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






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






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






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






5. 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'






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






13. Appeal to the reader's emotions






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






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






16. 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.






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






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






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






20. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






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






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






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






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






25. Appeal to reason






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






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






28. 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?






29. 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






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






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






32. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






33. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






34. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






36. 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!'






37. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






38. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






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






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






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






42. 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.






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






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






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






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






47. 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.'






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






49. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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