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






2. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






5. 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.






6. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






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






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






9. Appeal to the reader's emotions






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






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






12. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






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






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






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






17. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






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






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






21. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






23. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






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






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






26. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






28. 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.






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






30. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






40. 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.






41. 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.






42. Appeal to reason






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






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






45. 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!'






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






47. 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.'






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






49. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






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