"You can't give me a C," said Judy, "I'm an A student!"

Question

Hasty generalization, present in an argument in which the arguer makes assumptions about a whole group or range of cases based on a sample that is inadequate (usually because it is atypical or too small).

B

Equivocation, present in an argument in which the arguer uses an equivocation between terms, or the sliding between two or more different meanings of a single word or phrase that is important to the argument, in order to support a claim.

C

Slippery slope, present in an argument in which the arguer assumes that a chain reaction, usually ending in some dire consequence, will take place, but without enough evidence to support that assumption. The arguer asserts that if one were to take even one step onto the "slippery slope," he or she will invariably end up sliding all the way to the bottom; the arguer assumes the subject cannot halt his or her slide partway down the slope.

D

Weak analogy, present in an argument in which the arguer relies on an analogy between two or more objects, ideas, or situations that are not really alike or analogous in the relevant respect.

E

Begging the question, present in an argument in which the arguer asks his or her opponent to simply accept a conclusion absent any real evidence; the argument either relies on a premise that says the same thing as the conclusion (commonly referred to as “being circular” or “circular reasoning”), or simply ignores an important (but questionable) assumption that the argument rests on.

Answer 1

E. This is an example of begging the question. We are being asked to believe this student is a A student without any evidence to show us that this claim is true and certainly we have no reason to believe this student would only achieve A’s and would never earn a C.