FALLACIES EXERCISE 2 - ANSWERS

CATA 335 – McGaan

 

Identify the fallacies found in the arguments below.  Be as specific as you can and briefly explain your choice of fallacy.  In some cases there may be more than one fallacy in an argument.  

 

1.  The Bible tells us, "An eye for an eye," and so I think the U.S. is right to take revenge on China for damaging our plane.

 

Appeal to authority, emotion?

 

2.  Faculty shouldn't be deciding rules about alcohol use.  It's the student's college and people who didn't attend our school shouldn't tell us how it should be run.

 

Evading the issue

 

3.  Fraternity Omega Pi has proved its sexist attitude by again not requiring its members to attend the Women's History Month convocation.

 

Loaded language,   poisoned well

 

4.  College athletics are corrupt.  Just look at what happened at Iowa when the officials let off a basketball player who had been charged with rape.

 

Hasty generalization

 

5.  Every intelligent person knows that it is necessary to sacrifice some freedom in order to control terrorism.

 

Poisoned well

 

6.  A review of the data at many campuses will show that fraternity members have lower GPAs than non-member males.  Thus, fraternities can be seen to damage member’s academic progress.

 

False cause

 

7.  The University of Chicago has security guards in every open building after dark.  I think Monmouth should too!

 

False analogy

 

8.  When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.

 

  Equivocation

last updated 4/17/2003