Fallacy Practice Worksheet

Fallacy Practice Worksheet

Describe and define the two types of reasoning (excluding Abductive):

Inductive reasoning starting from specific and delivering and delivering a general rule. It results from the wrong use of evidence. The arguer leaps to a conclusion on the basis of an insufficient sample, ignoring evidence that might have altered his conclusion.

Deductive results from failure to follow the logic of series of statements. Here the arguer neglects to make a clear connection between the parts of his or her argument.

What is a syllogism? How is an Enthymeme different? Syllogism is an instance of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn with validly or not from assumed propositions each of which shares a common or middle term in the conditions. For instance all animals have four legs. An Enthymeme on the other hand refers to logical argument that contains a conclusion but an implied premise

For each question below identify the fallacy from the given list.[unique_solution]

1. Hasty Generalization
2. False Analogy
3. Ad Populum
4. Two Wrongs Make a Right
5. Red Herring
6. Relativistic Fallacy
7. Wishful Thinking
8. Begging the Question
9. Bandwagon
10. Appeal to Fear
11. Slippery Slope
12. Ad Hominem
13. Genetic Fallacy
14. False Dilemma
15. Faulty use of Authority
16. Post Hoc
17. Strawman
18. None
19. Non Sequitur
20. Appeal to Tradition
21. Appeal to Novelty

Fallacy Definitions: 

4. False Dilemma

An argument where force, coercion, or the threat of force is given as a justification for a conclusion.

5. Straw man creating a distorted or simplified caricature of your opponent’s argument, and then arguing against that.
6. Hasty Generalization Drawing a general conclusion from a tiny sample.
7. A false conclusion that does not logically follow from the reasoning or premises provided.
8. Genetic fallacy the misinterpretation of a correlative relationship as a causal relationship.
9. False dilemma assuming there are only two alternatives when in fact there are more.
10. Non sequitur Comparing or finding similarities between two things that are normally classified under different categories.
11. Non sequitur using a threat of rejection by one’s peers (or peer pressure) is substituted for evidence in an “argument.”
12. Appeal for fear The claim that because a continuum exists between two states, the two states don’t actually exist
13. False analogy the belief that since something has existed for a long time, it should continue to exist.

14    Relativistic Fallacy rejecting a claim because of a belief that truth is relative to a person or group. This also ignores that one side could simply be wrong.

14. Strawman Bypassing the argument by launching an irrelevant attack on the opponent and not their claim.
15. Strawman Attacking an exaggerated or caricatured version of your opponent’s position.
16. Post Hoc One action will inevitably lead to a second more undesirable action.
17. False Dilemma Presenting two opposing options as the only two options while hiding alternatives.
18. Appeal to novelty A method of diverting attention away from the current issue by pointing out the problems with another issue.
19. Straw man A coherent argument that seems logical or does not suffer from any immediate phrasing issues.

Wishful thought _ a method of justifying a stance on the current issue by pointing out the problems with another issue.

20. Hasty generalization Drawing a broad conclusion from a small number of perhaps unrepresentative cases.
21. False dilemma This assumes that if one wrong is committed, another wrong will cancel it out.
22. Begging the claim Making claim while leaving out one or more major contributing factors that may affect the conclusion
23. Post Hoc Claiming that because one event followed another, it was also caused by it.
24. Slipper Slope Attacking the cause or origin of a claim, rather than its substance.
25. Faulty Use of Authority Using the opinion of an expert in a given area that goes against the widely help stance of other experts in that field in order to legitimize a fringe belief.
26. Ad Hominem Attacking the person instead of attacking the argument.
27. None making a comparison on trivial similarities that ignore fundamental differences.
28. Bandwagon applying a general rule too broadly.
29. Non sequitur Using the fear of rejection to support a claim.
30. Bandwagon An attempt to prove a point is true by showing how many people agree with you.
31. Supporting a claim by saying that many people believe it, used to believe it, or do it.
32. Wishful thinking Arguing that a practice is correct because it has always been done that way.
33. Ad Hominem An attempt to bolster claims by citing the opinions of supposed experts.
34. Supporting a claim because it is new, unique, or different.
35. Relativistic fallacy Assuming a relatively small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of related (typically negative) events without demonstrating the connection between these actions and the original action.
36. Red Herring The conclusion simply repeats or rephrases the beginning assumption.
37. The formation of beliefs and making decisions according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence, rationality, or reality.
38. False dillema Introducing irrelevant material to the argument to distract and lead towards a different conclusion.
39. Two wrongs make a right An attempt to demonstrate the truth of a proposition by citing some person who agrees, regardless of that person’s expertise in the given area.
40. Non sequitur Latin for “It does not follow.”

