Identify the formal fallacy committed in the argument: 'All criminals are human beings. All saints are human beings. Therefore all saints are criminals.'

AFallacy of illicit process of the major term

BFallacy of illicit process of the minor term

CFallacy of undistributed middle term ✓ Correct

DFallacy of four terms

Correct answer: (C) Fallacy of undistributed middle term

Explanation

The middle term human beings is the predicate of two affirmative premises and so is never distributed.

All criminals are human beings and All saints are human beings both leave the middle undistributed.

A valid syllogism requires the middle term to be distributed in at least one premise.

With the middle undistributed throughout, no real link between criminals and saints is forged.

This failure is the fallacy of the undistributed middle.

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