Q24 - Parents who consistently laud their children

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Question Type:
Identify the Conclusion

Stimulus Breakdown:
Premise:
If children receive as much praise for attempting something as for accomplishing something, they eventually disregard all praise.

Intermediate Conclusion:
This effectively means that the children never hear any praise.

Conclusion:
Parents who consistently praise children for accomplishments regardless of whether or not they succeed will erode the children's self-esteem.

Answer Anticipation:
Watch for wrong answers that identify a different component of the argument or distort the meaning of the conclusion.

Correct Answer:
(D)

Answer Choice Analysis:
(A) This is background information. It's similar to the statement at the beginning of the second sentence in the stimulus, but that isn't the conclusion.

(B) This is the premise—sort of. We might say that "undeservedly" is a slight change from what's in the stimulus. But regardless of that, choice (B) doesn't describe the conclusion.

(C) Out of scope. Nothing in the stimulus is about parents' expectations or children's capabilities.

(D) This is correct. It is a rewording of the conclusion, but retains the same meaning.

(E) Out of scope. Nothing in the stimulus tells us exactly what happens if children aren't praised when they succeed.

Takeaway/Pattern: Identify the Conclusion questions require you to identify, not interpret. Watch out for answer choices that contain ideas which aren't actually discussed in the stimulus.

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