CCTST Logical Fallacies 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: "Studies show Exercise X improves mood, and walking is a form of exercise, so walking must improve mood." This argument is valid but which concern remains?
- It commits a straw man fallacy
- It may involve a hasty generalization about Exercise X
- It is an example of equivocation on 'exercise'
- It commits the fallacy of false equivalence between exercise types (Correct answer)
Correct answer: It commits the fallacy of false equivalence between exercise types
False equivalence assumes all exercises produce identical effects, when 'Exercise X' studied may differ significantly from walking in relevant ways.
Question 2: A defense attorney argues: 'My client cannot be guilty of theft because he is a devoted family man.' Which fallacy is used?
- Appeal to emotion
- Ad hominem (tu quoque)
- Irrelevant conclusion (ignoratio elenchi) (Correct answer)
- Slippery slope
Correct answer: Irrelevant conclusion (ignoratio elenchi)
Ignoratio elenchi presents an argument that is valid on its own but proves a conclusion different from (irrelevant to) what is at issue.
Question 3: Which of the following arguments contains a 'middle term' error (undistributed middle)?
- All cats are animals. All dogs are animals. Therefore, all cats are dogs. (Correct answer)
- All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
- Either it rains or it doesn't. It rained. Therefore, it didn't not-rain.
- If it rains, the ground is wet. The ground is wet. Therefore, it rained.
Correct answer: All cats are animals. All dogs are animals. Therefore, all cats are dogs.
The undistributed middle fallacy occurs when the middle term ('animals') is not distributed in either premise, allowing two unrelated things to be linked.
Question 4: A researcher argues that because two variables correlate statistically, one must cause the other. Which critical thinking error is this?
- Begging the question
- Confusing correlation with causation (Correct answer)
- False dilemma
- Appeal to ignorance
Correct answer: Confusing correlation with causation
Confusing correlation with causation is a reasoning error where a statistical relationship is incorrectly interpreted as proof of a causal link.
Question 5: "We should not adopt this new grading policy because Professor Jones, who proposed it, was once accused of plagiarism." This is best identified as:
- Genetic fallacy
- Abusive ad hominem (Correct answer)
- Tu quoque
- Red herring
Correct answer: Abusive ad hominem
Abusive ad hominem attacks the person's character or reputation to discredit their argument rather than engaging with the argument's merits.
Question 6: In critical thinking, 'begging the question' most precisely means:
- Raising an important question that demands an answer
- Assuming the conclusion within the premises of the argument (Correct answer)
- Avoiding the original question by changing the topic
- Drawing a conclusion before examining all the evidence
Correct answer: Assuming the conclusion within the premises of the argument
Begging the question (petitio principii) is a circular argument where the conclusion is implicitly assumed in one of the premises.
Question 7: "Smoking can't be that harmful — my grandfather smoked a pack a day and lived to 95." Which fallacy does this commit?
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc
- Hasty generalization (Correct answer)
- Appeal to tradition
- False analogy
Correct answer: Hasty generalization
Hasty generalization uses a single anecdotal case to challenge a statistically well-supported conclusion about a large population.
CCTST Logical Fallacies 5
"Studies show Exercise X improves mood, and walking is a form of exercise, so walking must improve mood." This argument is valid but which concern remains?