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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. Appeal to the reader's emotions






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






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






4. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






10. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






14. 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.'






15. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






16. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






17. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






18. 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.






19. 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'






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






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






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






23. 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.






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






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






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






27. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






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






30. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






37. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






39. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






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






42. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






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






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






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






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






48. Appeal to reason






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






50. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data