Single choice · #568
In the owners' group chat, a homeowner demanded to know why the elevator repair had been delayed for three weeks. The property manager replied, "The adjacent community has piled clutter all over its fire escape lanes—why don't you go and criticize them?" What is the primary error in the manager's reply as an analogy?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
- AIt is an appeal to motive: the homeowner's question is intended to cause trouble for the property, so one should first determine their aim.✗ Wrong. The manager does not challenge the homeowner's motive or character; this option corresponds to an ad hominem of the "what's your hidden agenda?" sort, which does not match the type of error in this reply.
- BProblems in another community cannot answer why this community's repair is delayed; this is using others' faults to evade one's own issue.✓ Correct. Both communities may share management flaws as a similarity, but that is irrelevant to the original question of why the repair here was delayed for three weeks; others' faults do not automatically erase one's own problem—this is the classic "you too" deflection.
- CThe analogy holds: since all communities have similar management standards, the homeowner need not single out this community.✗ Wrong. It accepts the manager's conclusion and thinks critics should attend to others first, exactly falling into the trap of using others' faults to evade one's own problem.
- DIt is a hasty generalization: citing the adjacent community alone proves management in all communities is poor.✗ Wrong. The manager does not claim all communities are poorly managed; he only cites the adjacent community to divert the topic. The issue is not the number of examples cited.
Explanation:The manager's reply is a classic "you too" move: using others' faults to evade one's own problem. Check each point: the conclusion he wants to reach is that "this community's issue is not worth discussing." Yet "other communities have faults" is irrelevant to "why is this repair delayed"—others' shortcomings neither prove this community is problem-free nor address the cost and cause of the repair delay. A better response would acknowledge the similarity and examine differences: "Other communities may be worse, but please first explain the reason for the delay and the repair timeline." The option that says the analogy holds accepts the evasion; the appeal-to-motive and hasty-generalization options mislabel the fallacy, as the manager neither attacks the homeowner's motive nor makes a universal claim.