To forgive a person for his/her mistakes is often considered to be a sign of weakness; in reality, it is a sign of strength. It is easy to allow oneself to be carried away by resentment and hate into an act of vengeance; but it takes a strong character to restrain those natural passions. The man who forgives an injury proves himself to be the superior of the man who wronged himself and puts the wrong-doer to shame. The passage best supports the statement that:
Mercy is the noblest form of revenge.
Understanding the Passage on Forgiveness and Strength
The passage discusses the act of forgiving someone for their mistakes. It challenges the common belief that forgiveness is a sign of weakness. Instead, it argues that true forgiveness is a sign of great strength. This strength is needed to control natural feelings like resentment and hate, which often lead to vengeance.
The author states that giving in to resentment and hate and seeking vengeance is easy. However, it takes a strong character to hold back these feelings and choose to forgive. The person who forgives an injury is shown to be morally superior to the person who caused the harm. This act of forgiveness also puts the wrong-doer to shame.
The passage highlights forgiveness as a difficult, powerful act that demonstrates inner strength and achieves a unique outcome, contrasting it sharply with the ease and negative nature of vengeance.
Analyzing the Options
Let's look at each option and see how well it is supported by the passage:
- Option 1: The sufferer alone knows the intensity of his sufferings.
The passage mentions suffering (injury, wronging) but doesn't discuss who best understands the intensity of suffering. The focus is on the *act* of forgiveness by the sufferer, not their internal experience of pain.
- Option 2: People tend to forgive the things happened in the past.
The passage doesn't state that people generally tend to forgive past events. It talks about the *nature* of forgiveness and the strength required, implying it's not an easy or common tendency but rather an act requiring specific character strength.
- Option 3: Mercy is the noblest form of revenge.
This option uses the word 'mercy', which is similar to forgiveness. It contrasts this with 'revenge' (similar to vengeance). The passage argues that forgiveness is a powerful act that makes the forgiver superior and shames the wrong-doer. While not using the exact phrase, the idea that forgiveness (mercy) achieves a more profound and morally superior outcome than vengeance is strongly supported. It suggests that forgiveness, in a non-harmful way, 'gets back' at the wrong-doer by demonstrating moral superiority and causing shame, making it the 'noblest' form of response compared to conventional revenge.
- Option 4: Natural passions are difficult to suppress.
The passage does mention that restraining natural passions like resentment and hate requires a "strong character," which implies they are difficult to suppress. However, this statement is a supporting detail for the larger argument about why forgiveness requires strength. The passage's main point is not simply that passions are hard to suppress, but that suppressing them for the sake of forgiveness is a sign of strength and superiority.
Conclusion
Comparing the options, Option 3 most accurately captures the central theme and argument presented in the passage. The passage elevates forgiveness (mercy) above vengeance (revenge), portraying it as a powerful act that demonstrates strength, confers superiority, and impacts the wrong-doer by shaming them. This aligns with the idea that mercy is a morally superior and effective form of response compared to harmful revenge.
Important Questions from Statements and Conclusions
In the following question below are given some statements followed by some conclusions based on those statements. Taking the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusion logically follows the given statements.
Statements:
I. All A are B.
II. Some B are C.
Conclusions:
I. Some A are C.
II. Some A are not C.
III. Some A are B.
In the question below are given some statements followed by some conclusions based on those statements. Take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be different from commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements.
Statements:
I. Some P are Q.
II. All P are N.
Conclusion:
I. All Q are N.
II. Some P are not Q.
In the question below are given some statements followed by some conclusions based on those statements. Take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be different from commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements.
Statements:
I. Some P are T.
II. Some T are S.
III. No J is P.
Conclusion:
I. Some S are not J.
II. Some T are not J.
III. Some J are not T.
In the question below are given some statements followed by some conclusions based on those statements. Take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements.
Statement :
I. All A are B.
II. No B is D.
III. Some D are G.
Conclusion :
I. No A is D.
II. Some G are not B.
III. Some A are not G.
In the question below are given some statements followed by some conclusions based on those statements. Take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements.
Statements:
I. All A are B.
II. Some B are C.
III. All C are D.
Conclusion:
I. Some A are D.
II. Some C are A.
III. Some B are D.
