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The 15 Most Common Logical Fallacies
Exam Study Guide.
logical fallacy - Answer✔an argument that can be disproven through reasoning. For a position to
be logically fallacious, it must be logically flawed or deceptive in one way or another.
ad hominem - Answer✔An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the
merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack.
Examples of Ad Hominem - Answer✔"You should vote against the mayor's proposal because he
uses bad grammar and chews tobacco."
"Katherine is a bad choice for mayor because she didn't grow up in this town."
Red Herring - Answer✔an attempt to shift focus from the debate at hand by introducing an
irrelevant point
Example of a Red Herring - Answer✔"It's so obvious that an open society will always be
vulnerable to terrorist attack, so the question is how much of our free movement we are willing
to sacrifice for national security." George: "No, the question is how our government agencies
could have been so stupid as to ignore all the signs of the impending attack."
"Losing a tooth can be scary, but have you heard about the Tooth Fairy?"
Straw Man - Answer✔A fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor,
oversimplified, or hyperbolic example of their opposition instead of their opponent's actual
argument.
Examples of Straw Man - Answer✔"Erin thinks we need to stop using all plastics, right now, to
save the planet from climate change."
A student critiqued third trimester partial birth abortions when her opponent was only defending
the moral permissibility of first trimester abortions.
Equivocation - Answer✔a statement crafted to mislead or confuse readers or listeners by using
multiple meanings or interpretations of a word or simply through unclear phrasing.
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The 15 Most Common Logical Fallacies
Exam Study Guide.
logical fallacy - Answer✔an argument that can be disproven through reasoning. For a position to
be logically fallacious, it must be logically flawed or deceptive in one way or another.
ad hominem - Answer✔An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the
merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack.
Examples of Ad Hominem - Answer✔"You should vote against the mayor's proposal because he
uses bad grammar and chews tobacco."
"Katherine is a bad choice for mayor because she didn't grow up in this town."
Red Herring - Answer✔an attempt to shift focus from the debate at hand by introducing an
irrelevant point
Example of a Red Herring - Answer✔"It's so obvious that an open society will always be
vulnerable to terrorist attack, so the question is how much of our free movement we are willing
to sacrifice for national security." George: "No, the question is how our government agencies
could have been so stupid as to ignore all the signs of the impending attack."
"Losing a tooth can be scary, but have you heard about the Tooth Fairy?"
Straw Man - Answer✔A fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor,
oversimplified, or hyperbolic example of their opposition instead of their opponent's actual
argument.
Examples of Straw Man - Answer✔"Erin thinks we need to stop using all plastics, right now, to
save the planet from climate change."
A student critiqued third trimester partial birth abortions when her opponent was only defending
the moral permissibility of first trimester abortions.
Equivocation - Answer✔a statement crafted to mislead or confuse readers or listeners by using
multiple meanings or interpretations of a word or simply through unclear phrasing.
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