Question

Which propaganda technique is being used when a political candidate says he stands for "peace, prosperity, and progress"?

Answer 1

Correct answer: GLITTERING GENERALITIES

Explanation:

As defined by Richard Nordquist, writing for ThoughtCo, "A glittering generality is a vague word or phrase used to evoke positive feelings rather than to convey information."

In the political candidate's promise, "peace, prosperity, and progress" are all vague terms, without specifying how exactly the candidate will work to achieve those goals.   Offering glittering generalities is not wrong, but if there are no concrete action plans or details provided, then the phrases are only propaganda.

As to the other items listed, here are quick definitions of how those forms of propaganda work:

• Bandwagon = giving the impression that everyone else is jumping on board with this program or movement, so you don't want to miss out.
• Card stacking = when a political candidate rehearses all his accomplishments but leaves out any items that would show his weaknesses or failures.
• Plain folks = presenting oneself as a "regular guy" or gal, a person of the people, just like the average voter (even if that's not really true of the identify of the candidate)