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Ebook Critical Thinking 12Th Edition Moore Test Bank Full Chapter PDF
Ebook Critical Thinking 12Th Edition Moore Test Bank Full Chapter PDF
Test Bank
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CH07
Test Bank
1. Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
Housing is far too expensive in this country. Why, the median price of a home in most of California is now over $350,000.
If the speaker is generalizing from California to the entire country, then the argument is a hasty generalization; and, if you are aware of typical
housing costs in California, you could also call it a biased generalization. But perhaps the speaker only means that when the median price of a home
approaches $350,000 in some place—California or wherever—then housing has just gotten too expensive in this country. If the passage is viewed
this way, it’s not clear that the speaker is even offering an argument.
Overheard: "You don’t think this country is in a slump? Get real. George here was laid off before Memorial Day, and Howie’s wife and a whole
bunch of other people lost their jobs when the Safeway over on Jeffrey closed down. These are tough times."
Hasty generalization.
We’re gonna have trouble with that new paper boy, honey. He’s been late twice already.
We’d call this a hasty generalization, but with just a few more late deliveries, it won’t be.
Hey, let’s start shopping at Musgrave’s. It’s a whole lot cheaper. I stopped in there yesterday on the way home and found strawberries there for 79¢ a
basket and ground beef for $1.29 a pound. And they weren’t even on sale!
Hasty generalization.
Invest in real estate! Buy a house! It’s the best investment you will ever make. Despite occasional temporary dips, home prices have always gone up.
You can’t go wrong if you buy a house.
Despite the "size" of the sample, there are important differences between it and the target: the number of additional homebuyers is declining;
consumer debt has risen dramatically; and discretionary income has been shrinking. Can we expect entry-level university students to know such
things? Maybe not. But we can expect them to understand the importance of carefully checking out arguments like this before they contract a major
debt.
Remark made while driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike: "We’ve seen nine cars with license plates from west of the Mississippi today, and six of
them have been from Texas. Texans must travel more than other people."
Hasty generalization.
I certainly did not enjoy the first meeting of that class. I think I’ll drop it; I don’t want a whole semester of meetings like that.
Whether this is a hasty generalization depends on exactly what the student didn’t like about the first class. There are some things, such as an
instructor’s manner of presentation, that a person can reach legitimate conclusions about after only a small sample. Further, if the student is referring
to the instructor’s overview of the course, he may have a good inductive argument: "She said she was going to cover such-and-such material;
instructors usually cover what they say they’re going to cover; therefore, she will probably cover the material she said she was going to cover. And I
have neither need nor inclination to study that material."
8. Identify the type of fallacy in the following passage.
First bicycle rider: How come when we coast downhill you always go so much faster than I?
Second bicycle rider: Because I’m heavier. Heavier things fall faster.
Third bicycle rider: Wait a minute. I thought that was what Galileo proved wrong.
Second bicycle rider: C’mon! That’s only common sense. Heavy things are bound to fall faster. Just look at how fast I coast—and I’m the heaviest.
Mixed in with the faulty casual explanation is the reasonable generalization that you always coast faster downhill than I do.
If you think the people of Phoenix are going to give up their rights to water from the Colorado River to Los Angelenos, you’d better think about it
some more. Read the letters to the editors of the Phoenix newspapers, and you’ll see what I mean. People are really hot under the collar about the
issue.
Biased generalization.
A reliable statewide study found that one western town (which we won’t name) had an unusually high rate of death from cancer. The study, done
during the 1970s, showed the cancer death rate for white females to be 175.4 per 100,000, compared to 154.9 for the state. One resident dismissed the
finding as follows: "Statistics! You can prove anything you want with statistics! There’s no more cancer here than anywhere."
Hasty generalization: Some statistical conclusions aren’t trustworthy, so none of them are.
I went into that office supply store on Jackson Avenue the other day, and I can tell you that I’m not ever going back. They’re the rudest people I’ve
ever seen in a retail business. The guy who waited on me griped constantly about it being inventory time, and he was of no help at all in finding what
I wanted to buy.
From a letter to the editor: "The news media can never be trusted. Shortly before the Geneva summit, the Washington Post decided that a news scoop
concerning a confidential letter from the secretary of defense to the president was more important news than a coordinated posture by our negotiating
team."
Hasty generalization.
