Which tactic involves presenting only information that supports one position, thereby misleading the audience?

Which tactic involves presenting only information that supports one position, thereby misleading the audience?

• A. Ad hominem
• B. Stacking the deck
• C. Denial evades responsibility
• D. Scapegoating

Answer: (B)

Stacking the deck is about cherry-picking evidence. It means presenting only information that supports one position while excluding or downplaying information that contradicts it. This creates a distorted impression and can mislead the audience into believing the argument is stronger than it actually is, because the full range of evidence isn’t considered. For example, a report that highlights only favorable customer reviews and ignores negative ones, or a political assertion that cites success stories while omitting failures and costs, uses this tactic. Other options don’t fit because ad hominem targets the person instead of the argument, denial evades responsibility by shifting blame or avoiding accountability, and scapegoating assigns blame to a person or group not necessarily connected to the issue. Stacking the deck specifically refers to selective presentation of evidence to mislead.

Stacking the deck is about cherry-picking evidence. It means presenting only information that supports one position while excluding or downplaying information that contradicts it. This creates a distorted impression and can mislead the audience into believing the argument is stronger than it actually is, because the full range of evidence isn’t considered.

For example, a report that highlights only favorable customer reviews and ignores negative ones, or a political assertion that cites success stories while omitting failures and costs, uses this tactic.

Other options don’t fit because ad hominem targets the person instead of the argument, denial evades responsibility by shifting blame or avoiding accountability, and scapegoating assigns blame to a person or group not necessarily connected to the issue. Stacking the deck specifically refers to selective presentation of evidence to mislead.