the play Box Ultimo is a good purchase other than it sells a lot—which could be due to better advertising. Appeal to the crowd.

"Society clearly has an obligation to support the needy. For in the end, people who are incapable of providing for themselves clearly have a moral right to the economic assistance of the community."

Obligation" entails "moral right"; "support" means "economically assist"; and "needy" means "people incapable for providing for themselves."

A mob is no more dangerous than the individuals that make it up.

People in a mob may not be dangerous as individuals, but when they together they may spur each other on to violence. Composition.

"People who are alarmed about anthrax should not start taking antibiotics needlessly. Only a qualified doctor should make the decision to prescribe such a medication. Bacteria can become resistant when exposed to a new antibiotic, which makes them much more dangerous. Developing a new antibiotic takes years and hundreds of millions of dollars."

People should not take antibiotics without a doctor's prescription.

Why do birds sing?

Presupposes that there are birds and that they sing.

Alcohol is water soluble and washes out of the body. But cannaboids are fat soluble and accumulate in fatty organs (including the brain). So the effects of marijuana are more long-lasting.

Substances that accumulate in the body have longer-lasting effects than those that don't."

Sue: "I think it would be a mistake to promote Sam. He is very aggressive with other workers, and his honesty is questionable." Mona, "I agree with you that we should promote Sam, because he is very honest."

Sue's opinion of promoting Sam is very negative but by omitting words like "Mistake" and "questionable," Mona changes it to a positive one. Accent.

EPO (a human hormone called erythropoietin) may shunt more oxygen to the muscles, but it comes at a price. If you take too much EPO the production of red blood cells is excessive, and the blood becomes viscous—it's like sludge. In the late 1980s, when EPO became available, nearly 20 European cyclists died of causes that some experts suspect were linked to EPO."

Taking too much EPO is bad for your health.

The American judicial system is a fair system. Therefore, that guy who just got executed must have had a fair trial.

The American system is generally fair as a system. But that doesn't mean every trial is fair. Division.

Ad in store: "We stand behind every bed we sell!"

The ad can be read as "We guarantee our beds" or "After a customer buys a bed, one of us will stand behind it at their house." Equivocation.

An ad in a newspaper shows a woman's body with a knife in it lying in bed. The ad copy reads, "BDT home security service protects your family 24/7! We use state of the art secure communications so that you or your loved ones car contact us the minute there is a stranger on your property. The results of not having home security can be DEADLY! Those you love can be BRUTALLY MURDERED!!"

The ad doesn't give much if any evidence that BDT is any better than any other home security company. Instead, it shows a murdered woman and repeats that homes without security service are open to murder. Appeal to fear.

Ad in newspaper: "My friends, just look at this picture of Tatiana. She is malnourished, with no shoes and tattered dress. She has no family to care for her at all. Won't you help Tatiana and all the other poor children like her? Send money now to the Save the Kids Fund."

The ad gives no evidence that the charity spends its donations well. It just tells a sad story about a girl. Appeal to pity.

Ad in newspaper: "Without life insurance, your life would be a DEATH TRAP!"

The ad gives you no reason to buy life insurance other than the vague threat about your life becoming a death trap. Appeal to fear.

Announcement: "Our X-ray unit will give you an examination for tuberculosis which you will receive free of charge."

The announcement can be read "You will get a tuberculosis test for free," "You will get tuberculosis for free," or "You will get our X-ray unit for free." Equivocation.

Defense attorney to jury: "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the defendant comes from a poor background. He was badly mistreated as a child. If he is found guilty, there will be no one to care for his wife and three children. Surely, so long as there is any justice left in this world, you cannot find it in your hearts to judge him guilty."

The attorney gives the jury no evidence that his that his client didn't do the crime; he just says his client has had sad circumstances. Appeal to pity.

Headline: "Grandmother of eight makes hole in one." Woman to husband, "I can't believe a woman would do that to her own grandchild!"