Goldman may have won the Supervisor of the Year award, but that just means they didn’t look very hard for a winner. I know a couple of people
who work in Goldman’s division, and they say that he’s a real pain to work for. I’d sooner trust my friends than some awards committee.
I watched Nova on public television the other night, and it was great! I’m going to be in front of the tube every week for it from now on.
If one episode of Nova was good, that’s not a bad reason for believing that it's generally pretty good. Still, this generalization may be just a bit hasty.
"Sharon’s father thinks the idea of a space-based laser missile defense is entirely feasible, and he should know—he’s a physicist who specializes in
laser technology, and he has a degree in computer science."
"Yeah, well, he may be right, but he also works for the defense industry. There’s a pot of gold in it for him if people believe that. He’s probably not
the most reliable source."
No fallacy.
I’ve seen brochures depicting the scenery in the Ozark Mountains, and it’s beautiful. I’m even thinking of retiring to Arkansas, since it’s clearly such
a beautiful state.
Biased generalization.
The photographs from the first roll of that new Kodak film were really good. I’ll tell you, that film is good stuff.
This is okay, since one roll of Kodak film can be expected to be much like every other roll of the same type for the few holdouts still using film.
Bill bought one of those Burn-Rite wood stoves last year, and it smoked up his house all winter. Those stoves are not worth the high prices we pay
for them.
Hasty generalization.
According to one of the leading consumer magazines, the best-built cars these days are Japanese. Cars built by foreign manufacturers have just
outclassed those built in the United States, it appears.
Biased generalization: What holds for Japanese cars may not hold for all foreign-built cars.
"A Prairie Home Companion" must be a pretty popular radio program around here. About half my friends have copies of the book the program’s host
recently published.
A hasty, and quite likely biased, generalization. The speaker’s friends may not resemble the general population in their taste in radio programs.
"Hello Mom? Yeah, it’s me.... Fine. Great, in fact. Massachusetts is super—I’ve never had so much fun.... No.... Yes! And listen, I’ve just met the
most wonderful guy. And I’m sure he’s rich. You should just see the expensive car he drives...."
Hasty generalization.
"We had the worst inflation of my lifetime in the late ‘70s, then Ronald Reagan got elected and during his term in office it dropped from over thirteen
percent to about four percent. Shows you what a smart president can do."
Post hoc.
"They want to make it illegal for a running back to hit someone with his helmet? Next thing you know they won’t even allow tackling."
Slippery slope.
"More and more women are determining what everybody watches on TV. Just look at that show on HBO, starring Lena Dunham, Girls, its called.
Everybody’s watching that show. Everybody."
—Rush Limbaugh
"First they bailed out AIG because it was 'too big to fail.' Next time it will be the medium-sized banks. Then us taxpayers will foot the bill for every
last business failure, and they won’t be able to print enough money to keep up with it all."
Slippery slope.
"Don’t sweat. They won’t stop you for speeding. The cops have yet to stop me for texting."
Hasty generalization.
"Fox News is totally biased. If you don’t believe it, try listening to the Sean Hannity program."
Hasty generalization.
"If the legislature can get away with requiring background checks, it will be encouraged to go forward with universal registration of guns, then to
eventual banning of gun ownership. Let’s not start down this path."
Slippery slope.
"John, my Republican friend, never leaves a tip. Why is it Republicans are so selfish?"
Hasty generalization.
Untestable explanation.
"Mike blew a tire on the way over here. Make a note never to buy Goodyear tires."
"After his friends and relatives said a prayer for Pete, his cancer went into remission."
"People who attend elite private universities tend to live longer than people who attend state colleges. If we figure out a way to send children of
modest means to the elite universities, they would live longer."
Cum hoc; overlooking the possibility of a common cause.
"Will women like our new menu? Let’s ask one of the female servers. As a woman, she will know."
Hasty generalization.
"I’m reading right here about this high school teacher in Red Bluff? Caught dealing drugs right there at the school? They will let anyone teach these
days."
"We can’t close the farmers’ market. It’s a tradition in this town."
"I have every right to burn tires in my back yard. It’s a free country."
Accident.
"Nicotine patches don’t work. They sure didn’t work for me."
Hasty generalization.
"Look, we make people buy liability car insurance, so there’s no reason to complain about making people buy liability insurance when they buy a
gun."
Weak analogy.
