Question:
"There is nothing so stupid as an educated man, if you can get him off the thing he was educated in."
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the author's contention?
"There is nothing so stupid as an educated man, if you can get him off the thing he was educated in."
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the author's contention?
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the author's contention?
Show Hint
Find the assumption behind the quote (education is narrow) and pick the option that denies it outright.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
- True education implies a well-rounded exposure to major subjects.
- An educated man will not discuss things which he does not understand.
- The cost of a general education has led to the unfortunate fact that a person's education is confined to one field.
- Stupidity, like intelligence, is relative and therefore depends on the intelligence of the person's peers.
Show Solution
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
The author's claim is that an educated man looks stupid the moment you move him away from his own subject, in other words, education narrows a person rather than broadening them. To weaken this, we need a statement that breaks the link between "being educated" and "being narrow."
- Option A: If true education actually gives a well-rounded exposure to many subjects, then an educated person would not become clueless outside their specialty. This directly attacks the author's assumption that education is narrow, which is the base the whole contention stands on.
- Option B: Saying an educated man stays quiet on topics he does not understand shows caution, not competence. It does not contradict the idea that he may still be "stupid" (uninformed) outside his field, it just says he hides it.
- Option C: This actually supports the author, since it explains why education has become narrow (cost pressure confines people to one field), the same claim the author is making.
- Option D: This redefines "stupid" as relative to peers, which is a side comment on the meaning of the word, not a challenge to whether education itself narrows people.
Option A is the only statement that removes the very foundation of the author's claim by saying real education is broad, not narrow.
Let's summarize:
- The author assumes education is narrow, causing ignorance outside one's field.
- Option A denies that assumption directly by describing education as broad and well-rounded.
- Option C actually reinforces the author's point, and B and D do not touch the core assumption.
So the answer is option A.
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