Fallacies of Ambiguity Quiz (Group 3) - PY14am

Which of the following best illustrates the fallacy of equivocation?

• All the players on the team are excellent, so the team must be excellent.

• All dogs are animals. All animals need food. Therefore, all dogs need food.

• If it rains, the ground gets wet. It rained yesterday, so the ground is wet today.

• A bat is a flying mammal. A bat is also a piece of sports equipment. Therefore, a flying mammal can be used in baseball.

Answer explanation

The answer is D) because the word "bat" is used twice with two different meanings. But combining the two meanings will form a false conclusion.

Liam claimed the personnel told him "prohibited entry this way" so he went inside. He was confused about why he was kicked out.
What is this type of fallacy?

• Accent/Emphasis

• Contextomy

• Double Entendre

• Amphiboly

Answer explanation

The answer is D) Amphiboly because the sentence is structured poorly, such that Liam might have misinterpreted it as "Prohibited entry — this way," suggesting this is the way to go for prohibited entry.

What type of ambiguous fallacy is shown by the statement/s below?

"All fruits are sweet. Oranges are fruits. Therefore, all oranges are sweet."

• Equivocation

• Division

• Composition

• Amphiboly

Answer explanation

The answer is B) Division because it assumes what's true of the whole (fruits being sweet) must be true of its parts (oranges are sweet).

What type of fallacy is shown here?

"She said we should help the poor."

"She said we should help the poor."

• Accent/Emphasis

• Composition

• Equivocation

• Division

Answer explanation

The answer is A) Accent/Emphasis because the two statements emphasize two different words in pronounciation which produce different implications.

What type of ambiguous fallacy is shown by the statement/s below?

"After finishing the bed frame, the carpenter really nailed it."

• Equivocation

• Figure of Speech Fallacy

• Double Entendre

• Composition

Answer explanation

The answer is C) Double Entendre because 'nailed it' has a double meaning. It could mean the carpenter did a good job or he literally nailed the bed frame.

Which of the following is an example of the fallacy of composition?

• The university is highly ranked, so each student must be highly intelligent.

• The car is very expensive, so each part of the car must be expensive.

• Each member of the band is a talented musician, so the band must make great music.

• The football team is the best in the league, so each player on the team must be the best in the league.

Answer explanation

The answer is D) Composition because from a specific idea (member), it assumes something about a general idea (whole band).

"Women make delicious snacks." This is an example of a…

• Amphiboly

• Division

• Equivocation

• Contextomy

Answer explanation

The answer is A) Amphiboly because "Women make delicious snacks" may be misinterpreted as if women are snacks or ingredients due to bad sentence structure.

Which of the following is NOT an example of Contextomy?

• Misrepresenting a politician's quote

• Ignoring the source of a quote

• Exploiting the internet's tendency to quote "memes" out of context

• Misinterpretation due to shifting the emphasis or tonal stress during pronunciation

Answer explanation

The answer is D) because shifting the emphasis in pronunciation refers to the usage of the Accent (Emphasis) fallacy.

What type of fallacy is shown here?

“He told Steve to stay away from the chicken jockey.”

“He told Steve to stay away from the chicken jockey.”

• Figure of Speech Fallacy

• Amphiboly

• Accent/Emphasis

• Double Entendre

Answer explanation

The answer is C) Accent/Emphasis since 'told' and 'away' are uniquely accented in the same two senteces, but make imply differently from one another.

Which of the following best illustrates the Figure of Speech Fallacy?

• If the sun rises, it will be morning. The sun rose, so it’s morning.

• She said her boss is a snake, so I asked what zoo he escaped from.

• All birds can fly. Penguins are birds. Therefore, penguins can fly.

• "Each brick in this wall is small, so the whole wall must be small."

Answer explanation

The answer is B) because the phrase 'boss is a snake' is a figurative expression, yet it is taken literally in the conclusion.