Fallacies Worksheet
Identify the fallacy in each of the following statements and, in each case, explain why the statement is fallacious.
1. I don’t see any reason to wear a helmet when I ride a bike. Everyone bikes without a helmet.
1. It’s ridiculous to worry about protecting America’s national parks against pollution and overuse when innocent people are being killed by terrorists.
1. There can be no doubt that the 9/11 Day of Terror was caused by George W. Bush. He became president in January 2001, and the attacks occurred just eight months later.
1. If we allow the school board to spend money remodeling the gymnasium, next they will want to build a new school and give all the teachers a huge raise. Taxes will soar so high that busi-nesses will leave and then there will be no jobs for anyone in this town.
1. Raising a child is just like having a pet—you need to feed it, play with it, and everything will be fine.
1. I can’t support Representative Lu’s proposal for campaign finance reform. After all, rumor has it that he was kicked out of law school for cheating on an exam.
1. One citizen polled said, “I’m not at all worried about the government collecting our personal data. What do I have to hide?” Another insisted, “I don’t see what all the fuss is about. If you’re worried about the NSA reading your e-mail and seeing what Web sites you visit, then you’re probably doing something wrong in the first place.” We can see, then, that most U.S. citizens are not opposed to government data-collection programs.
1. Our school must either increase tuition or cut back on library services for students.
1. Counseling cannot prepare men and women for marriage. To try to counsel them for marriage is like trying to teach them to swim without letting them go into the water. It cannot be done.
1. I don’t see why we need Affirmative Action policies for women. Statistics show that there are more women on the planet than men!