A fallacy in which an opponent's position is depicted as being more extreme or…
2024
A fallacy in which an opponent's position is depicted as being more extreme or unreasonable than is justified by what was actually asserted, is the fallacy of
Answer: B. The Strawman — ConceptAn informal fallacy is an error in reasoning that arises from how an argument is presented rather than from a formally invalid logical structure.…
- A.
Appeal to Pity
- B.
The Strawman
- C.
The Red Herring
- D.
The Appeal to the Populace
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
An informal fallacy is an error in reasoning that arises from how an argument is presented rather than from a formally invalid logical structure. Different informal fallacies can be distinguished by the argumentative move they make: distortion, emotional pressure, distraction, or reliance on popularity.
Application
The stem describes replacing an opponent's actual position with an exaggerated or unreasonable version and then responding to that substitute. This is the defining argumentative move of the straw-man fallacy.
Contrast with the other values
Appeal to pity seeks acceptance of a claim by arousing sympathy instead of providing relevant support.
A red herring diverts attention from the issue by introducing an irrelevant topic.
Appeal to the populace treats popularity or widespread approval as support for a claim.
Cross-check
The test is to ask what happened to the original position. Here it was distorted into an easier target; no sympathy, irrelevant diversion, or popularity claim is described.
Therefore, the fallacy named by the description is the straw man.