The headline can be read as "A grandmother with eight grandchildren scores a hole in one in a game of golf" or as "A grandmother with eight grandchildren shoots one of them." Equivocation.

My wife is being cared for at one of the finest hospitals in the country. So I'm sure all of her doctors are excellent.

The hospital may have a great staff as an organization, but not every member of it may be great. Division.

Beautiful models sell cars just by being pictured next to the cars in the ads. But models are composed of atoms, so in fact atoms sell cars.

The molecules individually don't sell cars, but collectively (as models) they do. Division.

Movie critic's review: "This movie is the greatest piece of trash to come out of Hollywood in years." Movie studio ad: "Critics hail our new film as the greatest to come out of Hollywood in years."

The movie studio ad distorts what the critic said, making it sound like praise. Accent.

"Ford is clearly the best car around. It's superior to all other cars. Aren't Fords just wonderful?"

The phrases 'best', superior', and 'wonderful' suggests that Ford makes the best cars without offering any evidence. Question-begging language.

Why do I say Fred is dishonest? Because that weasel lies with every breath he takes. I mean, he's the mother and father of all deceit.

The phrases 'dishonest', 'weasel', and 'lies' all advance the idea that Fred is a liar without offering any evidence that he really is so. Question-begging language.

"All loyal Americans should oppose this treasonous bill. We need to be true to our great country, don't you think? I'm sure that as a patriot, you will agree with me.

The phrases 'loyal', 'treasonous', 'true to our country' and 'patriot' all state that this bill is bad for the country without offering any evidence. Question-begging language.

When will the American, Chinese and Indian people realize that the Martians plan to attack us all?

The question assumes that Martians exist. Loaded question.

When are Americans going to learn to respect achievement? Until they respect achievement, they will wallow in mediocrity.

The question presupposes that Americans don't respect achievement. But that's ludicrous; if anything, Americans worship achievement. Loaded question.

When will Sam finally see that his political party stands for evil?"

The question presupposes that Sam's political party stands for evil, which he would likely deny. Loaded question

Will you donate to our animal shelter, or do you hate animals?

The question presupposes that if you don't donate to the animal shelter, you must hate animals, which is doubtful. Loaded question

When will our Leftist news media stop attacking our patriotic President?

The question presupposes that our news media is Leftist, that our President is patriotic, and that the press is attacking the President, all of which are debatable. Loaded question.

Reporter: "Mr. President, did you accept a massive donation from Ace Aeronautics, shortly before your defense department gave them a multi-billion dollar contract for new jet fighters?" President: "Oh, please, spare me this claptrap! Next question..."

The report completely dismisses the reporter's legitimate question, calling it "claptrap." Pooh-poohing.

Pharmacist sign: "We dispense with care"

The sign can be read "We fill prescriptions carefully" or "We are careless in filling prescriptions." Equivocation.

Sign: Employees only may use this elevator. Employee to his friend: "Well, I really wanted to use the stairs, but I guess I have to take this lousy elevator."

The sign can be read two ways: "Only employees may use this elevator" or "Employees may only use this elevator." Equivocation.

Ad (top of page): FLY TO FRANCE FOR ONLY $150*Ad (bottom of page): Not counting taxes, fuel charges, surcharges, and baggage fees.

The small print changes what the big print says—it reveals that you have to pay more than $150 for the flight. Accent.

"My friends, my opponent argues that we should cut the defense budget and use the money on education and health care. But he is a member of the Socialist Party, and they are all a bunch of commies."

The speaker attacks his opponent as a "commie" instead of criticizing the proposal. The proposal is the issue at hand. Appeal to hate.

How dare you say President Smith is a crooked politician? He's the most honest, decent man to have ever held office. He sets the standard for integrity—he's a saint!

The speaker gives no evidence that Smith is honest. He merely repeats the claim by using words such as "decent" and "integrity." Question-begging language.

