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LSAT Preptest 154, Section 1, Question 11

"It is morally praiseworthy to be…"

Explanation

The question requires us to find an assumption that bridges the gap between the support and the conclusion. The correct assumption would be one that underpins the argument's stance on the relationship between the motivation for an action and its moral praiseworthiness.

A. The argument is not concerned with whether an action motivated by self-interest can be condemned; it's about whether such an action can be morally praiseworthy. 


B. The argument does not state that honest actions cannot be praiseworthy; it focuses on the reasons behind the honesty. 


C. (Correct Response) The assumption here is that an action cannot be both motivated by concern for oneself and out of respect for morality. This exclusion is sufficient for the argument's conclusion that because Downing's honesty was motivated by self-interest, it now cannot be morally praiseworthy. 


D. While this answer choice relates to the judgment of moral actions, it does not necessarily exclude the possibility of self-interest coinciding with morally praiseworthy actions. 


E. This choice suggests a general moral demand for honesty, which is not directly related to the conclusion about moral praiseworthiness based on one's motives.

Option C establishes a dichotomy that the argument relies on: if Downing's honesty was motivated by self-interest, it could not also have been motivated by respect for morality, and thus, it is not morally praiseworthy.

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