AP Test Review - Logical Fallacies

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Sentimental Appeal

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A logical fallacy that uses emotion to persuade rather than presenting valid arguments. Example: "You should help the homeless because they are suffering."

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Slippery Slope

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A fallacy that suggests taking a minor action will lead to major and oftentimes ludicrous consequences. Example: "If we allow students to redo tests, soon they will expect to redo every assignment."

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Straw Man

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A fallacy that misrepresents an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack. Example: "People who support environmental regulations want to shut down all factories and put everyone out of work."

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Logos

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An appeal to logic and reason, using facts and evidence to persuade. Example: "Studies show that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer."

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Ad Hominem

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A fallacy that attacks the person making an argument rather than the argument itself. Example: "You can't trust his opinion on climate change; he's not even a scientist."

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Hasty Generalization

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A fallacy that draws a conclusion based on insufficient evidence. Example: "My two friends who are doctors are rude, so all doctors must be rude."

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Ad Populum

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A fallacy that appeals to the popularity of a claim as a reason for accepting it. Example: "Everyone is buying this product, so it must be the best."

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False Analogy

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A fallacy that compares two things that are not alike in relevant respects. Example: "Just as a car needs gas to run, humans need food to survive."

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Either-Or Fallacy

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A fallacy that presents two options as the only possibilities when more exist. Example: "You either support the new policy or you don't care about the future."

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Red Herring

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A fallacy that introduces irrelevant information into an argument to distract from the original issue. Example: "Why worry about climate change when there are so many homeless people?"