"I got sick shortly after my trip—all because of the recycled air in the airplane."
Untestable explanation.
Untestable explanation.
"Well I’ll be! Look at the great gas mileage we got on this trip! Not a whole lot better than usual, but still nothing to sneeze at. Shows you what a
tune-up will do."
"Hey, it works! After I sprinkled Arm and Hammer around the sink, the ants disappeared."
Post hoc.
"My cousin has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his service in Afghanistan. We’re going to have huge numbers of mentally
troubled soldiers coming home from this war."
Hasty generalization.
"PCs are better than Macs. Macs still command only a fraction of the personal computer market."
"Look at Bill Gates. He didn’t go to college, and he’s a millionaire. College is such a waste of time."
"If you don’t think having a good attitude promotes good health, look at how many 100-year olds have a good attitude."
"In this country anyone can become a billionaire. Take Mitt Romney, for an example."
"The first time I played that golf course, I shot an 82. It must have affected my mental state, because I didn’t score that well again for almost a year."
"Nobody knows more about a person than his mother. So when Ralph’s mother claims he’s innocent, I’m betting he is."
"Seals are dying at an unprecedented rate at the very same time ocean temperatures are rising. They are being killed by global warming."
Cum hoc.
"Jeremy died shortly after the chemotherapy treatments; I’m convinced it was the chemo that killed him."
Post hoc.
Argument by anecdote.
"Jesus Christ is widely recognized as the greatest man who ever lived."
"Young people aren’t interested in politics. We have more important things to do. My friends couldn't care less who is elected president."
Hasty generalization.
"I recently met a young fellow who went to More Science High who really knew his stuff. He knew a lot more physics than most kids his age. They
really do a good job at that school."
"This new boss won’t let us work from home. If she gets away with it, pretty soon they’ll be making us spend nights and weekends right here at the
office."
Slippery slope.
"Americans generally think teachers should be paid more. This was demonstrated in a large survey done in Boston."
"It was a mistake giving the Oscar to Daniel Day-Lewis. A survey the very next day showed more people thought Ben Affleck deserved it."
Mistaken appeal to popularity.
"The lights came back on immediately after that huge clap of thunder—how on earth did the thunder make that happen?"
Post hoc.
"Pete went into cardiac arrest while praying, so praying must have caused the attack."
Post hoc.
"No, we shouldn’t start Daylight Savings Time in February. No state does that."
"American Idol dropped a little in the ratings this week. It must be the new judge."
"This student isn’t good at math. Therefore she won’t be good at writing, either."
Weak analogy.
"You start talking to these door-to-door missionaries, before you can blink they will be dragging you off to their church."
Slippery slope.
"Sparky has been much friskier since I’ve started feeding him raw meat. It’s good for him."
Post hoc.
"Generally speaking, people with college degrees earn more than people who drop out of high school. Therefore you will earn more if you buy one of
our degrees. We are offering steep discounts this week."
Accident.
Weak analogy.
Slippery slope.
"I don’t think the S.E.C. should be able to require corporations to disclose their political donations. I wouldn’t want some federal regulator going
through my checkbook. It’s none of their business what people do with their money."
Weak analogy.
"A lot more people are near-sighted these days. Check out those kids over there on their computers. They all wear glasses."
"My trip to Ixtapa was terrific. I’m sure you’ll have a great time if you go to Acapulco."
Weak analogy.
"The Constitution doesn’t give you the right to own grenade launchers; therefore it doesn’t give you the right to own assault rifles."
Weak analogy.
"I see your new car is a Honda SUV. My mom bought a Honda Civic last year, and she gets great gas mileage. You’ll be pleased with the mileage
you get with your car."
Weak analogy.
"What’s all this fuss about people being delayed at airports? I arrived at the airport this morning and fifteen minutes later I had checked my bag,
passed through security, and was at my gate. I wasn't delayed at all."
Hasty generalization.
"Being overweight can’t be all that bad for you. Eighty percent of the population over 25 is overweight."
From a column by Suzanne Fields, in the Washington Post, after George W. Bush had given a speech at Bob Jones University (well known for its
anti-Catholic stance) and been attacked for it by fellow Republican John McCain:
"John McCain’s attacks on George W. as an anti-Catholic bigot are over the line.... The governor of Texas made mistakes at Bob Jones University.
