Additional Informal Fallacy Exercises

Identify the following Informal Fallacies:

Appeal to Unqualified Authority, Begging the Question, Appeal to Emotion, Appeal to Popularity, Appeal to Ignorance, Equivocation, Composition, Division, Ad Hominem, Straw Man, and Slippery Slope.

1. Everything that runs has feet. The Columbia River runs very swiftly. Therefore, the Columbia River has feet.

2. Renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman has said, “When it comes to vodka, Smirnoff plays second fiddle to none.” We must therefore conclude that Smirnoff is the best vodka available

3. William Buckley has argued in favor of legalizing drugs such as cocaine and heroin. But Buckley is just another one of these upper-crust intellectuals who is out of touch with real Americans. No sensible person should listen to these pseudo-solutions.

4. Capital punishment is justified for the crimes of murder and kidnapping because it is quite legitimate and appropriate that someone be put to death for having committed such hateful and inhuman acts.

5. Salt is a nonpoisonous compound. Therefore, its component elements, sodium and chlorine, are not poisonous.

6. The secretaries have asked us to provide lounge areas where they can spend their coffee breaks. But if we grant this request, next they’ll be asking for spas and swimming pools. Then it will be tennis courts and fitness centers. So their request should be turned down.

7. Secretary to Boss: I deserve a raise in salary for the coming year. After all, you know how friendly I am with your wife, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want her to find out what’s been going on between you and your client.

8. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay argued that stem-cell research is immoral. But DeLay later resigned due to a bribery scandal. Therefore, it is clear that his argument is nonsense.

9. Reliable polls show that the vast majority of Americans believe in God. Therefore, it is irrational to be an atheist.

10. The TV commentator argued that government should get off the back of the American businessperson. Obviously, he wants to abolish government altogether. Yet without government there would be no defense, no judicial system, no Social Security, and no health and safety regulations. Thus, we can see that the commentator’s argument is absurd.

11. We have a duty to do what is right. We have a right to speak out in defense of the innocent. Therefore, we have a duty to speak out in defense of the innocent.

12. The Brooklyn Bridge is made of atoms. Atoms are invisible. Therefore, the Brooklyn Bridge is invisible.

13. People have been trying for centuries to provide conclusive evidence for the claims of astrology, and no one has ever succeeded. Therefore, astrology is a log of nonsense.

14. Taxpayer to Judge: Your Honor, I admit that I declared thirteen children as dependents on my tax return, even though I have only two. But if you find me guilty of tax evasion, my reputation will be ruined. I’ll probably lose my job, my poor wife will not be able to have the operation that she desperately needs, and my kids will starve. Surely I am not guilty.

15. Dr. Bradshaw, our family physician, has claimed that a sustained nuclear fusion reaction will be achieved within his lifetime. Given his experience as a physician, we must conclude that this is true.

16. Of course you want to buy Zing toothpaste. Why, 90 percent of America brushes with Zing.

17. We don’t dare let the animal rights activists get their foot in the door. If they sell us on the idea that dogs, cats, and dolphins have rights, next it will be chickens and cows. Next it will be worms and insects. This will lead to the decimation of our agricultural industry and the starvation of the human race.

18. Senator Barrow advocates increased Social Security benefits for the poor. It is regrettable that the senator finds it necessary to advocate socialism. Socialism defeats initiative, takes away promised rewards, and leads directly to inefficiency and big government. Clearly, socialism is no good.

19. Picasso is the greatest artist of the twentieth century. We know that this is so because art critics have described him in these terms. These art critics are correct in their assessment because they have a more keenly developed sense of appreciation than the average person. This is true because it takes a more keenly developed sense of appreciation to realize that Picasso is the greatest artist of the twentieth century.

20. The average American family has 2.5 children. The Jones family is an average American family. Therefore the Jones family has 2.5 children.

21. The Dalai Lama argues that China has no business in Tibet and that the West should do something about it. But the Dalai Lama just wants the Chinese to leave so he can return as leader. Naturally he argues this way. Therefore, we should reject his arguments.

22. No one has proved conclusively that America’s nuclear power plants constitute a danger to people living in their immediate vicinity. Therefore, it is perfectly safe to continue to build nuclear power plants near large metropolitan centers.

23. Less gasoline is consumed by a car than by a truck. Therefore, less gasoline is consumed in the United States by cars than by trucks.