PrepTest 140, Section 3, Question 9
Anyone believing that no individual can have an(47 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AAnyone who believes(17 more words not shown)
- BNo one who(23 more words not shown)
- CAnyone who feels(30 more words not shown)
- DNo one who(24 more words not shown)
- EEach individual should(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Why try to change anything if you believe nothing you do can matter?
That's the practical problem the author identifies. Believing that individuals are powerless can stop someone from acting at all. Even if that belief happened to be mistaken, the person who never tries would still miss the chance to make a difference. The belief can defeat the person's own goal.
The reference to 'vast historical forces' gives another way to describe that same powerlessness. The crucial details are that those forces determine the future entirely and individuals cannot change them. We don't need to invent a difference between the two descriptions.
What we’re looking for
The argument then recommends rejecting that belief to people who want to improve society. For a principle that supports the recommendation, I'd connect their goal to their beliefs: if you want to improve society, don't accept a belief that leaves you too helpless to act toward that goal. This is advice about avoiding an obstacle, not a claim that optimism guarantees success.
Working the answers
- A
This tells people who believe individuals can have an effect to take action. Our conclusion tells people who want to improve society which belief to reject. Believing change is possible and wanting to bring it about aren't the same starting point, and a duty to act isn't the recommendation we need to support.
- B
This begins with people who already reject the historical-forces belief and tells them not to believe that individuals are powerless. It might guide how those people keep their beliefs consistent. It doesn't explain why someone who wants to improve society should reject the historical-forces belief in the first place.
- C
This addresses people who already feel too helpless to act. Our recommendation applies to anyone who wants to improve society, including someone who doesn't yet feel helpless. We need a reason for that group to avoid accepting the disabling belief, not just advice for people already experiencing the result.
- DCorrect
This identifies both the right people and the right reason. People who want to improve society shouldn't accept beliefs that make them too helpless to act. The premise says the belief in individual powerlessness has exactly that effect, so D supports telling those people to reject it.
- E
This calls on each individual to act if people generally feel powerless. The argument doesn't try to establish that everyone should act, or even that everyone must share the goal of improving society. It starts with people who already have that goal and recommends avoiding a belief that obstructs it.
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