Single choice · #507
At a department meeting, Xiao Zhou asked the manager: “Why hasn’t the adjusted performance bonus plan been announced yet?” The manager replied: “Our department had the best performance in the company last year, the new office will open next month, and employee satisfaction has been rising for three consecutive quarters.” Which of the following evaluations is the most accurate?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
- AThe manager is setting up a straw man: he distorts Xiao Zhou's question into 'accusing the performance of fraud', and then refutes this claim that no one has made.✗ Incorrect. A straw man requires first distorting or exaggerating the other person's viewpoint and then refuting it, but the manager simply changes the topic without altering any of Xiao Zhou's words. This option confuses 'not answering the question' with 'distorting the viewpoint'.
- BThe manager is changing the subject: the performance, office environment, and satisfaction might all be true, but not a single sentence explains why the plan has been delayed.✓ Correct. Compress the original question to 'why hasn't the plan been announced', then check each sentence of the manager's reply: they talk about achievements, office facilities, and satisfaction, but none directly addresses this question. This is a typical case of replacing the original problem with an easier-to-prove topic.
- CThe manager's response is valid: being the top performer means the bonus will not be bad, and the timing of the announcement is just a procedural detail, not important.✗ Incorrect. This corresponds to the misunderstanding that 'good performance can substitute for a specific answer': whether performance is good and why the plan hasn't been announced are two separate issues; both can be true simultaneously, and the former being true does not answer the latter.
- DThe manager is resorting to an ad hominem: with a string of achievements, he implies that Xiao Zhou is dissatisfied with the department, which is questioning the questioner's motives.✗ Incorrect. The manager neither questions Xiao Zhou's character nor probes his motives or stance; he just cites achievements. This option misidentifies 'not answering the question' as 'attacking the questioner'.
Explanation:How to identify a change of subject: first compress the question into one sentence—'why hasn't the performance bonus plan been announced'—and then check whether the response directly explains it. The performance ranking talks about past achievements, the new office talks about facilities, and satisfaction talks about atmosphere; each might be true, yet none gives a reason for the plan not being announced. Note the distinctions: a straw man requires first distorting the other's viewpoint before attacking it; the manager here distorts no one's words. He also does not attack the questioner's character or motives, so the last two characterizations are also invalid. While achievements are commendable, the next step should still bring the topic back and ask specifically why the plan hasn't been announced.