Question

Identify the fallacy/fallacies present in the following passages from the following choices:
i. Hasty Generalization;
ii. Generalizing from Exception Cases;
iii. Fallacy of Accident;
iv. Weak Analogy;
v. Fallacious Appeal to Authority;
Appeal to Popularity.
1. Stress is bad for you? That’s a myth. I know all sorts of Type A people who are in excellent health.
2. These university kids drink like crazy on Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day. Theyprobably drink like crazy on Christmas, too.
3. I had a great time at the part last night; I’ll bet all university parties are great.
4. Salmon is very bad for dogs. You shouldn’t let your cat eat it either, I’d guess..

Answer 1

1. Generalizing from exception cases (ii). Just because some stressed-out people are in good health does not make it a general rule that stress isn't harmful.
2. Weak analogy (iv). The analogy here is associating Christmas with Halloween and St. Patrick's Day. It is weak because the speaker does not have the necessary information to infer that the students in question drink as much on every holiday.
3. Hasty generalization (i). One example is not enough to generalize to all university parties. Some are probably bad.
4. Weak analogy (iv). Equating a dog to a cat is a mistake, they are wholly different species and their diet recommendations may vary.