Evaluating Written Arguments Flashcards
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A city council argues: 'Crime rates dropped 15% after we installed more streetlights, so streetlights prevent crime.' What is the main flaw in this argument?
Answer: Correlation is mistaken for causation
The argument assumes that because two events occurred together, one caused the other, which is the correlation-causation fallacy.
Which of the following best describes a 'hasty generalization'?
Answer: Drawing a broad conclusion from insufficient evidence
A hasty generalization occurs when a sweeping conclusion is drawn from too few or unrepresentative examples.
An essay concludes: 'Students who study more than four hours daily perform better academically. Therefore, schools should mandate four hours of daily homework.' Which assumption is the argument relying on?
Answer: Mandating homework will produce the same results as voluntary study
The argument assumes mandatory homework will replicate the outcomes of self-motivated study, which may not hold true.
Passage: 'Every war in history has ended. Therefore, the current conflict will also end.' What type of reasoning is this?
Answer: Inductive reasoning from past patterns
The argument uses inductive reasoning by generalising from historical patterns to predict a future event.
Which of the following is the strongest counter-argument to the claim: 'Banning junk food advertising will reduce childhood obesity'?
Answer: Dietary habits are primarily shaped by family and socioeconomic factors, not advertising alone
This counter-argument challenges the causal link by identifying other dominant factors that influence childhood obesity.
A senator states: 'My opponent has accepted donations from oil companies, so his environmental policy cannot be trusted.' This is an example of:
Answer: An ad hominem fallacy
The senator attacks the opponent's funding source rather than the substance of the environmental policy itself.
A study reports that people who eat breakfast earn higher salaries on average. A journalist concludes that skipping breakfast causes lower earnings. Which evidence would MOST weaken this conclusion?
Answer: Wealthier individuals have more resources to afford breakfast
If wealth enables breakfast rather than breakfast enabling wealth, the causal direction is reversed, undermining the conclusion.