Exam 6: Relevance Red Herringfallacies

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. This business of American car manufacturers having joint ventures with foreign car makers really stinks.Think of the consequences of not being able to buy American-made cars.No jobs for American car workers,no big cars,no ready supply of parts,no consumption of American steel.I think we should prohibit joint ventures.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. "Richard Nixon once said,'Tip O'Neill's the most ruthless speaker in history.' Being called 'ruthless' by Nixon is like Ross Perot criticizing your haircut." -Sandy Grady,Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. From a defense attorney's closing remarks at a trial:"This young man isn't guilty of a crime.No,ladies and gentlemen,it's society that's guilty of a crime,a crime against the very person on trial here.The society that wants to send him to prison for half his life is the same society that produced the rotten neighborhood in which he was born and grew up,that saw to it that he got a fifth-rate education,that gave him pimps and drug dealers for role models,and that offered him the choice between street crime or jobs nobody else would take.This jury-you-can do something to right the wrong that has been done to this young man...."