FALLACY FEUD

1. FALLACY FEUD • safe • non-toxic • fun for all ages

2. If we attacked Iraq because we thought Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons, then the U.S. should also invade Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Israel, and South Africa. A. appeal to extremes B. non-sequitur C. post hoc D. sweeping generalization E. faulty sign

3. I’m going to wash my car. That way I know it will rain. A. post hoc B. slippery slope C. hasty generalization D. equivocation

4. If the government can ban smoking, what’s next? Will they ban hang-gliding, or bungee jumping too? Will they ban overweight people from eating Hostess Twinkies and Ding Dongs? A. post hoc B. slippery slope C. equivocation D. false dilemma

5. Naomi drives a hybrid car, so she is undoubtedly an environmentalist. A. faulty sign B. faulty cause C. tautology (circular reasoning) D. tu quo que E. slippery slope

6. Capital punishment should be abolished in favor of intensive efforts aimed at rehabilitation. After all, a dog who bites once shouldn't be put to sleep, the dog should be sent to obedience school. A. hasty generalization B. sweeping generalization C. faulty analogy D. begging the question

7. Ernie makes a new year’s resolution to exercise every morning. When his wife notices him reading the newspaper the next morning, she asks why he isn’t exercising. “I’m exercising my mind right now,” he replies. A. sweeping generalization B. non sequitur C. equivocation D. to quo que

8. Ms. Farnsworth, a 3rd grade teacher, can’t believe Biff did so well on his math test. “Which student’s paper did you look at?” she asks him. A. equivocation B. begging the question C. straw man D. sweeping generalization

9. Babbs got a laptop computer last fall and her grades went up. I think I’ll get a laptop too. A. hasty generalization B. post hoc (faulty cause) C. begging the question D. straw man

10. Mom: We’re having turkey for Thanksgiving, because that’s what the pilgrims and Indians had.Child: Yeah, but the pilgrims also had smallpox and it killed most of the Indians. Let’s have pizza instead.The child’s argument is: A. equivocation B. begging the question C. non-sequitur D. tautology

11. Fallacy Feud Round Deux

12. Fifi has just tried a new cleaning product called Amazo Clean. “It worked great on my windows and my stainless steel countertop,” she says, “so it will probably work well on my leather couch too!” A. begging the question B. appeal to the crowd C. appeal to authority D. hasty generalization

13. Mom to son, “I’m not buying you a ‘Spider Man’ lunch pail. If a brown paper bag was good enough for me when I was a kid, it’s good enough for you.” A. faulty analogy B. faulty sign C. red herring D. appeal to tradition E. inconsistency

14. If Bush had sent more troops to Iraq to begin with, the country would be stabilized and peaceful by now. A. inconsistency B. ad hominem C. hypothesis contrary to fact D. appeal to the crowd

15. A burglar is caught in the act of burglarizing a home. He tells the police, “Hey, its a good thing I was here. They left the iron on, which could have burned the whole house down.” A. red herring B. appeal to ignorance C. faulty sign D. sweeping generalization

16. Traffic court defendant: Judge, the sign said “fine for parking here,” so I figured it was O.K. to park there.Judge: Good thing it didn’t say “tear across dotted line.” A. equivocation B. appeal to authority C. tu quo que D. bifurcation

17. Biff played soccer at Damien high school, and they were the best team in their league. So you can bet Biff is a pretty good soccer player.” A. bifurcation B. sweeping generalization C. appeal to the crowd D. straw man

18. Quexotl, an Aztec warrior, tells his chief, “Since we started sacrificing virgins the volcano god has been very happy. There hasn’t been a single eruption.” A. slippery slope B. post hoc (faulty cause) C. false dilemma D. hypothesis contrary to fact

19. If you have a passenger side airbag, a child can get killed. It you don’t have one, an adult can get killed. You can’t win. A. post hoc B. appealing to extremes C. false dilemma D. appeal to authority

20. The NRA is opposed to just about every form of gun control. I suppose they’d get mad if Bush tried to stop North Korea from selling nuclear weapons to Iran. A. post hoc (faulty cause) B. appealing to extremes C. begging the question D. tautology

21. Biff: “Homosexuality is wrong. The Bible says so.”Rex: “Yeah, but the Bible also says we should stone adulterers.”Biff: “That part doesn’t apply nowadays.” A. post hoc (faulty cause) B. faulty sign C. straw man D. inconsistency

22. Fallacy Feud Round the Third

23. Juno is a great movie. It won an Oscar for best screenplay and was nominated for three other Oscars. A. equivocation B. false dilemma C. appeal to tradition D. appeal to authority

24. Proposition 409 is backed by oil companies, so you know it has to be bad for consumers. A. faulty analogy B. ad hominem C. appeal to ignorance D. straw man

25. Timmy to his teacher: “Mrs. Boswell you wouldn’t punish me for something I didn’t do would you?”Mrs. Boswell, “Why no Timmy, of course not.”Timmy: “Good, because I didn’t do my homework last night.” A. sweeping generalization B. non sequitur C. equivocation D. to quo que

26. Southerners tend to be bigoted, and Biff is from Alabama, so Biff is probably a bigot. A. appeal to ignorance B. tu quo que C. sweeping generalization D. hasty generalization

27. A corporate CEO tells a representative from the A.C.L.U. "Let me assure you, there's no sexual harassment going on in our workplace. We have over 300 female employees and not one has filed a grievance." A. red herring B. faulty analogy C. appeal to ignorance D. post hoc

28. Biff Sr: "I want you to share that candy bar with your little brother, Rex." "Biff Jr: O.K., but when I had measles last month, you didn't want me to share them with Rex." A. faulty analogy B. appeal to ignorance C. slippery slope D. bifurcation

29. That's All Folks!