Question

Read the passage and answer the question that follows:

Despite our best efforts as parents, we will always make mistakes in raising our children. It's inevitable. There are so many decisions to be made in any given day, week, month, or year. It's an inhuman task to make all of these decisions correctly. Who would even want to try for perfection?

We shouldn't worry too much, though, because it is precisely our mistakes that teach our children the most about life. Life is full of mistakes, obstacles, and trouble. Shielding our children from these by striving for perfection in our own parenting does them no favors.

Given this, a parent might be tempted to give up trying to make good decisions and simply let the chips fall where they may. Admittedly, that attitude is not without its benefits, but it goes too far in the other direction. Children are much more observant than we think, but often draw the wrong conclusions from what they observe. If we give up trying to make the right decisions, they might get the message that we don't care about their future.

We can take comfort in this much: we teach our children even when we're not trying to. That doesn't mean we should stop trying to do our best, to make the right decisions whenever possible. It just means that we shouldn't beat ourselves up when we make mistakes. Either it won't matter because it's something small, or it just might build some character in our children, a commodity that will serve them well.

Which of the following could the author add to make this argument stronger?

Factual evidence to support the counterclaim
Factual evidence to support the claim
An easy to follow structure
More transitional words

Answer 1

The author's argument that parenting mistakes can teach children valuable life lessons would be strengthened by adding factual evidence to support the claim. Such evidence could include developmental psychology research or expert opinions demonstrating the benefits of children experiencing their parents' imperfections.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks which addition would make the author's argument stronger in the context of a passage about parenting. To strengthen the argument presented in the passage, factual evidence to support the claim would be most beneficial. Factual evidence, such as statistics or findings from reputable studies, would add weight to the author's assertion that making mistakes in parenting can be beneficial for teaching children about life. It would also reinforce the point that striving for perfection is neither necessary nor desirable in parenting.

For example, researching developmental psychology might reveal evidence that children learn resilience and problem-solving through observing and navigating their parents' imperfections. Citing sources like longitudinal studies or expert opinions could also substantiate the claim that children benefit from experiencing a realistic model of dealing with life's challenges rather than a façade of parental perfection.

Answer 2

More transitional words. I think that really adds to the strength of the arguement. Hope this helped! Thanks!


~Steve