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.

Explanation:

A bandwagon fallacy assumes that something is true because it is associated with a group or "average" case. The writer uses their family as an example of an "average American family" to generalize that health insurance is unaffordable for all average families, which relies on the bandwagon appeal of aligning with a perceived majority group without broader, representative evidence. The other options do not fit: there is no appeal to abandonment/emotion as the core fallacy, no personal attack (ad hominem) on decision-makers, and no false dilemma presenting only two options.

Answer:

B. The writer uses a bandwagon statement by claiming that her family is an "average American family."