Week 7 Quiz

Which statement describes a fallacy, as the course uses the word, rather than a false premise?

Select one.

• A premise that is not true, so the argument's content is flawed
• A flaw in the reasoning, so the premises fail to support the conclusion even if they are true
• Any mistaken belief that a speaker holds about the world, whether or not it appears in an argument at all
• An argument whose conclusion turns out to be false

A commuter argues (illustrative): "Every train on this line is electric. This train runs on this line. So this train is electric." In fact, one train on the line runs on diesel. What is the trouble with the argument?

Select one.

• It commits a fallacy of relevance, because its premises do not bear on the conclusion.
• It commits the appeal to popularity, because many trains are electric.
• It has a false premise; its reasoning is valid, so if both premises were true the conclusion would have to be.
• It has no trouble at all, because any argument with a valid form must also have a true conclusion.

Passage (illustrative): "We can ignore the treasurer's budget proposal; she failed a math class in high school." Which fallacy does the passage commit?

Select one.

• The attack on the person (ad hominem)
• The red herring
• The appeal to pity
• The straw man

Passage (illustrative): "My doctor told me to cut back on soda, but she drinks soda herself, so I don't have to listen." Which fallacy does the passage commit?

Select one.

• The circumstantial attack on the person
• The appeal to unqualified authority
• The appeal to popularity
• The you-too (tu quoque)

Passage (illustrative): "A famous actor says this herbal supplement cures colds, so it works." Which description fits the passage?

Select one.

• A reasonable appeal to authority, because the actor is widely trusted
• An appeal to unqualified authority, because acting is not expertise in medicine
• An attack on the person, because the passage turns the reader's attention to a fact about the actor rather than about colds
• Not an argument, because it reports what someone said

Passage (illustrative): "Install our home-security app today, or your family will be the next victims of a break-in." What is the trouble with the passage?

Select one.

• It is the appeal to fear: fear of a break-in is offered in place of evidence that the app works.
• It is a false premise: the app might not work.
• It is fallacious only because it makes the reader afraid, and any argument that stirs up a feeling of fear is a fallacy for that reason alone.
• It is the appeal to popularity: many families use security apps.

Passage (illustrative): "Asked whether the late-night shuttle runs often enough, the spokesperson answers that the shuttles were recently repainted in the school colors." Which fallacy does the passage commit, and why?

Select one.

• The straw man, because it distorts the student's question about the shuttle
• The appeal to popularity, because the school colors are popular
• The red herring, because the new paint is a different issue from how often the shuttle runs
• The attack on the person, because it ignores the student who asked

Which statement about Locke (1690), An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book IV, Chapter 17, fits the course's account?

Select one.

• Locke invented the name ad hominem in 1690 and used it for any insult.
• Locke named ad verecundiam and ad ignorantiam and recorded ad hominem as a name already in use.
• Locke first named the straw man and the red herring in 1843.
• Locke named every fallacy of relevance in this course, including the appeal to popularity and the red herring, in his 1880 essay on reasoning.

The running question's real objection (illustrative) says overnight hours encourage all-night studying, and losing sleep can hurt exam performance. How does an argument map show this objection?

Select one.

• As a box with an arrow marked "against" pointing at the conclusion
• As a premise linked with the other premises in support of the conclusion
• As a supplied premise marked (supplied)
• It does not appear on the map, because an objection is not part of an argument

A city proposes closing one downtown parking lot one morning a week for a farmers' market (illustrative). Before replying, what does the principle of charity ask you to do?

Select one.

• Restate the proposal as "ban cars from downtown" so the reply covers the worst case
• Agree with the proposal before replying, because the principle of charity means accepting whatever view the other side puts forward
• State the proposal in its most reasonable reading, one lot closed one morning a week, and reply to that
• Ignore the proposal's details and reply to the people who support it