Deck 8: Formal Fallacies and Fallacies of Language

Question 1

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If Shelley has read the Republic,then she's bound to know who Thrasymachus is.And,since she clear does know who Thrasymachus is,we can conclude that she must have read the Republic.

Answer 1

Affirming the consequent

Question 2

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The sign says "No individuals without identification may pass." So that must mean that all individuals with identification may pass,right?

Answer 2

Confusing contraries with contradictories
HYPERLINK "" Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

Question 3

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Otterhounds are crazy about water,just like that dog.That dog therefore is an Otterhound.

Answer 3

Affirming the consequent

Question 4

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The average family has two-and-a-half children.The Hansons,next door,are an average family,so they must have two-and-a-half children.I don't know,maybe a stepson or something.

Question 5

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
They blame homelessness on the economy,but that's no excuse.Is an explanation clearly being offered as an excuse or justification?

Question 6

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If walking out of class seems right to you,then obviously it's your right to do it.

Question 7

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If Global Warming is for real,then the mean global temperature would have risen over the past ten years.Global Warming is not for real.Therefore the mean global temperature didn't rise over the past ten years.

Question 8

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Professor Stooler wants to conserve clean air and water.If that doesn't make him a Conservative,I don't know what does.

Question 9

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If you didn't take the final,you didn't pass the course.However,you did take the final.So you passed the course.

Question 10

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Of course the girl was carrying binoculars! The witness said he saw her with binoculars.

Question 11

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
All German Shepherds are dogs,and some dogs are not trained to attack people.Therefore some German Shepherds are not trained to attack people.

Question 12

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The sign says "Cash only this line," and you're paying cash.So you have to get in this line.

Question 13

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
"If you just realized what I just realized,then we'd be perfect for each other and we'd never find another.But you didn't just realize what I just realized." -Colby Calait

Question 14

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Caesar's salad is made from romaine lettuce,and that's what this house salad is made from.So this must be the house Caesar salad.

Question 15

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
For sure,if the test drive had gone well,Dwayne would have bought the car.But the test drive did not go very well,so he'll pass up the purchase.

Question 16

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Stockton has the lowest credit rating of any city in the region.My cousin lives in Stockton,so I'm betting his credit is down the tube.

Question 17

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If Joel had paid his taxes on time,he wouldn't be audited.But he didn't pay on time,so you know he's going to be audited.

Question 18

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If you are rich,then your car is something like a Mercedes or a Bentley.Oh! Is that your Bentley,you rich old thing,you?

Question 19

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Anna Karenina is the best novel every written;therefore each chapter is the best ever written.

Question 20

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The angles of a triangle equal 180 degrees.Therefore each angle equals 180 degrees.

Question 21

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Oh-oh! The alarm went off! We must have a burglar.

Question 22

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Anybody who is well-informed must read at least one newspaper every day,and Murray reads two newspapers daily.So we can agree that Murray is a well-informed person.

Question 23

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
There was not one exercise in Don's program that should have caused him back pain.So I can't see how his back trouble is the result of his exercise program.

Question 24

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Been playing Lotto for years and haven't won a dime.I'm due.

Question 25

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Daryl likes to race cars.I bet he will become a professional race car driver rather than something boring like a retail salesperson or office clerk.

Question 26

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Every event is caused;therefore the sum total of events is caused.

Question 27

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
If the president is right,we need immigration reform.If the vice president is right,we need immigration reform.Therefore,if the president is right,the vice president is right.

Question 28

In the following passage,is an explanation clearly being offered as an excuse or justification?
Obama says the Secret Service cancelled the White House tours? Yeah,right.He's just trying to duck the complaints.

Question 29

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
Hard to believe,but jockey's wearing pink have won the last four races.Do you know how unlikely it is that it could happen a fifth time in a row? Bet on a horse with different colors this time.

Question 30

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
I was tested for allergic reaction to cats,and the test said I am indeed allergic.The test I was given says "yes" 90% of the time when people really do have the allergy and it says "yes" 10% of the time when people really do not have it.So more than likely I have the allergy,which is unlucky since only 1% of the population has this affliction.

Question 31

Identify any formal fallacies or fallacies of language in the following passage.
The last four races have been won by horses whose jockeys were wearing pink.I think there's something about colors going on here-I'd bet on whatever horse has a jockey in pink for the next race.

Question 32

To think that what holds true of a group automatically holds true of the individuals in the group is known as the fallacy of

A)composition.
B)division.
C)accident.
D)hasty generalization.