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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. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






2. 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?






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






11. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






12. 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!'






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






22. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






23. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






25. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






26. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






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






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






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






31. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






35. 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.'






36. 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.






37. 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






38. Information that can be objectively proven as true






39. 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.






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






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






42. Appeal to reason






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






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






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






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






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






48. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






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






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