#24 - Parents who consistently laud their children for every

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Main Point. The correct answer choice is (D)

This author opens the stimulus with the conclusion of the argument: that parents who applaud both successful and failed attempts to accomplish something erode their children’s sense of accomplishment. The author concedes that children do need to be commended when they achieve something, but says that children who are commended for both accomplishments and mere attempts eventually start to ignore all commendations, hearing no praise at all.

The argument is structured as follows:

• Premise: Children require commendation for achievements, but getting commended for all mere attempts can lead children to discount all praise.
  
  Conclusion: When parents commend both every accomplishment and every attempt, they actually erode their children’s self-esteem.

The question that follows asks for the author’s overall conclusion. The main point is that parents’ offering commendation for both accomplishments and attempts erode their children’s self-esteem.

Answer choice (A): The author does say that parents should commend their children’s accomplishments, but, as discussed, this is not the conclusion of the argument, so this choice should be ruled out of contention.

Answer choice (B): The author provides that undeserved praise eventually leads children to stop hearing all praise, but this is not the author’s main point; it is, rather, a premise offered in support of the author’s main conclusion, that uniform commendation for both achievements and attempts will erode children’s self-esteem.

Answer choice (C): The stimulus does not make any reference to parents’ expectations of their children, so this cannot be the main point of the author’s argument.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice; if parents offer praise for both actual achievements and mere accomplishments, the children’s self esteem will erode.

Answer choice (E): This author says that parents should commend their children’s accomplishments, but concludes that across-the-board commendation (for both achievements and attempts) can erode children’s self-esteem—not, as this choice suggests, a failure to praise successes.

[ser219]

Is it also true that a problem with B is that the stim never says anything about deserving or not deserving praise? The author just says that when parents laud their children for every attempt regardless of success, there is a negative effect (lowering self esteem). The author does say that children require commendation for their achievements, but I don't think this implies that unsuccessful attempts are inherently undeserving of praise. I think the question of deserving or not deserving praise is beyond the scope of this argument, and that is another reason to eliminate B. What do you think?

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Ser219!

I like that you're reading every word closely--it's very important to do on this test! I definitely see what you're saying. In this case, however, I think that the author does imply that unsuccessful attempts are undeserving of praise. If unsuccessful attempts were deserving of praise, why would the author argue they shouldn't be praised for them or that being praised for them would ultimately discount all words of commendation? If that part of the argument had been the main point, I don't think the concept "undeservedly" would be enough to invalidate that answer choice. The problem with answer choice (B)--and the only thing you really need to eliminate an answer choice in a Main Point question--is that it does not describe the conclusion of the argument. The conclusion is the 1st sentence so we need an answer choice that matches the meaning of that 1st sentence. All answer choices describing other parts of the argument are automatically out!

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey