Politician: My opponents argue that the future of our city depends on compromise—that unless the city’s leaders put aside their differences and work together toward common goals, the city will suffer. However, the founders of this city based the city’s charter on definite principles, and anyone who compromises those principles betrays the city founders’ goals. What my opponents are advocating, therefore, is nothing less than betraying the goals of the city’s founders.
Critic: I’m afraid your argument is flawed. Unless you’re assuming that the differences among the city’s leaders are differences of principle, your argument depends on a misleading use of the term _______.
Summary
The opponents of the politician call for compromise. They say that the city will suffer unless the city’s leaders put aside their own differences and work toward common goals. The politician claims that the opponents advocating for the betrayal of the city founders’ goals, since anyone who compromises the principles on which the city’s charter was founded would betray the city founders’ goals.
The critic calls the politician’s argument flawed because of the misleading use of a particular term.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
The blank should be filled with the term that the politicians is using in a misleading way. The word is “compromise.” The opponents advocate for compromise regarding the city leaders’ differences. That’s not the same as compromise regarding the principles underlying the city’s charter.
A
betray
Unsupported. The word “betray” is used in only one way and is not misleading.
B
common
Unsupported. The word “common” is used in only one way and is not misleading.
C
compromise
Strongly supported. The opponents advocated for “compromise” concerning the city leaders’ differences. The politician interpreted “compromise” as a reference to how we should treat the principles underlying the city charter. This changed the meaning of “compromise.”
D
principles
Unsupported. “Principles” was used in only one way and was not misleading.
E
opponents
Unsupported. “Opponents” was used in only one way and was not misleading.