Ap lang fallacy examples

either or fallacy

You're either with us or against us,

hasty generalization

I've met two people in Greece so far, and they were both nice to me.

appeals to ignorance

"Since no one has proven that aliens don't exist, then aliens must exist."

band wagon appeal

smoking because your friends smoke or exercising because your friends exercise

authority fallacy

A celebrity endorses a product or idea, even though they may not be an expert in the relevant field. For example, a baseball player might endorse a mortgage company

ad hominem

before you listen to her, I should remind you that she has been charged with embezzlement.

slippery slope

If students are required to wear uniforms to school, they'll do less shopping at local clothing stores. With less business, the stores will close, which will hurt our local economy.

faulty causality

It rained because I just washed my car

weak analogy

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get (life cannot be compared to a box of chocolates)

appeals to pity

Professor, please consider raising my grade. I had a terrible semester: my car broke down, my laptop got stolen, and my cat got sick

straw man argument

Misrepresenting a position

A teacher suggests more time for math exercises, but a parent complains that the teacher doesn't care about reading and writing

non sequitur fallacy

"It's raining outside, therefore elephants can fly," "Because I like pizza, I must be a great chef," or "Since the economy is doing well, we should ban all social media.