LSAT Practice Test

When an argument uses an authority's opinion as proof of truth without valid reasoning, it is committing the fallacy of...

1. strawman

2. loaded question

3. begging the question

4. appeal to authority

The correct answer is: appeal to authority

When an argument relies on an authority's opinion as evidence to support a claim without providing valid reasoning or evidence to back it up, it is committing the fallacy of appeal to authority. This is because the argument is essentially saying that something must be true because an authority figure believes it, without actually proving the claim to be valid or sound. In this scenario, the authority's opinion is used as a substitute for sound reasoning, which is a logical fallacy known as an appeal to authority. Options A, B, and C do not accurately describe the situation where an authority's opinion is used without valid reasoning. Strawman fallacy involves misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack, loaded question is a question that contains a controversial assumption, and begging the question is a circular argument where the conclusion is included in the premise.