Flaw in the Reasoning Drill Pack

Question 1

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

1. A. ignores the possibility that a third factor, like community cohesion, explains both
2. B. attacks the researchers instead of their findings
3. C. relies on a study with no control group at all
4. D. assumes crime rates can never change
5. E. confuses churches with other public buildings

Answer: ______

Question 2

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

1. A. ignores the coach's authority
2. B. assumes that because the loss followed the benching, the benching caused it
3. C. fails to consider that the player wanted to be benched
4. D. attacks the player's character
5. E. relies on statistics about other teams

Answer: ______

Question 3

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?

1. A. It appeals to an unqualified authority.
2. B. It treats one exceptional case as if it refutes a general trend.
3. C. It confuses smoking with other habits.
4. D. It assumes the uncle is lying.
5. E. It uses overly technical language.

Answer: ______

Question 4

A local newspaper reported that the city's new bike-share program launched in March, and that bike thefts rose 20 percent from March to September. The editorial concluded that the bike-share program caused the rise in thefts.

The reasoning above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it

1. A. takes a correlation between two events as proof that one caused the other
2. B. attacks the character of the newspaper's editor instead of addressing the claim
3. C. confuses a necessary condition with a sufficient condition
4. D. draws a general conclusion from a single unrepresentative example
5. E. assumes that what is true of a part is true of the whole

Answer: ______

Question 5

Professor: "My course has a 98 percent pass rate, so it must be one of the easiest courses at the university."

The professor's reasoning is flawed because it

1. A. ignores the possibility that the professor is simply an excellent teacher
2. B. confuses the professor's opinion with a fact
3. C. relies on a survey with too few respondents
4. D. assumes that students choose courses based on difficulty
5. E. attacks the university's grading policy

Answer: ______

Question 6

You should buy this brand of running shoes. Three Olympic sprinters wear them, and they are the fastest runners in the world.

The reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism because it

1. A. assumes that endorsements by famous athletes prove a product's quality
2. B. ignores the price of the shoes
3. C. fails to define what "fastest" means
4. D. compares sprinters to marathon runners
5. E. relies on anonymous sources

Answer: ______

Question 7

Our rival's software must be insecure. Their CEO was once fined for insider trading, so you cannot trust anything their company makes.

The argument commits which flaw?

1. A. It confuses correlation with causation.
2. B. It attacks the person instead of addressing the claim about the software.
3. C. It draws a conclusion from too small a sample.
4. D. It assumes the CEO still works there.
5. E. It uses circular reasoning.

Answer: ______

Question 8

Everyone at the town hall supported the new park, so the whole town must support it.

The reasoning is flawed because it

1. A. confuses what the attendees think with what the town thinks
2. B. attacks the people who opposed the park
3. C. assumes the park will be expensive
4. D. ignores the benefits of parks
5. E. relies on outdated information

Answer: ______

Question 9

Drinking coffee must be healthy. My grandfather drank five cups a day and lived to 95.

The flaw in the reasoning is that it

1. A. ignores the health effects of caffeine
2. B. treats one person's experience as proof of a general claim
3. C. assumes the grandfather was healthy
4. D. confuses coffee with tea
5. E. appeals to the authority of a doctor

Answer: ______

Question 10

Either we build the new stadium or the team will leave the city. We cannot let the team leave, so we must build the stadium.

The argument is flawed because it

1. A. ignores the team's winning record
2. B. assumes there are only two options when more may exist
3. C. attacks the team's owners
4. D. confuses the stadium with the team
5. E. relies on a biased poll

Answer: ______