Ethicist: It Would be a Mistake to Say that Just Because Someone is Inclined to do Otherwise

Question: Ethicist: It would be a mistake to say that just because someone is inclined to do otherwise, she or he does not deserve to be praised for doing what is right, for although we do consider people especially virtuous if they successfully resist a desire to do what is wrong, they are certainly no less virtuous if they have succeeded in extinguishing all such desires. The assertion that people are considered especially virtuous if they successfully resist a desire to do what is wrong plays one of the following roles in an ethicist's argument?

(A) It is a claim for which the argument attempts to provide justification
(B) It makes an observation that, according to the argument, is insufficient to justify the claim that the argument concludes is false
(C) It is a claim, acceptance of which, the argument contends, is a primary obstacle to some people’s having an adequate conception of virtue
(D) It is, according to the argument, a commonly held opinion, that is nevertheless false
(E) It reports an observation that, according to the argument, serves as evidence for the truth of its conclusion

“​It would be a mistake to say that just because someone is inclined to do otherwise, she or he does not deserve to be praised for doing what is right, for although we do consider people especially virtuous if they successfully resist a desire to do what is wrong, they are certainly no less virtuous if they have succeeded in extinguishing all such desires.” is a GMAT critical reasoning topic. This GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘ GMAT Official Guide 2022 Bundle’. In this particular topic, candidates are asked to select the most appropriate explanation that states the role that boldface plays. In this question, the candidates need to provide an option that supports the argument provided in the passage. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. Critical reasoning in GMAT requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument.  The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Answer: (B)

Explanation: This is a GMAT Critical Reasoning question. In this passage, we are looking for the role that the given assertion plays in the ethicist’s argument. It can be a claim, an observation, or simply, an opinion.

Let’s look into all the available options and decide which one fits the assertion best.

Option (A): It is a claim for which the argument attempts to provide justification

-Option A states that the assertion is a claim and the argument is trying to give justification for that but according to the wordings of the argument, it is not justifying anything. It just concludes that even if he/she does nothing wrong, it doesn’t mean that they should not be praised. The statement is conclusive and not justifying. So, Option A is incorrect.

Option (B): It makes an observation that, according to the argument, is insufficient to justify the claim that the argument concludes is false

-According to Option B, the assertion is simply an observation that is not enough to claim the conclusive argument is false. If we look into the passage, we find that the first line of the argument is itself a conclusion as it says that if a person doesn’t do anything wrong, it doesn’t mean that he/she should not be praised. The second line merely states that the people who resist their desire to do what is wrong are called virtuous. It just tells us what being virtuous means and does not justify anything. Because there is no justification, we can’t say the argument is false. So, Option B is correct.

Option ( C ): It is a claim, acceptance of which, the argument contends, is a primary obstacle to some people’s having an adequate conception of virtue

-Option C states that the statement is a claim and its acceptance is an obstacle to people’s conception of virtue. But the argument does not talk about obstacles anywhere. It only talks about people’s desire to do the right thing. So, Option C is incorrect.

Option (D): It is, according to the argument, a commonly held opinion, that is nevertheless false

-As per Option D, the assertion is a commonly held opinion, according to the argument, and false. However, the argument does not use ‘commonly’ anywhere in the interpretation.

Option (E): It reports an observation that, according to the argument, serves as evidence for the truth of its conclusion

-Option E states that the assertion is an observation that serves as evidence for the truth that it concludes. But as mentioned in Option B, the argument concludes itself in the first line and the second line is merely a definition of being virtuous. So, Option E is incorrect.

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