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






2. Prejudging an individual based on ideas one has about the group the individual belongs to






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






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






5. 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.'






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






7. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






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






10. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






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






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






14. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






16. Appeal to reason






17. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






19. False transitive property - you assume that just because two things share a characteristic - all of their characteristics are shared: - 'penguins are black and white - old tv shows are black and white - therefore penguins are old tv shows'






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






21. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






22. Trying to prove one idea with another idea that is too similar to the first idea






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






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






25. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






26. Reasoning by Debate: When a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. Setting up a straw man diverts attention from the real issues.






27. 'After this therefore because of this' implying that because on event follows another - the first caused the second






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






29. Reasoning by Proof: A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a person or institution.






30. Drawing conclusions based on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence; using all instances when only some apply






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






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






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






34. 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.






35. Appeal to the reader's emotions






36. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






38. Have all reasonable alternatives been considered/eliminated? Does this author attack the other views in a fair way?






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






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






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






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






43. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






44. 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!'






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






46. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






50. 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?