Question: Either Coleridge or Longfellow wrote the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” But it certainly wasn’t Longfellow. Therefore, Coleridge wrote it.
Answer Choices:
a. Division.
b. No fallacy.
c. False dichotomy.
d. Appeal to ignorance.
e. Appeal to the people.
Answer: b. No fallacy.
Question: Performance-enhancing drugs are banned from professional sports. But Viagra is a performance-enhancing drug. Therefore, Viagra is banned from professional sports.
Answer Choices:
a. Composition.
b. No fallacy.
c. Appeal to unqualified authority.
d. Amphiboly.
e. Equivocation.
Answer: e. Equivocation.
Question: Poor Scooter Libby should never have been sent to jail for lying to a grand jury. Scooter is an honorable man. He devoted his whole life to working for his country. One administration after another asked for his help. And Scooter was always there, ready to serve. Scooter deserved a medal—not jail time.
Answer Choices:
a. Appeal to unqualified authority.
b. Appeal to force.
c. Appeal to pity.
d. No fallacy.
e. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
Answer: c. Appeal to pity.
Question: Umbrella repair has been a dependable job for most of the past 500 years. Therefore, it should be a dependable job for the next 500 years.
Answer Choices:
a. Accident.
b. False cause.
c. Appeal to the people.
d. Suppressed evidence.
e. Hasty generalization.
Answer: e. Hasty generalization.
Question: Nobody has ever seen Tyler play football, baseball, or go skiing or swimming, or engage in any other sport. Probably Tyler doesn’t engage in sports.
Answer Choices:
a. Appeal to pity.
b. False cause.
c. Appeal to ignorance.
d. Begging the question.
e. No fallacy.
Answer: e. No fallacy.
Question: Mrs. Gladstone’s arguments against cuts in Social Security are worthless. As a recipient of Social Security benefits, she would naturally be expected to argue exactly the way she does.
Answer Choices:
a. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
b. False dichotomy.
c. Straw man.
d. Argument against the person, abusive.
e. No fallacy.
Answer: a. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
Question: Some tunes are oldies and some oldies are classics. Therefore, some tunes are classics.
Answer Choices:
a. This argument contains a fallacy of weak induction.
b. This argument contains no fallacy.
c. This argument contains a formal fallacy.
d. This argument contains a fallacy of ambiguity.
e. This argument contains a fallacy of relevance.
Answer: c. This argument contains a formal fallacy.
Question: Bob, in most respects you seem to be a bright guy. So that leads me to ask: Do you intend to continue voting for stupid Republicans?
Answer Choices:
a. False cause.
b. Argument against the person, abusive.
c. Begging the question.
d. No fallacy.
e. Complex question.
Answer: e. Complex question.
Question: Ferguson has directed the college orchestra for the past 8 years, and during that time 5 women players have gotten pregnant. Therefore, to prevent any more pregnancies, Ferguson should be fired immediately.
Answer Choices:
a. False cause.
b. No fallacy.
c. Suppressed evidence.
d. Weak analogy.
e. Accident.
Answer: a. False cause.
Question: Steel wool is excellent for cleaning dirty pots and pans. Therefore, it would be a good idea to use steel wool to clean your dirty car.
Answer Choices:
a. Begging the question.
b. Weak analogy.
c. No fallacy.
d. Appeal to force.
e. Missing the point.
Answer: b. Weak analogy.
Question: After spending an entire day fishing, Terry came back with a large minnow. But every minnow is a fish. Therefore, Terry came back with a large fish.
Answer Choices:
a. Composition.
b. No fallacy.
c. Division.
d. Equivocation.
e. Amphiboly.
Answer: a. Composition.
Question: Connor hasn’t a shred of athletic ability, and he does well even to breathe. Therefore, he couldn’t have swum across Diamond Lake, as he claims to have done. After all, the lake is 3 miles across.
Answer Choices:
a. Appeal to unqualified authority.
b. Argument against the person, circumstantial.
c. False cause.
d. No fallacy.
e. Argument against the person, abusive.
Answer: d. No fallacy.
Question: It’s good to exercise 30 minutes per day because it rejuvenates your body. And we know it rejuvenates your body because people who exercise live longer than those who don’t. And we know they live longer because people who exercise feel better. And this is true because it’s good to exercise 30 minutes per day.
Answer Choices:
a. Begging the question.
b. Composition.
c. No fallacy.
d. Appeal to pity.
e. Slippery slope.
Answer: a. Begging the question.
Question: Practically all the students in Professor Kane’s English class copy their term papers from the Internet. Therefore, since you’re in that class, you should do this, too.
Answer Choices:
a. Begging the question.
b. Tu quoque (you, too).
c. Appeal to the people.
d. No fallacy.
e. Accident.
Answer: c. Appeal to the people.
Question: If a piece of jewelry is ugly, then it won’t sell. Therefore, if a piece of jewelry sells, then it isn’t ugly.
Answer Choices:
a. Equivocation.
b. Weak analogy.
c. Begging the question.
d. Hasty generalization.
e. No fallacy.
Answer: e. No fallacy.
Question: America is a wealthy nation. Therefore, every American must be wealthy.
Answer Choices:
a. No fallacy.
b. Division.
c. Hasty generalization.
d. Composition.
e. Appeal to unqualified authority.
Answer: c. Hasty generalization.
Question: The speed limit in this neighborhood is 25 miles per hour. Therefore, it was illegal for that ambulance to drive through here at 50 miles per hour.
Answer Choices:
a. Accident.
b. Appeal to unqualified authority.
c. No fallacy.
d. Tu quoque (you, too).
e. Appeal to force.
Answer: a. Accident.