Practice
Rhetorical Pressure Check
Read each scene, choose the best match, and then check the feedback.
Question 1
A proposal is criticized, and the reply is, “What about the disaster the other department caused last year?”
Answer checked.
The reply points somewhere else instead of answering the criticism in front of it. That is Whataboutism.
Read the full lessonQuestion 2
A speaker says, “If you really cared about this town, you would support the policy,” but gives little evidence for why it works.
Answer checked.
Caring feelings are being used as the main proof. That is Appeal to Emotion.
Read the full lessonQuestion 3
A manager answers a complaint by saying, “You made the same mistake last quarter, so you cannot criticize this report.”
Answer checked.
The criticism is dodged by accusing the critic of hypocrisy. That is Tu Quoque.
Read the full lessonQuestion 4
A routine cost review gets called “a cruel attack on hardworking people” before anyone explains the actual budget changes.
Answer checked.
Emotion-heavy wording is steering judgment before the facts arrive. That is Loaded Language.
Read the full lessonQuestion 5
A team concern is answered with, “So you want the company to do nothing and collapse?” even though nobody said that.
Answer checked.
The original position was rewritten into an easier target. That is Straw Man.
Read the full lesson