Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Identifying Logical Fallacies 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A commentator says: 'My colleague argues we should invest more in renewable energy. Apparently, he thinks we should shut down every fossil fuel plant immediately and destroy millions of jobs.' Which fallacy is this?
- False dilemma
- Straw man (Correct answer)
- Slippery slope
- Equivocation
Correct answer: Straw man
The straw man exaggerates the colleague's actual position (more investment) into an extreme version (immediate shutdown) that is easier to attack.
Question 2: A company defends its labor practices by saying: 'Our overseas workers are paid fairly — they earn more than the average wage in their home country.' Which fallacy may be operating here?
- Red herring
- Equivocation
- False dilemma
- Relative privation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Relative privation
Relative privation (also called 'appeal to worse problems') dismisses a concern by comparing it to a worse situation rather than addressing it on its merits.
Question 3: A speaker says: 'Laws must be followed. Jaywalking is against the law. Therefore, jaywalking is seriously wrong.' The argument equivocates on which term?
- Laws
- Jaywalking
- Wrong (Correct answer)
- Must
Correct answer: Wrong
The equivocation is on 'wrong' — it shifts from 'legally prohibited' (a technical sense) to 'morally wrong' (a normative sense) without justification.
Question 4: A researcher argues: 'Every expert I've consulted agrees climate change is real and human-caused. Therefore, the science is settled.' In critical thinking terms, what risk does this reasoning carry?
- It commits the bandwagon fallacy
- It relies on selective sampling of experts (Correct answer)
- It is an example of post hoc reasoning
- It begs the question
Correct answer: It relies on selective sampling of experts
Consulting only experts one already agrees with (confirmation bias in sampling) can make a false consensus appear unanimous, even if dissenting experts exist.
Question 5: A coach tells athletes: 'Pain is weakness leaving the body. So if training doesn't hurt, you're not getting stronger.' Which fallacy underlies this claim?
- Hasty generalization
- False cause
- Equivocation on 'pain' (Correct answer)
- Appeal to tradition
Correct answer: Equivocation on 'pain'
The phrase equivocates on 'pain,' conflating productive muscle stress with injury or excessive pain, both of which the word covers.
Question 6: A financial advisor says: 'Our fund has outperformed the market for the past five years. Based on this track record, you can be confident it will outperform next year too.' This commits which fallacy?
- Gambler's fallacy
- Hasty generalization (Correct answer)
- Appeal to ignorance
- Slippery slope
Correct answer: Hasty generalization
Five years is a limited sample, and past performance does not logically guarantee future results, making this a hasty generalization from insufficient evidence.
Question 7: An opponent in a debate says: 'We don't need to consider Professor Lin's research on immigration economics — she's an immigrant herself and can't be objective.' Which fallacy is this?
- Genetic fallacy / ad hominem (Correct answer)
- Straw man
- Appeal to authority
- False dilemma
Correct answer: Genetic fallacy / ad hominem
This combines an ad hominem attack with the genetic fallacy — dismissing the research based on the researcher's personal background rather than evaluating the evidence.
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Identifying Logical Fallacies 4
A commentator says: 'My colleague argues we should invest more in renewable energy.
Apparently, he thinks we should shut down every fossil fuel plant immediately and destroy millions of jobs.' Which fallacy is this?