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Our study looked at people who were successful, as defined by their level of income. Our findings show that successful people consistently make more money than unsuccessful people.
circular reasoning: an argument that supports a claim with the claim itself
Ms. Randall has suggested that our schools let students take statistics instead of algebra to graduate. Frankly, it is puzzling to me that she thinks algebra is a useless subject.
strawman: a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against
My opponent claims that testing products on animals is cruel. But I, for one, cannot support exposing humans to harmful chemicals!
strawman: a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against
How could the Harry Potter movies not have won even one Academy Award? It's one of the most popular franchises of all time!
bandwagon fallacy: the assumption that the popular choice is automatically correct
The Boston Red Sox failed to win the World Series for eighty-six years after they traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. Fans believed this to be the "Curse of the Bambino," or punishment for selling "The Bambino" to another team.
false cause: the assumption that because two things happened together, one caused the other
We need to raise taxes to improve our public schools. If we don't raise taxes, we are condemning our schools to failure.
false dichotomy: an argument that presents only two choices when more options exist
In September, we removed the vending machines on our school's campus. By April, we saw an increase in the tenth grade boys' math scores on state tests. Clearly, there's a link.
false cause: the assumption that because two things happened together, one caused the other
Mayor Benton wants to create more bicycle lanes in Lexington. However, many citizens of Lexington live far from work. It would not be realistic to force us to give up our cars and bike everywhere.
strawman: a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against
When I was in Seattle for a week last January, it didn't rain even once. Seattle's reputation for being rainy is obviously false.
hasty generalization: a broad claim based on too few observations
Mr. Patel's class is so boring! Why are all literature classes so dull?
hasty generalization: a broad claim based on too few observations
My pediatrician says we should stop letting little Lorenzo eat so much candy, but what does she know? She's never been a mother.
ad hominem: an attack against the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself
I've only read a couple pages of this book, and I've already found a typo. There's no way I'm reading the rest of this garbage.
hasty generalization: a broad claim based on too few observations
Eating meat can't be wrong. After all, a majority of people in the United States eat meat.
bandwagon fallacy: the assumption that the popular choice is automatically correct
If the government is allowed to start blocking websites, then soon they'll start banning books, and all we'll have to read is propaganda.
slippery slope fallacy: the false assumption that a small first step will lead to extreme consequences
You think Joel should be class president? I just can't see it. He reads romance novels for fun.
Ad hominem: an attack on a person rather than discussion of the actual argument.
I don't think I would do well in AP Literature—people are good at math, or they're good at literature, and I'm a math person.
false dichotomy: the fallacy that there are only two sides to an argument when there are more.
