Choose Happiness Today

Question

1     Have you ever said, "I'll be happy when . . . " (fill in the blank)? I'll be happy WHEN I have a car, or WHEN I land my dream job. This way of thinking implies that you can't be happy now. Many people wrongly assume that happiness is an event, a condition, or a goal met; instead, happiness is determined by mindset, or how you view life's challenges and opportunities. Happiness is a choice that is before us every day.

2     All of the daily activities that make up your life are a part of the process of happiness. If you are constantly focusing on what you don't have, you are giving away your right to happiness right now. For instance, you may enjoy having a tidy room more than the process of cleaning your room, but if you put on some music and invite a friend over to help, you can enjoy both the process and the result.

3     If happiness is as easy as a choice, you might ask, then why does it feel so impossible to attain? Again—the answer is mindset. Mindset is shaped in large part by culture. A "work first, play later" mentality, for example, sets up a false contrast between the importance of goals achieved and achieving them. It is important to examine not just what you want to accomplish, but how you think about it.

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How does the author respond to conflicting evidence of her point of view in the text?

A. 
by discrediting the logic behind opposing viewpoints as faulty thinking
  B. 
by minimizing claims made by opposing viewpoints and maximizing claims made by the author
  C. 
by acknowledging opposing viewpoints and explaining that they are too limited
  D. 
by noting opposing viewpoints are lacking in evidence and support

GPT-4o · Answer

The most accurate answer here is:

C. by acknowledging opposing viewpoints and explaining that they are too limited

Here's why:

The author recognizes that many people might think happiness is an event, condition, or goal met, which is contrary to her viewpoint that happiness is determined by mindset. She counters this by explaining that this common way of thinking implies that one cannot be happy in the present. The author's argument is that this perspective is limited because it doesn't consider the role of mindset in experiencing happiness here and now.