Fallacies 1

Question 1

You misrepresented someone’s argument to make it easier to attack

Answer 1

Strawman

Question 2

You presumed that a real or perceived relationship between things means that one is the cause of the other.

Answer 2

false cause

Question 3

You attempted to manipulate an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument.

Answer 3

appeal to emotion

Question 4

You presumed that because a claim has been poorly argued, or a fallacy has been made, that the claim itself must be wrong.

Answer 4

the fallacy fallacy

Question 5

You said that if we allow A to happen, then Z will eventually happen too, therefore A should not happen.

Answer 5

slippery slope

Question 6

You attacked your opponent’s character or personal traits in an attempt to undermine their argument.

Answer 6

ad hominem

Question 7

You avoided having to engage with criticism by turning it back on the accuser - you answered criticism with criticism.

Answer 7

tu quoque

Question 8

Because you found something difficult to understand, or are unaware of how it works, you made out like it’s probably not true.

Answer 8

personal incredulity

Question 9

You moved the goalposts or made up an exception when your claim was shown to be false.

Answer 9

special pleading

Question 10

You asked a question that had a presumption built into it so that it couldn’t be answered without appearing guilty.

Answer 10

loaded question

Question 11

You said that the burden of proof lies not with the person making the claim, but with someone else to disprove.

Answer 11

burden of proof

Question 12

You used a double meaning or ambiguity of language to mislead or misrepresent the truth.

Answer 12

ambiguity

Question 13

You said that ‘runs’ occur to statistically independent phenomena such as roulette wheel spins.

Answer 13

the gambler’s fallacy

Question 14

You appealed to popularity or the fact that many people do something as an attempted form of validation.

Answer 14

bandwagon

Question 15

You said that because an authority thinks something, it must therefore be true.

Answer 15

appeal to authority

Question 16

You assumed that one part of something has to be applied to all, or other, parts of it; or that the whole must apply to its parts.

Answer 16

composition/division

Question 17

You judged something as either good or bad on the basis of where it comes from, or from whom it came.

Answer 17

genetic

Question 18

You judged something as either good or bad on the basis of where it comes from, or from whom it came.

Answer 18

genetic

Question 19

You presented a circular argument in which the conclusion was included in the premise.

Answer 19

begging the question

Question 20

you presented two alternative states as the only possibilities, when in fact more possibilities exist.

Answer 20

black-or-white

Question 21

You claimed that a compromise, or middle point, between two extremes must be the truth.

Answer 21

middle ground

Question 22

You cherry-picked a data cluster to suit your argument, or found a pattern to fit a presumption.

Answer 22

the texas sharpshooter

Question 23

You used a personal experience or an isolated example instead of a sound argument or compelling evidence.

Answer 23

anecdotal

Question 24

You argued that because something is ‘natural’ it is therefore valid, justified, inevitable, good or ideal.

Answer 24

appeal to nature