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






2. 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.






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






4. Appeal to reason






5. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






6. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






10. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






12. 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'






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






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






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






16. 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!'






17. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






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






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






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






22. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






24. 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






25. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






27. 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.






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






29. 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?






30. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






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






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






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






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






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






36. 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.'






37. 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.






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






39. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






40. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






41. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






48. Appeal to the reader's emotions






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






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