Question

Read this excerpt from a letter to the editor about a school’s curriculum.

Some members of the school board argue that all students should study the same foreign language. However, choice has been an important part of our school curriculum for decades. Students are more engaged and do better when they study subjects that they are interested in and that they choose to take. Why are these board members trying to remove student choice from our curriculum?

Which logical fallacy does the author include?

straw man
red herring
false analogy
circular reasoning

Answer 1

The author includes the logical fallacy of a straw man in their argument.

Step-by-step explanation:

The logical fallacy included in the author's argument is a straw man. The author misrepresents the opposing position of the school board members by implying that they want to remove all student choice from the curriculum. However, the board members only argue for all students to study the same foreign language, which is a different proposition entirely. By misrepresenting their argument, the author creates a straw man to easily attack.