Describe a loaded question, and provide an example. How can it affect the way a speaker answers questions?

What will be an ideal response?

- A loaded question presupposes a value judgment adverse to the speaker.
- Those who are critical or skeptical of a speaker might use a loaded question to discredit him or her.
- An example of a loaded question is "Have you stopped stealing funds from the city?" This question might not reveal actual facts that have occurred but puts doubt in the listeners' minds. A "yes" would imply he or she had been stealing funds, and a "no" would imply, he or she is still stealing funds.
- To respond to a loaded question, the speaker should identify the unsupported assumption.
- Student examples may vary.

Communication & Mass Media

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Communication & Mass Media