what is a loaded question

A loaded question is a form of complex question that contains a controversial assumption. It is a trick question that presupposes at least one unverified assumption that the person being questioned is likely to disagree with. The question attempts to limit direct replies to be those that serve the questioners agenda. Loaded questions are often phrased in a way that pressures the person being questioned to reply in a way that confirms this problematic assumption, rather than in the way that they would normally prefer to reply. Examples of loaded questions include "Have you stopped beating your wife?" and "When did you stop stealing from your partner?". The fact that a question presupposes something does not in itself make the question fallacious. Only when some of these presuppositions are not necessarily agreed to by the person who is asked the question does the argument containing them become fallacious.