The Shape of a Bad Argument
C2 · Reading · Rhetoric and Persuasion
A letter to the editor
Sir — The council’s proposal to introduce a four-day school week is the latest example of the dangerous nonsense now fashionable among so-called experts.
If we allow children a three-day weekend, it will not be long before they expect a four-day weekend, and before we know it, nobody will be working at all. My own children attended school five days a week and they turned out perfectly well, which proves the system works.
The councillor behind this scheme has, I note, no children of her own, so one wonders what she could possibly know about education. Besides, the vast majority of sensible parents I have spoken to agree with me.
Either we maintain standards, or we give up on our children’s future. The choice could not be clearer.
Vocabulary
- fallacy — a flaw in reasoning that makes an argument invalid
- slippery slope
- ad hominem
- anecdotal
- bandwagon
- false dilemma
Sample questions (6 questions)
- “If we allow a three-day weekend… nobody will be working at all.” Which fallacy is this?
- slippery slope
- ad hominem
- bandwagon
- “My own children turned out perfectly well, which proves the system works.” What is wrong with this?
- It generalises from a tiny, personal sample.
- It is too long.
- It uses statistics badly.
- Why is “the vast majority of sensible parents I have spoken to” doubly weak?
- The sample is self-selected, and “sensible” excludes anyone who disagrees.
- It mentions too many parents.
- It is grammatically incorrect.
Answers and hints from Migo appear when you do it online.