PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 4
PASSPOINTPRO
D265 Critical Thinking
REASON AND EVIDENCE
QUIZ 4
Fallacies and Argument Mapping
50 Multiple-Choice Questions
Answers and Explanations Included
Focused Concept Review | Scenario-Based Practice
D265 Quiz 4 | Page 1
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 4
Quiz Instructions
Directions: Choose the best answer for each question. Each item has one defensible answer. The correct
answer and explanation appear immediately after the options for guided review.
Coverage: Formal and informal fallacies; relevance, ambiguity, presumption, and weak-induction errors;
causal reasoning mistakes; hidden assumptions; linked and convergent premises; intermediate
conclusions; argument reconstruction; charitable interpretation; and evaluating argument maps.
Quiz 4 - Questions 1-50
1. 'Do not accept Lee's tax proposal; Lee is an unpleasant person.' Which fallacy occurs?
A. Appeal to ignorance
B. False dilemma
C. Abusive ad hominem
D. Composition
Answer: C. Abusive ad hominem
Explanation: The response attacks Lee's character instead of addressing the proposal's merits. The other
choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
2. 'Of course the landlord opposes rent controls; landlords profit from higher rents, so the argument
must be false.' This is:
A. Modus tollens
B. Circumstantial ad hominem
C. Appeal to tradition
D. Division
Answer: B. Circumstantial ad hominem
Explanation: Pointing to a possible motive does not by itself refute the person's reasons or conclusion. The
other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
D265 Quiz 4 | Page 2
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 4
3. A smoker advises a friend to quit, and the friend replies, 'You smoke too, so your advice is wrong.'
This is:
A. Tu quoque
B. Straw man
C. False cause
D. Appeal to novelty
Answer: A. Tu quoque
Explanation: Tu quoque rejects a claim by alleging hypocrisy rather than evaluating the claim's support. The
other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
4. A council member proposes modest traffic limits downtown. An opponent replies, 'She wants to
ban all cars everywhere.' This is:
A. Red herring
B. Appeal to pity
C. Composition
D. Straw man
Answer: D. Straw man
Explanation: A straw man distorts a position into a weaker version that is easier to attack. The other choices
either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
5. Asked about missing funds, an official begins discussing the city's successful sports festival. This is:
A. Valid deduction
B. Appeal to nature
C. Red herring
D. Division
Answer: C. Red herring
Explanation: A red herring diverts attention to an irrelevant issue instead of answering the concern. The other
choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
D265 Quiz 4 | Page 3
PASSPOINTPRO
D265 Critical Thinking
REASON AND EVIDENCE
QUIZ 4
Fallacies and Argument Mapping
50 Multiple-Choice Questions
Answers and Explanations Included
Focused Concept Review | Scenario-Based Practice
D265 Quiz 4 | Page 1
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 4
Quiz Instructions
Directions: Choose the best answer for each question. Each item has one defensible answer. The correct
answer and explanation appear immediately after the options for guided review.
Coverage: Formal and informal fallacies; relevance, ambiguity, presumption, and weak-induction errors;
causal reasoning mistakes; hidden assumptions; linked and convergent premises; intermediate
conclusions; argument reconstruction; charitable interpretation; and evaluating argument maps.
Quiz 4 - Questions 1-50
1. 'Do not accept Lee's tax proposal; Lee is an unpleasant person.' Which fallacy occurs?
A. Appeal to ignorance
B. False dilemma
C. Abusive ad hominem
D. Composition
Answer: C. Abusive ad hominem
Explanation: The response attacks Lee's character instead of addressing the proposal's merits. The other
choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
2. 'Of course the landlord opposes rent controls; landlords profit from higher rents, so the argument
must be false.' This is:
A. Modus tollens
B. Circumstantial ad hominem
C. Appeal to tradition
D. Division
Answer: B. Circumstantial ad hominem
Explanation: Pointing to a possible motive does not by itself refute the person's reasons or conclusion. The
other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
D265 Quiz 4 | Page 2
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 4
3. A smoker advises a friend to quit, and the friend replies, 'You smoke too, so your advice is wrong.'
This is:
A. Tu quoque
B. Straw man
C. False cause
D. Appeal to novelty
Answer: A. Tu quoque
Explanation: Tu quoque rejects a claim by alleging hypocrisy rather than evaluating the claim's support. The
other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
4. A council member proposes modest traffic limits downtown. An opponent replies, 'She wants to
ban all cars everywhere.' This is:
A. Red herring
B. Appeal to pity
C. Composition
D. Straw man
Answer: D. Straw man
Explanation: A straw man distorts a position into a weaker version that is easier to attack. The other choices
either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
5. Asked about missing funds, an official begins discussing the city's successful sports festival. This is:
A. Valid deduction
B. Appeal to nature
C. Red herring
D. Division
Answer: C. Red herring
Explanation: A red herring diverts attention to an irrelevant issue instead of answering the concern. The other
choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
D265 Quiz 4 | Page 3
