Sartre believed each individual is responsible to choose one course of

Question

Sartre believed  each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over another one , that it is the choice that gives value to the act, and that nothing that is not acted upon has value.

(A) each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over another one

(B) that each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over another

(C) that each individual is responsible, choosing one course of action over another

(D) that each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over the other

(E) each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over other ones

adkikani · Accepted Answer

generis   VeritasKarishma   AjiteshArun   GMATNinja

I wished parallelism would take me off the finishing line, sadly it did not.

Pay special attention to  that   in non-underlined portion.

Sartre believed that X , that Y, and that Z
X,Y and Z are clauses. Cross out A and E since parallelism is violated in the absence of that.

coma+verbing choosing is incorrect here.
Also I need an object after the verb  is responsible 
e.g. I am responsible (incorrect)
I am responsible  for my work.  (correct)

I prefer an infinitive (D) over (B) but have no concrete reason to back my reasoning. What is the subtle difference between 
 one over another  and  one over other ?

generis · Answer

adkikani  ,
 
Check what you have quoted and italicized because it is not accurate.

Helium · Answer

"that" is required in (A) and (E). So (A) and (E) Out.

responsible to choose - is awkward and not idiomatic. So (D) out.

is responsible, choosing - is awkward. (C) out.

responsible for   - Correct idiom.

IMO - Ans (B)

sowmiyav · Answer

Meaning: Sartre believed that
*each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over another
*it is the choice that gives value to the act
* nothing that is not acted upon has value.

Thus, to maintain parallelism, that is needed after believed. Therefore,  option A and option E can be eliminated .
Option C, incorrectly uses choosing as a modifier. That is not the intended purpose. So,  C can be eliminated .
Option D: 
one course of action over the other incorrectly implies there are 2 specific actions in which 1 is chosen over the other. But that is not the intended meaning.
Also, An individual is responsible for choosing is the correct construction and is preferred than responsible to choose. 
So,  option D can be eliminated .

IMO:  OPTION B: 
*maintains parallelism by using that
*uses correct construction: responsible for choosing
*correctly uses one course of action over another.

dave13 · Answer

(A) each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over another one INCORRECT ( responsible for something is correct idiom)

(B) that each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over another ( CORRECT)

(C) that each individual is responsible, choosing one course of action over another (INCORRECT same issue as in A)

(D) that each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over the other ( INCORRECT same issue as in A, plus incorrect ussage of "other" )

(E) each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over other ones (INCORRECT of ussage of "other" )

(F) each individual is responsible for choosing ENTER over EXIT (CORRECT)

warrior1991 · Answer

In between B and D , I will choose B because:-
1. Responsible for depicts that you are the owner and in this sentence ownership is talked about.
2. It is not mentioned that there are only 2 course of actions. The actions can be many and we have to choose one over another.

IMO B.

generis · Answer

OFFICIAL ANSWER Sartre believed each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over another one , that it is the choice that gives value to the act, and that nothing that is not acted upon has value. (A) each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over another one (B) that each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over another (C) that each individual is responsible, choosing one course of action over another (D) that each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over the other (E) each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over other ones NOTE I have changed the format of the OE and added clarifying details. I have not omitted any words from the OE. MY word additions are in black text or . • Choice A is faulty because that is needed after believed to make the clause parallel with the two that . . . clauses following it • Also the idiomatic expression is responsible for choosing rather than responsible to choose — and one is superfluous. • Choice C distorts the intended meaning because it says, in effect, only -- that individuals are responsible and that they choose a course of action, not, -- that they are responsible for choosing such a course. • In choice D, responsible to choose is unidiomatic and the other wrongly suggests that there is some particular alternative under discussion. • Choice E lacks the necessary that , and other ones is less precise than another . There is only way to know that the phrase other ones has a lower degree of precision and that such imprecision matters: compare answer choices. The missing "that" in this option is fatal. Save your time for meaning issues in C. • Choice B is best ANSWER B *************************** sowmiyav - welcome to GMATClub! dave13 -

Il n'y a pas d'entrée! Most of these answers are very good. Two are excellent because their authors caught issues about meaning in answers. On the GMAT, unfamiliar constructions, strange-looking idioms, and obscure phrases will be present, especially as questions get more difficult. At those times, the ability to tease out the meaning of the sentence will be invaluable. Everyone who posted has a good command of the grammar issues in this instance. A test taker does not need to know that Sartre was among the twentieth century's most famous philosophers/authors in order to recognize that we are dealing with a point of view and a very particular point of view at that. Cue words followed by that clauses with dense and sequential content -- "Believed that" signals an opinion, an ideological commitment. -- in the clauses that follow, content both describes the belief and emphasizes the fact that we are dealing with a belief -- a point of view. This question presents itself as ripe for understanding what Sartre was trying to convey. Many philosophers and writers stress individual responsibility. These clauses, however, are not typical: -- it is the choice that gives value to the act -- nothing that is not acted upon has value. Those claim are radical. When we encounter questions • that deal with content-based positions of thinkers, authors, artists, etc.; • that have answer choices conveying different meanings; or • that have answer choices whose "grammar rules" don't quite fit ... ... just as is the case in certain CR and RC questions, we are being asked to see the material from the point of view of the author, that is, to understand the meaning (s)he is trying to convey. No grammar rule announces that "the other," for example, incorrectly implies that a particular second alternative exists. The inference must be drawn from the meaning of this sentence in this instance. That inference depends on this context and cannot be generalized; it cannot be made into a larger guideline. No grammar rule announces that C distorts meaning. C's construction is not inherently incorrect. COMMA + ___ing (participial phrase) can and often does modify the entire previous clause. I am happy to say that a person who has just begun to study for the GMAT or who struggles with SC (99% of takers!) could read this thread and be helped. That collectively created helpfulness has been the case for every question I have posted.

sowmiyav and warrior1991 wrote the best answers to this question. Kudos!

