No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.
Which of the following options can be BEST concluded from the passage?
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Philosophical RCs often test abstract reasoning — the best conclusion is usually the one that generalizes the passage’s main analogy (temptation = test of belief).
Unless we are put to test for our beliefs, we do not know what our true beliefs are.
To claim to know anything we must apply it in a situation and then judge ourselves.
Most of the population does not know what being bad or being good actually is.
To claim to be good people, we should know what temptation means.
How we label ourselves depends entirely on how much we have fought for that label.
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The Correct Option isA
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Analyze the passage.
The passage argues that resisting temptation is the only way to understand its strength. People who give in easily never truly understand the struggle, and thus do not really know badness or goodness.
Step 2: Evaluate the options.
- Option A: This aligns perfectly — only through testing (resisting temptation) do we truly know the strength of our beliefs or character.
- Option B: Too broad and vague. The focus here is specifically on resisting temptation, not on all knowledge.
- Option C: Exaggerated. The passage does not claim about “most of the population,” just about people who give in.
- Option D: Partially true, but narrower. The conclusion is about testing beliefs, not just “knowing temptation.”
- Option E: Interesting, but not as precise. The key point is testing beliefs, not labeling ourselves.
Step 3: Best conclusion.
Option A most accurately captures the essence of the passage.
Final Answer:
\[
\boxed{\text{A}}
\]
