Argument and Evidence Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real STAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Argument and Evidence Analysis flashcards as text
A columnist writes: 'Either we allow unlimited immigration or our culture will disappear.' This argument commits which fallacy?
Answer: False dichotomy
Presenting only two extreme options while ignoring the many intermediate policy positions is a false dichotomy.
A graph shows ice cream sales and drowning deaths both peak in summer. A commentator concludes that ice cream causes drowning. What is the most likely explanation for this correlation?
Answer: Hot weather independently increases both ice cream consumption and swimming.
A confounding variable — hot weather — explains both trends without any causal link between ice cream and drowning.
Which of the following most strengthens the argument that a reading program improved literacy rates in a school district?
Answer: A comparable district without the program showed no improvement over the same period.
A control group that did not receive the intervention and showed no improvement helps isolate the program as the cause.
An argument is described as 'valid but unsound.' This means:
Answer: The logical structure is correct but at least one premise is false.
Validity refers to logical structure; soundness also requires true premises — a valid argument with a false premise is unsound.
A reviewer dismisses a study on climate change because it was funded by an environmental group. This is an example of:
Answer: Ad hominem (circumstantial)
Rejecting a claim based on the alleged bias of its source rather than its methodology is a circumstantial ad hominem.
A text states: 'Studies show moderate wine consumption is associated with lower heart disease risk.' Which inference is best supported by this statement?
Answer: There is a statistical relationship between wine consumption and heart disease rates.
The statement establishes a statistical association, not a causal mechanism, recommendation, or absolute rule.
Which of the following represents a deductive argument?
Answer: If all reptiles are cold-blooded and snakes are reptiles, then snakes are cold-blooded.
Deductive arguments move from general premises to a specific conclusion that necessarily follows if the premises are true.