He admitted them. He wasted an important opportunity to rebuke
Bob Jones’ anti-Catholicism and its ban on interracial dating.... His performance and prominence there was ill thought-out, but it doesn’t prove
bigotry. It was also the height of hypocrisy when Mr. McCain exempted his supporter Rep. Lindsey Graham from similar criticism for his accepting
an honorary degree from Bob Jones U., and not uttering a single syllable of criticism."
Is the last sentence an example of ad hominem fallacy or common practice fallacy in defense of George Bush, or is it merely a request for fair play?
"My students’ scores have improved dramatically since I started giving tests online, which indicates that students learn more on online courses."
Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc (or post hoc, ergo propter hoc, depending on how you analyze it).
"People who play bingo twice a week live on average seven years longer than people who stay at home. Playing bingo can lengthen your life."
"The rates of prostate cancer among first responders to the attacks on the Twin Trade Towers are higher than among onlookers. Something in the dust
obviously causes prostate cancer."
"Man to his wife: Poopsie, I bought a lot of this soap. Everyone at the Amway party said it works great."
"He says health care in England stinks. He should know. He speaks with an English accent."
"Smoking behind our back will only lead to a life of crime, Junior."
Slippery slope.
"Caffeinated coffee is bad for your nervous system. Just ask anybody, including coffee drinkers."
"Melinda has two dachshunds who lived to be over 15, so when she recommended a diet for Jobie, my Doberman, I figured she knew what she was
talking about."
"Allison Fischer [a world-famous pool player] played snooker before she turned to American style 9-ball. It had to be the snooker that made her such
a fine 9-ball player."
"What are they are talking about, it rains a lot in Seattle? We went there in October—had nothing but beautiful weather."
"A friend of mine became a Christian recently and soon after won a six-figure lottery. God looks after his own."
94. As Harold is driving down the road from Glenn County to Montclair, he crosses into Salem County and notices that the pavement deteriorates. "I
guess they don’t keep up their roads very well in this county," he says. Which of the following best fits the scenario?
A. biased generalization
B. hasty generalization
C. neither biased nor hasty
95. As Harold is driving down the road from Glenn County to Montclair, he crosses into Salem County and notices that the pavement deteriorates. "I
guess they don’t keep up their roads very well in this county," he says. The sample in this passage is
A. roads in Glenn County.
B. roads in Salem County.
C. the road he’s driving on now.
96. "They say Japanese carmakers put out the best cars in the world, all things considered. But that can’t be right—the Toyota I bought last year had
to be returned to the shop five times!" This is
A. a biased generalization.
B. a hasty generalization.
C. neither biased nor hasty.
97. "They say Japanese carmakers put out the best cars in the world, all things considered. But that can’t be right—the Toyota I bought last year had
to be returned to the shop five times!" The sample is
A. my Toyota.
B. Japanese cars.
C. the best cars in the world.
98. "They say Japanese carmakers put out the best cars in the world, all things considered. But that can’t be right—the Toyota I bought last year had
to be returned to the shop five times!" The population is
A. my Toyota.
B. Japanese cars.
C. the best cars in the world.
"The problem isn’t really with banning assault weapons; heck, I personally think it’s stupid to want to own an assault weapon. The problem is that,
once the government realizes that an assault weapons ban is not resulting in fewer gunshot victims, it will turn to semi-automatic weapons and
require registration of them. But, of course, that won’t reduce the number of victims either. We might finally get to a point where there are no more
gunshot victims, but it’ll only be after all guns have been banned and the ones out there now have all turned to rust."
Slippery slope.
100. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
No, I don’t think I believe in "three strikes and you’re out" for convicted felons. Next thing it will be two strikes, then one strike. Then we’ll be
sticking people in jail for life for misdemeanors. It’s not good policy.
Slippery slope.
101. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Gays in the military? If we allow that, then next we’ll be letting women into the men’s barracks. And the next thing you know, women, men, gays,
everyone—they’ll all be showering together and sleeping in the same bunks. Get real.
Slippery slope.
102. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Gays in the military? Yes. There are no valid grounds for opposing the measure, as can be seen in the fact that policies of nondiscrimination to gays
are common practice throughout Western democracies.
103. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
George, I speak for the rest of the neighbors on our street. Frankly, your front yard is a mess, and we’d appreciate it if you would do something about
it. We put the time and money into making our places look nice, but the effort is largely ruined by one awful looking place right here in the middle of
the block. We hope you’ll do something about it.
