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Fallacies from Chapter 5 - 5469

Fallacy Exercises on Chapter 5

INSTRUCTIONS: Name the most prominent fallacy and give a brief explanation. Write down your answers and then see next page for my answers. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE NEXT PAGE UNTIL YOU HAVE WRITTEN DOWN YOUR ANSWERS TO THIS EXERCISE!


1. Women, like the land, have been traditionally fought over by men. To the victor go the spoils. So, amongst the class of things called booty, men find their wives.

2. I’ve noticed that many of my friends that seem to suffer from nervous tension, are people who drink coffee. It seems clear that coffee drinking causes nervous tension.

3. She’s wearing old clothes and her hair is unkempt. She must be a street person.

4.We’re gonna have trouble with the new paper boy, honey. He’s been late twice already.

5. Hey, let’s start shopping at Safeway. It’s a whole lot cheaper. Yesterday I was there and found carrots at 29 a pound, potatoes at 39 cents a pound, spinach for 49 cents, and a giant cauliflower for $1.19.

6. Senator: “I make $100,000 a year and that puts me in the lower middle class.”

7. We never had any problems with our computer until Jerry showed up at our house. He's to blame for the computer problem now.

8. The prosperity of the rich comes from hard work. After all, our country is based on the principles of hard work and free enterprise. The wealthy deserve the fruits of the hard labor they had to undergo to get what they have.

9. Since each scene of the play “Evita” was good, I can assume that “Evita” was a good play.

10. Microsoft is a very important corporation and I hear that Joe works there. He must be a very important person.

11. Nobody working at the cafeteria is making over $10 an hour. Jannean works there. So, she must be making $10 an hour or less.

12. Blaming violent television shows and movies for violent behavior in people is like blaming subways because some people get mugged in them.

13. In 1995, I hitchhiked across the country. On the way, I met helpful people everywhere I went except in Oklahoma, where people were suspicious and unkind. Except in Oklahoma, this is a friendly country.

14. Most Americans buy new computers every 1-2 years and new houses every 4-6 years.

15. Mike and Sean make up the best doubles pair on the tennis team. So, I assume they are also the best singles players on the team.

16. I read in Time Magazine where the U.S. has 3% of the world’s population and uses 75% of the world’s raw materials and energy.

17. I've gone out with two women in my life and they rejected me. Thus, women will always reject me.

18. Alcoholics tend to be malnourished. So, being malnourished is at least one cause for becoming an alcoholic.

19. Fords are great vehicles. All of my friends who had a Ford Taurus thought so and I once drove a Ford Explorer.

20. We spend at least 10 times as much on Corporate Welfare as we do on Welfare for the poor, and they’re cutting the latter. Don’t you think fairness requires that we cut Corporate Welfare as well?

21. Molly must listen to KMGG. She’s got a KMGG sticker on her car bumper.

22. Ray is not someone who you want to associate with. All you have to do is look at him to know what kind of a person he is.

23. Billions of dollars in private-sector scholarships and grants go unused every year.

24. Each day thousands of people are violating our borders and our laws. and Washington actually rewards these lawbreakers by forcing states to give them benefits paid for by the taxpayers. That's like giving free room service to someone who breaks into a hotel.