A gambler remarks: 'The roulette wheel has landed on red six times in a row; black is definitely due on the next spin.' Which fallacy is demonstrated?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Gambler's fallacy assuming past trials alter independent odds
- Step 1: In fair roulette spins, each event is statistically independent, and previous outcomes have zero influence on future probabilities. Believing that past random outcomes alter the probability of independent future trials is the gambler's fallacy. Answer: Gambler's fallacy assuming past trials alter independent odds. Why not the others: "Hasty generalization logic" involves drawing broad conclusions from an unrepresentative or small sample; "Fallacy of composition" erroneously attributes characteristics of parts to the overarching whole; "Straw man exaggeration" caricatures an opponent's argument to make it easier to knock down.
Practise more Logical Fallacies and Argument Evaluation.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed State Certificate of Language Proficiency (KPG) English mock tests.
More Logical Fallacies and Argument Evaluation questions
- An editorial argues: 'If the city bans cars in the historic center, all retail shops will close, tourists will flee, and the city will becom…
- A politician states: 'We should ignore Professor Vance's economic forecast because he has never run a profitable private business.' What fla…
- A corporate executive asserts: 'Either we adopt this artificial intelligence software immediately or our company will face bankruptcy within…
- Consider the claim: 'Crime rates dropped across the metropolis after the new mayor was inaugurated; therefore, the mayor's policies reduced…
- A critic remarks: 'Proponents of solar energy want us to abandon all modern machinery and return to living in dark caves.' What reasoning er…
- A columnist writes: 'Voluntary euthanasia is morally wrong because ending a human life intentionally is ethically impermissible.' What falla…