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






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






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






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






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






6. Appeal to reason






7. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






8. 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!'






9. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






10. 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.






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






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






13. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. 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.






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






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






23. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






24. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






25. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






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






28. 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'






29. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






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






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






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






34. 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.






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






36. Appeal to the reader's emotions






37. 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.






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






39. 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






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






41. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






50. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent