Psychologist: In a survey, several hundred volunteers rated their own levels of self-control and their overall life satisfaction. The volunteers who rated themselves as having better self-control also reported greater satisfaction with their lives. This suggests that self-control is one factor that helps people avoid situations likely to produce dissatisfaction.
In order to assess the strength of the psychologist's argument, it would be most helpful to know whether
A. people typically rate themselves as having significantly better self-control than expert psychological assessments would rate them as having
B. people's perceptions of how satisfied they are with their lives could be affected by factors of which they are unaware
C. there is a high level of self-control that tends to reduce overall life satisfaction
D. people's ratings of their overall satisfaction with their lives tend to temporarily decrease in situations likely to produce dissatisfaction
E. feelings of dissatisfaction significantly interfere with people's ability to exercise self-control
OA E
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Psychologist: In a survey, several hundred volunteers rated
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Premise: In a survey, several hundred volunteers rated their own levels of self-control and their overall life satisfaction.
Conclusion: Self-control is one factor that helps people avoid situations likely to produce dissatisfaction.
Option A - Incorrect:
Though we know about people's ratings; we can't know if they would typically rate themselves as having better self-control than expert psychological assessment would rate them.
Option B - Incorrect:
This claim is not accurate because we are not concerned about unaware factors that could affect people's perception of how satisfied they are with their lives.
Option C - Incorrect:
This option is irrelevant to the argument because it gives a definite example that weakens the psychologist's argument.
Option D - Incorrect:
There is no rigid claim to back this option because we do not know if the people's rating with their lives tends to temporarily decrease in situations likely to produce dissatisfaction.
Option E - Correct:
This claim is correct as a result of the psychologist's conclusion which suggests that self-control is one factor that helps people avoid situations likely to produce dissatisfaction. Hence, feelings of dissatisfaction significantly interfere with people's ability to exercise self-control.
Conclusion: Self-control is one factor that helps people avoid situations likely to produce dissatisfaction.
Option A - Incorrect:
Though we know about people's ratings; we can't know if they would typically rate themselves as having better self-control than expert psychological assessment would rate them.
Option B - Incorrect:
This claim is not accurate because we are not concerned about unaware factors that could affect people's perception of how satisfied they are with their lives.
Option C - Incorrect:
This option is irrelevant to the argument because it gives a definite example that weakens the psychologist's argument.
Option D - Incorrect:
There is no rigid claim to back this option because we do not know if the people's rating with their lives tends to temporarily decrease in situations likely to produce dissatisfaction.
Option E - Correct:
This claim is correct as a result of the psychologist's conclusion which suggests that self-control is one factor that helps people avoid situations likely to produce dissatisfaction. Hence, feelings of dissatisfaction significantly interfere with people's ability to exercise self-control.
