Hard GMAT Prep: Can You Find the Assumption?
Try this GMATPrep problem out (its from the free set that comes with the software) and then well talk about it.
Give yourself about 2 minutes (though its okay to stretch to 2.5 minutes on a CR as long as you are making progress.)
The technological conservatism of bicycle manufacturers is a reflection of the kinds of demand they are trying to meet. The only cyclists seriously interested in innovation and willing to pay for it are bicycle racers. Therefore, innovation in bicycle technology is limited by what authorities will accept as standard for purposes of competition in bicycle races.Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above?
(A) The market for cheap, traditional bicycles cannot expand unless the market for high-performance competition bicycles expands.(B) High-performance bicycles are likely to be improved more as a result of technological innovations developed in small workshops than as a result of technological innovations developed in major manufacturing concerns.
(C) Bicycle racers do not generate a strong demand for innovations that fall outside what is officially recognized as standard for purposes of competition.
(D) The technological conservatism of bicycle manufacturers results primarily from their desire to manufacture a product that can be sold without being altered to suit different national markets.
(E) The authorities who set standards for high-performance bicycle racing do not keep informed about innovative bicycle design.
Step 1: Identify the Question
What kind of question type is it? The word assumption is the giveaway: this is a Find the Assumption question.
Once you know the question type, you also know that the argument will contain at least one premise and a conclusion, and it will make some kind of leap between the two. Look for these things during step 2.
Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument
Heres what I thought and wrote while I did the problem. Your own thought process wont be exactly the same as mine and, of course, your notes will probably look quite different, since we all have our own ways of abbreviating things. (Note: FA = find assumption.)
The topic is a little weird; its not something Ive ever thought or read about before. I don't have any great ideas for the assumptions the author must be making, beyond the fact that hes assuming racing authorities are conservative in terms of the standards theyll acceptbut that seems like a no-brainer. You cant just keep changing up the standards for the Tour de France every year without messing up the whole competition. Ill keep that in mind, but Id be surprised if the answer is that the racing authorities are conservative with respect to technology; that seems too obvious.
The author is generally assuming that there arent other reasons why the manufacturers might find it valuable to develop some new biking technology. Hes pretty much saying that the bike racing authorities are the only ones that matter.
Step 3: State the Goal
The goal on Assumption questions is to find something that the author must believe to be true in jumping from one of his premises to his conclusion. If the correct answer is inserted into the argument, it should make the argument stronger (though it wont necessarily make the argument airtight).
Also, since I already know that I dont have a strong idea of what Im looking for, Im not going to spend a huge amount of time agonizing over step 4. Ill give each choice a shot, but if Im still not getting it, Im going to guess and move on.
Work from Wrong to Right
As I work through the answers, I keep track of my thoughts on my scrap paper, either crossing letters off or giving them little ~ symbols if Im going to keep them in.
If, at this point, youve spent 2 minutes and you have more than two answers left, just guess and move on. If youve narrowed to two answers, compare them:
(A) The market for cheap, traditional bicycles cannot expand unless the market for high-performance competition bicycles expands.(C) Bicycle racers do not generate a strong demand for innovations that fall outside what is officially recognized as standard for purposes of competition.
For tricky Find the Assumption answers, you can try the Negation technique. Take each answer and turn it around. How does that affect the argument? The correct answer choice, when negated, should make the argument worse. The incorrect choice shouldnt change anything. (Note: this technique takes some time, so only use it when youre stuck between two answers.)
Negated: (A) The market for cheap, traditional bicycles CAN expand REGARDLESS OF WHETHER the market for high-performance competition bicycles expands.
Negated: (C) Bicycle racers DO generate a strong demand for innovations that fall outside what is officially recognized as standard for purposes of competition.
Hmm. If the cheap-bike market can expand regardless of whats going on in the high-performance marketthis doesnt really change anything with respect to the claim that racing standards drive innovation.
If, on the other hand, the racers do want innovation even though they can't use it in competition, then bingo! The argument even states that racers are interested in innovation and willing to pay for it, so that would give the manufacturers a reason to innovate.
The author must be assuming, then, that the racers do not really generate a demand for innovation because, if they did, the manufacturers would have a reason to respond.
The correct answer is (C).
Looking for more help on Critical Reasoning? Check out the Master Resource List for Critical Reasoning.
Take-aways for Find the Assumption questions:
(1) The question stem will usually contain some form of the word assumption. The argument will contain at least one premise, a conclusion, and some unstated assumptions that bridge the gap between the premise(s) and conclusion.
(2) If you can brainstorm possible assumptions before going to the answers, great. This wont always work, though, especially on harder questions. When that happens, just consider the answers carefully, narrowing down as you go, and be prepared to guess if you get stuck.
(3) If youve narrowed to a couple of tempting answers and are stuck, you can try the Negation technique on Find the Assumption answer choices. Reverse the answer and see how that affects the argument. When the correct answer is negated, the argument should be weakened. When incorrect answers are negated, the argument shouldnt be affected much (if at all).
* GMATPrep questions courtesy of the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Usage of this question does not imply endorsement by GMAC.