Dilemma vs. distress

[Deya]

Test No. incompl/advan-36 "Super Supermarkets", question 10

The confused customer is now in a terrible ......... because in the old days there was just one brand of butter to buy and now there is a choice of 24.

(a) distress
(b) disturb
(c) dilemma
(d) disturbance

Test No. incompl/advan-36 "Super Supermarkets", answer 10

The confused customer is now in a terrible dilemma because in the old days there was just one brand of butter to buy and now there is a choice of 24.

Correct answer: (c) dilemma

Your answer was: incorrect
The confused customer is now in a terrible disturb because in the old days there was just one brand of butter to buy and now there is a choice of 24.
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I thought dilemma is used when you have to choose between 2 things and here are 24. I need explanation.

[Mister Micawber]

.
You are absolutely right that that is the strict definition of dilemma, particulary in logic. However, use has expanded its meaning to include more than two choices. From the American Heritage Dictionary:

NOUN: 1. A situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive. 2. Usage Problem A problem that seems to defy a satisfactory solution. 3. Logic An argument that presents two alternatives, each of which has the same consequence.

USAGE NOTE: In its main sense dilemma refers to a situation in which a choice must be made between alternative courses of action or argument. Although citational evidence attests to widespread use of the term meaning simply “a problem” or “a predicament” and involving no issue of choice, 74 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the sentence Juvenile drug abuse is the great dilemma of the 1980s. •It is sometimes claimed that because the di– in dilemma comes from a Greek prefix meaning “two,” the word should be used only when exactly two choices are involved. Nevertheless, 64 percent of the Usage Panel accepts its use for choices among three or more options.
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_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber