Logical Fallacies – Definitions UPDATED
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
What is a Logical Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - A standard form of flawed reasoning
that seduces and persuades the unaware with claims that attempt to support an argument, but are
not logically sound, which leads to faulty conclusions.
What are Fallacies of Relevance? - CORRECT ANSWER - Fallacies that rely on premises
irrelevant to the truth of the conclusion.
What is a Non-Sequiter? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on a conclusion does not
follow from the premises; the conclusion could be either true or false, but the argument is
fallacious because there is a disconnection between the premise and the conclusion; all invalid
arguments are special cases of non sequitur.
What is an Ad Hominem? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses not on the evidence for a
view, but on a negative character trait of person advancing it; seeks to discredit positions by
discrediting those who hold them.
What is Guilt by Association? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on arguing that some
group of people is absolutely and categorically bad and sharing even a single attribute with said
group would make one a member of it, which then bestows all the associated evils.
What is an Ad Populum? - CORRECT ANSWER - Uses the fact that a sizable number of
people, perhaps even a majority, believe in something as evidence that it must therefore be true;
relies on bandwagon [Everyone is doing it.], patriotic [It is the American way.], and snob [Only
the best are doing it.] approaches.
What is a Fallacist's Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on rejecting an idea as
false simply because the argument offered to provide justification for an accurate conclusion is
faulty.
, What is a Fallacy of Composition? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on the fact that every
part of a whole has a given property, and then inferring that the whole composition also has that
property.
What is a Fallacy of Division? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on inferences derived
from fact that a whole has a property, to reach the conclusion that a part of the whole also has
that property.
What is a Gambler's Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on assuming that short-
term deviations from probability will be corrected in the short-term; however, past results don't
bear on what will happen next.
What is a Genetic Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on either devaluing or
defending an argument because of its source, rather than its merit; emotional attachment to an
idea's origins creates difficulty in disregarding it due to evaluating the origin.
What is an Appeal to Antiquity? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on a premise that must
be true because people have always believed it or done it; may also conclude that the premise has
always worked in the past and will thus always work in the future.
What is an Appeal to Irrelevant Authority? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on an
authority who is not an expert on the issue at hand, an idea is attributed to a vague collective, or
it appeals to ancient wisdom because it was believed to be true long ago.
What is an Appeal to Consequences? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on speaking for or
against the validity of a proposition by appealing to the consequences of accepting or rejecting it;
appeals to emotions of hope or fear.
What is an Appeal to Force? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on an attempt to persuade
using threats; disbelief will be met with sanctions.
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
What is a Logical Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - A standard form of flawed reasoning
that seduces and persuades the unaware with claims that attempt to support an argument, but are
not logically sound, which leads to faulty conclusions.
What are Fallacies of Relevance? - CORRECT ANSWER - Fallacies that rely on premises
irrelevant to the truth of the conclusion.
What is a Non-Sequiter? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on a conclusion does not
follow from the premises; the conclusion could be either true or false, but the argument is
fallacious because there is a disconnection between the premise and the conclusion; all invalid
arguments are special cases of non sequitur.
What is an Ad Hominem? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses not on the evidence for a
view, but on a negative character trait of person advancing it; seeks to discredit positions by
discrediting those who hold them.
What is Guilt by Association? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on arguing that some
group of people is absolutely and categorically bad and sharing even a single attribute with said
group would make one a member of it, which then bestows all the associated evils.
What is an Ad Populum? - CORRECT ANSWER - Uses the fact that a sizable number of
people, perhaps even a majority, believe in something as evidence that it must therefore be true;
relies on bandwagon [Everyone is doing it.], patriotic [It is the American way.], and snob [Only
the best are doing it.] approaches.
What is a Fallacist's Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on rejecting an idea as
false simply because the argument offered to provide justification for an accurate conclusion is
faulty.
, What is a Fallacy of Composition? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on the fact that every
part of a whole has a given property, and then inferring that the whole composition also has that
property.
What is a Fallacy of Division? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on inferences derived
from fact that a whole has a property, to reach the conclusion that a part of the whole also has
that property.
What is a Gambler's Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on assuming that short-
term deviations from probability will be corrected in the short-term; however, past results don't
bear on what will happen next.
What is a Genetic Fallacy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on either devaluing or
defending an argument because of its source, rather than its merit; emotional attachment to an
idea's origins creates difficulty in disregarding it due to evaluating the origin.
What is an Appeal to Antiquity? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on a premise that must
be true because people have always believed it or done it; may also conclude that the premise has
always worked in the past and will thus always work in the future.
What is an Appeal to Irrelevant Authority? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on an
authority who is not an expert on the issue at hand, an idea is attributed to a vague collective, or
it appeals to ancient wisdom because it was believed to be true long ago.
What is an Appeal to Consequences? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on speaking for or
against the validity of a proposition by appealing to the consequences of accepting or rejecting it;
appeals to emotions of hope or fear.
What is an Appeal to Force? - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on an attempt to persuade
using threats; disbelief will be met with sanctions.
