Question 1

Which of the following is a distinction between the straw man fallacy and the red herring fallacy?

Accepted Answer

The straw man fallacy involves misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack, while the red herring fallacy involves diverting the discussion to a different topic to distract from the original issue.

Question 2

Consider the following argument: "Yeah, I know that Bob cheated on his wife. But he didn't really do anything wrong because his wife cheated on him first." Which of the following fallacies has been committed in this argument?

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of two wrongs make a right by justifying Bob's cheating on the basis that his wife cheated first, implying that one wrong act is justified by another.

Question 3

A bandwagon argument is an argument that plays on a person's desire to be popular, valued, or accepted.

Accepted Answer

A bandwagon argument appeals to the popularity of a claim as a reason for accepting it, suggesting that one should believe or do something because "everyone else" does.

Question 4

Consider the following argument: "Republicans have charged the President with failing to keep his campaign promises. But this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Just last week, many Republican senators went back on their campaign promises to support Medicare cuts." Which of the following fallacies has been committed in this argument?

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of look who's talking (also known as tu quoque) by dismissing the Republicans' charge against the President by accusing them of the same fault.

Question 5

_____ is one that plays on a person's desire to be popular, accepted, or valued, rather than appealing to logically relevant reasons or evidence.

Accepted Answer

A bandwagon argument appeals to a person's desire to belong or be part of a group, rather than using logical reasoning or evidence to support a claim. It suggests that one should believe or do something because "everyone else" does, rather than because of any intrinsic merit to the belief or action.

Question 6

Consider these two statements. Statement one: I think it would be great if God exists. Statement two: God exists. How are these statements relevant to one another?

Accepted Answer

Statement one expresses a personal wish or opinion about the existence of God, while statement two asserts the existence of God as a fact. The personal opinion or wish does not logically influence the factual existence, making them logically irrelevant to each other.

Question 7

In _____, an arguer attempts to evoke feelings of compassion, where such feelings, however understandable, are not relevant to the truth of the arguer's conclusion.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of appeal to pity occurs when an arguer tries to win support for an argument or idea by exploiting the audience's pity or compassion, rather than providing evidence relevant to the argument's conclusion.

Question 8

Consider the following argument: "The bill that Congress wants to pass is very unpopular. Unless they want to have trouble in the next election cycle, they probably shouldn't pass it." Which of the following fallacies has been committed in this argument?

Accepted Answer

The argument does not commit a fallacy; it presents a practical consideration regarding the potential political consequences of passing an unpopular bill, which is a reasonable consideration in political decision-making.

Question 9

Rudy's wife, Pamela, makes a pumpkin pie for him, which is one of his favorite desserts. After eating two slices of the pie, Rudy makes a general remark that a pumpkin pie is best enjoyed during Thanksgiving. Pamela concludes that Rudy does not like the pumpkin pie that she made and decides to avoid making pies for him in the future. Based on the given information, Pamela has most likely committed _____.

Accepted Answer

Pamela has committed the straw man fallacy by misinterpreting Rudy's general statement about enjoying pumpkin pie during Thanksgiving as a critique of her pie, rather than addressing his actual comment.

Question 10

Consider the following argument: "Dipsy O'Neill has recently argued that drinking a little red wine with dinner is good for one's health. But no one should accept O'Neill's argument. O'Neill, as you know, is the owner of O'Neill's Wines and Spirits. Naturally, she'd love to see people buy more wine." Which of the following fallacies has been committed in this argument?

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of attacking the motive by dismissing O'Neill's argument based on her vested interest in selling wine, rather than addressing the argument's merits.

Question 11

Consider the following argument: "My dad told me I need to study harder because I'm getting all D's. But what does he know? He got bad grades when he was in school. Why should I listen to him?" Which of the following fallacies has been committed in this argument?

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of "look who's talking" (also known as "tu quoque"), where the speaker dismisses advice or criticism from someone because that person has failed to follow their own advice or has flaws. In this case, the speaker dismisses the advice to study harder because the dad also got bad grades, ignoring the validity of the advice itself.

Question 12

Although it is not rational to be persuaded by logically fallacious arguments, unfortunately, people often are.

Accepted Answer

People can be influenced by logically fallacious arguments due to cognitive biases, emotional appeals, or a lack of critical thinking skills, even though these arguments are not logically sound.

Question 13

In the context of the fallacies of relevance, whether one statement is relevant to another usually depends on the context in which the statements are made.

Accepted Answer

The relevance of one statement to another often hinges on the specific context in which the statements are made, as context can significantly influence how statements relate to each other.

Question 14

The fallacy of attacking the motive occurs when an arguer rejects another person's argument or claim because that person fails to practice what he or she preaches.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of attacking the motive, also known as the ad hominem circumstantial fallacy, involves dismissing an argument by questioning the motives of the person making the argument, rather than addressing the merits of the argument itself. It does not specifically relate to whether the person practices what they preach.

Question 15

Arguments containing emotional appeals are always fallacious.

Accepted Answer

Emotional appeals are not inherently fallacious; they can be effective and appropriate in persuading an audience, especially when combined with logical and factual evidence. Fallacies occur when the emotional appeal is used in place of logical reasoning or to manipulate the audience unduly.

Question 16

Formal fallacies are fallacious arguments that involve explicit use of an invalid argument form.

Accepted Answer

Formal fallacies are indeed fallacious arguments that are invalid due to their logical form, regardless of the content of the argument.

Question 17

Consider the following argument: "There's nothing wrong with paying for one movie and then sneaking in to see a second movie for free. What theaters charge for popcorn and soda is highway robbery." What fallacy does this argument commit?

Accepted Answer

The argument suggests that because theaters overcharge for concessions, it justifies sneaking into a second movie without paying. This is a classic example of the fallacy of two wrongs make a right, where one wrong action is justified by pointing out a different wrong action.

Question 18

An argument is fallacious if it _____.

Accepted Answer

An argument is fallacious if it contains a mistake in reasoning, regardless of the truth value of its premises or conclusion.

Question 19

Consider the following argument: "Billy-Ray Hoggerty's book Stoned in Muskogee should be awarded this year's Pulitzer Prize for literature. Billy-Ray, as you know, recently lost both his parents, and his favorite coon dog got run over by a truck." Which of the following fallacies has been committed in this argument?

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of appeal to pity by attempting to persuade that Billy-Ray Hoggerty's book deserves an award based on the unfortunate events in his personal life, rather than the merit of the work itself.

Question 20

Consider the following argument: "My opponent in this election doesn't deserve your vote. He's a liar, a confessed tax cheat, and twice been convicted of spying for Albania." Which of the following fallacies has been committed in this argument?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider the following argument: "My opponent in...

Quiz 5: Logical Fallaciesi