TSA Critical Thinking & Logical Reasoning Flashcards

Which of the following is an example of an 'ad hominem' fallacy?

Answer: 'You can't trust his economic analysis — he never finished college'

Ad hominem attacks the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

In TSA, a 'necessary condition' for an event means:

Answer: The condition must be present for the event to occur, but doesn't guarantee it

A necessary condition must be present for an outcome to occur, but its presence alone does not guarantee the outcome.

Which of the following best represents inductive reasoning?

Answer: Every sample tested contained the compound, so it is probably present throughout

Inductive reasoning draws probable general conclusions from specific observations.

A student claims: 'No one has disproved my theory, so it must be correct.' This is an example of:

Answer: Argument from ignorance

Arguing that something is true because it has not been proven false is the argument from ignorance fallacy.

What is a 'straw man' fallacy?

Answer: Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack

A straw man fallacy involves distorting or exaggerating an opponent's position to make it easier to defeat.

In evaluating an argument, 'scope' refers to:

Answer: How broadly or narrowly the conclusion applies

Scope describes the range of situations or cases to which the conclusion is meant to apply.