PrepTest 117, Section 4, Question 18
Philosopher: The rational pursuit of happiness is quite(70 more words not shown)
If all of the philosopher's(11 more words not shown)
- AThe majority of(5 more words not shown)
- BAttaining the goal(7 more words not shown)
- CMost people do(4 more words not shown)
- DMost people want(6 more words not shown)
- EAll actions have(2 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Studying for the LSAT might not be what you'd most like to do right now. A show or a visit with friends could be more fun. But studying can still be a sensible choice for your longer-term happiness. That's the philosopher's first distinction: getting what you want this minute isn't always the same as pursuing a happier life.
There's another distinction within desires. An ordinary desire, like wanting a sandwich when you're hungry, gives you at least a moment of happiness when fulfilled. A compulsion doesn't. Imagine repeatedly checking an app even though checking it gives you no happiness at all. You still feel driven to do it.
What we’re looking for
The question asks which answer cannot be true if we accept those statements. There's no need to guess one precise answer here. Keep the two distinctions straight and check each choice for an actual conflict.
Working the answers
- A
This could be true. We're told that some desires are compulsions, not that most people have them. Perhaps only a small percentage of people do. Whatever we suspect about people's habits in real life, the passage doesn't rule that out.
- BCorrect
Some desires are compulsions, and satisfying a compulsion offers no happiness. So it cannot be true that satisfying any desire produces momentary happiness. The answer extends the rule for ordinary desires to a group the philosopher specifically separates from them.
- C
This could be true. The philosopher tells us what rationally pursuing happiness involves, but doesn't tell us how many people actually do it. Most people could fail to consider the long term, or most could do a good job of it. Neither possibility contradicts the passage.
- D
This could be true, too. Nothing says personal happiness is the only thing people want. People might also want to help others or achieve some other goal. The passage explains differences between kinds of desires and ways of pursuing happiness; it doesn't give a complete list of everyone's aims.
- E
We haven't established this, but we haven't ruled it out either. Considering long-term consequences doesn't tell us that every action has them. It also doesn't tell us that some actions lack them. Since the question asks what cannot be true, an unsupported claim isn't enough: we need a contradiction. B supplies one; E doesn't.
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