Consider the statement “Laugh and the world will laugh with you.” Decide which of the following is or are assumptions implicit in this proverb like statement.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: Only assumption II is implicit.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question asks you to analyse a well known proverb style statement: Laugh and the world will laugh with you. You must decide which assumptions lie behind this optimistic view of social behaviour. Such proverb based questions test whether you can go beyond the literal wording and identify the attitudes or beliefs that must be taken for granted for the saying to make sense.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Statement: Laugh and the world will laugh with you.
  • Assumption I: People generally laugh.
  • Assumption II: Laughter symbolises happiness.
  • Task: Decide which of these assumptions is implicit in the statement.


Concept / Approach:
The proverb suggests that if you express joy or positivity, others will share and reflect it. Laughter is used here as a sign of joy or happiness. Thus the central idea is that laughter represents happiness and that happiness is contagious. The assumption that people generally laugh in day to day life is not required; the proverb only needs people to be capable of laughing and responding to someone who laughs. Assumptions must be necessary for the statement to hold, not merely related facts that might often be true.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: The core message is that when you laugh, others will laugh with you. This expresses the belief that your positive mood influences others.Step 2: For this to have meaning, laughter must stand for something positive, such as joy, happiness, or a pleasant emotional state. This is captured in Assumption II.Step 3: If laughter did not symbolise happiness, inviting people to laugh with you would not convey the idea of sharing joy. The statement would lose its motivational force.Step 4: Now consider Assumption I: People generally laugh. The proverb does not need to assume that laughter is frequent in everyday life; it only presumes that when someone laughs in a positive context, others may join.Step 5: Even in a very serious society where people rarely laugh, the idea of the proverb could still hold: if you laugh, others will laugh with you, even if this happens rarely.Step 6: Therefore the statement does not logically require Assumption I to be true.Step 7: Hence only Assumption II is implicit in the proverb like statement.


Verification / Alternative check:
Imagine a culture where laughter is considered a neutral noise with no emotional meaning. In that context, the sentence Laugh and the world will laugh with you would not convey the idea that joy spreads and comes back to you. The proverb would lose its sense. This shows that assuming laughter symbolises happiness is essential. On the other hand, imagine a world where people normally stay serious but still laugh when they genuinely feel happy. The proverb can still work: your happiness can make others happy, even if laughter is not common in every moment. So the general frequency of laughter is not a necessary assumption.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Option a is wrong because Assumption I is not necessary.
  • Option c is wrong because it incorrectly includes Assumption I along with Assumption II.
  • Option d is wrong because it denies the clear need for Assumption II.
  • Option e goes beyond what is asked and still misrepresents the role of Assumption I.


Common Pitfalls:

  • Confusing what is commonly observed (people often laugh) with what is logically necessary for the proverb to function.
  • Ignoring the symbolic meaning of laughter and treating the statement as a purely literal description of laughing behaviour.
  • Assuming that any statement about behaviour must presuppose that behaviour is frequent, rather than simply meaningful.


Final Answer:
Only assumption II is implicit: laughter symbolises happiness in the context of this proverb.

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