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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. 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.






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






3. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






4. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






6. Appeal to the reader's emotions






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






8. Statements that are intentionally vague so that the audience may supply its own interpretations






9. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






12. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






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






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






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






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






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






19. 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?






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






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






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






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






24. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






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






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






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






28. Appeal to reason






29. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






46. 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.






47. 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.






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






49. 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.'






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