Fallacy Examples: 

41. False appeal Your personality is like a door: it opens and closes all the time.
42. Grave epitaph:  “Sometimes we have few choices.  For example, air: either you breathe or you die.”
43. Ad hominem That student was either asleep or disruptive in class. I’m going to lower her participation grade.
44. Red herring “I think there is great merit in making the requirements stricter for the graduate students. I recommend that you support it, too. After all, we are in a budget crisis and we do not want our salaries affected.”
45. Slippery Slope Drunk drivers are like cold-blooded murderers.  The weapons are different but the result is the same.  So drunk drivers who kill someone in an auto accident should receive the death penalty.
46. Begging the question “It says here that smoke from wood-burning stoves, no matter how airtight they’re supposed to be, gets into your house and is a health hazard.
47. None “No way. We just spent close to a thousand dollars on this new stove; what you’re reading can’t be true.”

48. Post Hoc“Let gays marry? If you do that, pretty soon people will want to marry their dog or have relationships with inanimate objects.”
49. False analogy Maria goes out with two bald men and decides bald men are sexy.
50. Wishing fallacy “You should buy an SUV as soon as you can afford the $200 monthly payments.  After all most people on the freeways are driving SUVs.”
51. Begging the question Do you realize who originated this proposal?  He’s never even graduated from high school and he’s an ex-convict.  Forget it!
52. Non In a study of 5,000 people who owned pets in Anchorage, Alaska, dog owners expressed higher satisfaction with their pets and their lives. So dog ownership leads to more life satisfaction.
53. Ad hominem Martha: “Honey, look what I got you for your birthday! That’s right, the complete set of my favorite philosopher: Plato’s Dialogues! I know you’ll fall in love with philosophy once you read these and then we’ll have so much more to talk about over dinner!
54. Straw man You should not have to wear a helmet when driving a motorcycle.  After all, people driving cars are not required to wear helmets.
55. Post Hoc I wouldn’t wear those shoes.  People will think you are homeless.
56. Why should I follow Dr. Pavlov’s advice to stop eating fast food? After all, Dr. Pavlov eats at McDonald’s three times a day and has had forty heart attacks as a result!
57. False dillema No, I don’t believe that Uncle Bob is really gone forever.  He was like a father to me, and I believe that someday, somehow or other, we’ll see one another again; I don’t think I could go on if I didn’t believe that.
58. appeal for fear__Think about it.  A seven-day waiting period to buy a gun would give people a chance to cool off; it would also give police a chance to make background checks.  Or are you for people getting shot?”
59. false dilemma_The article: “Race and the Death Penalty” is just another liberal diatribe aimed at convincing people that there is racial bias in capital punishment.  The whole point of the so-called statistics it mentions is to get people to be against the death penalty.
60. post hoc Professor: I gave you a D on your essay because your grammar was faulty and your organization was difficult to follow.

Student: That’s just your opinion!

61. red herring__As long as you’re going to live here at home and let your mother and me support you, you can rest assured that you’re going to cooperate.  And that goes for your opinions as well as for your behavior.
62. ad hominem_“I don’t understand men. They are impossible. Either I will compromise a lot and settle for dull but nice guy or I will become a nun.”
63. appeal for fear_According to James Villas of Town & Country Magazine, we should relegalize smoking in restaurants. A restaurant experience is not complete without the mellow, stimulating, and unique fragrance of smoke mixing with an after dinner drink.
64. slippery slope_A friend of mine was mugged and attacked in San Francisco; evidently San Francisco is not a safe city.
65. ad hominem__Although the Earth’s temperature is rising (global warming) this is probably the result of a natural long-term cycle of climate change so we are not to blame for this.
66. bandwagon__Apples fall to the ground when dropped because of the force of gravity between the Earth and the apple.
67. false analogy_Bank of America says, “We are instituting a customer service charge at our ATMs to better serve you.”
68. relativistic_fallacy_“We admit that this measure is popular. But we also urge you to note that there are so many bond issues on this ballot that the whole thing is getting ridiculous.”
69. strawman_Bill Gates is worth $100 billion because he is at least 100,000 times smarter and cleverer than the average American worker.
70. non sequitur“We know that you’re the best one to decide among health plans because nobody knows as much about such choices as you. Blue Shield: We Trust In You.”
71. post hoc Daisy: “Hemp should be re-legalized in this country because it is an excellent substitute for wood thus saving our forests from destruction. Besides George Washington used to grow it at his farm.”

