It is said that people should accept themselves as they are instead of

Question

It is said that people should accept themselves as they are instead of being dissatisfied with their own abilities. But this is clearly a bad principle if the goal is a society whose citizens are genuinely happy, for no one can be genuinely happy if he or she is not pursuing personal excellence and is unwilling to undergo a personal change of any kind.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

(A) Those who are willing to change will probably find genuine happiness.
(B) People who are not dissatisfied with themselves are less likely than others to pursue personal excellence.
(C) Personal excellence cannot be acquired by those who lack genuine confidence in their own abilities.
(D) People are justified in feeling content with themselves when they have achieved some degree of personal excellence.
(E) Happiness is not genuine unless it is based on something that is painful to obtain.

MrBaby · Accepted Answer

Not the best solution, but I use Conditional Reasoning technique from 'Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible' to solve this question. First, spot on 'if-clause' in the sentence. It is said that people should accept themselves as they are instead of being dissatisfied with their own abilities. But this is clearly a bad principle if the goal is a society whose citizens are genuinely happy , for no one can be genuinely happy if he or she is not pursuing personal excellence and is unwilling to undergo a personal change of any kind. Conditional Reasoning Technique If --> Then If he or she is not pursuing personal excellence and is unwilling to undergo a personal change of any kind. --> no one can be genuinely happy WRONG: Mistaken Reversal --> WRONG: Mistaken Negation Not --> Not CORRECT: Contrapositive Not --> Not Second, POE. Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? (A) Those who are willing to change will probably find genuine happiness . --> WRONG: Mistaken Negation Not --> Not (B) People who are not dissatisfied with themselves are less likely than others to pursue personal excellence. --> CORRECT (C) Personal excellence cannot be acquired by those who lack genuine confidence in their own abilities. --> Cannot is a strong word. Moreover, confidence is not mentioned here. (D) People are justified in feeling content with themselves when they have achieved some degree of personal excellence. --> Cannot assume this from the passage. (E) Happiness is not genuine unless it is based on something that is painful to obtain. --> No mention about painful in the passage. Hope it helps!

rish2708 · Answer

Answer should be B.

The logical gap I see is:
People shall be not be content with them and should challenge their own abilities ( this is what author believes)

And genuine happy society is some group in which people can enter when they strive for personal excellence.

Now challenging own abilities and personal excellence.. this is a logical gap. To address this we need something which says that challenging own abilities might lead to personal experience.

I believe B does that.

Regards,
Rishav

Posted from my mobile device

ravigupta2912 · Answer

Can anyone here explain the passage and the answer choices? I'm struggling to understand this.

Gemmie · Answer

The Argument The argument contends that a society of genuinely happy citizens requires individuals to pursue personal excellence and undergo personal change. It opposes the idea of accepting oneself as is.

The Assumption

The argument hinges on the idea that  dissatisfaction with oneself is necessary for personal growth and happiness .

Evaluating the Answer Choices

(A) Those who are willing to change will probably find genuine happiness.  This is a possible outcome but not a necessary assumption for the argument.

(B) People who are not dissatisfied with themselves are less likely than others to pursue personal excellence.   This directly supports the argument's premise that dissatisfaction is linked to personal growth.

(C) Personal excellence cannot be acquired by those who lack genuine confidence in their own abilities.  While related to self-perception, it's not essential to the argument's core.

(D) People are justified in feeling content with themselves when they have achieved some degree of personal excellence.  This is about the result of personal growth, not the motivation for it.

(E) Happiness is not genuine unless it is based on something that is painful to obtain.  This is too extreme and not necessary for the argument.

VerbalBot · Answer

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It is said that people should accept themselves as they are instead of

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