RamSep · Answer

I prefer an infinitive (D) over (B) but have no concrete reason to back my reasoning. What is the subtle difference between 
 one over another  and  one over other ?

choosing one over another  means to  choose among more than two choices , while  choosing one over the other one  means  choosing between two choices !

BillyZ · Answer

TIME Magazine - April 28, 1980 | Vol. 115 No. 17 
World: Inadvertent Guru to an Age 
 Monday, Apr. 28, 1980

Because God does not exist, said  Sartre , man defines what he is, his essence, through his own actions.  Each individual is  responsible for choosing  one course of action over another. It is the choice that gives value to the act, and nothing that is not acted upon has value . Lending a moral dimension to an otherwise indifferent universe, Sartre declared that a person cannot define himself by "disappointed dreams, miscarried hopes or vain expectations." Most people seek to evade responsibility by blaming something or somebody else for their fate. Sartre regarded this as "bad faith." It is the real curse of the characters in his most famous play, No Exit (1944), who whine, "Hell is other people."

dave13 · Answer

RamSep

A simple rule to help you remember the difference between another and other is:

another + singular noun
other + plural noun
others(a pronoun to replace other + plural noun)

Examples:

I need another cup. (cup is singular so we use another)
I need other cups. (cup is plural so we use other)
I need others. (refers to other cups)

RamSep · Answer

Thanks. That's great...
But let's back to the question; am I wrong in my explanation? in the context of the question, what is the difference between "choose one over another" & "choose one over the other"?
I think the first one ("...over another") means choosing between more than one item, while the latter ("... the other") seems to mean picking one option between the two.

dave13 · Answer

RamSep welcome

you use " THE OTHER" when you refer to something specific you use " AN OTHER" when you dont refer to something specific In our case we just talk in general choosing one course over another one. (choosing ANY COURSE, we are not referring to specific one ) Btw "another" is nothing more than AN + OTHER, in other words indefinite article +other

AdityaHongunti · Answer

Though this question can be easily solved with grammar and idiom
 for knowledge :
OTHER vs ANOTHER :
 
other : 
Meaning =1. Different... 2. one of the two ( 2 apples are there. I want the other one)
Usage : singular/ plural/ uncountable 
Follows an article : "the" . "the other"
examples :
1) i cannot find the other shoe.
( a pair of shoes . i cannot find one of them)

2) Few of my friends came to the party on time, the others were late.
( Two groups . One group is on time . 2nd group is late. So "the other" group is late.

3)Have you got any other questions? 
( Other = different ... i have asked questions. Now do you have any other( different... not the ones i already asked).

4)I am not going to wear this shirt. I prefer the other one.
(I have two shirts. I prefer one of the two)

5)Only one parcel has arrived. Where are the others?
( A group of parcels. 1 of it has arrived. where are theother parcels(second group)?

Another : An+other
Meaning = 1)alternative 2) additional 3) one more

1)Can I get another cup of coffee?
( I have already had one. Now i want one more... You cannot use "other" here. Because youll be choosing one of the two coffees. I mean that sounds rich but illogical)

2) The investigation will take another 2 weeks
(additional weeks... Note we cannot say "another weeks" .. because aother is "an+other" , which requires a singular subject.)

3)I dont like this cafe. Is there another one around?
(Alternative)

Note: Another is used always as singular. It should always be followed by a singular subject .Or it should always be a singular pronoun.

HASTOWINGMAT · Answer

Is usage of "responsible to" correct in any sentence?

FazliddinKD · Answer

Sartre believed  each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over another one , that it is the choice that gives value to the act, and that nothing that is not acted upon has value.

(A) each individual is responsible to choose one course of action over another one - "believe" demands "that"

(B) that each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over another  - correct usage of "responsible for" and "another"

(C) that each individual is responsible,  choosing  one course of action over another - incorrect modifier "choosing"

(D) that each individual is responsible  to choose  one course of action over  the other  - "responsibility to choose" correct usage, the other - used when two things are discussed

(E) each individual is responsible for choosing one course of action over  other ones  - the same D, other used for two options, 
another - more than two and indefinite options

DmitryFarber · Answer

Yes, but it has a completely different meaning. We can be "responsible to" a person or set of people. This usually means we work for them, or that we have some responsibility to them. For instance, we might say "the board is responsible to the stockholders."

jrk23 · Answer

Can you please explain the difference between "another", "other" and "one another"....which to use and when.

Rickooreo · Answer

KarishmaB   EMPOWERgmatVerbal   AndrewN

Can you please explain the difference between "another", "other" and "one another"....which to use and when.

KarishmaB · Answer

Here is an excerpt on this from my SC module:

Between two things, we use ‘the other’ and ‘each other.’

Examples:

Since dessert A was already taken, I took the other. 
It is clear from context here that there were only two desserts.

Both Adam and Eve love each other.

When talking about elements in a group, we use ‘another’ and ‘one another’

Examples:

All of you should respect one another. 
Here, we can say that the people being addressed are more than two. We are telling each pair to respect each other.

Since dessert A was already taken, I took another. 
Here, there are more than two desserts.

Sartre believed each individual is responsible to choose one course of

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Sartre believed each individual is responsible to choose one course of

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