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






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






3. 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.






4. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






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






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






8. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






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






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






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






13. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






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






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






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






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






19. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






21. 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!'






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






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






24. 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.'






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






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






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






28. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






35. 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'






36. Appeal to the reader's emotions






37. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






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






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






41. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






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






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






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. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






46. Appeal to reason






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






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






49. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






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