AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Language fallacy vocab Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
7702118756(false) appeal to emotion (sentimental appeal)uses tender emotions excessively to distract from facts a news story about a single parent and their struggles can seem to represent a whole population.0
7702124732Ad Hominem ArgumentFallacy where a person attacts the character of a person rather than their claim. Donald Trump repetadly calling Hillary Clinton "Crooked Hillary" and attacking her for things not even related to politics: "If Hillary Clinton can't satisf her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy america?" This has nothing to do with Hillary's policies in the 2016 elecction, and just attacks her.1
7702227095appeal to probabilityif something MIGHT happen, it is DEFINITELY going to happen I heard that the world might end tomorrow, so I'm preparing because it's going to happen.2
7702230605appeal to traditiona fact is accepted as best because "things have always been that way" I eat 8000 calories a day because my family has done this for generations. This is my 1000 pound life.3
7702239474argument from authorityUsing an authority as evidence in your argument when the authority is not really an authority on the facts relevant to the argument. My mom says that 2+2 is 6 so I did that on my math test.4
7702242778Bandwagon Appeal (argumentum ad populum)a course of action is recommended because everyone else is doing it already (type of fallacy) diet and lifestyle fads5
7702249397circular argument (begging the question)a claim is based on the very grounds that are in dispute "Rita can't be the bycicle thief; she's never stolen anything."6
7702254920either/or fallacy (dialysis)To spell out alternatives, or to present either-or arguments that lead to a conclusion If you remember it, I have said enough, if not, my words will not provoke you.7
7702260333equivocation (ambiguity)a fallacy of argument in which a lie is given the appearance of the truth, or the truth is misrepresented A law can be reapealed with certain authorities, and gravity is considered a law. Therefore gravity can be repealed with certain authorities8
7702267349Fallacies (umbrella idea)Argumentative moves flawed by their vary nature or structure A statement that contadicts itself: (not an actual quote, I made this up) "crime has decreased over the years, and the number of prisnors in prisons has grown steadily". It contradicts itself because if crime want down, the number of people convicted should also go down.9
7702272347false authoritya fallacy of argument in which a claim is based on expertise of someone that lacks the credentials saying a "doctor in TV" approves smoking10
7702275000faulty analogya fallacy of argument in which a comparison between two objects is inaccurate Playing a violin and a drum is basically the same thing because they are both instruments11
7702282357faulty/hasty generalizationan inference drawn from insufficient evidence because my fiat broke down, all fiats are bad cars12
7702285982nirvana fallacya fallacy which compares actual things to idealistic and unreal concepts Wearing seatbelts is pointless, people are still going to die in car crashes13
7702318468non sequitur (cause and effect fallacy; faulty reasoning)a fallacy of argument in which claims, reasons, or warrants fail to connect logically; one point doesn't follow from another. If you're really my friend, you'll lend me 500 dollars.14
7702329234Propagandaan argument advancing a point of view without regard to reason, fairness, and truth Posters during the Cold War in the U.S. and Soviet Union15
7702332325Scare Tactic (appeal to force)a fallacy argument used by exaggerating dangers or threats With the current amount of car exhaust being produced, our atmosphere is dwindling down to nothing16
7702338999Stacking the DeckA fallacy that shows only one side of a story Presenting only the points of a debate that benefit side A, and show no objects that harm its cause.17
7702341914straw manSubstituting a person's actual position or argument with a distorted, exaggerated, or misrepresented version of the position of the argument. After Will said that we should put more money into health and education, Warren responded by saying that he was surprised that Will hates our country so much that he wants to leave it defenceless by cutting military spending.18
7702352017syllogismus (syllogism fallacy)The use of a remark or an image which calls upon the audience to draw an obvious conclusion Look at that man's yellow fingertips, and you tell me if he's a smoker or not19

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!