Lack of Effort, Not Ability

 “After all, if you believe that you can expand your intellectual skills, you want to do just that. Because slipups stem from a lack of effort, not ability, they can be remedied by more effort. Challenges are energizing rather than intimidating; they offer opportunities to learn.

Students with such a growth mind-set we predicted, were destined for greater academic success and were quite likely to outperform their counterparts” (Carol S. Dweck, Scientific American Mind - November 28, 2007) 

This passage points out the key advantage of the “mastery-oriented” mindset. The students who are not scared of making mistakes and believe that they can be fixed with more effort are much more likely to keep trying until they succeed, therefore expanding their intellectual ability. 

By clarifying the thesis of the paper, this passage tells readers exactly what the author thinks about the mastery-oriented mindset, and how it is superior to the fixed mindset.