- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Wed May 11, 2016 4:35 pm
#24427
Complete Question Explanation
Justify the Conclusion. The correct answer choice is (C)
The author concludes that anger in response to insults is unreasonable, because insults should provoke either pity or gratitude. As with most Justify stimuli, there is a gap between the premises and the conclusion: what if it’s reasonable to feel anger alongside pity or gratitude? The correct answer should fill in this gap by proving that anger is an unreasonable response to any action that prompts pity or gratitude. If added to the premises, such an answer would be sufficiently strong to prove the conclusion as true. Answer choice (C) is therefore correct.
Answer choice (A): Even if we assume that anger is indeed a hostile reaction, this answer choice would be more appropriate as a response to an Assumption question, since the conclusion depends on it. Indeed, if actions prompted by ignorance did warrant anger, the conclusion would be seriously undermined. This, however, is not an Assumption question. When added to the premises, the correct answer to a Justify the Conclusion question must prove the conclusion as true. Since this answer choice focuses on actions prompted by ignorance only, we still don't know whether actions evoking gratitude would warrant anger or not. This answer choice is therefore incorrect.
Answer choice (B): As with answer choice (A), this would be a good contender for an Assumption question. However, since it addresses only our response to useful information, this answer choice leaves us guessing as to whether actions evoking pity should warrant anger or not.
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. See discussion above.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice merely restates the premises of the argument and is incorrect.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice is irrelevant to proving the conclusion and incorrect.
Justify the Conclusion. The correct answer choice is (C)
The author concludes that anger in response to insults is unreasonable, because insults should provoke either pity or gratitude. As with most Justify stimuli, there is a gap between the premises and the conclusion: what if it’s reasonable to feel anger alongside pity or gratitude? The correct answer should fill in this gap by proving that anger is an unreasonable response to any action that prompts pity or gratitude. If added to the premises, such an answer would be sufficiently strong to prove the conclusion as true. Answer choice (C) is therefore correct.
Answer choice (A): Even if we assume that anger is indeed a hostile reaction, this answer choice would be more appropriate as a response to an Assumption question, since the conclusion depends on it. Indeed, if actions prompted by ignorance did warrant anger, the conclusion would be seriously undermined. This, however, is not an Assumption question. When added to the premises, the correct answer to a Justify the Conclusion question must prove the conclusion as true. Since this answer choice focuses on actions prompted by ignorance only, we still don't know whether actions evoking gratitude would warrant anger or not. This answer choice is therefore incorrect.
Answer choice (B): As with answer choice (A), this would be a good contender for an Assumption question. However, since it addresses only our response to useful information, this answer choice leaves us guessing as to whether actions evoking pity should warrant anger or not.
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. See discussion above.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice merely restates the premises of the argument and is incorrect.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice is irrelevant to proving the conclusion and incorrect.