Question 1

Professor Smyth argues for the adoption of stronger standards covering food imported from China. But Smyth is a disgusting leftist ex hippie who reportedly has sex with his female students. Smyth's arguments are trash, just as he is.

Accepted Answer

The statement attacks Professor Smyth's character and personal behavior instead of addressing the substance of his argument. This is a fallacy known as argument against the person, also called ad hominem.

Question 2

Children should be seen and not heard. Therefore, it was wrong for that drowning child to scream for help.

Accepted Answer

The statement commits the fallacy of accident by applying a general rule ("Children should be seen and not heard") to a specific situation where the rule should not apply (a child drowning and screaming for help).

Question 3

The Ionic Blast hairdryer does a great job removing the frizz from Francesca's hair. Therefore, since Gabriella's hair is virtually identical to Francesca's, probably the Ionic Blast would do a good job removing the frizz from Gabriella's hair.

Accepted Answer

The reasoning does not contain a fallacy; it makes a probable inference based on a similarity between Francesca's and Gabriella's hair, assuming the product's effectiveness will be consistent.

Question 4

Karen argues that it's not right to post the photographs of convicted child molesters on the Internet. Obviously Karen supports child molestation. But these monsters have completely ruined the lives of thousands of children. They can't be allowed to wreak their havoc any longer. Clearly, Karen's argument is misguided.

Accepted Answer

The argument presents a distorted version of Karen's position by implying that she supports child molestation. This misrepresents her argument and creates a "straw man" fallacy.

Question 5

Every squirrel that has ever been observed likes nuts. Therefore, probably every squirrel likes nuts.

Accepted Answer

The statement does not commit a logical fallacy; it makes a probable generalization based on observed evidence, which is a common and reasonable approach in inductive reasoning.

Question 6

Mr. Quigley, who is a lobbyist for the oil industry, says that the government should subsidize oil exploration. In view of Mr. Quigley's credentials, it follows that the government should certainly do this.

Accepted Answer

This is an appeal to an unqualified authority fallacy because Mr. Quigley's vested interests in the oil industry make him biased and therefore unqualified to make objective recommendations on government subsidies.

Question 7

No spoiled brats are good childhood companions. Therefore, no good childhood companions are spoiled brats.

Accepted Answer

This is a valid logical argument with a universal negative statement as the premise and a categorical syllogism as the structure.

Question 8

Members of the jury, surely you will not find defendant Carlos guilty of burglary. Carlos is a visitor from our neighbor to the south, where he has eight young brothers and sisters. Those poor kids and their impoverished mother live a desperate hand-to-mouth existence. Carlos was hoping only to send a few more dollars home to ease their suffering. In the name of humanity, you must vote to acquit this caring brother.

Accepted Answer

The argument is using an appeal to pity by trying to evoke sympathy for the defendant's situation with his impoverished family to argue for his acquittal. However, this does not address the actual charge of burglary and is not a valid defense in a court of law.

Question 9

The government has no right to spy on its citizens because citizens have a right to privacy. And this is true because such a right is guaranteed by the Constitution-which follows from the fact that our founding fathers recognized the sanctity of individual privacy against the intrusive power of the government. And of course this is true because the government has no right to spy on its citizens.

Accepted Answer

The argument is circular, as it concludes with the same statement it begins with, assuming the initial claim (the government has no right to spy on its citizens) is true without providing genuine evidence, thus begging the question.

Question 10

The Northern Express railway train is headed north. Therefore, every car on that train is headed north.

Accepted Answer

The conclusion that every car on the train is headed north is logically valid because if the train is headed north, all its cars must also be headed in the same direction.

Question 11

Every member of the Viking Society was born in Norway. Therefore, the Viking Society was born in Norway.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of composition occurs when one assumes that what is true for the individual members is also true for the group as a whole. In this case, just because every member of the Viking Society was born in Norway, it does not necessarily mean that the society itself was born in Norway.

Question 12

The number of alcoholics has risen steadily for the past 20 years, and so has the number of treatment centers. Therefore, to cut down on alcoholism we should eliminate the treatment centers.

Accepted Answer

This is a case of false cause because the argument assumes that the increase in the number of treatment centers is the cause of the increase in alcoholism, without any evidence to support this causal relationship. In reality, there could be many other factors contributing to the rise in alcoholism such as economic conditions, social factors, etc. Therefore, eliminating treatment centers would not necessarily lead to a reduction in alcoholism.

Question 13

Either you spend $200 on a pair of True Religion jeans, or everybody will think you're out of style. It's up to you.

Accepted Answer

This is a false dichotomy fallacy as it presents only two options (spending $200 on True Religion jeans or being out of style) and ignores other possible alternatives. There are many other brands and styles of jeans available that are not True Religion and are still fashionable. Therefore, the best choice is to consider other options instead of feeling like you are forced to choose between only two.

Question 14

You had better believe in God, because if you don't, then you'll suffer the torment of eternal damnation.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an appeal to force, or threatening someone with harm if they don't believe in a certain way. It is not a logical or rational argument.

Question 15

Pet owners argue for a law to ensure that pet food is free of lethal contaminants. Apparently they are unaware that half the children of the world eat contaminated food and drink polluted water every day. Thousands of these kids die regularly from cholera. The nations of the world should unite to halt this ongoing tragedy. In the mean time, we can forget about pets.

Accepted Answer

The author is using the argument about pet food being free of contaminants to divert attention from the more pressing issue of contaminated food and water for children around the world. This is a red herring fallacy, where the author is changing the subject to avoid addressing the real issue at hand.

Question 16

The president of our college has promised to stop drinking on campus. Apparently the president has a drinking problem.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The president of our college has promised...

Question 17

Every tile on this kitchen floor is light blue in color. Therefore, the entire floor is light blue in color.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Every tile on this kitchen floor is...

Question 18

Eddie, one of your friends was asking about you the other day. He wanted to know if you were still having sex with 14-year-old girls. What should I tell him the next time I see him? Are you still doing it?

Accepted Answer

The question is phrased in a way that assumes the premise that Eddie was previously having sex with 14-year-old girls. This is known as a complex question, as it presupposes something that has not been established as true. Therefore, none of the options A, B, C, or E are applicable.

Question 19

Astronomers study stars. Nicole Kidman is a star. Therefore, astronomers study Nicole Kidman.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy present is equivocation, which occurs when a word is used in two different senses within an argument. In this case, "star" is used to mean both a celestial body and a famous person, leading to a misleading conclusion.

Question 20

Nobody has ever proved that the Big Bang theory of the universe is true. Therefore, we must conclude that the Big Bang theory is false.

Accepted Answer

This statement is using the appeal to ignorance fallacy by asserting that because the Big Bang theory has not been proven true, it must be false. Lack of evidence or proof for something does not automatically make its opposite true. Therefore, this statement is incorrect.

Quiz 3: Informal Fallacies