Question

1. We never had any trouble with the TV until John moved back into our house. I guess he was the problem.

a) small sample

b) hasty conclusion

c) division

d) no fallacy

2. Obama: "And if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take him out, then I think that we have to act and we will take him out."

McCain: "Sen. Obama likes to talk loudly. In fact, he just said he wants to announce that he's going to attack Pakistan. Remarkable."

Critic: McCain just committed the fallacy of suppressed evidence

a) the critic has made a correct charge of fallacy

b) the critic has made a false charge of fallacy

3. You said that you like beef, potatoes, and onions. So I guarantee that you will like this casserole of beef, potatoes, and onions.

a) composition

b) questionable cause

c) unrepresentative sample

d) division

4. All of the Philosophy instructors at SRJC have a masters degree. Steve is a Philosophy instructor at SRJC. Thus, Steve has a masters degree.

a) composition

b) division

c) deductively valid

d) unrepresentative sample

5. Public school teachers make an average salary of $53,000. When extrapolated over 52 weeks a year, that comes to about $100,000 a year. They're definitely overpaid.

a) unrepresentative sample

b) questionable use of good statistics

c) small sample

d) questionable cause

Answer 1

As there is no indication of which question needs an answer in your multiple questions posted here, I’m providing below the answer to your first major question.

Answer 1.

Hasty Conclusion (Option B)

Explanation:

• The small sample fallacy occurs when a judgement is made based on a small sample size. However, this type of judgement is not being made in the given statement.
• Similarly, it’s not a division fallacy that refers to a logical reasoning, which is applied to a whole, also being applied to some of its parts.
• However, we cannot say that the given statement has no fallacy, because it carries the fallacy of hasty conclusion.
• Hasty conclusion is also known in terms of the smoke and fire assumption, which is that the smoke exists where fire is. It is about making a hasty conclusion without trying to know any other possible causes of smoke. The same hasty conclusion is made when it is said that John caused trouble to the TV, without finding any other possible causes of TV trouble. Thus, the right answer is Option B.