PrepTest 144, Section 2, Question 23
Well-intentioned people sometimes attempt to resolve the marital(31 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AOne should get(15 more words not shown)
- BInterpersonal relations should(13 more words not shown)
- CGood intentions are(15 more words not shown)
- DThe intentions of(12 more words not shown)
- ENo actions based(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
An attempt can fail even when someone means well. Does that make the attempt unjustified?
The author says efforts to fix friends' marital problems usually don't work and leave people resentful. Those are reasons to be cautious about getting involved. But the conclusion adds a judgment: the efforts are usually unjustified. We haven't been given a rule telling us why an unsuccessful effort cannot be justified.
What we’re looking for
The principle question asks us to supply support for that judgment. Look for a connection from the outcome to justification. A rule saying that even a well-intentioned action needs to succeed to be justified would let the author use the usual lack of success to reach the conclusion.
Working the answers
- A
This requires a good intention before getting involved. The people in the argument already mean well, so that requirement doesn't show that their efforts are unjustified when they fail. We need a rule about the result, not just a condition concerning the person's motive.
- B
This tells us to do what is right regardless of consequences. The author's reasoning depends on the consequences: the attempts don't work and cause resentment. B doesn't identify the attempts as wrong, and it doesn't support using their bad results as the reason to reject them.
- C
Saying good intentions are the only legitimate grounds for intervening makes those intentions a requirement. It doesn't explain why well-intentioned efforts that fail are unjustified. The argument's people already have the required intentions; we need the additional connection to success or failure.
- D
This removes intentions from the assessment, which may initially sound helpful. But what does determine whether an action is justified? D doesn't say. An action could be evaluated by some other standard that permits unsuccessful attempts. Removing one consideration doesn't supply the outcome-based rule the argument needs.
- ECorrect
Success is required even for an action based on good intentions. The passage says these interventions usually fail. Under E, those unsuccessful attempts are not justified, despite their good intentions. That supports the conclusion that such efforts are usually unjustified.
More Strengthen questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Strengthen questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.