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






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






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






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






6. Appeal to reason






7. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






8. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






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






11. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






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






14. 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.






15. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






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






17. 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'






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






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






20. 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?






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






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






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






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. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






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






28. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






29. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






39. 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.






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






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






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






43. 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!'






44. 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.'






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






46. 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.






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






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






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






50. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true