PrepTest 139, Section 1, Question 12
One should apologize only to a person one(55 more words not shown)
The statements above, if true,(8 more words not shown)
- AIf one apologizes(17 more words not shown)
- BOne cannot sincerely(8 more words not shown)
- CIf one commits(11 more words not shown)
- DAn apology that(8 more words not shown)
- EAn apology cannot(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Keep the two people separate. One offers the apology; the other accepts it.
A sincere apologizer acknowledges having acted wrongfully and intends not to repeat the act. A sincere recipient acknowledges the wrong and vows not to hold a grudge. Those are distinct commitments, even though acknowledging a wrong appears on both sides.
Also notice what the opening rule doesn't say. It limits appropriate apologies to a person you've wronged and to the wrong you've done. It doesn't say that every wrongful act automatically requires an apology. And an intention not to repeat a wrong isn't a guarantee about everything you'll do later.
What we’re looking for
The question asks what follows from these statements. As we check the choices, keep track of who is offering the apology, who is accepting it, and what each person commits to. Those distinctions will help us test each claim against the rules we've actually been given.
Working the answers
- A
Someone could sincerely intend not to repeat a wrong when apologizing, then later change their mind or fail to live up to that intention. Imagine apologizing for rude behavior and meaning to stop, but behaving rudely again later. That later act doesn't by itself show the earlier intention was absent. The passage requires the intention at the time of the apology, not flawless future conduct.
- B
The passage gives requirements for sincerely accepting an apology: acknowledge the wrong and vow not to hold a grudge. It doesn't add that the other person must have offered the apology sincerely. The recipient could make those commitments even if the wrongdoer doesn't mean the apology.
- C
The opening rule says whom an appropriate apology can be directed to and what it can be for. C turns that restriction into an instruction to apologize whenever one commits a wrong. A rule limiting when you should apologize doesn't establish that meeting that limit is enough to make an apology required.
- D
The recipient might be unable to sincerely accept an apology while the wrongdoer sincerely offers it. For example, the wrongdoer could acknowledge the act and intend to change, while the recipient remains unwilling to give up a grudge. The passage gives no rule making the first person's sincerity depend on the second person's ability to accept.
- ECorrect
A sincere offer requires the wrongdoer to acknowledge wrongful conduct. Sincere acceptance requires the recipient to acknowledge a wrong as well. So if both the offer and the acceptance are sincere, both people must acknowledge that a wrongful act occurred. E combines the two stated requirements without adding a new connection between the people's sincerity.
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