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






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






3. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






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






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






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






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






8. Information that can be objectively proven as true






9. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






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






11. 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.






12. 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






13. 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.'






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






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






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






17. 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.






18. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






19. Appeal to reason






20. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






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






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






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






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






26. 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?






27. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






34. 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!'






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






36. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






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






39. 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.






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






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






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






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






44. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






46. Appeal to the reader's emotions






47. 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'






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






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






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