unit 1 test

Question 1

ad populum definition

Answer 1

Appeals only to popular opinion as a justification of a claim. Especially tricky in a democratic system where the people are the final arbiters of policy.

Question 2

Ad Verecundiam definition

Answer 2

Appeals to an unqualified, unidentified, or biased source to support a claim.

Question 3

Ad Misericordium definition

Answer 3

argument from pity – appeal is made to sympathy as a means of gaining support

Question 4

Ad Ignorantiam definition

Answer 4

argument from ignorance –because a conclusion has not been disproven, it must be correct

Question 5

false analogy definition

Answer 5

Comparing two things that are not alike enough or have critical differences –
especially prevalent when people claim historical linkages

Question 6

hasty generalization definition

Answer 6

Drawing a conclusion based on too few or atypical examples

Question 7

appeal to tradition definition

Answer 7

When someone claims we must continue to do things because that is the way they have always been done

Question 8

begging the question definition

Answer 8

The assumption that an unproven central point is already proven and uses this assumption in support of itself

Question 9

slippery slope definition

Answer 9

In order to show that a proposition is unacceptable, a sequence of increasingly unacceptable events is shown to follow. A slippery slope is a flawed “if-then” argument

Question 10

false dilemma / the missing middle definition

Answer 10

A limited number of options (usually two) are given, while in realist there are more option

Question 11

False Cause / Post Hoc definition

Answer 11

when someone confuses correlation with causation

Question 12

Ad Hominem Definition

Answer 12

Attacking the person making the argument instead of the arguments they are making

Question 13

tu quoque definition

Answer 13

“but you do it too”– often an accusation of hypocrisy – challenging a speaker’s argument because they do the behavior they are condemning

Question 14

guilt by association definition

Answer 14

Condemning a speaker because of someone they are associated with while not addressing the arguments they are making

Question 15

straw man definition

Answer 15

Author attacks an argument, which is different from (and usually weaker than) the opposition’s best argument

Question 16

ad populum example

Answer 16

“Most Americans believe in UFOs. UFOs are real.”

Question 17

Ad Verecundiam example

Answer 17

“Michael Stipe, the lead singer of REM, supports gun control. So that means I do too.”

Question 18

Ad Misericordium example

Answer 18

I have this horrible disease. We should fund research in curing this disease.

Question 19

Ad Ignorantiam example

Answer 19

You can’t prove that genetically modified food is not unsafe. So we should ban genetically modified food

Question 20

False Analogy Example

Answer 20

“The war in Vietnam was a horrible waste of life and resources; we should get out of Afghanistan before we lose more lives and resources.”

Question 21

Hasty Generalization example

Answer 21

“My friends and I didn’t learn anything in driver’s education class. That class is just a waste of everyone’s time.”

Question 22

appeal to tradition example

Answer 22

“We can’t change to the metric system. We’ve always measured things in inches, miles, etc…”

Question 23

begging the question example

Answer 23

“The system is corrupt and because of that we need campaign finance reform.”

Question 24

slippery slope example

Answer 24

“If we pass laws against fully-automatic weapons, then it won’t be long before we pass laws on all weapons, and then we will begin to restrict other rights, and finally we will end up living in a communist state. Thus, we should not ban fully-automatic weapons.”

Question 25

False Dilemma / the missing middle example

Answer 25

“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem”

Question 26

False Cause / Post Hoc

Answer 26

“The Columbine shooters played violent video games, so the games must have made them do it.”

Question 27

Ad Hominem Example

Answer 27

“People who vote against school levies are just greedy and hate children.”

Question 28

tu qouque example

Answer 28

“You say that we should ban smoking in public places, but I know for a fact that you are a smoker.”

Question 29

guilt by association example

Answer 29

“Obama’s father was an anti-colonial socialist so we know that we cannot trust him to protect the American economy.”

Question 30

straw man example

Answer 30

“We should bring back the draft. People don’t want to enter the military because they find it an inconvenience. But they should realize that there are more important things than convenience.”