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SAT Essay Logical Fallacies

Subjects : sat, english, writing-skills
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Prejudging an individual based on ideas one has about the group the individual belongs to






2. A fallacy that assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented






3. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






4. Information the writer asserts as being the result of an event






5. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






6. Appeal to reason






7. Reasoning by Proof: absence of evidence is not evidence; he didn't say that... so it must be false






8. Cause and Effect: claim than an event with more than one cause has only one cause






9. Reasoning by Debate: In an argument - this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning 'against the man.'






10. Ambiguity or multiplicity of interpretations of a repeated word or phrase






11. Generalization: Assumes that members of a group must have a characteristic because one or more of its members has that characteristic.






12. Stating the only two interpretations of actions are alternatives - ignoring any compromise or moderate course






13. Generalization: Assumes that an individual must have a characteristic because the group to which he or she belongs supposedly has that characteristic






14. The use by a speaker of coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has a different (and negative) meaning for a targeted subgroup of the audience.






15. Claiming that one step in the wrong direction will lead to another - potentially disastrous consequence






16. Does the evidence prove the point being argued? Is this authority an expert on this particular topic?






17. Appeal to the reader's emotions






18. Condemning an argument because of where it began - how it began - or who began it






19. Two comparable issues or ideas are judged by different criteria






20. 'Against the man' attacking the person or group to which you are opposed rather than addressing the issue






21. Any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue






22. Is there a reasonable connection between the cause and the effect? Is that connection explained? Are there other possible causes that have not been considered?






23. Cause and Effect: Assuming that an incident that precedes another is the cause of the second incident






24. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






25. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






26. Concealing the author's true intent - belief - or attitude towards an issue






27. Cause and Effect: 'What if' fallacy. Argues that everything would be different if one variable was different. Example: 'If the Nazis had won WWII - we'd all be speaking German!'






28. Generalization: drawing conclusions based on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence






29. How large is the sample size? How representative is the sample?






30. Introducing an irrelevant point to divert readers' attention from the main issue being discussed






31. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






32. Reasoning by Proof: the evidence offered does not really support the claim. Non Sequitur (It does not follow)






33. Logical reasoning that establishes specific facts or contentions leading to a general conclusion






34. 'To the authority' appeal based on the authority of a source






35. How similar or how different are the cases being compared? How many point of comparison is the arguer using?






36. Reasoning by Debate: A fallacy that forces listeners to choose between two alternatives when more than two alternatives exist






37. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






38. Reasoning by Proof: an argument that because someone worked hard at something - their conclusions must be right






39. Fallacy that asserts that given two positions - there exists a compromise between them which must be correct.






40. 'it does not follow' drawing a conclusion or making a transition that is not a logical result of the facts






41. Citing an expert on one subject as expert on another






42. 'To the people' appeal to the prejudices of the audience - or claiming that (or a majority) supports your opinion






43. Information that can be objectively proven as true






44. Cause and Effect: A fallacy that assumes that because two variables are correlated (happen at the same time) that one must have caused the other






45. Appeal to the the pity - sympathy or 'misery' of the audience






46. When a writer uses the same term in two different senses in an argument. i.e. People choose what laws they obey. The Law of Gravity is a law. I choose to disobey the law of gravity.






47. Reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case






48. Everybody knows fallacy. Asserts that some idea is common knowledge - so it must be true.






49. Writer encourages readers to accept a conclusion without any support






50. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent