Informal Fallacies: Sample Exam

Submitted by admin on Thu, 10/04/2012 - 04:57
Informal Fallacies: Sample Exam
 
INSTRUCTIONS:
This e-learning activity has two (2) parts--to be submitted to your Logic Professor:
 
I. Identify the informal fallacy or fallacies committed by each of the arguments below. (If you don't know the name of the fallacy, you may refer to the book "LOGIC: A Foundation of Critical Thinking," pages 171-181.)
          Choose only 10 items to answer. Write your answer in the comment section below ("add a comment"). 'Print Screen' or 'Screen shot' your published answer, print it, and submit to your Logic/Debate Professor.
 
II. Take the fun e-learning quiz game in this link (below the video) Truth, Validity, and Soundness.
Note: After taking the fun quiz, 'print Screen' or 'Screen shot' your quiz score, print it, and submit to your Logic/Debate Professor.
          Have Fun!

For Part I
1. A reckless motorist Thursday struck and injured a student who was jogging through the campus in his pickup truck. Therefore, it is unsafe to jog in your pickup truck.

2. Whenever I wash my car, it rains. I have discovered a way to end droughts- get all the people to wash their cars.

3. "Why do white sheep eat more than black ones?" The answer, "Because there are more of them."

4. This country has been run too long by old, out-of-date, out-of-touch, entrenched politicians protecting the special interests that got them elected.

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5. I know what will become of him. He will be just like his brothers. Once you mix a fresh tomato with rotten tomatoes, it won’t take long for it to rot.


6. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

7. Marijuana wouldn’t be illegal if it weren’t hazardous to health.

8. Most Americans never heard of blues musician Robert Johnson until the Rolling Stones recorded his song “Love in Vain” or of Sonny Boy Williamson until the Who recorded “Eyesight to the Blind. The Americans can’t appreciate their own music unless the British introduce it to them.

9. If professional sports teams didn’t pay athletes such high salaries, we wouldn’t have so many kids breaking their legs at hockey and baseball camps.

10. All of the students I interviewed are opposed to a tuition increase; therefore, the board of trustees should not pass the proposed increase.

11. Michael Jackson’s impact on popular music is comparable to that of other major figures in the past- Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Bob Dylan- in that he both epitomizes the ideals of a particular period and pushes the musical scene in new directions. Jackson is a better musician, however, because he doesn’t smoke, drink, or use drugs. If you don’t believe what I’m telling you, I will kill you.

12. I am a single parent, solely responsible for the financial support of my children. If you give me this traffic ticket, I will lose my license and be unable to drive to work. If I cannot work, my children and I will become homeless and may starve to death. Therefore, you should not give me this traffic ticket.

13. This progressive proposal to build a large ski resort in the state park has been carefully research by Fidelity, the largest bank in the state; furthermore, it is favored by a majority of the local merchants. The only opposition comes from the narrow-minded, do-gooder environmentalists who care more about trees than they do about people; one of their leaders was actually arrested for disturbing the peace several years ago.

14. Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan believes that spiders are insects. Therefore, spiders are insects.

15. Another killer quake will hit Baguio next year. Robert Jaworski said so.

16. “Why should I believe in what my uncle says about the virtues studying hard? Wasn’t he kicked of the university for cheating on exams?

17 No one has conclusively proven that there is no intelligent life on the moons of Jupiter.
      Therefore, there is intelligent life on the moons of Jupiter.

18. “God does not exist because one has yet to prove that He exists.”

19. Police Detective: "You really should sign this confession now. Otherwise, you will be tried and eventually found guilty. Then there will be no chance of leniency; you'll be given the maximum sentence of life in prison."

20. Atheist -- "Miracles are impossible." Religious Student -- "Why do you say that?" Atheist -- "Because they cannot happen."

21. Student Jones -- "I know that Mr. Brown is an atheist." Student Smith -- "Why do you say that?" Student Jones -- "He's a philosopher, isn't he?"

22. "Seven months after Governor Smith was elected, the state had a budget deficit, the first in thirty years. Obviously, Governor Smith is responsible."

23. "Money is the root of all evil. Therefore, you should not give a reward to the person who returns your lost wallet."

24. "Recent scientific studies have shown that moderate drinking of red wine may decrease your chance of getting a heart attack. So everyone should drink a glass of red wine each evening with dinner."

25. "Everyone has a right to bear arms, that is, to own a gun. Therefore, even though James Smith has been declared insane, the government has no right to take away his gun."

26. "When Councilman Rogers was asked whether he had any evidence of police brutality in the community, he replied, truthfully, 'There isn't any I have seen.'

27. A college debate team member is arguing against the legalization of marijuana and says: "The only possible justification its proponents can give for legalizing marijuana is that marijuana laws cannot be absolutely enforced."

28. "The end of a thing is its perfection. Death is the end of life. Therefore, death is the perfection of life."

29. Newspaper Brief: "The farmer blew out his brains after taking affectionate farewell of his family with a shotgun."

30. "With a laissez-faire policy, each member of society acts in a way that will advance his or her own economic interest. Consequently, all individuals and ultimately society as a whole achieves the maximum economic advantages."
@jensenismo

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