Why do so many people like Hemingway? He was a terrible writer. His stories were poorly constructed lousy: poorly written and silly ideas. Real garbage.

The speaker no evidence to support his claim the Hemingway's writing is inferior. Instead, he uses words like "lousy," "garbage," and "silly" to repeat it. Question-begging language.

"Of course God exists! This has been a widespread belief that has yet to be disproven to this day, despite all the huffing and puffing by the stupid atheists out there."

The speaker offers lack of disproof of God as proof of God's existence. Appeal to ignorance (shifting the burden of proof).

"We don't have to waste time dealing with Ms. Jones' claims about women not being promoted to executive positions. We have heard the sob story before."

The speaker refuses to address Jones' points about discrimination, saying that it is an old story. Pooh-poohing.

"All the other student council members want to use the student funds to hold a homecoming party, Kim. Everyone else thinks it's a great idea. No one will agree with your idea that the funds be used to upgrade the library's computer equipment. You'll look like some geeky nerd for pushing your proposal. Don't ruin it for everybody else."

The speaker says that everyone else wants to spend the money on a party, and says Kim will be unpopular if she doesn't go along. But that is no reason to think her proposal is a bad one. Appeal to the crowd.

According to the life insurance statistics, my life expectancy is twenty years. So I guess I will only live two more decades.

The statistics are a group average, so don't directly apply to individuals in it. Division.

Student to teacher: "Clearly my term paper deserved an 'A'. It was excellent, really well done. Why won't you admit that?"

The student describes his paper as "excellent" and "well done" without giving evidence it is so. Question-begging language.

Teacher to student: "I shall lose no time reading your paper."

The teacher's statement can be read that she will read the paper immediately or that she won't read it at all. Equivocation.

Profit is great because it enables you to expand to hire people, open more branches, and increase production with new product lines. And those things are good because they increase profit."

The two statements taken together simply say that profit is good because profit is good.

Why has the price of eggs soared over the last month? Because hens lay fewer eggs when the wealth is cold, and a lower supply of anything means higher prices for it

The weather has turned cold over the last month."

Ken lost at chess yesterday, so I guess his girlfriend will dump him, since she hates losers.

The word "loser" is ambiguous. Ken is a "loser' in the sense that he lost the recent chess game, but not in the sense of someone with little going for them—which is no doubt the sense in which Ken's girlfriend understands the terms. Equivocation.

Martha, Wolfgang and Julia are all superb chefs. So putting them together in the kitchen here will have fabulous results for our restaurant.

These chefs may be wonderful individually but might not work together well. Composition.

As a determinist, I believe that none of our actions results from free choice and that all of them are determined by the strongest motive acting with us. It is true that there are times when it seems like we act on the weaker of two motives. But such cases are really ones where what seemed like the weaker motive was really the stronger. After all, it determined our action.

To say that the times when it seems we act on the weaker of two motives we are actually acting on the stronger is to assume that all are acts arising from the stronger motive.

"Only short poems can be rightly called good. Yes, some people may consider some long poems—such as Dante's Inferno—good. But that is only true if the so-called long poem is just a collection of short poems, otherwise, the long poem can't be any good."

To say that unless a long poem is a collection of short poems it can't be good assumes that only short poems can be good—which is the claim to be proven.

"Inflammation—a defensive response the body makes to an injury or infection—is usually thought of as a good thing. When one twists an ankle, for example, specialized blood cells rush to the site of injury to remove any damaged tissue and start the healing process, leaving the area temporarily red and swollen, but ensuring that things get back to normal quickly and that no serious disease develops. Researchers are beginning to appreciate, however, that the inflammatory process may be set off far more often than we had examined—sometimes too strongly, sometimes in the wrong place. Such inappropriate inflammation may trigger or exacerbate a number of diseases in previously unsuspected ways. For example, it now appears that inflammation may be a common feature of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. By better understanding this one process and learning how to control it, we can make great strides is the prevention or treatment of several of our most devastating diseases."

