Week 12 Quiz

Which description fits credibility, as the course uses the term?

Select one.

• How far a source deserves trust on one claim, judged by its expertise in that field, its track record, its independence, and the evidence it shows
• How widely a source is shared and liked online, judged by how many people have repeated its claim, how quickly it spread, and how many sites now carry it
• How professional a source looks, judged by its design, its spelling, its logo, and whether its citations are set out in correct format
• How famous a source is, judged by how many people already know its name and how often it appears in public as an expert on many subjects

An illustrative passage from the course's fallacy set reads: "A famous actor says this herbal supplement cures colds, so it works." Which fallacy does the passage commit?

Select one.

• The attack on the person (ad hominem), because the passage judges the supplement by a fact about the actor
• The appeal to unqualified authority (ad verecundiam), because acting is not expertise in medicine
• The appeal to popularity (ad populum), because the actor is well liked by a great many people
• The red herring, because the passage changes the subject from colds to the actor's fame

An event planner moves an outdoor event indoors because a national weather service forecasts a storm along that path (illustrative). Why is this a reasonable appeal to authority rather than an appeal to unqualified authority?

Select one.

• Any appeal to an expert is a fallacy, so the planner's reasoning is unqualified authority as well
• The service is a government body, and a government body is a reliable source on every subject
• The forecast is on a question in the service's own field, and it passes all four credibility questions
• The planner is moving the event to be safe, and caution makes any appeal to authority reasonable

The running question's objection says losing sleep can hurt exam performance. In an illustrative trace, a campus newsletter repeats the claim and cites a news story, and the news story cites a study. Which link in this chain is the primary source?

Select one.

• The campus newsletter, because it is where the claim was first read
• The news story, because it reports the finding to the public
• Both the newsletter and the news story, because both repeat it
• The study, because it is the original record of the research

The running question's cost premise says overnight hours for finals week cost about 1,600 dollars. Its inputs are 2 staff, 8 hours a night, 5 nights, and 20 dollars an hour (illustrative). Rebuilt from these inputs, what is the overnight cost?

Select one.

• 1,600 dollars, so the figure matches its inputs
• 800 dollars, so the figure is double its inputs
• 3,200 dollars, so the figure is half its inputs
• 160 dollars, so the figure is ten times its inputs

An illustrative sales page for a supplement says "a study proves it works" and links nothing. Independent sources describe the site as the seller's own store. Which two credibility questions does the page fail?

Select one.

• Relevant expertise and track record, because a store cannot know about health
• Independence from the outcome and evidence shown, because the seller profits and the study is only asserted
• Track record and independence from the outcome, because new stores have no history and every seller is biased
• Relevant expertise and evidence shown, because only a doctor may describe a study

A library staff member wrote, "Opening overnight would be a mistake unless the library adds staff for safety." A post quotes only "Opening overnight would be a mistake." (illustrative) Which description fits the post's quotation?

Select one.

• It is fabricated, because the staff member never wrote those words
• It is accurate and fair, because every word in it appears in the original
• It is accurate word for word and misleading in meaning, because the cut removes a condition
• It is a straw man committed by the staff member, who was answering a weaker version of someone else's view

A chatbot answer cites a journal article with authors, a title, and a year, all in correct format (illustrative). A search of the named journal and of a library database finds no such article. What should you conclude?

Select one.

• The citation is real, because a citation in correct format is reliable
• The article is a secondary source, so it was never meant to be found
• The article exists but is hidden, so the claim it supports is safe to repeat
• The citation is fabricated, however real its format makes it look

A call sounds exactly like a relative in trouble who asks you to send money right away. What did the Federal Trade Commission's 2023 consumer alert on AI voice cloning advise?

Select one.

• Call the person back on a number you know is theirs before acting
• Call back the number that called you and ask the caller to confirm the story
• Send a small amount first to test whether the caller is honest
• Trust the call if the voice sounds exactly like your relative

An illustrative supplement sales page fails two of the four credibility questions: the seller profits from the claim, and the study it cites is only asserted. What follows from that failed source check?

Select one.

• The supplement does not work, because a failed check proves the claim false
• The page has given no good reason to believe the claim, which could still be true or false
• The seller is lying, because a source with a conflict of interest cannot tell the truth
• The claim is proven true once one independent source repeats it word for word