Instructions: Examine each of the examples below and identify the causal fallacies that is most apparently committed. If the fallacy is committed, show how in the usual way. If it is not committed, explain why it is only apparent. For each example assume that the information given is essentially accurate.

(1) I think Janine may have found a cure for the flu. Last time I got it she gave me a special tea to drink and a week later my symptoms had completely disappeared.

(2) The reason there is so much violence in America is that we see so much of it on television, especially the news.

(3) Here is another study showing that kids who watch a lot of TV tend to do worse in school. But, you know, I don't think TV necessarily makes you stupid. I think stupid kids are just naturally more attracted to the TV.

(4) When the computer was first introduced, everyone thought it was going to lead to a "paperless office" and that office workers would become more productive. Instead, what's happened is that our paper consumption has skyrocketed and office workers have actually become less productive. On the basis of this, I'd have to say that the future looks pretty bleak.

(5) I think the reason there is so much racism in our society is because of our history of segregation. Isn't it obvious that a society in which people live, work, and play within strict racial boundaries will never come to understand or respect each other. That's why I'm still in favor of affirmative action and all government policies that aim at tearing down racial boundaries.

(6) It's just amazing how accurate this syndicated columnist Johnna Stockman is at predicting which stocks are undervalued. Every time she identifies one, its value soars in the next few weeks. She must really understand the American economy.

(7) You know, this is the third time in a row that a video from Blockbuster has jammed in my machine. I'm going to start going to a different store.

(8) The reason I'm opposed to pornography is because it represses women. It's well known that men who read pornography tend to regard women as inferior and the homes of sex criminals are often found to be littered with disgusting pornographic material.

(9) Famine is still very common in this world, which goes to show me that we are not producing enough food to meet the current population. I don't think we can produce much more food without harming the environment, so the key, in my opinion, is to reduce the population.

(10) I know you need money and I realize that you always pay back your debts. But I'm sorry, I just can't do it for you. Once a person starts lending money, everybody starts hitting you up, and before you know it, he's broke.

(11) You know, doctor, you told me that if I was going to stay healthy I had to eat right and get lots of exercise. Well, I've been doing that very faithfully for the past three years and now here I sit before you sick as a dog. I'm afraid you've given me some very poor advice.

(12) Recent studies have shown that people who drink an average of 1-2 glasses of red wine per day throughout their adult life have a significantly decreased likelihood of experiencing a heart attack. Well, I figure I'm in pretty good shape. I don't drink wine but wine is just fermented grape juice, and I've been drinking grape juice every day for years.

(13) A lot of people think that when we put more cops on the streets crime should go down. But the truth is that, more often than not, when we increase law enforcement efforts, the crime rate actually skyrockets.

(14) I know you think I'm silly to believe in God, but I have a purely scientific basis for it. In my experience, whenever I pray deeply and sincerely to be delivered from some problem or another, I almost always find that my prayers are answered. I often wake up the very next morning knowing exactly what to do. Of course, it doesn't always happen, but I think the few times when God doesn't answer my prayers are those when I really haven't been praying sincerely. I mean, sometimes I just ask God for a solution without putting any real effort into it myself.

(15) I'm sending my kid to private school rather than public school for the simple reason that kids who go to private school usually end up graduating from college and leading relatively prosperous lives. I want the best for my kid, its as simple as that.

(16) I know you think I'm stupid to keep playing this lottery, and if I realized how bad the odds were 8 years ago I never would have started. But at this point I feel like I'd be stupid to quit. They say that the odds of winning are about 1 in a 1000. But look, I've played this thing 800 times and never won once. The odds have to be in my favor by now.

(17) I just found out something amazing. Do you realize that Lou Gehrig, the great Yankee ball player, actually died of Lou Gehrig's disease? Isn't that an incredible coincidence?

(18)  Many people think that windshield wipers make your car safer, but the truth is that the use of windshield wipers actually increases the probability of getting in an accident.

(19) I've figured out a method of playing the slot machines that significantly increases my chances of winning.  What I do is watch for someone who has been playing the slot machine for a long time without winning anything significant.  When I find such a person, I wait until he or she gives up,  then I jump in and start playing their machine.  Since I know it hasn't paid out for a long time, odds are much better that I'll make money on this machine  than some other one that- for all I know- may have paid out big time just before I started using it.

(20)  The old advice to put on a happy face whenever you feel blue seems to be correct. Studies show that the more people move their facial muscles in such a way as to create frowns or grimaces, the more likely they are to experience anger or depression.