ISAT Argument Evaluation and Flaws 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A politician argues: 'Crime rates fell after we increased police patrols, so the patrols caused the drop.' Which flaw is present?
- Ad hominem
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc (Correct answer)
- False dichotomy
- Appeal to authority
Correct answer: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Assuming that because one event followed another the first caused the second is the post hoc fallacy.
Question 2: Which of the following best identifies a 'straw man' fallacy?
- Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack (Correct answer)
- Appealing to the popularity of a view as proof of its truth
- Drawing a conclusion that goes beyond what the evidence supports
- Assuming the conclusion in the premises
Correct answer: Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack
A straw man fallacy involves distorting or exaggerating an opponent's position before refuting it.
Question 3: A researcher concludes that a drug is safe because no side effects appeared in a 2-week trial on 10 patients. What is the main weakness?
- The study lacked a hypothesis
- The sample size and duration are too small to generalise (Correct answer)
- The researcher used anecdotal evidence
- The study committed a false dichotomy
Correct answer: The sample size and duration are too small to generalise
Ten patients over two weeks is an insufficient sample and time frame to draw broad safety conclusions.
Question 4: 'Everyone on social media says this diet works, so it must be effective.' This argument relies on which flaw?
- Hasty generalisation
- Circular reasoning
- Ad populum (appeal to popularity) (Correct answer)
- Equivocation
Correct answer: Ad populum (appeal to popularity)
Appealing to the number of people who believe something (ad populum) does not establish truth.
Question 5: An argument states: 'If we allow students to redo one test, they'll demand to redo every test forever.' This is an example of:
- Slippery slope (Correct answer)
- False analogy
- Begging the question
- Red herring
Correct answer: Slippery slope
The slippery slope fallacy assumes an initial action will inevitably lead to extreme consequences without adequate justification.
Question 6: Which approach best strengthens a causal argument linking coffee consumption to improved memory?
- Citing a famous neuroscientist who drinks coffee
- Showing that memory improved in all populations studied after coffee was removed from their diet
- Conducting a randomised controlled trial with a placebo group showing memory gains only in the coffee group (Correct answer)
- Pointing out that coffee has been consumed for centuries
Correct answer: Conducting a randomised controlled trial with a placebo group showing memory gains only in the coffee group
A randomised controlled trial with a placebo isolates the causal variable and provides the strongest causal evidence.
Question 7: The argument 'You should trust my investment advice because I once lost all my money in bad investments and learned from it' appeals to which type of reasoning?
- Appeal to experience as a legitimate credential (Correct answer)
- Appeal to ignorance
- Appeal to emotion
- Circular reasoning
Correct answer: Appeal to experience as a legitimate credential
While experience can be relevant, the argument must still be evaluated on whether past failure genuinely provides credible expertise.
ISAT Argument Evaluation and Flaws 2
A politician argues: 'Crime rates fell after we increased police patrols, so the patrols caused the drop.' Which flaw is present?