The Fallacy Game Kemp
(20).webp "The Fallacy Game Kemp - Quiz")
This is a quiz game designed to teach students how to identify logical fallacies in an argument. The fallacies covered are "Begging the Question, False Analogy, Ad Hominem (Personal Attack), Hasty or Sweeping Generality, Either/Or, Red Herring, Equivocation, Slippery Slope, Appeal to Doubtful Authority, Misuse of Statistics, Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (After this therefore because of this) , Non Sequiter (It doesn't follow) and Bandwagon (Ad Populum).
Questions and Answers
- 1.
Defense Attorney: This young man could not possibly have killed his parents, because he is now an orphan.
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Begging the question
- C.
False Cause
- D.
None of the above
Correct Answer
B. Begging the questionExplanation
This is an example of circular logic because the defense is arguing that the boy can't have killed his parents, because their death makes him an orphan.Rate this question:
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- 2.
http://youtu.be/0E8YbgrN5FU
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Begging the question
- C.
False cause
- D.
Slippery Slope
Correct Answer
D. Slippery Slope -
- 3.
How is a raven like a writing desk?Because Poe wrote on both.
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Weak Analogy
- C.
Bandwagon
- D.
Begging the question
Correct Answer
B. Weak AnalogyExplanation
Some arguments from analogy are based on analogies that are so weak that the argument is too weak for the purpose to which it is put. How strong an argument needs to be depends upon the context in which it occurs, and the use that it is intended to serve. Thus, in the absence of other evidence, and as a guide to further research, even a very weak analogical argument may be strong enough. Therefore, while the strength of an argument from analogy depends upon the strength of the analogy in its premises, it is not solely determined by that strength.Rate this question:
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- 4.
Http://youtu.be/ZrnbyMx58n4?t=2s
- A.
Ad Hominem
- B.
Slippery Slope
- C.
Red Herring
- D.
All of the above
Correct Answer
A. Ad HominemExplanation
An Ad Hominem attack is an attack on the character of your opponent rather than the issue at hand.Rate this question:
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- 5.
…[I]f once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination. Once begin upon this downward path, you never know where you are to stop. Many a man has dated his ruin from some murder or other that perhaps he thought little of at the time.
- A.
Weak Analogy
- B.
Slippery Slope
- C.
Equivocation
- D.
None of the above
Correct Answer
B. Slippery SlopeExplanation
This type is based upon the claim that a controversial type of action will lead inevitably to some admittedly bad type of action. It is the slide from A to Z via the intermediate steps B through Y that is the "slope", and the smallness of each step that makes it "slippery".
This type of argument is by no means invariably fallacious, but the strength of the argument is inversely proportional to the number of steps between A and Z, and directly proportional to the causal strength of the connections between adjacent steps. If there are many intervening steps, and the causal connections between them are weak, or even unknown, then the resulting argument will be very weak, if not downright fallacious.Rate this question:
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- 6.
Gerda Reith is convinced that superstition can be a positive force. "It gives you a sense of control by making you think you can work out what's going to happen next," she says. "And it also makes you feel lucky. And to take a risk or to enter into a chancy situation, you really have to believe in your own luck. In that sense, it's a very useful way of thinking, because the alternative is fatalism, which is to say, 'Oh, there's nothing I can do.' At least superstition makes people do things."
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Weak Analogy
- C.
Equivocation
- D.
Either/or fallacy
Correct Answer
D. Either/or fallacyExplanation
The problem with this fallacy is not formal, but is found in its disjunctive—"either-or"—premise: an argument of this type is fallacious when its disjunctive premise is fallaciously supported.Rate this question:
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- 7.
"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."
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Weak Analogy
- C.
Equivocation
- D.
Begging the question
Correct Answer
A. Red HerringExplanation
A Red Herring is a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to "win" an argument by leading attention away from the argument and to another topic. This sort of "reasoning" has the following form:
1. Topic A is under discussion.
2. Topic B is introduced under the guise of being relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not relevant to topic A).
3. Topic A is abandoned.
This sort of "reasoning" is fallacious because merely changing the topic of discussion hardly counts as an argument against a claim.Rate this question:
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- 8.
"If you do not buy this type of pet food, you are neglecting your dog."
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Misuse of Statistics
- C.
Equivocation
- D.
