Review Exercises for Fallacies. For each of the following, decide whether the reasoning is fallacious and, if so, which fallacy best explains it.
1. If you don't study and get your degree, you will end up like your uncle. Do you really want to be a bum like him for the rest of your life?
2. The speed limit should be kept at 55 miles per hour. Studies have shown that accidents that occur over 55 mph have a higher fatality rate.
3. If the speed limit is raised, then more people will die on the roads.
4. I owned a Ford once and it broke down on me. They are terrible cars and I will never buy one again.
5. Everyone seems to support the changes in the vacation policy, and if everyone likes them, they must be good.
6. Yes, I know that it is illegal to gamble if you are under 21, but that is dumb because you can buy cigarettes at 18.
7. Please don't give George an F--he put so much effort and sweat into that report.
8. Failure to turn the paper in tomorrow will result in an F for the course.
9. Everyone is buying a new bike, so why can't I?
10. Did you enjoy breaking your aunt's heart by being late for dinner?
11. Why shouldn't I make fun of my boss? Look at all the abuse I take from her!
12. According to a survey in Variety, the top-grossing film of all time is Star Wars.
13. Why would you want to hear him speak? He's a flaming liberal who doesn't care about anything except saving trees in the rain forest.
14. Well, I'm going to continue to believe that there is life on Mars, and that they visit us regularly, unless you can prove otherwise!
15. Since being bilingual can help you to get a good job, I'm going to study a third language--so I can get a great job!
16. Legalizing marijuana will mean increased availability, leading to increased drug use by teenagers, more addiction, more drug-related crime, more deaths of young people, the destruction of our public school system, and eventually the collapse of our society. So how can you even consider its legalization?
17. Margaret says that all blondes are airheads, but I wouldn't listen to her--even though her hair looks red, her natural color is blonde.
18. Are you coming to the mall with the rest of us? Everyone who hangs out at the mall is cool.
19. I've been working at the same video store for the last 2 years and I only make $5.95 an hour! My boss is such a cheap jerk!
20. The Rolling Stones are the best rock and roll band ever. All my friends agree.
21. Paul McCartney must be a fabulous singer, because he used to be a Beatle, and the Beatles were fabulous.
22. Those James Bond movies are so predictable--if you've seen one, you've seen them all!
23. Sure, he's opposed to banning handguns--he's a bullet manufacturer!
24. Why is Newt Gingrich trying to cut Medicare and Social Security? He must want old people to starve.
25. Should rapists be given parole? Your spouse or child could be the next victim
26. Harvard is an intellectually superior institution. That's why a Harvard student has a superior intellect.
27. If I let you borrow my class notes this time, you'll start depending on them, and you'll never show up for class, and eventually you'll fail the course. So, for your own good, you can't have them.
28. I can't believe you eat red meat. Everyone knows what it does to your heart!
29. If you love your family, you'll buy this new stealth security system.
30. Stephen, if you don't stop smoking, you are going to die!
31. I walked under a ladder yesterday. That's why I failed my exam.
32. "If it's got to be clean, it's got to be Tide."
33. I had to drive fast, officer. Everyone on the freeway was driving fast.
34. Do you understand why you need to be punished?
35. Clinton has cut funding for food stamps. He's really out to hurt the poor.
36. Lawyers are only concerned about their own income.
37. We can blame Bill Clinton for passage of that proposition ending affirmative action. After all, he was in office when it passed.
38. I always win whenever my girlfriend is watching the game.
39. I'm shocked that Bo didn't help me when I needed him. Either he had some kind of emergency, or he is not a real friend.
40. Did you clean up your room, as you were supposed to do?