PHIL140 (01) Critical Thinking

Exam #1: Fallacies, Arguments and Basic Concepts

Instructor: Dr. George Williamson
Date: May 25, 2009
Time: 90 mins

Please: do not begin until told to.

Name: ___________________________________________
Student # (if available): _____________________________

Instructions:
Look over the whole exam: make sure you understand what
is required.
No notes or books allowed. (Exception: dictionary)
Scrap paper allowed.
No talking to neighbors permitted.

Exam breakdown:
A. Fallacies:
B. Arguments:
C. Basic Concepts:

60 points
33 points
17 points
110 points

Part A: Fallacies Choose the one best answer from the selection of fallacy names offered. In the blank space
provided, explain the reasoning in each fallacy.
Scoring: Correct Name = 1 point; Correct Reasoning = 2 points
1. Joe McCarthy (discussing possible Communists in the Trumans State
Department): "Concerning case #40, I do not have much information on this except
the general statement of the agencythat there is nothing in the files to disprove his
Communist connections."

a. False Analogy
b. Appeal to Ignorance
c. Hasty Generalization
d. Hypostatization
e. Appeal to Pity

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2. From city police log book: Sent car 48 out at 11:38 p.m. to kick kids off the roof of
a. Irrelevant Thesis
a downtown furniture store.
b. Amphiboly
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c. Mob Appeal
d. Complex Question
e. False Cause

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3. Our Holy Book says that it was written by the Holy One herself and that the Holy
One does not lie: therefore, you can believe what you read in the Holy Book.
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a. Division
b. False Analogy
c. Begging the Question
d. Simple Abuse
e. Special Pleading

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4. Behe argues for intelligent design, and although he is a qualified scientist, hes also
a. Tu Quoque
a member of the congregation at the local Catholic Church. His arguments are
b. Equivocation
probably just wishful thinking.
c. Composition
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d. Hypostatization
e. Simple Abuse

5. How do I know Galileo could not have seen more than five planets through his
new telescope as he claims? Just as there are but five portals to the soul in the
human head, there can be no more than five noble spheres in the heavens above.

a. Complex Question
b. Composition
c. False Analogy
d. Appeal to Ignorance
e. Bifurcation

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6. So you say I am a real nobody? Well, I also heard you say nobody is perfect, so
thanks for the compliment!
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a. Equivocation
b. Amphiboly
c. Sweeping Generalization
d. Hypostatization
e. Complex Question

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7. You shouldnt criticize our practice of monitoring civilian telephone conversations.
a. Poisoning the Well
After all, those with nothing to hide have nothing to worry about, do they?
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b. Amphiboly
c. Hypostatization
d. Question Begging Epithets
e. False Cause

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8. Immigration to Alberta from Ontario increased. Soon after, the welfare rolls
increased. Clearly, we have to stop letting Ontarios welfare bums into the province
if we dont to overburden our social programs.
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a. Irrelevant Thesis
b. False cause
c. Equivocation
d. Composition
e. Simple Abuse

9. For an atheist, life is utterly without meaning. Sure, an atheist enjoys the love of
friends and family, and can devote themselves to social or political causes. But
without some overall cosmic significance, all these are meaningless in the end. The
only way life can have cosmic significance is through belief in God and having a
meaningful role in his plan for the whole universe.

a. Simple Abuse
b. Appeal to Pity
c. Begging the Question
d. False Cause
e. Equivocation

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10. Judge, I know it was wrong to lose it and attack those people, and I know I
caused them grievous bodily injury, but at the time, I was really depressed and upset
because my girlfriend left me, so I dont think I deserve the full penalty for assault.
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a. Special Pleading
b. Appeal to Authority
c. Irrelevant Thesis
d. Appeal to Pity
e. Division

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11. How can water-boarding be torture? Look, everyone who goes swimming sooner a. False Analogy
or later swallows some water and chokes and cant catch their breath for a few
b. Sweeping Generalization
c. Bifurcation
seconds. Thats pretty much the same as water-boarding.
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d. Special Pleading
e. Question Begging Epithets

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12. Hmm ... you have a fever and your skin is breaking out in spots well, whoda
thunk it? Having a high temperature causes spotting on the skin.
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a. Bifurcation
b. Question Begging Epithets
c. Mob Appeal
d. False Cause
e. Special Pleading

13. Mmmm...Georges Guinness chocolate cake has just the most sublime, delicious
flavour. All the ingredients he used must have been just as tasty.
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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Irrelevant thesis
False cause
Appeal to Authority
Division
Hypostatization

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14. How can you claim women are just as violent as men? Women only use preemptive self-defensive strikes to guard against mens unprovoked, vicious attacks.
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a. Special Pleading
b. Appeal to Authority
c. Hypostatization
d. Appeal to Pity
e. Division

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15. An intelligent and well-read person like you surely will appreciate the importance a. Irrelevant Thesis
b. Amphiboly
of supporting the university through generous cash donations.
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c. Mob Appeal
d. Complex Question
e. False Cause

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16. History dictates that the stronger must rule.
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a. Special Pleading
b. Appeal to Authority
c. Hypostatization
d. Appeal to Pity
e. Division

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17. My opponent claims I took cash payments in exchange for my influence in
helping friends get government contracts. But do you know he himself took money
from his friends as well?
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a. Tu Quoque
b. Equivocation
c. Composition
d. Hypostatization
e. Simple Abuse

18. What with the economic downturn and the shortage of jobs right now, workers
sure better work extra hard and bend over backwards for their bosses and not rock the
boat.

