The 15 Most Common Logical Fallacies
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
logical fallacy - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - an attempt to shift focus from the debate at hand by
introducing an irrelevant point
Example of a Red Herring - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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.
Example of Equivocation - CORRECT ANSWER - "Only man is rational. No woman is a
man. Therefore, no woman is rational."
"While I have a clear plan for the campus budget that accounts for every dollar spent, my
opponent simply wants to throw money at special interest projects."
Slippery Slope - CORRECT ANSWER - when the arguer claims a specific series of events
will follow one starting point, typically with no supporting evidence for this chain of events.
Examples of Slippery Slope - CORRECT ANSWER - "We should not require gun owners
to carry liability insurance, because if we do that, before long they will repeal the Second
Amendment."
"If we make an exception for Bijal's service dog, then other people will want to bring their dogs.
Then everybody will bring their dog, and before you know it, our restaurant will be overrun with
dogs, their slobber, their hair, and all the noise they make, and nobody will want to eat here
anymore."
Hasty Generalization - CORRECT ANSWER - a statement made after considering just one
or a few examples rather than relying on more extensive research to back up the claim. A faulty
conclusion is reached after insufficient evidence and research.
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
logical fallacy - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - an attempt to shift focus from the debate at hand by
introducing an irrelevant point
Example of a Red Herring - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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.
Example of Equivocation - CORRECT ANSWER - "Only man is rational. No woman is a
man. Therefore, no woman is rational."
"While I have a clear plan for the campus budget that accounts for every dollar spent, my
opponent simply wants to throw money at special interest projects."
Slippery Slope - CORRECT ANSWER - when the arguer claims a specific series of events
will follow one starting point, typically with no supporting evidence for this chain of events.
Examples of Slippery Slope - CORRECT ANSWER - "We should not require gun owners
to carry liability insurance, because if we do that, before long they will repeal the Second
Amendment."
"If we make an exception for Bijal's service dog, then other people will want to bring their dogs.
Then everybody will bring their dog, and before you know it, our restaurant will be overrun with
dogs, their slobber, their hair, and all the noise they make, and nobody will want to eat here
anymore."
Hasty Generalization - CORRECT ANSWER - a statement made after considering just one
or a few examples rather than relying on more extensive research to back up the claim. A faulty
conclusion is reached after insufficient evidence and research.
