Given an experiment set-up, each participant was allowed to choose between a simple task and a complex task and was told that another person would do the other task. Each person could also choose to have a computer assign the two tasks randomly. Most of the people had chosen the simple task for themselves and when questioned later they said that they had acted fairly. But when the scenario was described to another group of people, almost all said choosing the simple task would be unfair. This proves that majority of the people apply weaker moral standards to themselves than to others.
Which of the following is an assumption required by this argument?
Here, the stimulus explains that the Moral standards are considered strong if it is firmly felt that the option chosen is a 'fair' option. In the given stimulus, the basis for the conclusion stems from the statements by 'another' set of people, who said that choosing the simple task would be unfair. If the conclusion of the argument is to be 'true' there is a requirement that the participants firmly feel that they acted fairly when choosing the 'simple' task.
(A) At least some participants who said they had acted fairly in choosing the familiar task would have said that it was unfair for someone else to do so.
If this prompt is FALSE ie, there are no paticipants who said that it was unfair for someone else to choose a 'simple' task...it necessarily means that all participants firmly feel that they acted fairly when choosing the 'simple' task. Clearly, in such a case the conclusion that 'majority of the people apply weaker moral standards to themselves than to others' will not hold....Hence,this prompt is necessarily an assumption for reaching the conclusion on basis of premises described as part of the argument. (B) The most moral choice for the people would have been to have the computer assign the two tasks randomly.
If ransom assignment is the most moral choice, then no firm conclusion about attributing 'weak' moral standards for tjose choosing simple task.. can be drawn.(C) There were at least some persons who were assigned to do the unfamiliar task and felt that the assignment was unfair.
Argument's conclusion relates to persons choosing 'familiar' task, NOT the persons choosing unfamiliar task !!(D) On average, the people to whom the scenario was described were more accurate in their moral judgments than the other volunteers were.
Even if the 'another' set of people were more accurate, it doesn't necessarily mean that 'majority of the people apply weaker moral standards to themselves than to others'. Not always true, therefore NOT an assumption.(E) At least some people given the choice between assigning the tasks themselves and having the computer assign them felt that they had made the only fair choice available to them.
There is no clarity regarding which option is considered 'fair' choice -- hence, no conclusion can be firmly drawn regading 'weaker' moral standards.(A) is the correct option.