Necessary AssumptionDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Some people say you should just be happy with who you are, but the author argues this is a bad idea because you can't be truly happy unless you are trying to improve yourself and are open to change.
Conclusion: The idea that people should accept themselves as they are is a poor principle for creating a happy society.
Reasoning: Genuine happiness is impossible without the pursuit of personal excellence and a willingness to undergo personal change.
Analysis: The author is making a huge assumption about what 'accepting yourself' actually means. They assume that if you accept yourself, you must be unwilling to change or pursue excellence. To find the necessary assumption, look for an answer that bridges this gap by stating that self-acceptance is incompatible with self-improvement. If it were possible to accept yourself while still striving for excellence, the author's argument that self-acceptance prevents happiness would completely crumble. This is a classic 'missing link' between the principle of acceptance and the requirement for change.
Conclusion: The idea that people should accept themselves as they are is a poor principle for creating a happy society.
Reasoning: Genuine happiness is impossible without the pursuit of personal excellence and a willingness to undergo personal change.
Analysis: The author is making a huge assumption about what 'accepting yourself' actually means. They assume that if you accept yourself, you must be unwilling to change or pursue excellence. To find the necessary assumption, look for an answer that bridges this gap by stating that self-acceptance is incompatible with self-improvement. If it were possible to accept yourself while still striving for excellence, the author's argument that self-acceptance prevents happiness would completely crumble. This is a classic 'missing link' between the principle of acceptance and the requirement for change.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage18.Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Correct Answer
B
B links “not dissatisfied with themselves” to a lower likelihood of pursuing personal excellence, which the argument needs to connect the criticized principle to the stated barrier to genuine happiness. Negation test: if such people are not less likely to pursue excellence (i.e., equally or more likely), the argument’s rationale for deeming the principle bad fails. So B is required.
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