a. Appeal to Force or Fear

b. False Analogy
c. Begging the Question
d. Simple Abuse
e. Special Pleading

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19. As to your choice of courses for your degree, it seems to me you have a choice:
join the literate, informed people in the Humanities, or join the philistines.
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a. False Analogy
b. Sweeping Generalization
c. Bifurcation
d. Special Pleading
e. Question Begging Epithets

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20. Although many other scientists disagree with his conclusions, it is a fact that Dr.
Quackenbush is an expert herbalist, and should be able to prescribe homeopathy
treatments for your mental illness.
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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Irrelevant thesis
False cause
Appeal to Authority
Division
Hypostatization

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Part B: Arguments
1. Put the following arguments into standard form using the provided blank spaces.
2. If the argument is one of our basic deductive patterns, give the correct name for the argument pattern.
Choices: Modus Ponens, Modus Tollens, Disjunctive Syllogism, Hypothetical Syllogism, Constructive Dilemma,
Affirming the Consequent, Denying the Antecedent, Disjunctive Fallacy; or Not Applicable (N/A).

Points: 2 points for standard form; 1 point for correctly identifying deductive pattern by name
1. If Descartes is right, the mind
does not occupy space. Anything
that doesnt occupy space is
immaterial and only material things
can decay. Thus our minds are
immortal, since whatever does not
decay is immortal.

Name:______________________________________________________
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2. If Harris is right about terrorism,

then no one should believe
Chomskys views on moral
equivalence. But you should
believe Chomsky in this case.
Thus, Harris is wrong about
terrorism.

Name:______________________________________________________
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3. Atheists should not be allowed to

put their signs on buses. Why? Ill
tell you. First, they might cause
people to feel like theres no point
in living. If that happens, soon no
one will believe in right and wrong.
But when people dont believe in
ethics, civilization is at an end. And
then we might as well be barbarians.

Name:______________________________________________________
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4. If Gould is right, evolution can

take sudden leaps forward. If
Darwin or Dawkins is right,
evolution is a long, slow, gradual
process. Either Darwin or Dawkins
is right or Gould is right. So, either
evolution takes sudden leaps
forward or it doesnt.

Name:______________________________________________________
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5. If North Americans dont stop

using ethanol, then the price of
grain staples will rise. But the third
world will not be able to afford to
eat, if the price of grain staples
rises. Therefore, if North
Americans dont stop using ethanol,
then the third world will not be able
to afford to eat.

Name:______________________________________________________
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6. If Saskatoon transit will not allow

atheist advertising on their buses,
then there may be grounds for a
civil rights case. So there is no
ground for a civil rights case, since
Saskatoon transit will allow atheist
advertising.

Name:______________________________________________________
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7. Either Whitney wins a

scholarship or nothing will save her
from having to get a job.
Unfortunately, since nothing will
save her from having to get a job,
she will not win a scholarship.

Name:______________________________________________________
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8. If the Big Bang is the absolute

beginning of the cosmos, then the
cosmos was created out of nothing,
but if quantum indeterminacy is
correct, then it is impossible to
speak of an absolute vacuum. Since
it is probable that quantum
indeterminacy is correct, we must
conclude there is no creation out of
nothing.

Name:______________________________________________________
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9. It was not a good idea to bring

sparrows to North America, since
they are not native to the continent
and if a species is not native to a
continent, then it is generally a bad
idea to bring them there.

Name:______________________________________________________
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10. Since small North Africa

wildcats are able to lose their fear of
humans, it is probable they are the
ancestors of the domestic cat. This
is because they could thrive on the
abundance of prey attracted to
human settlements, if they lost their
fear. If they could thrive near
human settlements, it would only be
a matter of time till they were
domesticated.

Name:______________________________________________________
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11. The idea of perfection could

come either from other ideas already
in the human mind or from a source
of perfection outside the mind. But
if it came from other ideas in the
mind, then humans would have to
have genuine perfection in their
minds. On the other hand, if it
came from a source outside the
mind, that source would have to be
a really perfect being, that is, God.
So, either humans have perfection
in their minds or God exists as the
source of perfection.

Name:______________________________________________________
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Part C: Basic Concepts Circle the best answer for the following.
Scoring: 1 point each
T / F

1. Deductive arguments can be sound.

T / F

2. There are inductive fallacies.

T / F

3. All valid arguments have true conclusions.

T / F

4. Inductive arguments give you merely probable conclusions.

T / F

5. No valid arguments have false premises.

T / F

6. All valid arguments are deductive.

T / F

7. Induction depends on form to derive its conclusion.

T / F

8. Fallacies can be formal or informal.

T / F

9. Deductive arguments only tell us about the implications of what we believe.

10. Having no possible situation in which the premises are true

and the conclusion is false describes an argument that is:

a. deductive
b. valid
c. sound
d. a counter-example

11. Soundness requires that a valid argument also:

a. have a true conclusion

b. have true premises
c. be based in facts
d. none of the above

12. A situation in which an argument can be shown to have a

false conclusion while having true premises is:

a. deduction
b. induction
c. a counter-example
d. none of the above

13. An argument which uses a double standard to achieve its

conclusion is:

a. Complex Question
b. Bifurcation
c. Special Pleading
d. Poisoning the Well

14. Inductive arguments are judged to be weak if:

a.
b.
c.
d.

the sample is biased

the sample is very small
they are mere correlations
all of the above

15. An argument that tries to illicitly transfer properties of the

whole to the part is:

a. Sweeping Generalization
b. Composition
c. Division
d. Bifurcation

16. An argument which returns criticism for criticism is:

a. Tu Quoque
b. Special Pleading
c. Appeal to Pity
d. Begging the Question

17. An argument which depends on the use of a word in two

different senses is:

a. Hypostatization
b. Amphiboly
c. Equivocation
d. Question-begging Epithets