Question

Altruism is the human concern for the wellbeing of others. Altruism has been shown to be motivated more by social bonding, familiarity, and identification of belongingness to a group. The notion that altruism may be attributed to empathy or guilt has now been rejected.
Which one of the following is the CORRECT logical inference based on the information in the above passage?

• A. Humans engage in altruism due to guilt but not empathy
• B. Humans engage in altruism due to empathy but not guilt
• C. Humans engage in altruism due to group identification but not empathy
• D. Humans engage in altruism due to empathy but not familiarity

Hint:

When inferring logical conclusions from a passage, focus on the key information provided and eliminate options that contradict the main idea.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

According to the passage, altruism is motivated more by social bonding, familiarity, and identification of belongingness to a group, and it has been shown that empathy or guilt does not play a central role. Therefore, the logical inference is that humans engage in altruism due to group identification, not due to empathy. Step 1: Analyze the passage:
The passage clearly states that altruism is driven by group identification and not by empathy or guilt. Step 2: Evaluate the options:
- Option (A): Incorrect, as the passage rejects the idea of altruism being driven by guilt.
- Option (B): Incorrect, as it contradicts the rejection of empathy as a motivator for altruism in the passage.
- Option (C): Correct, as it aligns with the information provided in the passage that altruism is motivated by group identification.
- Option (D): Incorrect, as it falsely attributes empathy as a reason for altruism. Step 3: Conclusion:
The correct logical inference based on the passage is Option (C), where altruism is motivated by group identification, not empathy.