Group Two: Sample Fallacies And Booby Traps
Understanding Fallacies and Booby Traps in Argument and Persuasive Writing
- 1.U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn says that lesbianism is rampant in the Oklahoma schools. This must, indeed, be true, because surely the senator couldn't be mistaken about the schools in his own state.
- A.
Straw Man
- B.
Genetic Fallacy
- C.
Appeal to Authority
- D.
Vagueness
- E.
Suppressed Evidence
- 2.Do most Americans believe in God? To find out, we asked over 10,000 scientists at colleges and universities throughout America. Less than 40 percent said they believed in God. The conclusion is obvious: Most Americans no longer believe in God.
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Questionable Use of Statistics
- C.
Undistributed Middle
- D.
Suppressed Evidence
- E.
Straw Man
- 3.Before he died, poet Allen Ginsberg argued in favor of legalizing pornography. But Ginsberg's arguments are nothing but trash. Ginsberg was a pot-smoking homosexual and a thoroughgoing advocate of the drug culture.
- A.
Equivocation
- B.
Questionable Use of Statistics
- C.
Red Herring
- D.
False Cause
- E.
Genetic Fallacy
- 4.Many people criticize Thomas Jefferson for being an owner of slaves. But Jefferson was one of our greatest presidents, and his Declaration of Independence is one of the most eloquent pleas for freedom and democracy ever written. Clearly these criticisms are unwarranted.
- A.
False Cause
- B.
Red Herring
- C.
Appeal to Authority
- D.
Vagueness
- E.
Genetic Fallacy
- 5.Miller Lite is cheap beer, so the Guinness will be cheap, too.
- A.
Vagueness
- B.
Undistributed Middle
- C.
Questionable Use of Statistics
- D.
Suppressed Evidence
- E.
Genetic Fallacy
- 6.Wife: “I see Mr. Smith is cooking out on his new barbecue grill.” Husband: “So his wife finally got fed up with his unfaithfulness!”
- A.
Vagueness
- B.
Undistributed Middle
- C.
Appeal to Authority
- D.
Straw Man
- E.
False Cause
- 7.Jake, Kyle and Rolf are all members of the UNCP Young Republicans, and they are all planning to be Roman Catholic priests. Emma is also a member of the UNCP Young Republicans, so she is probably planning to be a Roman Catholic priest, too.
- A.
Equivocation
- B.
Undisputed Middle
- C.
Red Herring
- D.
Questionable Use of Statistics
- E.
Appeal to Authority
- 8.I have a right to speak. What is right ought to be done. So I ought to speak.
- A.
Genetic Fallacy
- B.
Red Herring
- C.
Questionable Use of Statistics
- D.
Vagueness
- E.
Equivocation
- 9.Poetry is based on rhythm, and music is based on rhythm, so isn't poetry a kind of music?
- A.
Straw Man
- B.
Undistributed Middle
- C.
Equivocation
- D.
Appeal to Authority
- E.
False Cause
- 10.The Soviet Union collapsed after taking up atheism. Therefore, we must avoid atheism for the same reasons.
- A.
Questionable Use of Statistics
- B.
Equivocation
- C.
Straw Man
- D.
False Cause
- E.
Suppressed Evidence
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