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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. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






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






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






4. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






5. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






6. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






7. 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.






8. 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.






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






10. 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.






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






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






13. 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!'






14. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






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






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






18. Appeal to reason






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






31. 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.'






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






33. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






35. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






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






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






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






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






41. Appeal to the reader's emotions






42. 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'






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






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






45. 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.






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






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






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






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






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