PrepTest 141, Section 4, Question 23
Problem: If Shayna congratulates Daniel on his award,(45 more words not shown)
The principle, if valid, most(15 more words not shown)
- AIf Shayna congratulates(12 more words not shown)
- BDaniel might prefer(27 more words not shown)
- CShayna believes that(19 more words not shown)
- DDaniel's feelings would(17 more words not shown)
- EShayna has no(15 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Shayna faces an awkward choice: congratulating Daniel would be insincere, but not congratulating him would hurt his feelings. The principle doesn't solve that simply by telling her to be nice.
Its starting rule is to avoid insincerity. There is a possible exception when the speaker believes the other person would prefer kindness to honesty. Here, that means Shayna's belief about Daniel's preference matters. We aren't just checking what Daniel actually wants, or what an observer guesses he might want.
Also, 'except possibly' doesn't command Shayna to give an insincere compliment whenever she has that belief. It leaves room for an exception. Without the specified belief, however, the rule against insincerity still applies.
What we’re looking for
We're applying this rule to the proposed arguments. For each answer, ask whether it tells us what Shayna believes about Daniel's preference and whether the recommended action follows from the rule's actual strength.
Working the answers
- A
Avoiding hurt feelings isn't enough by itself. Congratulating him would still misrepresent Shayna's feelings, and A says nothing about her belief that Daniel would prefer kindness to honesty. It treats a kind result as automatic permission for insincerity.
- B
What Daniel might prefer isn't the same as what Shayna believes he prefers. The answer doesn't establish the belief required for the possible exception. Even if it did, the principle's 'except possibly' would not automatically guarantee that insincere congratulations involve nothing wrong.
- C
Shayna's general belief that kindness should be preferred to dishonesty isn't the specified belief about Daniel. It also isn't the principle's comparison, which concerns a listener's preference for kindness over honesty. C substitutes a different judgment and then recommends withholding her true feelings without establishing the relevant exception.
- D
Daniel's reaction if he discovered the insincerity doesn't tell us what Shayna believes about his preference. The principle is framed around the speaker's belief, not a direct test of how hurt the listener would actually be. D reaches a recommendation without giving the fact needed to apply that condition.
- ECorrect
Shayna has no opinion about whether Daniel prefers kindness to honesty, so she doesn't hold the belief that could open the exception. The general prohibition on insincerity applies. Since congratulating Daniel would misrepresent her feelings, the principle supports her not congratulating him, even though not congratulating him will hurt his feelings.
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