All too often, we spend our days waiting for the ideal path to appear

Question

All too often, we spend our days waiting for the ideal path to appear in front of us. We forget that paths are made by walking, not waiting. Dreaming is great. But thinking big thoughts alone will not build a business, pay your bills, or make you into the person you know in your heart you can be. In the words of Thomas Carlyle, “The end of man is action and not thought, though it be of the noblest.” The smallest of actions is always better than the boldest of intentions.

The author’s argument relies on which of the following assumptions?

A. All successful outcomes are the result of deliberate action rather than inspiration or intention.
B. Individuals are capable of taking meaningful steps toward their goals even in the absence of perfect clarity or complete information.
C. Dreams and long-term visions are only valuable when they are paired with immediate execution.
D. People who fail to act often do so because they are waiting for the perfect moment or ideal conditions.
E. Most people are unaware that consistent small actions compound over time into significant achievements.

sdas80923 · Answer

Looking for an explanation of this CR. I am more inclined towards C rather than B since the passage doesn't state about incomplete clarity / information, making B seem unlikely to me.

Prakharvats · Answer

negation of b will be Individuals are not capable of taking meaningful steps toward their goals even in the absence of perfect clarity or complete information then conclusion break apart but in c it's not talking about actions

Priyyaaa16 · Answer

the answer is b because the passage clearly states that 'the smallest of actions is always better than the boldest of intentions.' so even he doesn't have complete information yet; it's better to take action—even small steps—than to wait until everything is perfectly clear.

Cryptic0coven · Answer

OE

A.
Sounds strong—but it’s too extreme ("all successful outcomes").

The argument doesn’t claim that every success comes only from action; just that action > intention.

So this goes beyond what's needed.

C.
This is a rewording of the conclusion, not a required assumption.

The passage is arguing this very point, but it's not something that must already be assumed to make the argument work.

D.
Seems related—it’s what the author says happens “all too often.”

But even if people didn’t wait for ideal conditions, the core argument (action > intention) still stands.

So this is supporting detail, not an assumption.

E.
Also feels adjacent to the message, but again—not necessary.

Even if people do understand how actions compound, the argument that action > intention still holds.

So not required.

This is by elimination. Also, if we negate B then the conclusion will not follow.

All too often, we spend our days waiting for the ideal path to appear

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