LSAT Flaws

Question 1

Flaw

Answer 1

Keywords

Question 2

Circular Reasoning

Answer 2

restates the conclusion as a premise, presupposes what it seeks to establish

Question 3

Ad Hominem

Answer 3

attacks the person, questions the character of the person rather than the argument

Question 4

Appeal to Inappropriate Authority

Answer 4

cites an expert, irrelevant authority, expert outside their field

Question 5

Sampling Flaw

Answer 5

small sample, non-representative sample, hasty generalization

Question 6

Comparison Flaw

Answer 6

compares two dissimilar things, faulty analogy, draws an analogy between two different things

Question 7

False Choice

Answer 7

either/or, limits options, false dichotomy

Question 8

Causation Flaw

Answer 8

correlation does not imply causation, post hoc, temporal relationship mistaken for causation

Question 9

Equivocation

Answer 9

uses a word in two different senses, ambiguous use of a term

Question 10

Straw Man

Answer 10

misrepresents the argument, distorts an opponent’s argument to attack it

Question 11

Hasty Generalization

Answer 11

draws a conclusion based on insufficient evidence, small sample size

Question 12

Appeal to Emotion

Answer 12

emotional appeal, appeals to fear, pity, or emotions instead of logic

Question 13

Slippery Slope

Answer 13

one thing leads to another, chain of events with no proof

Question 14

Appeal to Tradition

Answer 14

appeal to the past, relies on tradition as evidence, because it’s always been done

Question 15

Appeal to Popularity

Answer 15

majority opinion, bandwagon, many people believe it, so it must be true

Question 16

False Analogy

Answer 16

compares two things that are not similar enough, analogy between two unrelated things

Question 17

Red Herring

Answer 17

introduces irrelevant information, distracts from the argument

Question 18

Post Hoc

Answer 18

after this, therefore because of this, assumes that event A caused event B

Question 19

Loaded Question

Answer 19

contains an assumption, presupposes something within the question

Question 20

Appeal to Force

Answer 20

threats, coercion, persuades through fear of negative consequences

Question 21

Composition Fallacy

Answer 21

what is true of the part is true of the whole, assumes parts make up the whole

Question 22

Division Fallacy

Answer 22

what is true of the whole is true of the parts, applies whole characteristics to parts

Question 23

False Dilemma

Answer 23

either/or, presents two choices as the only options, ignores alternatives

Question 24

Begging the Question

Answer 24

assumes the truth of the conclusion, circular reasoning

Question 25

Appeal to Ignorance

Answer 25

can’t prove it’s false, so it must be true, lack of evidence means truth

Question 26

Appeal to Nature

Answer 26

natural is good, assumes natural things are inherently better

Question 27

False Cause

Answer 27

correlation is mistaken for causation, post hoc fallacy, temporal relation assumed as causal

Question 28

Gambler’s Fallacy

Answer 28

past events affect future probability, assumes independence of events

Question 29

Tu Quoque

Answer 29

you too, calls out hypocrisy instead of addressing the argument

Question 30

Appeal to Pity

Answer 30

guilt-tripping, appeals to pity, makes you feel sorry rather than logical reasoning

Question 31

Appeal to Wealth

Answer 31

wealth implies truth, assumes that something is true because it is expensive

Question 32

Appeal to Fear

Answer 32

uses fear to convince, relies on scary consequences rather than evidence

Question 33

Appeal to Consequences

Answer 33

focuses on the outcomes or consequences rather than the truth

Question 34

Argument from Silence

Answer 34

lack of evidence means proof, assumes silence as agreement

Question 35

Complex Question

Answer 35

contains an assumption, assumes something is true within the question

Question 36

Naturalistic Fallacy

Answer 36

natural equals good, assumes natural things are better

Question 37

No True Scotsman

Answer 37

redefines a group to avoid counterexamples, dismisses exceptions by altering the definition

Question 38

Appeal to Novelty

Answer 38

newer is better, assumes something is superior because it’s new

Question 39

Moral Equivalence

Answer 39

compares minor actions to major wrongdoings, equates things that are not morally comparable

Question 40

Cherry Picking

Answer 40

selective evidence, ignores contrary evidence, only highlights supporting data

Question 41

Appeal to Authority

Answer 41

cites an authority as evidence, appeals to a figure of authority for proof

Question 42

False Attribution

Answer 42

cites an irrelevant or incorrect source, uses false or exaggerated evidence

Question 43

Appeal to Extremes

Answer 43

exaggerates argument to an extreme, discredits by taking argument to the extreme

Question 44

Moving the Goalposts

Answer 44

changes criteria for proving argument, shifts goalposts once evidence is presented

Question 45

Nirvana Fallacy

Answer 45

rejects solution because it’s not perfect, compares a solution to an idealized, perfect version

Question 46

Misleading Vividness

Answer 46

uses dramatic events to discredit data, highlights vivid anecdotes over statistics

Question 47

Definitional Retreat

Answer 47

alters definition after being challenged, shifts the meaning of terms

Question 48

Anachronistic Fallacy

Answer 48

applies present-day ideas to the past, judges past events by modern standards

Question 49

Appeal to Hypocrisy

Answer 49

dismisses argument by pointing out hypocrisy, attacks inconsistency rather than logic

Question 50

Appeal to Incredulity

Answer 50

disbelieves because it’s hard to imagine, rejects an argument because it’s implausible

Question 51

False Precision

Answer 51

uses precision or numbers to give false certainty, creates the illusion of accuracy