CritThink Follow-up Logical Fallacies Quiz

Speaker A: "We should restrict the sale of assault weapons."

Speaker B: "Why do you want to take away everyone’s guns?”

What logical fallacy, if any, is represented by Speaker B here?

• 
• no fallacy

• 

Answer explanation

Speaker B is using a straw man fallacy by misrepresenting Speaker A's argument as wanting to take away all guns, instead of focusing on the specific issue of restricting assault weapons.

Which fallacy, if any, is represented by Speaker B's response below:

Speaker A: "We need to place more emphasis on physical exercise in elementary schools."

Speaker B: "So, you want us all to be athletes, correct? "

• 
• 
• No fallacy

Answer explanation

Speaker B is using the straw man fallacy by misrepresenting Speaker A's argument as promoting a nation of athletes instead of discussing the pros and cons of physical exercise for elementary school children.

Speaker A: "Regulations to counter the effects of climate change might be burdensome on businesses."

Speaker B: "Why are you denying that climate change exists?"

What logical fallacy, if any, is represented by Speaker B here?

• 
• No fallacy

• 

Answer explanation

Speaker B is using the red herring fallacy by changing the argument's focus to the existence of climate change, which might be considered by many to be more than an exaggeration of Speaker A's argument about the impact of regulations.

A false analogy applies to inductive arguments. Usually, one commits this fallacy when one reasons that if two things, situations, or cases are alike in some ways, then they should be alike in other ways too, without valid justification. We commonly refer to this fallacy as "comparing apples and oranges". Can you find the false analogy below?

• A teacher is to a student as a lighthouse is to a ship.

• If we symbolize our brain as an egg, then our brain on drugs is an egg cooking in a skillet.

True or false? The following statement is a false analogy.

"Faith is like WiFi. It's invisible, but it has the power to connect you to what you need."

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This is false analogy fallacy because faith and WiFi are different in several essential ways.

"Unemployment is caused by raising the minimum wage, period."

What logical fallacy, if any, is present here?

• 
• No fallacy

• 

Answer explanation

The correct logical fallacy present in the statement is False Cause Fallacy, which incorrectly assumes that one event caused another without proper evidence or reasoning.

Every time a train arrives at the station, many passengers are waiting on the platform. You arrive at the station and see many passengers waiting on the platform. A train will arrive soon?

What logical fallacy, if any, is presented here?

• 
• no fallacy

• 

Answer explanation

The logical fallacy presented here is Affirming the Consequent Fallacy, where the assumption that a train will arrive soon is made based on the observation of many passengers waiting on the platform.

Speaker 1: Corporation X invalidated all SAT tests taken last week upon finding that an essay prompt was posted online and went viral last week."

Speaker 2: "Corporation X is a mega-corporation that profits from giving millions of high school students huge amounts of stress each year. They're clearly in the wrong here."

What logical fallacy, if any, is represented by Speaker 2 here?

• 
• 
• No fallacy

Answer explanation

Speaker 2 is using the logical fallacy of 'ad hominem' by attacking Corporation X's character instead of addressing the issue at hand.

"Students taking their phones out during an SAT are like drivers taking their phones out while driving on the highway. It's wrong. You know the rules. You get punished."

What logical fallacy, if any, is present here?

• 
• No fallacy

• 

Answer explanation

The logical fallacy present here is False Analogy, as the comparison between students taking phones out during SAT and drivers taking phones out while driving is not valid.

"If we let kids get away with cheating on a major test like this, it will only be a matter of time before we are just handing them a college degree after attending one lecture."

What logical fallacy, if any, is present here?

• No fallacy

• 
• 

Answer explanation

The correct logical fallacy present in the statement is Slippery Slope Fallacy, as it assumes one event will lead to a chain reaction of negative events without sufficient evidence.