Necessary AssumptionDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: We think brave and creative people are more interesting than 'good' people, and since we want to be like the people we admire, virtue must not be our top priority.
Conclusion: Moral virtue is not one of the traits that people admire the most.
Reasoning: We find brave and creative historical figures more engaging than virtuous ones, and we want to live the lives of those whose characteristics we admire most.
Analysis: There is a significant gap between finding someone 'engaging' and 'admiring' their traits. The author assumes that the historical figures we find most engaging are the same people whose lives we would most like to live. To bridge this gap, the argument requires a connection between engagement and the desire to emulate those lives. Look for an answer that links 'finding someone engaging' with 'admiring their characteristics' or 'wanting to live their life.'
Conclusion: Moral virtue is not one of the traits that people admire the most.
Reasoning: We find brave and creative historical figures more engaging than virtuous ones, and we want to live the lives of those whose characteristics we admire most.
Analysis: There is a significant gap between finding someone 'engaging' and 'admiring' their traits. The author assumes that the historical figures we find most engaging are the same people whose lives we would most like to live. To bridge this gap, the argument requires a connection between engagement and the desire to emulate those lives. Look for an answer that links 'finding someone engaging' with 'admiring their characteristics' or 'wanting to live their life.'
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage22.Which one of the following is an assumption required by the essayist's argument?
Correct Answer
A
A is necessary. Negation test: suppose the historical figures we find most engaging are not those whose lives we’d most like to live. Then learning that engaging figures are rarely morally most virtuous wouldn’t tell us what characteristics we admire most through the “lives we’d like to live” route, and the conclusion would collapse.
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