Straw Man Argument Question Pack: Critical Thinking, Comic, Comprehension
Straw Man Argument Question Pack: Critical Thinking, Comic, Comprehension
Straw Man Argument Question Pack: Critical Thinking, Comic, Comprehension
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Description
In 1916, Bertrand Russell said forcing people to kill against their will was a moral problem. The British government said he wanted Britain to lose the war. They fined him, jailed him, and sacked him from his university post. Nobody ever answered what he actually said.
The Straw Man Argument is when someone ignores what you actually said, replaces it with a sillier or more extreme version, then attacks that instead. They never deal with your real point. They're knocking down something you never built.
You hear it everywhere: "You want safer equipment? So you want to ban all sport?" "You said we should think this through - so you don't trust me." "You want a bit more freedom? So you want NO RULES AT ALL?" That's not what was said. But it's much easier to win that argument.
This free expansion pack teaches you to say "is that actually what I said?" - through a true historical story, real-life examples, and activities that feel nothing like homework. It's the companion to the full Straw Man Argument Activity Pack and a free preview of the upcoming book, 24 Fallacies and the Historical Disasters That Followed.
⭐ Rated 5.0 by people who now win arguments
THE STORY INSIDE
Bertrand Russell was one of the sharpest thinkers Britain had ever produced - philosopher, mathematician, Nobel laureate. When the British government introduced conscription during World War I, Russell joined the No-Conscription Fellowship and wrote pamphlets arguing that forcing people to fight was a moral problem.
His actual position: forcing someone to kill, against their will, is a question worth asking. He wasn't saying Britain should lose. He was saying the choice to fight should belong to the person doing the fighting.
His critics turned it into something else entirely. Russell, they said, was a coward who wanted to hand Britain over to the Kaiser. He was disloyal. Anti-British. A traitor. The government fined him, banned him from travelling, and had him sacked from his university position. Later, they jailed him.
None of that engaged with what he actually argued. It didn't have to. A straw man is much easier to defeat than the real thing. When debates are fought against invented versions of people's positions, the real questions never get answered.
The pack closes with the one line that cuts through a Straw Man every time: "Is that actually what I said?" Name the move, restate the real point, and invite them back to the actual conversation.
WHAT'S INSIDE
📖 Illustrated True Story - how Bertrand Russell's argument about conscription was twisted into treason, and why nobody ever had to answer what he actually said
🔍 Real-Life Examples - spot the Straw Man Argument in advertising, social media, news, and everyday conversation
✏️ Activities - written questions, Going Deeper analysis, Spot it in the Wild, graphic organiser, and Draw Your Own Comic Strip
📋 Answer Sheet - for whoever's playing referee
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Most fallacy resources are a definition on a slide and a matching worksheet. This pack shows the fallacy destroy lives in a true story, makes you recognise it in your own conversations, then sends you hunting for it in the wild. That's how it sticks.
WHO IT'S FOR
→ Anyone 11+ who's sick of losing arguments they were right about
→ The smartest person you know - this is their gift (see also: the other 23)
→ Homeschool families and teachers who want critical thinking that doesn't feel like a chore - yes, it works in classrooms too
WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE
Free digital download. Includes A4 and US Letter sizes at 300 dpi - print as a booklet or as individual pages. Arrives in your email.
COLLECT THE FULL SET
This is one of 24 free expansion packs - one for every logical fallacy in the series. Each has a matching full activity pack with an illustrated comic, true history story, and more activities. Find the full series at duchessandbruno.com.
Coming soon: 24 Fallacies and the Historical Disasters That Followed — the book behind the series.
FOR THE TEACHERS
Aligns with ACARA Critical and Creative Thinking, UK National Curriculum English/Citizenship, and US Common Core ELA (Grades 6+). We promise the students will never know it's curriculum-aligned.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "We're now catching ourselves using the fallacies which I didn't think would happen. A 10/10 resource!" - Kylie
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Really clever and funny comics. I wasn't expecting them to be so funny." - Sandra
NEED HELP?
Contact us at info@duchessandbruno.com - we'll sort it out.
TERMS OF USE
For personal or single-classroom use only. Not for sharing, reselling, or commercial use.
