CLT Logic and Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which fallacy occurs when someone attacks the character of an opponent rather than addressing the argument itself?
- Straw man
- Ad hominem (Correct answer)
- False dilemma
- Slippery slope
Correct answer: Ad hominem
Ad hominem (Latin: 'against the person') redirects criticism from the argument to the person making it.
Question 2: 'Either you support this policy completely, or you are against all progress.' This statement commits which fallacy?
- Circular reasoning
- Appeal to authority
- False dilemma (Correct answer)
- Hasty generalization
Correct answer: False dilemma
A false dilemma (false dichotomy) artificially limits options to two when more alternatives exist.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of a valid deductive argument?
- Most birds fly; penguins are birds; therefore penguins fly
- All mammals are warm-blooded; whales are mammals; therefore whales are warm-blooded (Correct answer)
- It usually rains in April; it is April; therefore it will rain today
- Many successful people exercise; I exercise; therefore I will be successful
Correct answer: All mammals are warm-blooded; whales are mammals; therefore whales are warm-blooded
The whale argument is valid because the conclusion follows necessarily from its universal premises.
Question 4: The slippery slope fallacy wrongly assumes that:
- One event will inevitably lead to extreme, often unwarranted consequences (Correct answer)
- The arguer's premises are identical to the conclusion
- Popular opinion determines what is true
- Correlation between two events proves causation
Correct answer: One event will inevitably lead to extreme, often unwarranted consequences
A slippery slope argument leaps from one action to a chain of catastrophic outcomes without sufficient causal justification.
Question 5: Which fallacy dismisses an argument based solely on the origin or source of the claim rather than its content?
- Appeal to nature
- Genetic fallacy (Correct answer)
- Tu quoque
- Bandwagon
Correct answer: Genetic fallacy
The genetic fallacy judges an argument's truth by its origin rather than by its logical merit.
Question 6: A sound argument is one that is:
- Valid and has true premises (Correct answer)
- Persuasive and emotionally compelling
- Supported by expert testimony
- Consistent with widely held beliefs
Correct answer: Valid and has true premises
Soundness requires both formal validity (the conclusion follows) and material truth (the premises are actually true).
Question 7: 'We have always done it this way' is a classic example of which fallacy?
- Appeal to authority
- Appeal to novelty
- Appeal to tradition (Correct answer)
- Begging the question
Correct answer: Appeal to tradition
An appeal to tradition (argumentum ad antiquitatem) treats long-standing practice as sufficient justification for a claim.
CLT Logic and Ethics 2
Which fallacy occurs when someone attacks the character of an opponent rather than addressing the argument itself?