Passage (Ralph Waldo Emerson, *Self-Reliance*, 1841): "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort and advancing on Chaos and the Dark." Which of the following best states Emerson's main claim?
APeople should adopt the opinions of their contemporaries to avoid social conflict.
BThe trustworthy guidance for living is the self's own inner voice, and the right human posture is bold engagement with one's time, not withdrawal.
COnly certain *great men* are entitled to trust themselves.
DRevolutions should always be opposed.
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The trustworthy guidance for living is the self's own inner voice, and the right human posture is bold engagement with one's time, not withdrawal.
Emerson's twinned commands: *Trust thyself* and *accept the place... the connection of events*. The trustworthy is *seated at their heart* — within. The closing list (*guides, redeemers and benefactors* vs. *cowards fleeing before a revolution*) describes the right *posture*: engaged, not withdrawn. **B** captures both halves.
- **A** reverses Emerson's claim.
- **C** narrows trust to *great men*; Emerson extends it to *we are now men*.
- **D** misreads the *cowards fleeing before a revolution* image — Emerson criticises *fleeing*, not *revolution*.
Related questions
An argument states 'the village bus service is unreliable, so it should be banned'. The unA 'strengthen' CR question asks which option, if true, would:In a GMAT Critical Reasoning question, the FIRST step to take is:In formal GMAT register, which idiom is correct? 'Her findings are _____ those of the earlWhich uses correct parallel structure? 'On weekends she enjoys _____.'Choose the option with correct subject-verb agreement: 'The collection of old coins _____ On GMAT Sentence Correction, the recommended elimination strategy is to:In a GMAT Sentence Correction question, option (A) ALWAYS represents: