STAT Argument and Evidence Analysis 4

Question 1

A columnist writes: 'Either we allow unlimited immigration or our culture will disappear.' This argument commits which fallacy?

Accepted Answer

False dichotomy

Answer

Presenting only two extreme options while ignoring the many intermediate policy positions is a false dichotomy.

Question 2

A graph shows ice cream sales and drowning deaths both peak in summer. A commentator concludes that ice cream causes drowning. What is the most likely explanation for this correlation?

Accepted Answer

Hot weather independently increases both ice cream consumption and swimming.

Answer

A confounding variable — hot weather — explains both trends without any causal link between ice cream and drowning.

Question 3

Which of the following most strengthens the argument that a reading program improved literacy rates in a school district?

Accepted Answer

A comparable district without the program showed no improvement over the same period.

Answer

A control group that did not receive the intervention and showed no improvement helps isolate the program as the cause.

Question 4

An argument is described as 'valid but unsound.' This means:

Accepted Answer

The logical structure is correct but at least one premise is false.

Answer

Validity refers to logical structure; soundness also requires true premises — a valid argument with a false premise is unsound.

Question 5

A reviewer dismisses a study on climate change because it was funded by an environmental group. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Ad hominem (circumstantial)

Answer

Rejecting a claim based on the alleged bias of its source rather than its methodology is a circumstantial ad hominem.

STAT - Special Tertiary Admissions Test Practice Test

STAT - Special Tertiary Admissions Test Practice Test

STAT Argument and Evidence Analysis 4