False Dilemma
Two options are presented as if they were the only ones.
What it is
A false dilemma offers two options as if the list were complete. The argument works only if nothing is missing.
Usually something is missing. Rejecting one option does not force you into the other when a third path exists.
An LSAT-style example
This example is original. It is not a real LSAT question.
Either we ban cars downtown or traffic will get worse forever. Banning cars is unrealistic. So we must accept worsening traffic.
The flaw: The argument lists two choices and ignores the rest: congestion pricing, better transit, staggered work hours. Rejecting one option does not force the other.
How to spot it on test day
- Watch for 'either/or' framing.
- Ask: are these really the only two options?
- The missing option is usually the reasonable one.
The right answer vs. the trap
The right answer
The correct answer says the argument presents a false choice, overlooking other possibilities.
The trap
The trap may focus on whether one option is realistic. The flaw is not about realism. It is about the list being incomplete.
Find your weak flaws
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