Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Identifying Logical Fallacies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A professor argues: 'Natural herbal remedies are always safer than synthetic drugs because they come from nature.' This is an example of which fallacy?
- Appeal to nature (Correct answer)
- Hasty generalization
- False dilemma
- Ad hominem
Correct answer: Appeal to nature
Appeal to nature incorrectly assumes that natural things are inherently good or safe and synthetic things are inferior or harmful.
Question 2: A candidate states: 'Senator Marsh supports reducing military spending, which proves she wants America to be weak and vulnerable to attack.' Which fallacy is present?
- Equivocation
- Straw man (Correct answer)
- Slippery slope
- Bandwagon
Correct answer: Straw man
This straw man misrepresents supporting budget reduction as wanting national weakness, which is a distortion of the original position.
Question 3: An article claims: 'After the city installed new streetlights, crime dropped by 15%. The streetlights caused the crime reduction.' Which fallacy does this illustrate?
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc (Correct answer)
- Hasty generalization
- Equivocation
- Appeal to authority
Correct answer: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Post hoc ergo propter hoc incorrectly concludes that because B followed A, A must have caused B, ignoring other possible explanations.
Question 4: A nutritionist says: 'Studies funded by the sugar industry show sugar is safe in moderate amounts. But of course, they would say that — they're paid by the industry.' Which fallacy is this an example of?
- Straw man
- Genetic fallacy (Correct answer)
- Appeal to nature
- Red herring
Correct answer: Genetic fallacy
The genetic fallacy dismisses evidence based solely on its source or origin rather than evaluating the actual validity of the studies themselves.
Question 5: A debater concludes: 'You haven't been able to prove that extraterrestrial life doesn't exist, so it must exist.' Which fallacy is this?
- Circular reasoning
- Appeal to ignorance (Correct answer)
- False dilemma
- Slippery slope
Correct answer: Appeal to ignorance
Appeal to ignorance (argumentum ad ignorantiam) treats the absence of disproof as positive evidence for a claim.
Question 6: A CEO says: 'Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Hall endorses our investment strategy, so it must be sound.' Which fallacy does this represent?
- Bandwagon
- False cause
- Appeal to authority (Correct answer)
- Hasty generalization
Correct answer: Appeal to authority
Appeal to authority is fallacious when the authority cited is outside their domain of expertise or when expert opinion is used as a substitute for evidence.
Question 7: A student argues: 'Cheating on exams is wrong because it's dishonest, and dishonesty is wrong because it's a form of cheating.' Which fallacy does this commit?
- Red herring
- Circular reasoning (Correct answer)
- Equivocation
- Ad hominem
Correct answer: Circular reasoning
Circular reasoning (begging the question) uses the conclusion as a premise to support itself, creating a logically closed loop with no independent justification.
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Identifying Logical Fallacies 3
A professor argues: 'Natural herbal remedies are always safer than synthetic drugs because they come from nature.' This is an example of which fallacy?