Question

Read the passage.

The cost of health care is rising in America. The amount that an average family must pay for insurance is simply unaffordable. I know this because my family is an average American family—and we are worried. The people who make decisions about health care do not seem to think about the effect of the rising costs on hardworking people like my husband and me.

Which statement best explains why the evidence provided in the text is a fallacy?

The writer uses an appeal to emotion by portraying her family as abandoned by policy makers.
The writer uses a bandwagon statement by claiming that her family is an “average American family.”
The writer uses an ad hominem argument by attacking those who make healthcare decisions.
The writer uses a false dilemma by stating that insurance is both necessary and unaffordable.

Answer 1

"The writer uses an appeal to emotion by portraying her family as abandoned by policy makers."

Reason: the argument relies on a personal, emotional anecdote ("my family... we are worried") to generalize about all average families, which is an emotional/personal appeal rather than factual evidence. The other choices misidentify the fallacy (it's not a bandwagon, ad hominem, or false dilemma).