Non Sequitur
Correct Answer
D. Non SequiturExplanation
The statement "If you do not buy this type of pet food, you are neglecting your dog" is an example of a non sequitur. A non sequitur is a logical fallacy where the conclusion does not follow logically from the premises or evidence provided. In this case, there is no direct or logical connection between not buying a specific type of pet food and neglecting a dog. The statement makes an unsupported and illogical leap in reasoning.Rate this question:
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- 9.
Http://youtu.be/nG4IX5jBc4Q
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Bandwagon
- C.
Equivocation
- D.
Non Sequitur
Correct Answer
B. BandwagonExplanation
Advertising is a rich source of Bandwagon arguments, with many products claiming to be "number 1" or "most popular", even though this is irrelevant to the product's merits.Rate this question:
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- 10.
More and more young people are attending high schools and colleges today than ever before. Yet there is more juvenile delinquency and more alienation among the young. This makes it clear that these young people are being corrupted by their education.
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Bandwagon
- C.
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
- D.
Non Sequitur
Correct Answer
C. Post Hoc, Ergo Propter HocExplanation
Post hoc ergo propter hoc, Latin for "after this, therefore because of this", is a logical fallacy (of the questionable cause variety) that states, "Since that event followed this one, that event must have been caused by this one." It is often shortened to simply post hoc and is also sometimes referred to as false cause, coincidental correlation, or correlation not causation. It is subtly different from the fallacy cum hoc ergo propter hoc, in which the chronological ordering of a correlation is insignificant.Rate this question:
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- 11.
A feather is light.What is light cannot be dark.Therefore, a feather cannot be dark.
- A.
Equivocation
- B.
Bandwagon
- C.
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
- D.
Non Sequitur
Correct Answer
A. EquivocationExplanation
In this use of equivocation, the word "light" is first used as the opposite of "heavy", but then used as a synonym of "bright" (the fallacy usually becomes obvious as soon as one tries to translate this argument into another language). Because the "middle term" of this syllogism is not one term, but two separate ones masquerading as one (all feathers are indeed "not heavy", but it is not true that all feathers are "bright"), this type of equivocation is actually an example of the fallacy of four terms.Rate this question:
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- 12.
Four out of five dentists recommend brand X gum, choose the gum that most dentists think is better for your teeth.
- A.
You also (Tu Quoque)
- B.
Misuse of Statistics
- C.
Appeal to Doubtful Authority
- D.
Slippery Slope
Correct Answer
B. Misuse of StatisticsExplanation
The given statement is an example of the "Misuse of Statistics" fallacy. It claims that four out of five dentists recommend brand X gum, implying that it is the best choice for dental health. However, this statistic does not provide any evidence or reasoning behind why these dentists recommend brand X gum. It could be based on personal preferences, biased opinions, or even a paid endorsement. Therefore, the statement is misleading and does not provide a valid argument for choosing brand X gum.Rate this question:
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- 13.
Http://youtu.be/HQ-CDE_r_wg
- A.
False Analogy
- B.
False Cause
- C.
Begging the question
- D.
Red Herring
Correct Answer
A. False AnalogyExplanation
Notice that driving a car other than a Kia is compared to just running on a hamster wheel - boring and monotonous. There are very few similarities between running on a hamster wheel and driving a car.Rate this question:
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- 14.
Http://youtu.be/xYgFjBDoHNA
- A.
False Analogy
- B.
False Cause
- C.
Appeal to Doubtful Authority
- D.
Begging the question
Correct Answer
B. False CauseExplanation
This commercial implies that professional sport got better because athletes started drinking Gatorade rather than water.Rate this question:
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- 15.
Birds normally can fly. Tweety the Penguin is a bird. Therefore, Tweety can fly.
- A.
Circular Reasoning
- B.
Sweeping generalization
- C.
Appeal to Doubtful Authority
- D.
None of the Above
Correct Answer
B. Sweeping generalizationExplanation
The given argument is an example of a sweeping generalization. The argument assumes that all birds can fly based on the premise that birds normally can fly. However, this assumption is incorrect as not all birds have the ability to fly. Penguins, like Tweety, are flightless birds. Therefore, the argument is making a broad generalization without considering the specific characteristics of different bird species.Rate this question:
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Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.
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Current Version
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May 11, 2023Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team -
Nov 21, 2014Quiz Created by
Mrskemp
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