- Fri Oct 07, 2016 5:46 pm
#29568
My problem with answer D, Rita, is that it brings in a new idea that hasn't got any obvious support elsewhere in the passage. What are these other benefits that supposedly flow from high self-esteem and positive reputation? If that was the end of the paragraph (as opposed to the first sentence of a new paragraph), we would be left wondering what these other benefits are, and why the author neglected to tell us more about them. It would be more of a tease than a conclusion, wouldn't it?
Answer C brings up nothing new, but instead ties up a loose end from earlier in the passage, relating the ideas of the last paragraph back to earlier ideas, strengthening the author's claim about the possible evolutionary origin of this type of behavior. That makes it a much tidier way to end the paragraph, and possibly the entire article.
When picking one of these "extended reasoning" answers, be sure that whatever you pick continues the ideas already discussed but doesn't bring up new ones. It must remain in keeping with the main point and tone of the passage as a whole, and should usually relate back to information presented previously in a sensible way, supported by the evidence in the passage.
Adam M. Tyson
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