fallacies

Question 1

Red Herring

Answer 1

speaker skips to a new and irrelevant topic in order to avoid the topic of discussion in an attempt to distract or confuse the audience

Question 2

Ad Hominem

Answer 2

switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker

Question 3

Faulty Analogy

Answer 3

an analogy in which the things being compared aren’t equal or comparable; saying if two things are alike in one regard, they must be alike in other ways

Question 4

Ad Populum (bandwagon)

Answer 4

based on the assumption that something must be good and/or true because it’s in accordance with the beliefs/actions of the majority

Question 5

Slippery Slope

Answer 5

the fallacy of dire consequences; it assumes that one choice will necessarily lead to a cascading series of bad choices/outcomes

Question 6

Post Hoc Ergo/”False Cause”

Answer 6

link between the premises and conclusion depends on some imagine casual connection that probably does not exist (correlation does not imply causation; coincidences)

Question 7

Straw Man

Answer 7

speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an opponent’s viewpoint (sets up a different issue that’s easier to argue)

Question 8

Either/Or

Answer 8

speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices (ultimatum)

Question 9

Reductio Ad Absurdum

Answer 9

reducing an argument to absurdity, involves characterizing an opposing argument in such a way that it seems to be ridiculous, or the consequences of the position seem ridiculous

Question 10

Hasty Generalization

Answer 10

not enough evidence to support a particular conclusion (stereotypes)

Question 11

Circular Reasoning

Answer 11

repeating the claim as a way to provide evidence, resulting in no evidence at all (comes back to beginning without having proven anything)

Question 12

Appeal to Ignorance

Answer 12

a claim that something must be true because it hasn’t been proven false, can also be a claim that something must be false because it hasn’t been proven true

Question 13

Appeal to Flattery

Answer 13

flattering the reader or audience to make yourself and your argument more appealing

Question 14

Appeal to Pity

Answer 14

(pathos) someone tries to win support for an argument or idea by exploiting one’s opponent’s feelings of pity or guilt