If one has evidence that an act will benefit other people and performs that act to benefit them, then one will genera...

Naz January 31, 2014

Let's diagram the stimulus:

"If one has evidence that an act will benefit other people and performs that act to benefit them, then one will generally succeed in benefiting them."

EABOP = has evidence that an act will benefit other people

PABT = perform act to benefit them

GSBT = generally succeed in benefiting them

EABOP & PABT ==> GSBT
not GSBT ==> not EABOP or not PABT

We are given two sufficient conditions that lead to one necessary condition.

Answer choice (C) best illustrates this proposition in the stimulus.

EABOP = Betsy overhearing a heating contractor say that regularly changing the filter in a furnace helps to keep the furnace efficient

PABT = Betsy has regularly changed the furnace filter in her daughter's house

GSBT = as a result, the furnace has never required maintenance due to becoming clogged with dust or dirt

So we have a valid application of proposition in the stimulus.

Answer choice (D), on the other hand, does not illustrate this proposition.

EABOP = Sejal learned in a psychology class that the best way to help someone overcome an addiction is to confront that person

PABT = So she confronted her friend Bob, who was struggling with a chemical dependency

We are missing "GSBT." Answer choice (D) merely gives us our two sufficient conditions without them leading to the necessary condition.

Hope that helped! Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Batman February 6, 2014

Thanks a lot!!!

Ro13 September 28, 2018

Is E wrong because it is the psychotherapist that in the end helps them out rather then Zachary personally?

kaori-watanabe October 10, 2018

How about A?

Because (I think)

EABOP = fostering displomatic ties with antagonisitc nations reduces the chances of wars with those nations

PABT = they engaged in diplomatic discussions with a hostile country

GSBT = the two counties avoided a confrontation

alymathieu January 4, 2019

Yes I agree - how about a?

Ravi January 5, 2019

@Ro13, @kaori-watanabe, and @alymathieu,

Great questions.

@Ro13,

Regarding Answer E, it is incorrect because although Zachary hoped
that psychotherapy could help his parents overcome their marital
differences, there is no mentioning of Zachary having any evidence
that psychotherapy would help his parents. We need evidence, not just
hope. This answer is out.

@kaori-watanabe and @alymathieu,

Answer A is incorrect because the country's leaders are not acting to
benefit the antagonistic nations; they're acting to benefit the
chances that they are reelected. Since the diplomatic leaders are
acting for themselves, and not for the benefit of others, this answer
does not match and is out.

Does this make sense to you guys? Let us know if you have any other questions!

Adam-Estacio January 14, 2019

I still don't understand how A is incorrect. How is acting to not go to war not acting to benefit the antagonistic nations, aka benefiting other people? This is clearly something that both benefits other people (PABT: not going to war) and benefits the individual (EABOP: politicians getting themselves reelected), resulting in one generally succeeding in benefiting themselves (GSBT: the individual gets reelected)