Which logical fallacy misrepresents someone else's argument to make it easier to attack?

The straw man fallacy occurs when an individual distorts or oversimplifies another person's argument to make it easier to challenge or refute. This misrepresentation allows one to attack a weakened version of the argument rather than engaging with the actual points being made.

For instance, if someone argues for a balanced approach to environmental regulation, a straw man response might be, "My opponent believes that we should eliminate all industrial processes, which would ruin the economy." Here, the original argument is twisted into an extreme position that is much easier to argue against.

This fallacy is particularly problematic because it diverts the discussion from the actual issues and does not engage with the complexity of the opposing viewpoint, making constructive dialogue difficult. In contrast, the other options listed involve different types of reasoning errors that do not specifically involve misrepresenting an opponent's argument in this manner.