PrepTest 118, Section 1, Question 8
Trust, which cannot be sustained in the absence(44 more words not shown)
If the statements above are(11 more words not shown)
- AA friendship supported(10 more words not shown)
- BIn the context(8 more words not shown)
- CIf a personal(14 more words not shown)
- DPersonal relationships, such(9 more words not shown)
- EBasing a marriage(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
These are requirements for a lasting relationship, not a recipe that guarantees one. A long-lasting relationship needs trust, and trust needs mutual respect. For a personal relationship, such as a friendship, we need natural affinity too. We don't need a detailed theory of affinity to solve this; the passage expressly makes it another requirement.
What we’re looking for
Nothing here promises that checking those boxes will make a relationship last. But if one of the required pieces is missing, the relationship can't last on the passage's account. That's the distinction to carry into a must-be-true question. Look for an answer that follows the requirements in the direction we've actually been given.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Solely means these are the only supports the friendship has. Trust and mutual respect are there, but affinity is missing. Since a friendship is a personal relationship, it needs affinity to endure. Meeting two requirements doesn't make up for failing the third.
- B
This changes which thing requires which. The passage says trust cannot be sustained without mutual respect: trust needs respect. B says mutual respect presupposes trust: respect needs trust. We haven't been given that second rule. Two colleagues could respect each other without trusting each other, and nothing in the passage rules that out.
- C
Mutual respect and affinity are required, but they aren't promised to be enough. The passage doesn't say that every relationship with those qualities lasts a long time. It also separately requires trust. C turns a list of things a lasting relationship must have into a guarantee of success.
- D
We learn requirements for both kinds of relationships, not how their durations compare. A professional relationship might outlast a particular friendship, or the friendship might outlast the professional relationship. Neither possibility conflicts with the stated requirements.
- E
Affinity alone doesn't ensure that a marriage endures. The marriage also needs trust and mutual respect, and even satisfying every stated requirement isn't presented as a guarantee. E promises a result from just one required feature.
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