Loaded question
Also called: Complex question
Asking a question that has a disputed assumption built into it.
How to spot it
Can the question be answered without accepting something you never agreed to?
Example
“Have you stopped wasting company money?”
How to answer it
Point out the assumption, and answer that before the question.
Related
- False dilemma: Presenting two options as if they were the only ones.
- Straw man: Attacking a weaker version of what someone said, instead of what they actually said.