Quiz #5

Question 0

Fallacies of Ambiguity

Answer 0

A word or expression is ambiguous if it has two or more distinct meanings and the context does not make clear which meaning is intended. “Ambi” means both.

Ex: Joe went to the bank.

Question 1

What is a fallacy?

Answer 1

An error in reasoning.

Question 2

Equivocation

Answer 2

This occurs when the arguer uses a keyword in two or more different senses.

P1: All men can talk.
P2: Women are not men.
C: So, women can’t talk.

Question 3

Amphiboly

Answer 3

This fallacy occurs when the faulty grammatical structure of a sentence creates an ambiguity.

Billboards for Planned Pregnancies: Come to us for unwanted pregnancies.

Sign in laundromat: Customers are required to remove their clothes when the machine stops.

Headline: Two sisters reunited after 18 years in supermarket checkout line.

Question 4

Fallacy of division

Answer 4

This occurs when we infer from what is true of the whole is true of its parts. We assume that a characteristic of the whole will be a characteristic of its individual parts or members.

Ex: The school board is inefficient. So, don’t expect Ms. Jones, the president of the school board, to be efficient.

Question 5

Fallacy of Composition

Answer 5

When we infer from what is true of the parts is true of the whole.

Ex: Every player on the Lakers is (individually) an excellent player. Therefore, the team is excellent.

Question 6

The fallacy of ____ occurs in one of two ways:

1) The emphasis of a word or phrase leads us to the wrong conclusion.
2) A passage taken out of context leads us to a wrong conclusion.

Answer 6

Accent

Example:
FREE BOX OF CHOCOLATES (when you buy $200 worth of merchandise by the end of the month)

Question 8

Fallacies of Relevance

Answer 8

These are mistakes in reasoning that occur because the premises (evidence) are logically irrelevant (unrelated) to the conclusion.

Question 8

Appeal to Force

Answer 8

This occurs when we use or threaten to use force in an attempt to get others to back down or accept our conclusions.

Ex: Don’t disagree with me. Remember who pays your college tuition.

Question 9

Ad Hominem

Answer 9

This fallacy occurs when we disagree with another’s conclusion and attack them personally instead of presenting a legitimate counter argument. We attack their character and their circumstances (association with a particular group, their ethnicity, their gender, etc.).

Ex: Calling someone a hypocrite

Question 11

Appeal to Pity

Answer 11

This occurs when we try to evoke feelings of pity in others when pity is irrelevant to the conclusion.

Question 12

Popular Appeal

Answer 12

This occurs when we appeal to popular opinion to gain support for our conclusion. Two types: bandwagon approach and the snob appeal.

Ex: Everyone/Justin Bieber believes it, so you should believe it too.

Question 13

Snob Appeal

Answer 13

This occurs when we associate a certain idea with an elite group of people or a popular image. Very common in advertising.

Ex: Taylor Swift drinks Pepsi, so I will too.

Question 14

Bandwagon

Answer 14

This argument type is one that appeals to a person’s desire to be popular, accepted, or valued.

Question 15

Appeal to Ignorance

Answer 15

This fallacy occurs when we try to argue something is true because no one has proven it false or vice versa.

Ex: You can’t prove that God doesn’t exist, so God does exist.

Question 16

Hasty Generalization

Answer 16

A generalization is made from a sample that is either too small or is biased.

Ex: Every American Catholic interviewed is against abortion. Therefore, most Americans are against abortion.

Question 17

Straw Man

Answer 17

This occurs when a person purposely distorts or misrepresents the opponent’s argument, making it easier to knock down or refute.

Question 18

Red Herring

Answer 18

This occurs when a person tries to sidetrack an argument by going off on a tangent and bringing up a different issue directed toward a different conclusion.

Question 19

Begging the question

Answer 19

Occurs when an argument’s conclusion is simply the rewording of its premise. This fallacy is also known as circular reasoning.

Ex: Capital punishment is wrong because it is unethical to inflict death as a punishment.

Question 20

Inappropriate appeal to authority

Answer 20

Occurs when we look to an authority in a field that is unrelated or not under investigation (irrelevant to the conclusion).

Question 21

Loaded Question

Answer 21

Occurs when a question is asked that assumes a particular answer to another unasked question.

Ex: Are you still in favor of this fiscally irresponsible bill?

Question 22

False Dilemma

Answer 22

Reduces responses to complex issues to an either/or choice. By doing so, this fallacy polarizes stands on issues and ignores common group or other solutions.

Ex: Black and white reasoning.

Question 23

Questionable cause

Answer 23

Occurs when a person assumes, without sufficient evidence, that one thing is the cause of another.

Ex: Earthquake weather caused the earthquake.

Question 24

Slippery slope

Answer 24

According to this fallacy, if we permit a certain action, then all actions of this type, even the extreme ones, will definitely occur.

Question 25

Naturalistic fallacy

Answer 25

If something is natural, it is good or acceptable. If something is unnatural, however, it is bad or unacceptable.