English 102                                                                 Name:___________________

 

 

Let’s play NAME THAT FALLACY!

 

Directions:  Using the Logical and Critical Thinking—Fallacies and Sophistries chapter in our course packet along with your common sense, identify the errors in the following examples.  Many of these examples may hold more than one error.

 

 

1.  A TV Commercial:  I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the hit TV series.  You can take it from me that when you need a fast acting, effective and safe pain killer there is nothing better than PainAway 2018. That is my considered medical opinion.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

2. My dad used to suffer from terrible headaches.  When he got one, he would “starve it out” by not eating.  Sure enough, seven to eight hours after he stopped eating, his headache would be gone.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

3. Smith, who is from England, decides to attend graduate school at Ohio State University.  He has never been to the US before.  The day after he arrives, he is walking back from an orientation session and sees two white (albino) squirrels chasing each other around a tree. In his next letter home, he tells his family that American squirrels are white.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

4. Applicant to employer: "I'm positive that my work will meet your requirements.  But more important, I really need the job since my grandmother is sick."

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

5. Betha thinks, “My last two boyfriends were totally sexist pigs.  I guess all men are like that!  I’m gonna become a nun!”

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

 

 

6. Heard on a campus: "Yeah, I know some people say that cheating on tests is wrong.  But we all know that everyone does it, so it's okay."

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

7. From a student: "You know, Professor Jones, I really need to get an A in this class.  I'd like to stop by during your office hours later to discuss my grade.  I'll be in your building anyways, visiting my father.  He's your wife’s supervisor, by the way.  I'll see you later."

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

8. Interviewer: "Your resume looks impressive but I need another reference."
Bill: "Jill can give me a good reference."
Interviewer: "Good.  But how do I know that Jill is trustworthy?"
Bill: "Well, because I can vouch for her."

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

9. At a meeting: "Of course the Senator from Maine opposes a reduction in naval spending.  After all, Nautical Ironworks, which produces warships, is in Maine."

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

10. At a debate: "That claim cannot be true.  Dave believes it, and we know how morally repulsive he is."

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

11. When will you stop beating your spouse?

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

12. On TV: Either you support the war in Iraq or you are not a patriot!

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 


13. At a debate: "This theory about a potential cure for cancer has been introduced by a doctor who is a known lesbian feminist.  I don't see why we should extend an invitation for her to speak at the World Conference on Cancer.  After all, what would she know about it?"

 

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

14. Jane gets a rather large wart on her finger.  Based on a story her father told her, she cuts a potato in half, rubs it on the wart, and then buries the potato under the light of a full moon.  Over the next month, her wart shrinks and eventually vanishes.  Jane writes her father to tell him how right he was about the cure.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

15. Beth and Tony are talking:

Beth: "I'll be able to buy that car I always wanted soon."
Tony: "Why, did you get a raise?"
Beth: "No. But you know how I've been playing the lottery all these years?"
Tony: "Yes, you buy a ticket for every drawing, without fail."
Beth: "And I've lost every time."
Tony: "So why do you think you will win this time?"
Beth: "Well, after all those losses I'm due for a win."

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

16. On TV: “Despite thousands of so called ‘sightings,’ no hard evidence for UFO's has ever been produced.  Therefore UFO's don't exist.”

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

17. Likewise, every member of the Republican Party must choose between supporting my economic policies--or losing campaign funds in the next election.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

18. We can communicate easily with distant machines that explore the Moon and Mars.  Why can’t we communicate with one another on Earth and live in peace?

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

19. The health department could not prove that the committee was responsible for the outbreak of salmonella poisoning at the Apple Festival.  Therefore, the committee is not responsible for the outbreak of salmonella poisoning at the Apple Festival.

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

20. The famous film critic Jackson Sawyer writes the following after seeing the new film Twisted Passions on Saturn:

“Whatever you do, don’t miss the new film Twisted Passions on Saturn if you want to get two hours of sleep in a dark room.”

