Identify the following in faulty persuasive reasoning?

Question

Identify the examples of faulty persuasive reasoning as: Bandwagon, Red Herring, Testimonial, Either-Or, Stereotype of Fautly Cause and Effect.

1. Thousands of poeple like olives on their pizzas; therefore, you should also.

2. If the Vice-President uses X-brand of toothpaste, so should you.

3. All artists are teperamental and nervous, so that painter must be too.

4. They didn't stop driving and stay in the motel, so that motel must be dirty and run-down.

5. The Mayor doesn't want to turn the vacant lot into a park because the vacant lot has been vacant for 3 years, ever since the gas station there burned down.

6. The mayor of that city should provide better public transportation. Otherwise the citizens will have to walk to work.

Please help. I am completly confused about this.

Answer 1

1-bandwagon; This means everybody does it

2-testimonial; Look for a famous person's endorsement

3-stereotype; Everybody in the category is the same

4-red herring; An assumption that may, may not be true

5-cause and effect; Because this happened, that happened

6-either or; If this happens, that will happen

Answer 2

Start by making sure you understand what is meant by each of the types of faulty reasoning; get out the dictionary or find a website and look them up if you're not sure what the differences between them are. Try expressing them in your own words. Then, once you've actually got to grips with the definitions of each of the terms, you ought to be able to recognise one from another for yourself.

Edit: Susi, your answer just reinforces all my long held beliefs about schools, in effect, 'teaching to the test', teaching kids that 'the only thing that matters is that you can produce the right answer' and placing undue attention on results rather than process. (!!!)  Your post is a perfect illustration of why my own kids will not be going to school.