SATs Analytical Writing & Argumentation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student writes: 'We should ban junk food in schools because my friend got sick after eating cafeteria pizza.' Which flaw best describes this argument?
- Circular reasoning
- Hasty generalization (Correct answer)
- Appeal to authority
- False dichotomy
Correct answer: Hasty generalization
Drawing a broad conclusion from a single personal anecdote is a hasty generalization.
Question 2: Which sentence most clearly states a specific, arguable thesis for an SAT essay?
- Technology has changed society.
- Social media is good and bad.
- Unrestricted social media use in middle schools undermines academic performance by fragmenting students' attention. (Correct answer)
- Many people disagree about social media's effects on teenagers.
Correct answer: Unrestricted social media use in middle schools undermines academic performance by fragmenting students' attention.
An effective thesis is specific, debatable, and previews the argument's direction.
Question 3: In an argumentative essay, what is the PRIMARY purpose of acknowledging an opposing viewpoint?
- To confuse the reader about your stance
- To demonstrate understanding of the issue and strengthen your credibility (Correct answer)
- To replace your own argument with a stronger one
- To satisfy a word count requirement
Correct answer: To demonstrate understanding of the issue and strengthen your credibility
Addressing counterarguments shows intellectual fairness and makes your own argument more persuasive.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of a causal claim rather than a correlational one?
- Students who eat breakfast tend to score higher on tests.
- Eating breakfast directly improves cognitive function, leading to higher test scores. (Correct answer)
- Both breakfast habits and test scores vary by income level.
- Test scores have risen in the same years that breakfast programs expanded.
Correct answer: Eating breakfast directly improves cognitive function, leading to higher test scores.
A causal claim explicitly asserts that one factor produces or causes an effect in another.
Question 5: An author argues: 'Either we raise the driving age to 21, or teen traffic deaths will continue to rise.' This is an example of:
- A valid deductive argument
- A false dichotomy (Correct answer)
- An appeal to emotion
- A well-supported induction
Correct answer: A false dichotomy
Presenting only two options when other solutions exist is a false dichotomy fallacy.
Question 6: Which revision best strengthens the following claim? 'Many students struggle with reading comprehension.'
- Students find reading hard.
- Reading comprehension is a well-known problem.
- According to a 2023 NAEP report, 36% of fourth-graders read below the basic level. (Correct answer)
- Some people say students don't read enough these days.
Correct answer: According to a 2023 NAEP report, 36% of fourth-graders read below the basic level.
Citing a specific, credible statistic replaces a vague claim with concrete, verifiable evidence.
Question 7: When an arguer attacks the character of the person making a claim rather than the claim itself, this is called:
- Straw man
- Slippery slope
- Ad hominem (Correct answer)
- Begging the question
Correct answer: Ad hominem
Ad hominem is the fallacy of discrediting an argument by attacking the speaker's personal character.
SATs Analytical Writing & Argumentation 2
A student writes: 'We should ban junk food in schools because my friend got sick after eating cafeteria pizza.' Which flaw best describes this argument?