We should increase research into inflammation.

Laura Alma is the person we should put in the state legislature. Why? Common sense, that's why. Experience in government, but also in private industry. That's why. And no ties to special interest, that's why."

We should vote for Laura Alma for the state legislature.

What is your favorite movie?

What's yours, and why?

ince he didn't call Uber, Fred must not have needed a ride, wouldn't you say?

When he needs a ride, Fred calls Uber.

Can the universe think about itself? We know that at least part of it can:: we ourselves. Is it not reasonable to conclude the whole universe can?

While we as individuals think, that doesn't mean that we collectively—along with everything else in the universe—have a collective mind. Composition.

Your business will inevitably fail because you lack motivation and capital.

Without the owner's complete effort and sufficient investment, any business will fail."

Inheritance should be illegal. After all, too many kids get such a head start, because they have money they don't even earn, and money makes money. It's all unfair. You should have to earn what you get, no matter who your parents are.

Words like "illegal," "head start," "didn't earn," unfair" are all loaded and used to make the reader oppose allowing inheritance.

"Luisa loves me, of this I am sure. She clearly adores me. In fact, I would say she worships me."

Words like "loves," "adores," and "worships" are loaded and used to get us to believe the Luisa loves the speaker.

"Do you like your job? Then don't talk your politics at work. Just saying..."

You should not talk politics at work.

You think you're really a big man, don't you? Well, pal, remember what they say::the bigger the come, the harder they fall.

You will fall hard.

What is the purpose of human existence?"

he question presupposes that human existence has some kind of purpose, which is debatable. Loaded question.

Why am I a truck driver? Because I drive trucks for a living. I mean, a truck driver is what I am, basically."

he sentence "I am a truck driver" is repeated three times in nearly the same terms.

If France invades Germany, NATO will collapse.

Conditional; "France invades Germany"; "NATO will collapse."

If France invades Germany, both NATO and Germany will collapse

Conditional; "NATO will collapse"; "Germany will collapse"; "France invades Germany."

NATO will collapse if Germany doesn't.

Conditional; "NATO will collapse"; "Germany will collapse."

Australia is an amazingly vast subcontinent.

Conjunction; "Australia is vast"; "Australia is a subcontinent."

NATO or Germany will collapse; and France will invade Germany.

Conjunction; "NATO will collapse"; "Germany will collapse"; "France will invade Germany."

NATO will not collapse, and Germany will collapse.

Conjunction; "NATO will collapse"; "Germany will collapse."

What causes Chicken Pox?

Demons out to torment children.

[Nurse to patient] "I could get you a pain pill if you need it.

Do you want a pain pill?

[Coach to Little League team] "Now, is everyone clear on our strategy for this game?

Does any of you not know the strategy we will employ in tomorrow's game?

When will students learn that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch? When Hell freezes over!

Students will always want something for nothing.

Alistair: "I am firmly convinced that one day there will be world peace." Susanne: "And do you believe in the Easter Bunny, too?"

Susanna is saying that it is naïve to believe in world peace.

Why do I think that Susie stole the book? Well, wasn't the book in the room when she and Sam went in? And when they left by separate doors, the book was gone, but we could see Sam wasn't carrying anything.

Susie stole the book.

The most powerful argument against using torture to extract information from terrorists is that such practices violate the rights of terrorists. But the victims of terrorists have rights, too—including the right to life. It is important to protect those rights, too. And since the number of terrorist victims greatly outnumbers the terrorists, torture is justified as a tool against terrorism. Totally justified, at least as a weapon of last resort.

Terrorists should be tortured if there is no other way to stop their attacks

You think that the Burrito Palace has the best Mexican food in town? Get real!

The Burrito Palace does not have the best Mexican food in town.

How can anyone doubt the evidence proving that the Earth is warming dramatically?

The Earth is warming dramatically.

