RA101Exam2StudyGuideSP17

Study Guide for Exam #2 **** Anything covered in the PowerPoint presentations or in class is fair game so be sure to review the handouts and your notes! **** **Review in-class and starred exercises** Definitions Fallacies of Failed Induction (Chapter 7) There have been as many as three recent examples of perfectly sane people who got themselves acquitted of murder by pleading “not guilty by reason of insanity.” Thus the “insanity” defense is nothing more than a legal technicality that allows dangerous criminals to evade the law. This argument is which of the following? A. Hasty generalization B. Faulty analogy C. False cause D. Appeal to ignorance E. Appeal to unqualified authority Can we have out-of-body experiences, whereby our spirits actually leave our bodies? Let’s remember that people once scoffed at the idea that the sound of the human voice could be transmitted through air without wires, and that humans would walk on the moon. This argument is which of the following? A. Hasty generalization B. Faulty analogy C. False cause D. Appeal to ignorance E. Appeal to unqualified authority As Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates pointed out, computers running on Microsoft operating systems are the right products to buy at this time. This argument is which of the following? A. Hasty generalization B. Faulty analogy C. False cause D. Appeal to ignorance E. Appeal to unqualified authority An early outbreak of Ebola virus in Sudan occurred in a cotton factory filled with farm animals. Unaware that the infection was the result of a virus, people linked such outbreaks to the presence of farm animals. This argument is which of the following? A. Hasty generalization B. Faulty analogy C. False cause D. Appeal to ignorance E. Appeal to unqualified authority Several respected European journalists reporting from Chechnya have found no evidence of covert CIA support of the rebels there. So we may conclude with confidence that the civil strife in Chechnya is not due in any way to involvement by the CIA. This argument is which of the following? A. Hasty generalization B. Faulty analogy C. False cause D. Appeal to ignorance E. Appeal to unqualified authority

Fallacies of Presumption (Chapter 8) We cannot fix all that is wrong with this world. As a result, there is no hope for future generations, since either we can fix all that is wrong with this world or there is no hope for future generations. This argument is which of the following? A. Begging the question B. Complex question C. False alternatives D. Accident Successful politicians usually come from a background of wealth and privilege. Abraham Lincoln was a successful politician, so he must have come from a background of wealth and privilege. This argument is which of the following? A. Begging the question B. Complex question C. False alternatives D. Accident How much longer will we allow taxpayer dollars to be spent on such a wasteful program? This argument is which of the following? A. Begging the question B. Complex question C. False alternatives D. Accident Frank gave testimony under oath at the trial after being sworn in. Therefore, Frank was at the trial. This argument is which of the following? A. Begging the question B. Complex question C. False alternatives D. Accident Fallacies of Unclear Language (Chapter 9) Taking this class will lead you to be a more critical thinker! Before you know it, you will be a professional philosopher! This argument is which of the following? A. Slippery slope B. Heap Paradox C. Equivocation D. Composition E. Division We can’t really say that she’s rich. I mean, at what point does a person really become rich? This argument is which of the following? A. Slippery slope B. Heap Paradox C. Equivocation D. Composition E. Division People who go to those types of parties are trouble-makers. Jim, who was at one of those parties, is a trouble-maker. This argument is which of the following? A. Slippery slope B. Heap Paradox C. Equivocation D. Composition

H. Genetic fallacy The entire student body is enraged about this issue so you should sign this petition. This argument is which of the following? A. Appeal to pity B. Appeal to force C. Appeal to emotion D. Ad hominem E. Beside the point F. Straw man G. Appeal to tradition H. Genetic fallacy You must tell your children that Santa exists. After all, it is an age-old practice for children to believe in Santa. This argument is which of the following? A. Appeal to pity B. Appeal to force C. Appeal to emotion D. Ad hominem E. Beside the point F. Straw man G. Appeal to tradition H. Genetic fallacy Beagles don’t make good pets considering that they are hound dogs. This argument is which of the following? A. Appeal to pity B. Appeal to force C. Appeal to emotion D. Ad hominem E. Beside the point F. Straw man G. Appeal to tradition H. Genetic fallacy I will never forgive you if you don’t show up. This argument is which of the following? A. Appeal to pity B. Appeal to force C. Appeal to emotion D. Ad hominem E. Beside the point F. Straw man G. Appeal to tradition H. Genetic fallacy The theory of evolution boils down to the idea that human beings are descended from apes. This argument is which of the following? A. Appeal to pity B. Appeal to force C. Appeal to emotion D. Ad hominem E. Beside the point F. Straw man G. Appeal to tradition H. Genetic fallacy

Categories of fallacies Watch the following video clip… [DirectTV “Opulence, I has it”] This argument is which of the following fallacy categories? A. Fallacies of Failed Induction B. Fallacies of Presumption C. Fallacies of Unclear Language D. Fallacies of Relevance Fallacy or not After I die, I do not want to get cremated because of that one awful story I heard on the news where a crematorium got their license revoked after mixing up bodies and not keeping the remains of different people separate. Is this argument a fallacy or not? A. Yes B. No