Question

read the passage.
social media is here to stay. no amount of complaining by a generation who cannot even turn on a computer will change the fact that we live in a social media world. increasing access to social media for people who are unfamiliar with it or afraid of using it should be the first step toward making the playing field a bit more even for everyone.
the author is thinking of adding one of these sentences to the end of the passage. which sentence contains a fallacy?
○ my hope is that our generation can be the generation to create a path to social media success.
○ unless everyone in the u.s. including our grandparents can successfully use social media, we will be left behind.
○ not everyone needs to have the same passion for social media, but access is nonetheless important.
○ success for beginners, through access, will lead to a more aware and active community of users.

Explanation:

To determine which sentence contains a fallacy, we analyze each option:

• The first option is a hopeful statement about a generation creating a path to social media success, which is not a fallacy.
• The second option claims that "unless everyone in the U.S., including our grandparents, can successfully use social media, we will be left behind." This is a fallacy (specifically a false dilemma or an over - generalization) because the ability of every single person (including grandparents) to use social media is not a necessary condition for a country to not be "left behind" in the context of social media. There are many other factors that contribute to a country's progress in the digital and social media realm, and it is unrealistic and illogical to set such an extreme and unnecessary condition.
• The third option makes a reasonable distinction between passion for social media and the importance of access, which is a valid statement.
• The fourth option presents a reasonable causal relationship between access - based success for beginners and a more aware and active user community, which is not a fallacy.

Answer:

B. Unless everyone in the U.S. including our grandparents can successfully use social media, we will be left behind.