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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 the pity - sympathy or 'misery' of the audience






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






10. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






11. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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






13. Information that can be objectively proven as true






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






15. 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.






16. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






26. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data






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






28. 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!'






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






30. Obscuring or denying the complexity of an issue






31. 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?






32. Appeal to reason






33. Appeal to the reader's emotions






34. 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.






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






36. 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'






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






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






39. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






40. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






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






45. 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.'






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






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






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






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






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






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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