An editorial asserts: 'Millions of consumers buy this dietary supplement every month, so it must be medically effective.' What fallacy is present?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. appeal to popularity

  1. Step 1: The author argues that the supplement is effective solely because it is widely purchased by many consumers. Claiming that a proposition is true or effective simply because many people accept or purchase it is an appeal to popularity (argumentum ad populum). Answer: appeal to popularity. Why not the others: "slippery slope consequence" posits a chain reaction of negative events without establishing causal necessity; "appeal to false pity" attempts to persuade by eliciting sympathy rather than presenting evidence; "post hoc causal error" infers that event A caused event B merely because A preceded B in time.

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