An easy willingness to tell funny stories or jokes about oneself is th

Question

An easy willingness to tell funny stories or jokes about oneself is the surest of supreme self-confidence. This willingness, often not acquired until late in life, is even more revealing than is good-natured acquiescence in having others poke fun at one.

Which one of the following inference is most supported by the statements above?

Which one of the following inference is most supported by the statements above?

(A) A person who lacks self-confidence will enjoy neither telling nor hearing funny stories about himself or herself.

(B) People with high self-confidence do not tell funny stories or jokes about others.

(C) Highly self-confident people tell funny stories and jokes in order to let their audience know that they are self-confident.

(D) Most people would rather tell a funny story or joke than listen to one being told.

(E) Telling funny stories or jokes about people in their presence is a way of expressing one's respect for them.

GMATGuruNY · Accepted Answer

The CONTRAPOSITIVE of an if-then statement is always true.
Original statement: If A, then B.
Contrapositive: If not B, then not A.

Example:
Original statement: If John is in New York City, then John is in the United States.
Contrapositive: If John is not in the United States, then John is not in New York City.

Passage:
 An easy willingness to tell funny stories or jokes about oneself is the surest mark of supreme self-confidence. 
In other words:
 If a person tells funny stories about himself, then he has self-confidence. 
Contrapositive:
 If a person lacks self-confidence, then he is unwilling to tell funny stories about himself. 
 
 This willingness is even more revealing than is good-natured acquiescence in having others poke fun at one. 
In other words,  good-natured acquiescence  is another indication of self-confidence:
 If a person exhibits good-natured acquiescence in having other poke fun at him, then he has self-confidence. 
Contrapositive:
 If a person lacks self-confidence, then he does not exhibit good-natured acquiescence in having other poke fun at him.

A:  A person who lacks self-confidence will enjoy neither telling nor hearing funny stories about himself. 
In other words:
  If a person lacks self-confidence, then he will not enjoy telling or hearing funny stories about himself.  
Option A combines the two contrapositives above into a single statement and thus is a valid inference.

A

navaneethmmb · Answer

Paragraph talks about self confidence and gives two cases 
1. Person easily joking about oneself (even in front of an audience)
2. Others poking fun at one. 
A person with high self confidence enjoys both traits, as per the passage.

(A) A person who lacks self-confidence will enjoy neither telling nor hearing funny stories about himself or herself.

This seems the corollary of what the passage says. Let's keep it. 
 
(B) People with high self-confidence do not tell funny stories or jokes about others.

Out of scope. The object of joke is oneself, and not others.

(C) Highly self-confident people tell funny stories and jokes in order to let their audience know that they are self-confident

The main essence is missing. Telling jokes is different from "telling jokes about oneself". Option C is eliminated.

(D) Most people would rather tell a funny story or joke than listen to one being told.

No mention about confidence. Also, the second part in the passage does mention confident people enjoy others poke fun at them. Option D seems a very generalized statement, and hence ruled out.

(E) Telling funny stories or jokes about people in their presence is a way of expressing one's respect for them.

The context is about self-confidence (about oneself) and not respect (for the audience) . Totally out of context. Ruled out.

Hence option A seems the best answer IMO.

Posted from my mobile device

aniket16c · Answer

Argument analysis:
There are number of factors to determine if person is self confident - the most supreme is the one in which the person is not hesitant in telling funny stories / jokes about himself.
This confidence is not acquired untill late in life
The ability to crack jokes about oneself is a better factor to judge a person's self-confidence than the ability to allow others to poke fun at oneself

(A) A person who lacks self-confidence will enjoy neither telling nor hearing funny stories about himself or herself. 
- The argument states that of the many indicators of self-confidence, the ability to poke fun at oneself and the ability to let other poke fun at oneself are one of the many indicators of self confidence. Thus if one is not self-confident he definetly lacks both of them.
-Correct

(B) People with high self-confidence do not tell funny stories or jokes about others. 
- We do not know anything about this. May be they do tell funny stories is very non-offensive way or may be they do not.
-Wrong

(C) Highly self-confident people tell funny stories and jokes in order to let their audience know that they are self-confident. 
- Not true. May be they tell to help others to increase their sefl-confidence or just to lighten up the mood.
-Wrong

(D) Most people would rather tell a funny story or joke than listen to one being told. 
- First point is this argument speaks about highly self-confident people. We do not know whether they constitute a high percentage among general public. 
-Wrong

(E) Telling funny stories or jokes about people in their presence is a way of expressing one's respect for them.
- No mention about this in the passage
-Wrong

auradediligodo · Answer

An easy willingness to tell funny stories or jokes about oneself is the surest of supreme self-confidence. This willingness, often not acquired until late in life, is even more revealing than is good-natured acquiescence in having others poke fun at one.

Which one of the following inference is most supported by the statements above?

Which one of the following inference is most supported by the statements above?

Inference question

Pre-thinking

We are given that the most confident person will tell jokes about him/herself and that a confident (but not as confident as the latter person) person will have fun while other people tell jokes about him/herself.

We simply can infer that someone who is not confident probably won't like either telling jokes about her/him or when other people make fun her/him

POE

(A)   A person who lacks self-confidence will enjoy neither telling nor hearing funny stories about himself or herself. 
 Makes sense

(B) People with high self-confidence do not tell funny stories or jokes about others. 
 telling jokes about others is out of the picture

(C) Highly self-confident people tell funny stories and jokes in order to let their audience know that they are self-confident. 
 the purpose of telling jokes as well is out of the picture

(D) Most people would rather tell a funny story or joke than listen to one being told. 
 what most people will do cannot be inferred

(E) Telling funny stories or jokes about people in their presence is a way of expressing one┬б┬пs respect for them.
 cannot be inferred as respect here is out of scope

Jai19 · Answer

I believe there is an easier explanation for option A :
"Telling funny story or joke about one self ---> self confidence" take care of the word "Surest"
Therefore A----> B and since it is necessary and sufficient thus NOT B ----> Not A

Thus option A..

Kudos may help.. Thanks!

Posted from my mobile device

VerbalBot · Answer

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An easy willingness to tell funny stories or jokes about oneself is th

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