Columnist: Almost anyone can be an expert. . .

Vincen wrote:Columnist: Almost anyone can be an expert, for there are no official guidelines determining what an expert must know. Anybody who manages to convince some people of his or her qualifications in an area—whatever those may be—is an expert.

The columnist’s conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

(A) Almost anyone can convince some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
(B) Some experts convince everyone of their qualification in almost every area.
(C) Convincing certain people that one is qualified in an area requires that one actually be qualified in that area.
(D) Every expert has convinced some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
(E) Some people manage to convince almost everyone of their qualifications in one or more areas.

GMATGuruNY wrote:

Vincen wrote:Columnist: Almost anyone can be an expert, for there are no official guidelines determining what an expert must know. Anybody who manages to convince some people of his or her qualifications in an area—whatever those may be—is an expert.

The columnist’s conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

(A) Almost anyone can convince some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
(B) Some experts convince everyone of their qualification in almost every area.
(C) Convincing certain people that one is qualified in an area requires that one actually be qualified in that area.
(D) Every expert has convinced some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
(E) Some people manage to convince almost everyone of their qualifications in one or more areas.

Premise: Anybody who manages to convince some people of his or her qualifications in an area is an expert.
Conclusion: Almost anyone can be an expert.

Apply the NEGATION TEST.
When the correct answer choice is negated, the conclusion will be invalidated.

A, negated:
Almost no one can convince some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
Here, almost NO ONE can convince some people of his or her qualifications and thus be deemed an expert, invalidating the conclusion that almost anyone can be an expert.
Since the negation of A invalidates the conclusion, A is an assumption: a statement that MUST BE TRUE for the conclusion to hold.

The correct answer is A.

Mo2men wrote:

GMATGuruNY wrote:

Vincen wrote:Columnist: Almost anyone can be an expert, for there are no official guidelines determining what an expert must know. Anybody who manages to convince some people of his or her qualifications in an area—whatever those may be—is an expert.

The columnist’s conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

(A) Almost anyone can convince some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
(B) Some experts convince everyone of their qualification in almost every area.
(C) Convincing certain people that one is qualified in an area requires that one actually be qualified in that area.
(D) Every expert has convinced some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
(E) Some people manage to convince almost everyone of their qualifications in one or more areas.

Premise: Anybody who manages to convince some people of his or her qualifications in an area is an expert.
Conclusion: Almost anyone can be an expert.

Apply the NEGATION TEST.
When the correct answer choice is negated, the conclusion will be invalidated.

A, negated:
Almost no one can convince some people of his or her qualifications in some area.
Here, almost NO ONE can convince some people of his or her qualifications and thus be deemed an expert, invalidating the conclusion that almost anyone can be an expert.
Since the negation of A invalidates the conclusion, A is an assumption: a statement that MUST BE TRUE for the conclusion to hold.

The correct answer is A.

Dear Mitch,
How can negation help to eliminate E?
How to negate E? Should It be:
No one manages to convince almost everyone of their qualifications in one or more areas.

thanks