What is a Pink Herring?

Answer 1

Pink Herring - [derivative of Red Herring] - A "Pink Herring" in the world of test questions and answers is a sneaky question or answer that sounds good, but is really a trick to throw you off the true trail of the correct question or answer.

Example:

The adrenal glands are part of the:

a) immune system

b) endocrine system

c) emphatic system

d) respiratory system

The correct answer for this question is: b) endocrine system

If you are seeing "emphatic system" as an answer option in a multiple choice question [in regard to anatomy or physiology] it is a false answer (pink herring). It sounds like a good option and is close to the lymphatic system.

The Pink Herring part of a question is extraneous unnecessary or misleading information that may cause you to focus on the wrong subject.

I use the term "Pink Herring" in my studies when I realize a test question or answer is really a trick to throw you off the true trail of the correct question or answer. That way when I later refer to the material I know I have labeled something a "Pink Herring" and hopefully recognize it as a sneaky - tricky untruth when encountered again. [I made the term "Pink Herring" up, but it helps me separate the truth.]

A "red herring" is a deliberate attempt to divert a process of inquiry by changing the subject. A Red Herring is a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to "win" an argument by leading attention away from the argument and to another topic. [Red herring is a well defined term, see other definitions.]