Question

Read the excerpt.

Although enforcement could be better, dress codes are good for our school. A group of angry students complained that the policy is unfair. The answer is to change the policy, not eliminate it all together. Once we eliminate dress codes, students will think they can do anything. They will stop changing for gym class, cutting class, and ignoring school policy. School only works if there are sensible rules that everyone follows.

Which statement best explains how the author uses faulty reasoning to serve a purpose?

The author uses slippery-slope arguments to caution against eliminating the dress code.
The author uses loaded language to make the argument more persuasive.
The author uses ad hominem to persuade the reader that the students are wrong.
The author uses bias to prove that a dress code greatly improves the school environment.

Answer 1

The author uses slippery-slope arguments to caution against eliminating the dress code. The passage claims that removing the dress code will lead to extreme, unlikely consequences (students “thinking they can do anything,” cutting class, not changing for gym), which is a classic slippery-slope fallacy.