Identifying Fallacies in Arguments

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Questions and Answers

What characterizes an ad hominem fallacy?

Focusing on the person's character instead of their argument. (correct)

Presenting only two alternatives in a situation.

Attacking the argument rather than the person.

Misrepresenting an argument for easier attack.

Which of the following is an example of a strawman fallacy?

Saying that all politicians are corrupt based on one scandal.

Arguing that a person must be bad because they made a mistake.

Misrepresenting someone's viewpoint to make it easier to criticize. (correct)

Claiming a teacher will ban all trips if one student makes a complaint.

What is a key feature of a loaded question?

It presents only two possible answers.

It uses emotional appeal to sway opinion.

It assumes the answer within the question itself. (correct)

It shifts the burden of proof to the responder.

Which statement is an example of the black or white fallacy?

If you’re not with us, you’re against us. Signup and view all the answers

What does the slippery slope fallacy imply?

One event will lead to a series of negative outcomes. Signup and view all the answers

Which fallacy occurs when one assumes that what is true for a part is true for the whole?

Composition division Signup and view all the answers

How is the burden of proof fallacy characterized?

Imposing a requirement to provide proof for an unchallenged claim. Signup and view all the answers

What does the appeal to emotion fallacy do?

Manipulates feelings to distract from the argument's validity. Signup and view all the answers

What is a fallacy?

A fallacy is reasoning that comes to a conclusion without the evidence to support it. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a type of fallacy that attacks the person making the argument rather than the argument itself?

Ad Hominem Signup and view all the answers

What does the Strawman fallacy involve?

Misrepresenting someone's argument Signup and view all the answers

What is a loaded question?

A loaded question has an assumption built into it, making it difficult to answer without appearing guilty. Signup and view all the answers

Which fallacy suggests that two alternative states are the only possibilities?

Black or White Signup and view all the answers

What does the Slippery Slope fallacy suggest?

It asserts that if A happens, then Z will consequently happen too, therefore A should not happen. Signup and view all the answers

The burden of proof lies with the person making the claim.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is composition division fallacy?

It assumes that what is true about one part of something applies to all or other parts of it. Signup and view all the answers

What is the Bandwagon fallacy?

Appealing to popularity Signup and view all the answers

What is factual evidence?

Factual evidence consists of concrete facts used to support a claim. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of factual evidence?

Speculative Evidence Signup and view all the answers

What types of evidence are considered empirical?

Empirical evidence includes data that have been observed and tested, like scientific research. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of statistical information?

Statistical information is data that have been gathered, sorted, analyzed, interpreted, and presented. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Fallacies: What They Are And How To Identify Them

A fallacy is an argument that draws incorrect conclusions from the evidence presented, often using faulty reasoning or logic
Ad Hominem: Attacks the person making the argument, rather than addressing the argument itself
- Example: "Tony can't be a good president because he was involved in a fight two years ago."
Strawman: Misrepresents someone's argument to make it easier to attack
- Example: "Al Gore believes that all companies are irresponsible and should be punished for emissions."
Loaded Question: Asks a question that contains a built-in assumption, designed to make the person answering look guilty
- Example: "Have you stopped cheating in EAPP class?"
Black or White (False Dichotomy): Presents only two options as possibilities, when in reality, more options exist
- Example: "If you agree with him, then you are against us."
Slippery Slope: Claims that if one event happens, a series of increasingly negative events will inevitably follow
- Example: "If I let you go to the bathroom, you might fall on the stairs, then your parents will complain, etc."
Burden of Proof: Shifts the responsibility of proving a claim to someone else, rather than the person making the claim
- Example: "If you can't prove I stole your bag, then I didn't steal it."
Composition/Division: Assumes that characteristics of a whole apply to its individual parts, or vice-versa
- Example: "This team has a lot of talented individual players, so they must be a great team."
Bandwagon: Appeals to popularity or the fact that many people believe something, suggesting it must be true
- Example: "I wanted to take HUMMS, but all my friends are taking STEM, so I'll take STEM."
Appeal to Emotion: Uses emotional responses to sway someone's opinion instead of providing logical reasons
- Example: "If you let rice fall on the table, the rice will cry, so you shouldn't let it fall."
Arguments aim to prove a point using evidence and reasoning.
Evidence consists of the concrete facts used to support a claim.

Fallacies

A fallacy is reasoning that comes to a conclusion without supporting evidence.
Ad Hominem: Attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.
Strawman: Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.
Loaded Question: Asking a question with an assumption built into it so that it can be answered without appearing guilty.
Black or White (False Dilemma): Presenting two alternative states as the only possibilities when more exist.
Slippery Slope: Asserting that if we allow A to happen, then Z will consequently happen too, therefore A should not happen.
Burden of Proof: Saying that the burden of proof lies with someone else to disprove a claim, rather than the person making the claim.
Composition Division: Assuming that what’s true about one part of something has to be applied to all or other parts of it.
Bandwagon: Appealing to popularity or the fact that many people do something as an attempt of validation.
Appeal to Emotion: Manipulating an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument.

Factual Evidence

Factual evidence is convincing in argumentative essays.
Facts: Things known to be true, such as personal experiences, observations, interviews, which provide empirical or statistical information. These should come from credible sources.
Empirical Evidence: Data that have been observed and tested, examples include experiential data like scientific research and testing.
Statistical Information: Data gathered, sorted, analyzed, interpreted, and presented by scientists.

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Description

This quiz explores various fallacies and teaches you how to identify them in arguments. Understanding these fallacies, such as Ad Hominem and Strawman, can enhance your critical thinking skills. Test your knowledge on logical reasoning and improve your argument analysis abilities.