Week 3 – Identifying Fallacies Social Errors, And Biases Quiz

Quiz Content

1. Review the Ch. 4 information on evidence, research, errors and biases in thinking, as well as the fallacy information found in Ch. 5 of THiNK: Critical Thinking and Logic Skills for Everyday Life.

   Complete the Wk 3 Identifying Fallacies, Social Errors, and Biases Quiz.

   Note: Reading the chapter summaries and reviewing vocabulary words in the text are a great way to prepare for a quiz.

2. Question 1.The influence of social expectations is so powerful that it can lead to collective delusions in which people attempt to fit evidence into their cultural worldview.
   1. True
   2. False
3. Question 2.The statement, “Don’t disagree with me. Remember who pays your college tuition.” is an example of which fallacy:
   1. Amphiboly
   2. Appeal to ignorance
   3. Loaded question
   4. Appeal to force (scare tactics)
4. Question 3.The slippery slope fallacy is based on the idea that once you believe something, you will never change your mind about that belief.
   1. True
   2. False
5. Question 4.Diffusion of responsibility is not taking responsibility for our own actions.
   1. True
   2. False
6. Question 5.Memories are always reliable sources of evidence.
   1. True
   2. False
7. Question 6.Identify an accurate statement about ethnocentrism.
   1. It is the unjustified belief that one’s group or culture is superior to that of others.
   2. It is the tendency of people, when in a large group, to regard a problem as belonging to themselves rather than someone else.
   3. It is the tendency of people to look only for evidence that confirms their assumptions and to resist evidence that contradicts them.
   4. It is a phenomenon where people vividly recall events that never happened.
8. Question 7.Which of the following best describes an argument in the context of critical thinking?
   1. two people angrily disagreeing with one another over an important issue and calling each other nasty names
   2. attempting to provide rational support for a claim with a set of premises
   3. the process of defending a deeply held belief without considering opposing evidence
   4. none of these answers are correct
9. Question 8,An appeal to ignorance is a fallacy of relevance.
   1. True
   2. False
10. Question 9.Making an assumption that something is true simply because most people believe it to be true is an example of the _____ form of the popular appeal fallacy.
    1. bandwagon approach
    2. snob appeal
    3. hasty generalization
    4. red herring
11. Question 10.Which of the following best describes an argument that commits the informal fallacy of equivocation?
    1. an argument that fails because it relies on words that are ambiguous
    2. an argument that changes meaning according to which word or phrase in it is emphasized
    3. an argument that is valid but relies on a false premise
    4. an argument in which a grammatical mistake allows more than one conclusion to be drawn
12. Question 11.Which of the following fallacies is a fallacy of ambiguity?
    1. the fallacy of equivocation
    2. hasty generalization
    3. modus tollens
    4. the ad hominem fallacy
13. Question 12.A famous person appearing in an ad for a product completely unrelated to the person’s fame or expertise commits a fallacy of popular appeal.
    1. True
    2. False
14. Question 13.Which of the following is a strategy for avoiding informal fallacies?
    1. when presented with a complicated argument, concentrate on your opponent’s flaws while creating a rebuttal.
    2. focus on winning when presenting an argument.
    3. learn to listen carefully.
    4. decide on a strategy to counter your opponent’s argument before it is presented.
15. Question 14.Which of the following best describes the red herring fallacy?
    1. twisting someone’s argument in order to refute it
    2. bringing up information that is completely irrelevant to the point at hand
    3. seeking only information that confirms the opinion you hold
    4. ignoring information that would disconfirm your opinion