A scapegoat is best described as:

• A. A person who is blamed for something that is their own fault
• B. A person who is celebrated for solving problems
• C. A person who intentionally shifts blame to others
• D. A person who is blamed in place of others for something that is not their fault or doing

Answer: (D)

Blaming an innocent person to take responsibility away from others is what a scapegoat is. The idea is that someone is held at fault for a problem or mistake that isn’t theirs, often to shield the real culprits or to vent collective guilt. That description fits best because it shows the unfair transfer of blame onto an individual who didn’t cause the issue.

The other ways people are described don’t match the concept: one option portrays someone blamed for their own fault, not someone innocent bearing blame; another describes the act of shifting blame to others, which is about who assigns blame rather than who endures it; and the last option describes someone celebrated for solving problems, which has nothing to do with being unfairly blamed.