What does it mean if a writer builds a "straw man" in his or her writing?

In its simplest definition straw man is the name of a logical fallacy which means that if you carefully dissect the argument or statement it doesn't make sense you put forth a straw man because you know it will be easy for you to knock down or discredit It's a way of misrepresenting your opponent's position.

“Straw man” It’s a fallacy, a fallacy is meant to distract and deceive, using a twisted version of the opposite side’s argument against them. Users of this form of propaganda build a “straw man” and attack it in place of their opponent’s actual argument.

The straw man will be a weaker, often a extreme, version of the original argument, similar in appearance but much easier to refute and destroy.

Explanation:

Fallacies are errors or tricks of reasoning. A fallacy is an error of reasoning if it occurs accidentally; it is a trick of reasoning if a speaker or writer uses it to manipulate his audience.  

option 2

explanation:

the correct way to cite this in apa format is the following: smith, d. (2001). world environment day. retrieved from  

apa (american psychological association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences.  

quotation styles can differ by use and by styles and every subject has its own unique style of quotation.

explanation: