The following is from a contemporary novel. The therapist asked Daniel what he wanted from his career. Daniel described, in increasing detail, what his father had wanted, what his teachers had expected, what his peers were achieving, what his industry rewarded. After ten minutes the therapist gently observed that Daniel had not yet used the word "I" in any of his answers. Daniel paused, started a sentence twice, and then sat very still for several minutes without speaking.
Which inference is most strongly supported by the passage?
- Acheck_circle
Daniel's account of his ambitions is structured around external expectations to a degree he had not previously registered
- B
Daniel intends to leave the therapy session immediately
- C
Daniel's father has explicitly forbidden him from pursuing his own preferences
- D
Daniel has a clear, articulated sense of his own preferences that is independent of others' expectations
Explanation
Cataloging others' expectations without using "I," then long silence after the observation, supports B. A, C, D contradict or go beyond the passage.