This might look like peer pressure or common practice, but we don’t believe it’s a fallacy at all.
104. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
This river has been changing its course every couple of years for the past few thousand years. Now they’ve decided that the banks need to be
stabilized. Who do the Army Corps of Engineers think they are to come in here and decide they know something Mother Nature doesn’t?
This kind of fallacy is of the "if it’s been going on like this for a long time, then this is the way it should continue" variety, which is close to our
"argument from tradition," but "tradition" doesn’t seem to apply comfortably when it’s nature and not people that is responsible for the situation. In
any case, sometimes the mere fact that something has happened in a certain way can provide reasons for leaving well enough alone, but the mere fact
that this is the way it has happened is not itself such a reason.
105. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
So they came along and made me take my sign down because it was in violation of the city sign code. But look at the signs down in the next block,
will you? They’re under the same code, and they’re just like the one I had to take down.
This may be an appeal to common practice, but there may be a reasonable appeal here as well, an appeal to fair play or equal treatment.
106. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Sure, driving after you’ve been drinking can get you into trouble with the law, but if you’re careful I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. After
all, everyone does it, right?
107. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
From a letter to the editor: "They’re wrong again, the doctors who say that the sun causes cancer. The four substances for all life are water, food, air,
and sun. Everybody knows the sun opens the pores of your skin to poisons; it cannot cause cancer. Cancer is caused by the toxins man puts in the air,
not by sunlight."
—Cascade News
Appeal to popularity ("Everybody knows"), although this probably fits the proof surrogate (Ch. 5) model better.
108. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
109. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Overheard during a recent Olympics: "Oh, I don’t know. All athletes use some type of steroids in training and competition."
110. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
In its July 1988 issue, Consumer Reports criticized the Suzuki Samurai as unsafe and dangerously easy to roll over. In the next issue, a reader wrote
in response, "In order to completely idiot-proof our society, we would have to surrender all freedom. Your suggestion that the government protect us
from this evil vehicle is just another step in a journey that could ultimately lead to an erosion of freedom in this country."
This could be viewed as a slippery slope combined with a straw man, a false dilemma, or both.
111. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Obviously it was right for the United States to attack Iraq in 1991. Polls at the time showed that over 90 percent of Americans thought the war was
justified.
Appeal to popularity.
112. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
113. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
Big L: I like the new civil rights bill, especially the provision that prohibits indirect discrimination practices, such as height and weight requirements
that could exclude women.
Little C: It may sound fine to you, but not to me. We are almost to the point already that employers are forced to hire blacks just because they are
black and women just because they are women, and that’s just reverse discrimination.
Could be analyzed as a straw man (Little C is distorting the provision that Big L supports) or as a slippery slope (if Little C is arguing that the
provision will lead to the situation he describes) or as a red herring.
114. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
From an ad for APC (a power supply brand): 30 million computer users don’t trust the power grid. They do trust APC. Shouldn’t you?
115. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
There must be a God. After all, people and cultures have always believed in some sort of a deity going back to the beginning of humankind.
116. Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or, where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the
text, by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue.
"Paranoia is rampant in Chico again. The latest lie is that wood stove and fireplace burning is extremely detrimental to your health. People, stop
being so gullible and think hard, look at all the locals that have lived here all their lives—some well into their 90s. They, as well as all humans for the
last 6,000 years have lived with wood smoke. Our locals in addition have grown up during the rice burning and smudge pot years. Why don’t you
wood burning-a-phobics worry about how fat and sanitary you and your children are. Your alcohol use and your SUVs are polluting the air daily, not
just during the winter months. All those things are the real killers of today’s society."
Appeal to tradition in the first half, with some personal attack ad hominem and a red herring at the end.
117. It is widely believed that chocolate causes acne, since people susceptible to acne frequently assert that eating chocolate is invariably followed by
an outbreak of the skin condition. However, Donald G. Bruns, in a letter to Science News, wondered whether those who have the belief that chocolate
causes acne might not have things backwards. Some studies indicate that hormonal changes associated with stress may cause acne, he notes. Other
studies indicate that people fond of chocolate may tend to eat more chocolate when under stress. Given these studies, Bruns comments, it may be
easy to confuse which, the chocolate or the acne, is the cause—and which is the effect.
