Practice Quiz, Informal Fallacies

Remember these steps… Arguments are the assertion of a conclusion from reasons that are better known than the conclusion. 3 Steps! 1.Ask yourself: “Is this good reasoning … does it sound reasonable?” If it sounds reasonable, No Fallacy. 2.If it sounds unreasonable, ask “Why does it sound unreasonable or screwy?” If it sounds unreasonable because the premise or reason offered is rude, mean, silly, impossible or improbable, etc., the reasoning might still be good! Check again. 3.If the reasoning still seems screwy after consciously accepting even rude, silly, or improbable reasons, then you have a fallacy … find the best bucket to drop the fallacy in.

Classification of Fallacies Fallacies of Relevance: Appeal to Force Appeal to Pity Appeal to the People Ad Hominem Accident Straw man Missing the Point Red Herring Weak Induction: Appeal to Unqualified Authority Appeal to Ignorance Hasty Generalization False Cause Slippery Slope Weak Analogy Fallacies of Presumption: Begging the Question Complex Question Faulty Dilemma Fallacies of Ambiguity: Equivocation Amphibole Fallacies of Grammatical Analogy: Composition Division

1 Anyone who shoots a gun at another person should go to jail, so, those police officers returning fire at those bank robbers should be arrested, pronto! A.Begging the Question B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.Hasty Generalization D.Accident (Misapplying a Rule) E.No Fallacy

2 Betty is a real gem … she has violent, unpredictable outbursts, and then cries for hours afterwards. I think you should ignore her ideas about which car to buy. A.Appeal to Unqualified Authority B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.False Cause, post hoc D.Accident (Misapplying a Rule) E.No Fallacy

3 Betty is a real gem … she has violent, unpredictable outbursts, and then cries for hours afterwards. I think you should think twice about dating her. A.False cause, mere contributive cause B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.Begging the Question D.Accident (Misapplying a Rule) E.No Fallacy

4 Sean Hannity says he doesn’t want the government regulating speech with hate speech laws. But really, no government at all is what he wants! American!? Patriot!? True Americans love our system of government … Hannity is a anarchist! A.Division B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.False cause, post hoc D.Straw Man (Straw Position) E.No Fallacy

5 I hear the Vikings cut their backup left tackle after he expressed his support for gay marriage. I guess we know the franchise is run by a bunch of homophobic, bigoted jerks. A.False cause, post hoc B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.Complex Question D.Straw Man (Straw Position) E.No Fallacy

6 You know, I can hear your stereo all the way in the basement, so … it’s given me a splitting headache and you can just run yourself to the store and get me some Ibuprofen. A.False cause, post hoc B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.False cause, mere contributive cause D.Faulty Dilemma E.No Fallacy

7 Alan is a social clod with no verbal filter. He once told a complete stranger, “I think I can smell you.” Probably not the guy we send to invite those girls over for a drink. A.Faulty Dilemma B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.Slippery Slope D.Straw Man (Straw Position) E.No Fallacy

8 Saw you carrying a case of Heineken into your house. So, are you still fighting with alcoholism? A.Begging the Question B.Composition C.Complex Question D.Straw Man (Straw Position) E.No Fallacy

9 A ban on guns would make us so much safer! Really? Why? Well, duh! … it would reduce our exposure to danger! A.Begging the Question B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.Complex Question D.Straw Man (Straw Position) E.No Fallacy

10 You do those dishes or go to your room! A.Slippery Slope B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.Faulty Dilemma D.Straw Man (Straw Position) E.No Fallacy

11 Sit down and eat! If you skip dinner, you’ll be hungry later, then you’ll be cranky, next thing you know we’ll be arguing! A.Begging the Question B.Argument to the Person, abusive C.Faulty Dilemma D.Slippery Slope E.No Fallacy

12 Each member of our relay team is super-fast, and good at passing the baton, so, our relay team should be pretty good this year! A.Appeal to Force B.Division C.Faulty Dilemma D.Composition E.No Fallacy

13 One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. A.Equivocation B.Division C.Amphibole D.Composition E.No Fallacy

14 Our district has dumped thousands into math education. I just talked to my niece … she couldn’t multiply or divide, and she’s in 3 rd grade! I guess none of our kids is getting what we’re paying for! A.Equivocation B.False cause, post hoc C.Accident (Misapplying a rule) D.Hasty Generalization E.No Fallacy

15 Congresswoman Bunger has argued the traditional family is important for the health of the nation, but she was recently caught in a lesbian affair with a congressional page! Clearly her arguments can’t be trusted. A.Equivocation B.False cause, post hoc C.Argument to the Person, Tu Quoque (you too) D.Hasty Generalization E.No Fallacy

16 You take a hit of that Mary Jane, next it’s cocaine, heroine, then you’re a prostitute or a burglar, embezzler, probably end up shot! A.False cause, confused causal chain B.False cause, post hoc C.Slippery Slope D.Appeal to Pity E.No Fallacy

17 Every member of the Jazz Dance club is over 50, so, the club must be over 50, too. A.Composition B.Hasty Generalization C.Amphibole D.Division E.No Fallacy

18 When you execute the innocent, you know you’ve made a terrible mistake. But every fetus is innocent … clearly, abortion is a terrible mistake, too. A.Composition B.Hasty Generalization C.Equivocation D.Division E.No Fallacy

19 You really don’t want to argue that animal lives have less value than human lives, do you? You’ll cause an uproar from those wacky PETA types on campus! A.Composition B.Appeal to the People, indirect C.Equivocation D.Appeal to Force E.No Fallacy

20 Senator Parks wants to ban the pesticide Xandipytheldip, just because it will kill a few people each year. But if that was a good reason, we’d be banning cars, which kill thousands! Let’s leave Xandipytheldip alone! A.Composition B.Appeal to the People, indirect C.Argument to the Person, Tu Quoque (you too) D.Weak Analogy E.No Fallacy

21 I think you should give God a chance, Mr. Thornbuckle. The majority of the world’s population believes in a higher power, after all. A.Composition B.Appeal to the People, indirect C.Argument to the Person, Tu Quoque (you too) D.Weak Analogy E.No Fallacy

22 Albert Einstein said years ago, “God doesn’t not play dice with the universe” … I think if a brilliant guy like Einstein says something like that, believing in God is pretty reasonable. A.Weak Analogy B.Appeal to the People, indirect C.Division D.Appeal to Unqualified Authority E.No Fallacy

Answers… 1.D 2. B 3. E 4. D 5. A 6. C 7. E 8. C 9. A 10. E 11. E 12. E 13. C 14. D 15. C 16. C 17. A 18. C 19. D 20. D 21. B 22. D