We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poisons us.The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification...Resist it,and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful. Which statement below best describes the speaker's opinion? Denial of something only creates a stronger longing for it. If we act on our impulses. our impulses will only increase in intensity. We are rewarded for self-denial Self-denial is a form of purification.

## Step 1<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand the context of the passage. The speaker is discussing the consequences of denial and the effects it has on the mind and body.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />The speaker states that "Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poisons us." This suggests that when we try to suppress our impulses, they only grow stronger and become more harmful.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />The speaker also says, "The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification." This implies that acting on our impulses is a way to purify ourselves, suggesting that the intensity of our impulses will not increase if we act on them.<br /><br />## Step 4<br />The speaker also says, "Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful." This suggests that resisting our impulses only increases our desire for them, which is a form of punishment.<br /><br />## Step 5<br />Based on these points, the statement that best describes the speaker's opinion is "Denial of something only creates a stronger longing for it." This statement aligns with the speaker's view that resisting our impulses only increases our desire for them.