I certainly oppose the death penalty. Why? Well, start with the fact that studies show that it doesn't act as a deterrent. Also, it is applied discriminately—blacks receive the penalty for more often than whites. Moreover, there the possibility that innocent people will be wrongfully put to death.

The death penalty should be abolished.

Why do I say that oil companies are engaged in price-fixing? Because since 2002, the price of gasoline has gone up 36%. But the amount of miles driven by the American public has remained constant, that is, the demand has remained the same. The amount of oil available on the planet hasn't gone down, that is, the supply is still the same. If the demand and supply of a commodity stay the same, the only way for the price to rise is by price-fixing.

The oil-companies are price -fixing.

It is not true that NATO will collapse if Germany doesn't.

Negation; "NATO will collapse"

To anyone who would say that nuclear war is winnable, I have only one simple question:: are you bark-at-the-moon crazy

Nuclear war is unwinnable.

I'm amazed that you think our K-12 educational system is so good. We outspend for schools per student all other countries on Earth. On Earth! But the international student tests have shown a continual slide by our students. In the most recent ranking, we scored what? Only 21st in reading, 29th in science, and a miserable 35th in math. A system that produces poor results at a high cost is hardly good.

Our K-12 school system is lousy.

You say that parents have the right to not vaccinate their kids, but I think that is utter nonsense. Why? Because if someone doesn't vaccinate their kids, then damn it those kids might infect my kids—who are as you well know are too young to themselves be vaccinate ~That would violate my kids' rights, which is not morally right.

Parents do not have the right to refuse vaccination for their children.

Why don't you agree that people are doomed? Aren't the chances of war increasing? And aren't more and more countries acquiring the A-bomb? And won't atomic war doom mankind?

People are doomed.

"Do people fear panda bears?"

People fear panda bears"; "People do not fear panda bears"; whether-question

"What kind of people fear panda bears?"

People of sort p fear panda bears"; which-question.

Why do you disagree with me when I say that President Smith caused the recession? Can you deny that there was no recession before he was inaugurated, but afterwards there was?

President Smith caused the recession

Did Socrates really exist?

Presupposes nothing.

Why did Fred treat his girlfriend so badly?

Presupposes that Fred at least once treated his girlfriend badly.

Which college should our kid attend UCLA, USC, Stanford, or UC Berkeley?

Presupposes that UCLA, USC, Stanford and UC Berkeley currently exist, that our kid exists and should attend one.

How can unemployed workers get retrained?

Presupposes that it possible to retrain unemployed workers.

What country makes the best jet fighter?

Presupposes that there are jet fighters and one is superior.

What is the difference between pizza and calzone?

Presupposes that there is a difference between pizza and calzone.

Where shall we dine?

Presupposes that we intend to eat together.

Where do people go after they die?

Presupposes there are people and that they die.

Shall we dance?

Presupposes we can dance.

When and how do we fix that car?

Pure compound.

When did the Korean war break out, and what started it?

Pure compound.

Why does our dog lick his paws, and how can we get him to stop it?

Pure compound.

Let me guess: you hate truck-drivers because one ran off with your girlfriend, right?

A rhetorical question stating that the reason the listener hates truck-drivers is because his girlfriend fell in love with one.

Can you ever think about anyone but yourself?

An abusive question saying that the listener is selfish.

Why don't you just drop dead?

An abusive question wishing the death of the listener.

Why do I say that fathers are so important in the lives of children? Studies consistently show that children raised in homes in which the father is absent have higher rates of psychological problems than those raised in families in which the father is present. These problems include, for example, higher school drop-out rates, higher rates of drug use, higher rates of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and higher rates of criminality.

Fathers are important in the lives of children.

Do ghosts really exist?

Ghosts are a popular topic in literature.

Why do I think Hess Cabernet is the best wine on the market? Well, I ask you is any other wine smoother? Crisp in taste, but with no bitter aftertaste? The answer is 'no'. And richness and crispness are what make a wine good, no?