In a brief essay, explain what pattern of reasoning seems to underlie the belief that chocolate causes acne (probably the paired unusual events
principle—the relevant difference between this situation, where there were an outbreak of acne, and situations in which there was none is that in this
situation the person ate chocolate), and then answer this question: Bruns complains that those who believe that chocolate causes acne may be guilty
of the fallacy of reversed causation. Given the studies he cites, has Bruns correctly identified the mistake?
"This antique dealer should know what’s wrong with this old car of ours."
"The sign said no left turn, so I didn’t turn left to avoid the accident."
Accident.
"Officer, I had the right of way. So it didn’t matter that he was in the intersection."
Accident.
"As the percentage of female drivers has gone up, so has the traffic accident rate, proof right there that women aren’t good drivers."
"Everyone takes his or her eyes off the road now and then. Nothing wrong with that. So it is okay for me to do it while brushing my teeth."
Accident.
"It is hazardous to use a cell while driving, so you shouldn’t have called 911 on your cell."
Accident.
"We are having such a wet winter. I wonder what the cause is?"
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (Overlooking the possibility of random variation).
"It’s unlike to Jamal to miss two free throws in a row like that. I bet it’s because his father passed away."
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (Overlooking the possibility of random variation).
"People who read a lot are less apt to suffer from dementia. So we recommend reading for all our older patients."
Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc (Overlooking the possibility of reversed causation).
"Never trust that TV manufacturing company. I bought a TV from them and it got spoilt within a month!"
"There is only one way to solve this problem; that is the way our forefathers solved it."
Mistaken appeal to tradition.
"Wear a suit. Everyone knows it is the most fashionable attire for men."
"My brother told me it is unwise to buy that phone. Therefore, that phone is bad."
"He is very reliable. You can count on him if you need a ride home."
Accident.
"I'm sure he makes great music, judging from his latest song."
Hasty generalization.
"When I fell off my bike in that city, no one around offered to help. I guess everyone in that city is unfriendly."
Hasty generalization.
"The Alps are like the Rockies. I enjoyed the Rockies; therefore, I'm sure you'll enjoy the Alps."
Weak analogy.
"I don't believe that poverty is a problem. Nobody I know faces this problem. It is just something the media wants you to fear. It is not real."
"Everyone knows that sports is the best way to maintain physical health."
Category # of Questions
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation 5
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
— Comment cela ? on l’a pourtant vue, ce me semble ?
— Oui… mais elle est sans valeur aucune…
— Je ne vous comprends plus…
— C’est bien simple.
Et tirant de ma poche les quatre pièces d’or que je venais de
soumettre à M. Withworth je les posai sur la table en disant :
— Ces souverains sont faux, monsieur le chief-inspector…
Le magistrat prit les pièces, les palpa et les fit sonner sur le socle
de marbre vert d’un presse-papier posé devant lui.
— Ces souverains son faux, en effet, monsieur Dickson, mais
qu’en inférez-vous ?
— Que la somme entière qui a été trouvée dans le secrétaire de
M. Ugo Chancer est composée de pièces de mauvais aloi, car les
quatre souverains que voici ont été pris par moi au hasard… Or, cela
tend à prouver ou que M. Chancer faisait constamment usage de
fausse monnaie, ce qui me paraît insoutenable — mais, même en ce
cas, l’instruction ne doit pas être close — ou que le malfaiteur qui
s’est approprié les valeurs du défunt les a adroitement remplacées
par cette pacotille afin de détourner les soupçons. Vous voyez,
monsieur, que Bailey, malgré tout son flair, a été parfaitement dupe
de cette ruse grossière.
Le magistrat se carra dans son fauteuil.
— Poursuivez, dit-il… je ne me refuse jamais à accueillir la
vérité… mon devoir est de tout entendre.
— Il y a plus, continuai-je… Je me suis procuré l’adresse de
l’homme d’affaires de M. Ugo Chancer, grâce à une enveloppe de
lettre que j’ai trouvée chez le défunt et qui avait également échappé
aux investigations de la police. Cet homme de confiance est M.
