tttggg wrote:The answer is D by process of elimination. Negating each option and checking if the argument falls apart is the best way to deal with a tricky assumption question.

(A) Universities are the only institutions that have an obligation to guarantee intellectual freedom. [there could be other institutions but that would not change the argument]

(B) Most inventions by university faculty members would be profitable if patented. [even if they are not profitable universities may consider them valuable and protect info from spreading, hence argument remains intact]

(C) Publication of reports on research is the only practical way to disseminate information concerning new discoveries. [even if there are other ways of disseminating info, the university may be able to institute rules to curb those ways, therefore argument remains]

(D) Universities that have a motive to suppress information concerning discoveries by their faculty members will occasionally act on that motive. [if the universities will not act on their motive to supress info concerning discoveries the motive itself will do no harm and so free flow of ideas will not be affected; therefore the argument falls apart] hence D is the answer

(E) If the inventions of a university faculty member are not patented by that university, then they will be patented by the faculty member instead.
[they may be patented by faculty members but then university will not be blamed, therefore argument holds]

Hope the explaination helps

cheers