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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. 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.






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






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






4. Common knowledge or beliefs readers accept as true






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






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






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






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






9. Generalization: an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence






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






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






12. Appeal based on the credibility of the author






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






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






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






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






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






18. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






26. Appeal to reason






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






28. Information based on personal interpretation of facts






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






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






31. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






37. 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.






38. Information gained from personal experience representing a general pattern






39. 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.






40. 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.'






41. Analogy or comparison that is not logically consistent






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 an individual must have a characteristic because the group to which he or she belongs supposedly has that characteristic






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






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






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






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






48. Appeal to the reader's emotions






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






50. Information that is an interpretation of numerical data