STAT Evaluating Written Arguments 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An argument states: 'Either we increase defense spending or our nation will be vulnerable to attack.' What fallacy does this commit?
- Slippery slope
- False dilemma (Correct answer)
- Begging the question
- Appeal to tradition
Correct answer: False dilemma
The argument presents only two options while ignoring other possibilities, such as diplomacy or alliances, making it a false dilemma.
Question 2: Which of the following MOST strengthens the argument that regular physical exercise reduces symptoms of depression?
- Many athletes report feeling happy after competition
- A randomised controlled trial found significant symptom reduction in exercising participants versus a control group (Correct answer)
- Ancient Greek philosophers praised physical activity
- Several celebrities have spoken about exercise helping their mental health
Correct answer: A randomised controlled trial found significant symptom reduction in exercising participants versus a control group
A randomised controlled trial with a control group provides the strongest causal evidence because it minimises confounding variables.
Question 3: Passage: 'This policy has been in place for 50 years, so it must be effective.' This argument relies primarily on:
- An appeal to authority
- An appeal to tradition (Correct answer)
- A post hoc fallacy
- An argument from ignorance
Correct answer: An appeal to tradition
The argument assumes something is good or correct simply because it has existed for a long time, which is an appeal to tradition.
Question 4: A writer claims: 'No study has ever proven that this supplement is harmful, so it must be safe.' Which type of fallacy is this?
- Appeal to ignorance (Correct answer)
- Hasty generalisation
- Circular reasoning
- Straw man
Correct answer: Appeal to ignorance
The absence of evidence against the supplement is treated as evidence of its safety, which is an appeal to ignorance.
Question 5: An author argues that social media causes loneliness because lonely people use social media more. What is the most significant logical problem with this argument?
- The evidence is anecdotal
- The argument confuses cause and effect (Correct answer)
- The sample is biased
- The conclusion is overstated
Correct answer: The argument confuses cause and effect
The argument reverses the plausible causal direction — loneliness may lead to more social media use rather than social media causing loneliness.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a valid deductive argument?
- Most swans I have seen are white, so all swans are white
- If all mammals breathe air and whales are mammals, then whales breathe air (Correct answer)
- Doctors recommend this medication, so it works
- This treatment helped my neighbour, so it will help me
Correct answer: If all mammals breathe air and whales are mammals, then whales breathe air
The argument follows a valid syllogism: a universal premise plus a specific case yields a logically necessary conclusion.
Question 7: A health article states: 'Countries with higher chocolate consumption have more Nobel Prize winners per capita.' The author then argues that chocolate boosts brain function. What is the primary flaw?
- Nobel Prizes are not a valid measure of intelligence
- The article does not name the countries involved
- The argument infers causation from a correlational statistic (Correct answer)
- The data about chocolate consumption is self-reported
Correct answer: The argument infers causation from a correlational statistic
A statistical correlation between two variables does not establish that one causes the other; a confounding factor like national wealth could explain both.
STAT Evaluating Written Arguments 3
An argument states: 'Either we increase defense spending or our nation will be vulnerable to attack.' What fallacy does this commit?