IXL | Classify logical fallacies | 8th grade language arts

Which logical fallacy is used in the text?

No one in your family surfs? But I thought you said you lived in California before this.

hasty generalization: a very broad claim based on very little evidence

appeal to nature: the assumption that natural things are always good

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question

Which logical fallacy is used in the text?

All the popular guys at school are dyeing their hair purple, so you should, too!

straw man: a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against

bandwagon fallacy: the assumption that the popular choice is automatically correct

key idea

A strong argument uses valid reasoning and logic in support of a claim. When an argument or claim introduces irrelevant information or misrepresents the issues at hand, it may be committing a logical fallacy. Logical fallacies can hurt a writer's credibility and can lead readers to draw false conclusions.

A logical fallacy may present irrelevant information:

Fallacy	Description
ad hominem	a personal attack meant to discredit one's opponent
appeal to nature	an argument that assumes the natural choice is always the best choice
bandwagon fallacy	an argument that assumes the popular choice is always the best choice
circular reasoning	an argument that supports a claim with the claim itself
guilt by association	an unfair negative association with another person or group that is intended to discredit someone or something
red herring	the use of a completely unrelated topic in support of a claim

A logical fallacy may misrepresent the issues at hand:

Fallacy	Description
false causation	the assumption that because two things happened together, one caused the other
false dichotomy	an argument that presents only two choices when more options exist
hasty generalization	a very broad claim based on very little evidence
straw man	a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against

solution

The text argues that someone should dye his hair purple, because other people are dyeing their hair purple. However, even though some people are dyeing their hair purple, that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone else should. This illustrates a type of logical fallacy known as the bandwagon fallacy.

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