Connect with us:
Instagram: @duchessbruno
Facebook: Duchess and Bruno
Website: www.duchessandbruno.com
Description
In 1916, Bertrand Russell said forcing people to kill against their will was a moral problem. The British government said he wanted Britain to lose the war. They fined him, jailed him, and sacked him from his university post. Nobody ever answered what he actually said.
The Straw Man Argument is when someone ignores what you actually said, replaces it with a sillier or more extreme version, then attacks that instead. They never deal with your real point. They're knocking down something you never built.
You hear it everywhere: "You want safer equipment? So you want to ban all sport?" "You said we should think this through - so you don't trust me." "You want a bit more freedom? So you want NO RULES AT ALL?" That's not what was said. But it's much easier to win that argument.
This free expansion pack teaches you to say "is that actually what I said?" - through a true historical story, real-life examples, and activities that feel nothing like homework. It's the companion to the full Straw Man Argument Activity Pack and a free preview of the upcoming book, 24 Fallacies and the Historical Disasters That Followed.
⭐ Rated 5.0 by people who now win arguments
THE STORY INSIDE
Bertrand Russell was one of the sharpest thinkers Britain had ever produced - philosopher, mathematician, Nobel laureate. When the British government introduced conscription during World War I, Russell joined the No-Conscription Fellowship and wrote pamphlets arguing that forcing people to fight was a moral problem.
His actual position: forcing someone to kill, against their will, is a question worth asking. He wasn't saying Britain should lose. He was saying the choice to fight should belong to the person doing the fighting.
His critics turned it into something else entirely. Russell, they said, was a coward who wanted to hand Britain over to the Kaiser. He was disloyal. Anti-British. A traitor. The government fined him, banned him from travelling, and had him sacked from his university position. Later, they jailed him.
None of that engaged with what he actually argued. It didn't have to. A straw man is much easier to defeat than the real thing. When debates are fought against invented versions of people's positions, the real questions never get answered.
The pack closes with the one line that cuts through a Straw Man every time: "Is that actually what I said?" Name the move, restate the real point, and invite them back to the actual conversation.
WHAT'S INSIDE
📖 Illustrated True Story - how Bertrand Russell's argument about conscription was twisted into treason, and why nobody ever had to answer what he actually said
🔍 Real-Life Examples - spot the Straw Man Argument in advertising, social media, news, and everyday conversation
✏️ Activities - written questions, Going Deeper analysis, Spot it in the Wild, graphic organiser, and Draw Your Own Comic Strip
📋 Answer Sheet - for whoever's playing referee
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Most fallacy resources are a definition on a slide and a matching worksheet. This pack shows the fallacy destroy lives in a true story, makes you recognise it in your own conversations, then sends you hunting for it in the wild. That's how it sticks.
WHO IT'S FOR
→ Anyone 11+ who's sick of losing arguments they were right about
→ The smartest person you know - this is their gift (see also: the other 23)
→ Homeschool families and teachers who want critical thinking that doesn't feel like a chore - yes, it works in classrooms too
WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE
Free digital download. Includes A4 and US Letter sizes at 300 dpi - print as a booklet or as individual pages. Arrives in your email.
COLLECT THE FULL SET
This is one of 24 free expansion packs - one for every logical fallacy in the series. Each has a matching full activity pack with an illustrated comic, true history story, and more activities. Find the full series at duchessandbruno.com.
Coming soon: 24 Fallacies and the Historical Disasters That Followed — the book behind the series.
FOR THE TEACHERS
Aligns with ACARA Critical and Creative Thinking, UK National Curriculum English/Citizenship, and US Common Core ELA (Grades 6+). We promise the students will never know it's curriculum-aligned.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "We're now catching ourselves using the fallacies which I didn't think would happen. A 10/10 resource!" - Kylie
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Really clever and funny comics. I wasn't expecting them to be so funny." - Sandra
NEED HELP?
Contact us at info@duchessandbruno.com - we'll sort it out.
TERMS OF USE
For personal or single-classroom use only. Not for sharing, reselling, or commercial use.
Connect with us:
Instagram: @duchessbruno
Facebook: Duchess and Bruno
Website: www.duchessandbruno.com