Philosophy · Level 1 · 129 words

The Rule You Would Share

Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.

A rule feels easy when it helps us. The harder test comes when the same rule helps someone else. Suppose you step ahead in a line whenever your own errand feels urgent. If everyone did that, soon no one could trust the order.

This test asks us to share the rule, not just the benefit. Before choosing, imagine every person making the same choice. Would the system still work? Would the rule seem fair when another person used it against your plans? A good rule does not need to favor everyone in every moment. Still, it should make cooperation possible for all. It asks whether our reason can be offered to others without a special exception for ourselves. Thinking this way turns a private excuse into a public question.

Comprehension questions

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4 questions
1. What is the main idea of the passage?

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B. A fair rule should still support cooperation when everyone is allowed to follow it.
The passage tests a choice by imagining everyone using the same rule and asking whether fairness and cooperation would remain possible.

2. What would likely happen if everyone stepped ahead whenever an errand felt urgent?

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C. People could no longer rely on the line's order.
The example says that if everyone stepped ahead, soon no one could trust the order that makes a line useful.

3. What does “cooperation” mean in this passage?

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D. Working together for a shared result
The rule must let a shared system work for all, so “cooperation” means people working together successfully.

4. What does the passage ask a person to imagine before choosing?

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A. Every person making the same choice
The second paragraph directly asks the reader to imagine every person making the same choice.

Source: Written for Fluency. Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.