The next week, in a newspaper advertisement for the film we read:

“Whatever you do, don’t miss the new film Twisted Passions on Saturn . . . .   ---Jackson Sawyer

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

21. Undemocratic societies kill the human spirit.  The reason is clear: unless the people have the power in their society, the human spirit withers.

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

22. Laboratory rats get to smoke all of the marijuana they want.  We humans should certainly have more rights than rats, so why can’t we smoke all of the marijuana we want?

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

23. “When we die, we will either go to heaven or hell.”

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

24. “Anyone who teaches English is an obnoxious freak, so that obnoxious freak over there must be an English teacher.”  (Hint: try a Venn Diagram on this one.)

Type of Error? __________________________________________

 

25. People with high-speed internet connections overwhelmingly prefer to shop on-line.  This indicates that Americans are losing their desire to shop at malls, stores, and local retailers.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26. Heard at a presentation:

 

Evolution is false!  How could a mouse evolve into an elephant?  There would have to be billions of changes for that to occur, and nobody has ever seen speciation anyway!  So it's silly . . . who has ever seen a mouse evolve into an elephant?  Nobody!!  Therefore, evolution must be false!

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

27. Heard at a debate:

 

Certainly our country’s Declaration of Independence states that all men are born equal.  But this does not necessarily apply to women.  It is perfectly acceptable to consider that a woman’s equality can be brought into question.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

28. Heard on the floor of Congress:

 

Senator Jones says that we should not fund the new attack submarine program.  I disagree entirely.  I can't understand why he wants to leave us defenseless like that.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

29. Heard at a political meeting:

 

We admit that this proposed spending measure is popular.  However, we also urge you to note that there are so many bond issues on this ballot that the whole thing is getting ridiculous.

 

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

30.  At the end of a presentation on why it is morally wrong to use animals for food and clothing:

 

Bob concludes, Based on the arguments I have presented, it is evident that it is morally wrong to use animals for food or clothing.


Ruth replies, but you are wearing a leather jacket and you have a roast beef sandwich in your hand!  How can you say that using animals for food and clothing is wrong!

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

31. Heard at a debate:

 

Certainly our country’s Declaration of Independence states that all men are born equal.  But this does not necessarily apply to people after they are born.  It is perfectly acceptable to consider that after a person’s birth, his or her equality can be brought into question.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

32. Heard at a presentation:

 

Eastern medicine is far more effective than Western medicine.  Eastern medicine relies on thousands of years of experimentation with natural substances and herbs.  Western medicine, in contrast, claims to be effective because of all of its instruments, high-tech machines, and manufactured chemicals. 

 

What many do not consider is that several cases of quackery and fraud by doctors in the West have been uncovered over time.  These doctors in question steal money from the government by filing false Medicare claims and the like or claiming that they have treated patients when they really haven’t, thus making their patients pay for treatment they did not receive.  When considering the effectiveness of Western medicine, we must first discuss this problem of fraud and quackery.

 

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

33. Heard outside the Lair.

 

Well, I guess that smoking can’t be that bad.  After all, Sally and John smoke.

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

34. Heard outside the Lair:

 

Oh yeah?  Well, if you really think I am wrong then prove it!

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

35.  Heard at a debate on Global Warming:

 

Your solution to Global Warming does not appeal to me.  If we follow your suggestion, we certainly might stop Global Warming in its tracks, but what will we do without thermal-plastics used in automobile tire manufacturing?

 

Type of Error? ___________________________________________

 

 

36. Ralph and Edna are arguing about the morality of abortion.  Let’s listen in:

Ralph: "I believe that abortion is morally acceptable.  After all, a woman should have a right to her own body."
Edna: "I disagree completely.  Dr. Robert Sinclair says that abortion is always morally wrong, regardless of the situation.  He has to be right, after all, he is a respected expert in his field."
Ralph: "I've never heard of Dr. Robert Sinclair.  Who is he?"
Edna: "He's the guy that won the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on cold fusion."
Ralph: "I see.  Does he have any expertise in morality or ethics?"
Edna: "I don't know.  But he's a world famous expert, so I believe him."

Type of Error? ___________________________________________