Test your basic knowledge |

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






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






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






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






5. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






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






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






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






9. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






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






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






12. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






13. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






14. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






20. 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






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






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






23. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






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






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






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






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






29. 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!'






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






31. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






32. 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?






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






34. Appeal to reason






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






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






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






38. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






45. 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.






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






47. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






50. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue