Here are some
questions from the 1998 midterm. (Individual test takers answered 1,3,5, 7 and any other three
of the following for a total exam length of less than eight
bluebook or
typed pages.)
1)
What
is the difference between circumstantial and abusive ad
hominem? Give one example
of each.
2)
Give
an example of the fallacy of complex question.
If all questions involve presuppositions, what makes complex
question
fallacious? Defend your answer.
3)
Give
an example of straw person argumentation and explain what's wrong with
it.
4)
Give
an example of a bad argument from authority.
How could you change it to make it a good one?
5)
What
do you take to be important causes of fallacious reasoning? How would you try to remedy these?
6)
List
phonetic equivalents for the numbers 1-10.
Convert the following number into its phonetic equivalent: 901-91-28590.
What is the numerical equivalent of “chocolate cake”?
7)
On
the basis of your group's understanding of section 14 of the Butler
essay and
any other information you can bring to bear on this, who is Butler's
audience? Why?
What is Butler’s thesis? How does Butler
argue for her thesis? What methods or
techniques is she using?
8)
In
Plato's Apology, who is Socrates' audience?
Who are his opponents? Why do you
think so? Give at least two reasons. Who are Plato's opponents?
Are they the same as Socrates'
opponents? Why or why not?
9)
Exercise: Arguments,
of course, are not the only works
which have audiences. But, it is worth
considering the possibility of an underlying argument for any work
addressed to
a general or specific audience. Name a
poem, play, movie or novel you think is making an argument to a
specific
audience. Explain why you think so.
10)
Give an
example of a self-defeating persuasion
attempt. Describe it in enough detail to
support the claim that it is self-defeating. .
11)
What rule of
thumb does circumstantial ad hominem rely upon? Why is it generally reliable?
12)
What is
the fallacy of straw person? After
defining, give an example.
13)
What is
the fallacy of equivocation? After
defining, give an example.
14)
You may
ask a question of your own choosing,
explain why it's a good question for this exam, then
sketch your answer.
=================================================================
Michael Kagan kagan@lemoyne.edu