ENGL 101 D. Hunter NAME: Fallacies Exercise Write the name of the fallacy under each example and explain why you believe it to be that fallacy. 1. The presiding judge of a revolutionary tribunal, on being asked why people were being executed without trial: “Why should we put them on trial when we know they’re guilty?” 2. Since good nutrition is essential to the health of its citizens, the government should punish people who eat junk food. 3. A research study demonstrated that children who watch the Cosby Show rather than Miami Vice received higher grades in school. So it must be true that the Cosby Show is more educational than Miami Vice. 4. The meteorologist was wrong in predicting the amount of rain for May. Obviously the meteorologist in unreliable. 5. Women ought to be permitted to serve in combat. Why should men be the only ones to face death and danger? 6. If Bruce Willis drinks Seagram’s Wine Cooler, it must taste best. 7. People will gamble anyway, so why not legalize gambling in this state? 8. Because so much money was spent on public education in the last decade while educational achievement declined, more money to improve education can’t be the answer to reversing the decline. ENGL 101 D. Hunter 9. He’s a columnist for the campus newspaper, so he must be a pretty good writer. 10. We tend to exaggerate the need for standard English. You don’t need much standard English for most jobs in this country. 11. It’s discriminatory to mandate that police officers must conform to a certain height and weight. 12. A doctor can consult books to make a diagnosis, so a medical student should be able to consult books when being tested. 13. Because this soft drink contains so many chemicals, it must be unsafe. 14. Core requirements should be eliminated. After all, students are paying for their education so they should be able to earn a diploma by choosing the courses they want. 15. We should encourage a return to arranged marriages in this country since marriages based on romantic love haven’t been very successful. 16. I know three red-heads who have terrible tempers, and since Annabel has red hair, I’ll bet she has a terrible temper, too.