Hess Cabernet is the best.

How can we slow the rapidly rising prices infecting our whole economy, price rises that are really killing the decent, hard-working lower and middle classes?

How can we reduce our current inflation?

I think that we have nothing to fear from cutting defense spending." Howard: "I can't believe what I'm hearing!

Howard is saying that cutting military spending would be dangerous.

"Supposing that you will indeed write that article, in what journal will you publish it?"

Hybrid compound.

Do you really want to go back to Las Vegas, given all the bad luck we have had there?

Hybrid compound.

Oh, sure I admire Pierre. After all, he's the cruelest and most crooked louse I ever met. And cruelty and dishonesty are really admirable, right?

I don't admire Pierre.

Which are the best US cities and why are they so?

I don't care.

Why don't I like a person to be super-efficient? Because that is a sign he or she is not forgiving of ordinary people's mistakes, and I dislike people who aren't forgiving of other people's foibles.

I don't like a person to be super-efficient.

How do I get from here to San Diego?

I don't think you should go there.

When and where should we meet for dinner?

I really don't like you.

If Fred is promoted to sales manager, no doubt Sally will become sales trainer. So if Fred becomes sales manager, Al will become the closer [i.e., the person who finalizes sales for other salespeople], since if Sally becomes sales trainer Al will surely become the closer. Get it?

If Fred becomes sales manager, Al will become the closer.

Which subject should Ray major in:: Computer Science or Electronic Engineering?

Ray is a total jerk

Germany is wealthy, very wealthy, indeed.

Simple

"How in the heck, I mean how in the holy heck, did Yuri break his toe?"

Simple which-question.

Where are we headed with all this research?

Simple which-question.

Where did this amazing and wonderful cat come from?

Simple which-question.

Who the Hell is making all that noise?

Simple which-question.

Why in Heaven's name would you throw away this blessed opportunity?

Simple which-question.

Trade with China should be halted. Completely halted. After all, China has been totally unfair in its trade. For instance, it has stolen our intellectual property, put tariffs on our goods, and have dumped steel and other products below cost on us to put our companies out of business. These are all unacceptable policies, right? This shows that trade with China is bad for our economy. And whatever is harmful to our economy should be stopped.

Trade with China should be ended.

If we didn't allow free speech them what would happen? Crazy views would be suppressed and not debunked in public, right? This would then make those crazy views spread like conspiracy theories always do—at light speed! That would be bad, no? So we need free speech.

We should allow free speech.

Why do we libertarians call for legalizing drugs? Or at least decriminalizing them? For two basic reasons. First, a moral reason: the government has no right to tell anyone what to do with their bodies. Second, prohibiting drugs does far more harm than good. After a half century of the so-called war on drugs, is this just bloody obvious?

We should legalize or decriminalize drug usage.

When does the estimably patient Professor Smith propose that we get together for our long-postponed and much anticipated lunch?

When does Professor Smith want to have lunch?

Given the wide variety of restaurant out there, many of high quality—though many, it must be admitted, of not so high quality—which should we choose for dinner?

Where should we eat dinner?

[Economics professor to students] "What is the Broken Window fallacy?

Which of you can explain the Broken Window fallacy?

[Chef to her sous-chefs] "How do we ensure that this pheasant remains tender after roasting?

Which of you knows how to cook pheasant and keep its meat tender?

How can you sit there and deny that women are being treated unfairly? Women provide 66% of the world's work hours and 44% of the world's food supply. But can you believe it? Women only receive 10% of the world's income and own a miserable 1% of the world's poverty

Women are treated unfairly.

[Physical therapist to her patient] "I'm thinking you might want to rest now.

Would you like to rest now?"

At the start of World War II, who was the President of the US?

X was president of the US at the start of World War II"; which-question.

How do I properly set a dinner table?

You set a dinner table by following instructions X"; which-question.

When will you finally be discharged? I would say in three days, or sooner.

You will be discharged in three days or less.