Sample Questions: Flaw in the Reasoning
Find the logical error in the argument. Three original questions below. No timer. Check each answer and read the explanation before moving on.
A study found that towns with more churches have lower crime rates. The mayor concluded that building more churches would reduce crime.
The mayor's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Correlation is not causation. Tight-knit towns may have both more churches and less crime, with neither causing the other.
The coach benched the team's best player, and the team lost. So benching the player caused the loss.
The reasoning is flawed because it
Sequence is not cause. The team may have lost anyway, or the player may have been benched because they were already playing badly.
My uncle smoked for forty years and never got sick, so warnings about smoking must be exaggerated.
The argument commits which of the following errors?
One lucky uncle does not overturn population-level evidence. Anecdotes are not data, no matter how vivid.
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Last updated October 12, 2026