Examples of Synthetic Fallacies

Question 1

“In 1968 there were 500,000 American soldiers in Viet Nam, including over 4,000
winners of medals for valor in combat. There was also at that time a good deal of
discontent about the war among certain elements of you people in this country who didn’t
have the courage to put on a uniform. Thank goodness for our boys in Viet Nam,
however! America was saved because 94% favored our crusade in Southeast Asia!” This is an example of what fallacy?

Answer 1

Unnamed Base

Question 2

75% of doctors recommend 5-Hour Energy. This is an example of what fallacy?

Answer 2

Unnamed Base

Question 3

“To find out the cause of juvenile delinquency, we interviewed five hundred juvenile
delinquents from the Chicago area.” This is an example of what fallacy?

Answer 3

Inadequate Sample

Question 4

“Last year we wanted to find out about the problem of rural unemployment in the U.S.,
so we passed out questionnaires to a sample of the rural poor. We looked at black and
white farmers in Appalachia between the ages of 21 and 65 who reported less than $3,000
income in their last Federal Income Tax Return. We were surprised to find that almost
40% of the rural poor actually have more than enough to live on, what with capital
investments in land, growing their own food, and holding down part-time jobs in the offseason in nearby towns. Their income only looks low.” This is an example of what fallacy?

Answer 4

Faulty Sample