Illicit process fallacy – UGC NET Question

Illicit process is the general name for the error that occurs when a term is treated as undistributed in a premise but then distributed in the conclusion. This means the conclusion speaks about all members of a class even though the premises did not justify such breadth. It violates the rule that any term distributed in the conclusion must be distributed in the corresponding premise. Therefore the fallacy described is illicit process.

Option A:
Option A, ambiguous middle, is not the standard name for a recognised categorical fallacy. Although ambiguity can cause errors, it is not specifically about the distribution mismatch between premise and conclusion mentioned in the stem.

Option B:
Option B is correct because illicit process covers both illicit major and illicit minor as specific cases. In each case, the problematic feature is that the conclusion extends the scope of a term beyond what the premises support. This matches the description in the question.

Option C:
Option C, contradictory middle, is not a conventional label in syllogistic logic and does not refer to the distribution of terms between premises and conclusion. It therefore cannot be the correct answer.

Option D:
Option D, circularity, refers to an argument that assumes what it is supposed to prove. While also fallacious, circular reasoning does not primarily concern whether a term is distributed or undistributed.