Frank: “I disagree. You and the rest of the pro-pot folks are just outdated, pot smoking hippies.”

72. wishful thinking__Don’t be late for your cleaning appointment at the dentist because if you do you may miss your appointment and then your teeth will rot and fall out.
73. two wrongs make a right___His wallet was stolen so he was perfectly justified in shooting the fleeing thief.
74. appeal to novelty__I think most Americans are against gun control. In a survey of over 100,000 Americans, over 90% said that they do NOT feel safe.
75. faulty use of authority_”Senator Jones says that we should not fund the attack submarine program. I disagree entirely. I can’t understand why he wants to leave us defenseless like that.”
76. hasty generation_If a person does not have enough food, they become hungrier and desire more food. It’s the same with work. If wages are kept low, workers will desire more work and thus work harder.
77. post hoc___If you live in an apartment you have only two choices: to live with one or more other people or to live alone
78. appeal to tradition_More Americans read USA Today than any other newspaper; evidently USA Today is the nation’s best newspaper.
79. ad hominem_Of course we should institute a draft; otherwise we will not have enough soldiers, and then American could lose its status as a world power.
80. relativistic fallacy_She is in favor of the draft, but I disagree. And I might point out that she does not have to worry about being drafted herself.
81. appeal for fear__“Well, we’ve finally discovered why our house smelled so awful. A horrible odor was present the house.
82. appeal to novelty_“Well, we’ve finally discovered why our house smelled so awful. An evil ghost was living in the basement.”
83. bandwagon_Tennis star Andre Agassi, “If you are serious about tennis, I recommend buying any tennis racquet made of graphite and plastic because they help absorb shock and prevent injury to the elbow.”
84. faculty use of authority_The government incorrectly bailed our thousands of Savings and Loans when they went bankrupt in the late 1980s so it should bail me out of my overwhelming credit card debt.
85. slippery slope_The government should not provide free healthcare to all Americans. Just as giving free money to poor people discourages them from working, giving free healthcare to Americans will discourage us from being healthy.
86. appeal to tradition_The only way to relax after a long day at work is to either watch TV for a few hours or go shopping.
87. ad populum_The reason that crime decreased 10% in the past year is because of the strict three strikes laws enacted in California.
88. wishful thinking_We must increase our nation’s savings. So we must raise taxes for everyone or cut spending on social programs. But no one will accept a tax hike. So let’s cut spending on social programs.
89. noneWell it’s obvious why people are poor. They simply aren’t as smart as wealthier citizens.
90. ad populum An improved formula is always better.
91. begging the question John does not smoke or drink; therefore, he will make an excellent role model.
92. ppeal to novelty__In order to maintain a civil debate, I will not mention my opponent’s drinking problem.
93. None Who would question my candidate’s honesty when clearly he is a man of integrity?
94. wishful thinking When pressured the incumbent said, “Kicking me out of office is like changing a horse mid-stream.”
95. Strawman I attribute my 95 years of good health to the fact that I don’t drink, smoke, or chase women.
96. appela to tradition_Evolution says one species gives rise to another, this means a monkey gave birth to a human.
97. false analogy_All men are pigs.
98. slippery slope What’s wrong with authority? Is anarchy better?
99. false analogy Since horrible non-vegetarians eat baby calves, they should also eat other babies, like human babies.
100. post hoc If you start letting doctors remove life support systems from terminally ill patients, then who’s next? Pretty soon they’ll be killing deformed babies and the severely retarded.
101. two wrongs make a right Everyone does it. How can that many people be wrong?

ad populum If Darth Vader says the Honda is the best, then that’s good enough for me.

102. Red herring Without guns, it wouldn’t be America.
103. ad populum All men are humans. Mary is a human. Therefore, Mary is a man.
104. post hoc You either go to college or you get a job at McDonald’s.