Withworth qui habite ici même, 18, Fitzroy street. Il m’a appris que
M. Chancer était en possession d’actions et d’obligations diverses
pour une valeur de quatre cent mille livres dont il gardait les titres
par devers lui. Ce chiffre qui représente une fortune considérable
écarte de lui-même la suspicion de fraude à l’endroit du défunt…
Mais comme, en outre, les titres n’ont pas été retrouvés chez M.
Chancer, il est de toute évidence qu’ils ont été dérobés et que c’est à
ces papiers, précisément, qu’a été substituée la fausse monnaie
dont vous avez là un spécimen, monsieur le chief-inspector.
— Ce M. Withworth a-t-il les numéros des certificats disparus ?
— Il nous a prévenus tous les deux : lorsque je me suis présenté
chez lui il avait déjà formé opposition sur tous les titres dans les
comptoirs de banque.
— En ce cas, nous ne saurions tarder à mettre la main sur le
voleur. S’il existe, en effet, il n’aura rien de plus pressé que de se
défaire de ces titres pour les convertir en argent.
— J’y compte bien, monsieur.
Le magistrat me considéra un instant avec bienveillance.
— Votre façon de raisonner me plaît, monsieur Dickson, me dit-
il… Vous pouvez être, c’est certain, un très utile auxiliaire de la
police.
Je m’inclinai, non sans ironie.
Le chief-inspector prit un temps, puis il atteignit un livre à
couverture grise qu’il se mit à feuilleter rapidement.
— Tenez, dit-il tout à coup, une plainte vient d’être déposée par
l’Australian Bank Exchange…
J’étais tout oreilles.
— Oui… il s’agît d’un titre frappé d’opposition qu’un inconnu a
tenté de négocier à Melbourne aux guichets de la succursale de
cette société.
— A-t-on le signalement de l’individu ?
— Oh ! un signalement vague !…
Le chief-inspector réfléchit quelques instants et reprit :
— Je ne voyais d’abord aucun lien entre cette affaire banale et la
mort de M. Chancer, mais maintenant que vous me signalez la
disparition de valeurs ayant appartenu à ce gentleman, il serait peut-
être bon de vérifier… Vous avez les numéros des titres volés ?
— Oui, monsieur… Quelle est la valeur visée par la plainte ?
— Voici les indications qui me sont transmises par l’Australian
Bank Exchange : Obligation de la Newcastle Mining Co, émission
1895, troisième série, numéro 0,0882.
Je parcourus fébrilement la colonne de chiffres griffonnés au
crayon sur les feuillets de mon agenda :
— Newcastle Mining Co ! m’écriai-je tout à coup… voici : il y a
plusieurs numéros de la troisième série… huit cent quatre-vingt…
huit cent quatre-vingt-un… huit cent quatre-vingt-deux… zéro,
virgule, zéro huit cent quatre-vingt-deux !… Le titre appartenait à M.
Ugo Chancer !…
Et je tendis mon carnet au chief-inspector en posant l’index sur
les chiffres.
— C’est bien cela, dit-il… il n’y a pas d’erreur possible… Il faut
retrouver cet inconnu… oui… mais c’est maintenant un peu tard…
La banque a manqué à son devoir : elle aurait dû faire arrêter le
négociateur du titre… Au surplus, il s’est peut-être enfui sans qu’on
ait eu le temps de prévenir un policeman… Enfin, espérons
encore… notre homme ne s’en tiendra pas là… et tentera ailleurs
d’écouler son papier… C’est à vous, monsieur Dickson, qu’il
appartient de suivre cet individu et de le prendre sur le fait.
J’acquiesçai d’un signe de tête.
— Vous reconnaissez alors, dis-je en souriant, que je puis être de
quelque utilité à la police ?
— Oui… enfin nous verrons…
— Il serait peut-être nécessaire que vous eussiez les numéros
des titres volés ?
— J’allais vous demander ces numéros, monsieur Dickson.
Je reposai de nouveau mon carnet sur la table et tandis que le
chief-inspector écrivait :
— Il y a encore un point, insinuai-je, qui peut avoir son intérêt…
— Parlez…
— Je fais personnellement opposition sur tous les souverains
marqués au poinçon d’une étoile à six branches au-dessus de la
section du cou de la Reine. Toutes les pièces de M. Ugo Chancer
étaient ainsi estampillées… Je n’ai pas à apprécier le mobile auquel
il obéissait en agissant de la sorte… Il faut reconnaître cependant
que son inoffensive manie aura, par une sorte d’intuition, rendu un
grand service à la cause de la vérité… Le stérile anonymat de la
monnaie courante n’existe pas pour ce qui a passé dans les mains
du prévoyant défunt… Vous remarquerez d’ailleurs, monsieur le
chief-inspector, que les souverains faux que je vous ai montrés ne
portent aucun signe de ce genre.
