Test your basic knowledge |

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. 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!'






2. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






3. 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.'






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






5. Appeal to reason






6. Appeal to the reader's emotions






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






8. 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?






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






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






11. 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.






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






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






14. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






23. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






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






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






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






28. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






32. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






41. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






42. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






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






44. 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.






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






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






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






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






50. 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.