— Je prends bonne note de ce que vous me dites-là, monsieur
Dickson… le fait est curieux, et peut, en effet, servir à guider nos
recherches…
Le magistrat, qui avait fini d’inscrire les numéros des titres, me
remit mon carnet, puis se leva :
— Un dernier mot, repris-je… J’ai de graves raisons, des raisons
très sérieuses pour soupçonner du crime de Green-Park non pas un
homme, mais une bande de malfaiteurs. Il y a dans les associations
de ce genre — comme en toute société organisée — des gens qui
exécutent et d’autres qui commandent… des bras sans doute, mais
souvent une tête… Faites surveiller les bars, monsieur le chief-
inspector, les restaurants de nuit, les tripots et les cercles. La
passion du jeu a livré plus d’escrocs, de faussaires et d’assassins
que les plus fins limiers du monde.
Le magistrat daigna sourire et approuva mon idée d’un petit
déplacement de moustache.
— Des agents en civil seront placés dans tous les endroits de
plaisir, me promit-il.
Puis il repoussa bruyamment son fauteuil. Cette fois c’était bien
mon congé.
Il était évident que le chef de la police officielle ne voulait avoir
recours à moi que le moins possible.
Cependant mes déclarations avaient mis sa curiosité en éveil et
la suite à donner à l’affaire de Green-Park lui apparaissait dès lors
très nettement.
Néanmoins il tenait à s’en réserver tout le mérite.
Je saluai et sortis.
Je n’avais livré de mon plan que ce qui m’avait paru
indispensable, afin de m’assurer le concours des agents de
l’administration.
Pour le surplus j’aurais d’ailleurs eu tort de compter sur le flair de
mon grave personnage.
J’avais heureusement mieux à ma disposition.
Je courus au bureau de poste.
VIII
OÙ JE RETROUVE MA PISTE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quelques minutes après, passant à proximité de la villa
Crawford, je vis une ombre qui s’agitait entre les arbres sur un petit
tertre situé en bordure de la route.
Mac Pherson veillait.
IX
LA FICHE No 76.948
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
En revenant du bureau téléphonique, je passai près de la villa
Crawford.
Mac Pherson était toujours à son poste ; seulement j’eus quelque
peine à le découvrir car il s’était couché à plat ventre dans l’herbe,
afin de ne pas éveiller l’attention du vilain oiseau qu’il guettait.
— Eh bien ? interrogeai-je en m’approchant.
— Ah ! c’est vous, monsieur Dickson !
Et Mac Pherson leva vers moi ses gros yeux ronds que la fatigue
rendait un peu troubles :
— Notre homme est toujours là ?
— Oui… mais il a l’air bien malade… Tenez… vous pouvez
l’apercevoir d’ici… il est couché sous cette remise…
En effet, par la porte grande ouverte du garage, on voyait Slang
étendu sur un vieux rocking-chair, la tête entre les mains, dans
l’attitude d’un homme qui ne se soucie guère de ce qui se passe
autour de lui.
— Faut-il le surveiller encore ? demanda Mac Pherson.
— Oui…
— Mais c’est que j’ai faim… monsieur Dickson, et puis Bailey
m’attend : nous devons aller aujourd’hui à Merry-Town faire une
enquête sur un vol de diamants.
— C’est juste. Attendez encore une demi-heure ; je vais vous
trouver un remplaçant.
Ce remplaçant, ce fut Bloxham, l’homme à la panne, celui qui se
serait jeté au feu pour moi. Dès que je l’eus mis au courant du
service que j’attendais de lui, il endossa une veste de cuir, mit un
bull-dog dans sa poche, prit un sac rempli de provisions et
s’achemina vers l’observatoire où se morfondait le pauvre Mac
Pherson.
J’étais sûr de Bloxham… il resterait en faction jusqu’à ce que je
vinsse le relever… C’était de plus un petit homme très alerte qui ne
perdrait pas Slang de vue et saurait au besoin s’attacher à ses pas.