One CR doubt - Expert help needed

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One CR doubt - Expert help needed

by singhsa » Wed Sep 08, 2010 2:31 am
In case of CR bold-faced Q's, if one of the answer choices states that, for example, "the the first underlined part mentions the assumption that the author has taken into consideration"....will this answer be automatically wrong since assumptions are always unstated facts not mentioned in the passage?? Take for example

A product that represents a clear technological advance over competing products can
generally command a high price. Because technological advances tend to be quickly
surpassed
and companies want to make large profits while they still can, many
companies charge the greatest price the market will bear when they have such a product.
But large profits on the new product will give competitors a strong incentive to quickly match the new product's capabilities. Consequently, the strategy to maximize
overall profit from a new product is to charge less than the greatest possible price.

In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first is an assumption that forms the basis for a course of action that the
argument criticizes; the second presents the course of action endorsed by the
argument.
B. The first is a consideration raised to explain the appeal of a certain strategy; the
second is a consideration raised to call into question the wisdom of adopting that
strategy.
C. The first is an assumption that has been used to justify a certain strategy; the
second is a consideration that is used to cast doubt on that assumption.
D. The first is a consideration raised in support of a strategy the argument endorses;
the second presents grounds in support of that consideration.
E. The first is a consideration raised to show that adopting a certain strategy is
unlikely to achieve the intended effect; the second is presented to explain the
appeal of that strategy.

In this example, i can figure out that the answer is B. But all I want to know is whether we rule out A and C simply because an assumption cant be stated in the passage and is supposed to be a hidden information??

PLease Help
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:58 am
You are correct that an assumption is information that is taken for granted and is not directly stated. As in the example, conclusion: A = D; premises: A = B and B = C. The assumption here is that C = D.

I would not say that the word "assumption" would disqualify an answer choice, certainly an answer that said, "the first portion is in support of an assumption" would be possible. However, I would strongly suspect any answer that claimed a stated portion "was" an assumption if that portion is a fact as in this case. As you say it is a contradiction for something that is clearly stated as a premise to "be" an assumption. A premise could "support" an assumption, an inference could "rely" on an assumption, a premise could "contradict" an assumption or even "expose" an assumption, but I would agree that generally a bold faced statement that presents a simple fact cannot itself "be" the assumption.
Last edited by David@VeritasPrep on Wed Sep 08, 2010 5:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by singhsa » Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:22 am
David@VeritasPrep wrote:You are correct that an assumption is information that is taken for granted and is not directly stated. As in the example, conclusion: A = D; premises: A = B and B = C. The assumption here is that C = D.

I would not say that the word "assumption" would disqualify an answer choice, certainly an answer that said, "the first portion is in support of an assumption" would be possible. However, I would strongly suspect any answer that claimed a stated portion "was" an assumption. As you say it is a contradiction for something that is stated to "be" an assumption. A portion could "support" an assumption, "rely" on an assumption, "contradict" an assumption, even "expose" an assumption, but I would agree that generally a bold faced statement cannot itself "be" the assumption.
Thanks David for the prompt reply. I recently stumbled upon this question :

Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., a strong case can be made that the Greeks actually adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries earlier. Significantly, the text of these earliest surviving Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right. Now, the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and in the process they would surely have adopted whatever convention the Phoenicians were then using with respect to the direction of writing. Originally, Phoenicians writing ran in either direction, but by the eighth century B.C. it had been consistently written from right to left for about two centuries.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first is the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second reports a discovery that has been used to support a position that the argument opposes.

B. The first provides evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which that argument relies.

C. The first presents evidence that is used in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which the argument relies.

D. The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is the position that the argument seeks to establish.

E. The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is evidence that has been used to support that position

In this particular question, the OA is C. I guess by implying that the author presents an assumption, the second part is considered as an assumption here. Or am I missing something vital?

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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Sep 08, 2010 5:29 am
Explanation follows, but first we need to clarify a couple of things.

There is a very similar question that is number 77 in the OG 12th edition. In that question the correct answer does not mention an assumption.

I also found the question that you have posted here in several forums. But with different answer choices.

Here is that Question:

"Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., a strong case can be made that the Greeks actually adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries earlier. Significantly, the text of these earliest surviving Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right. Now, the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and in the process they would surely have adopted whatever convention the Phoenicians were then using with respect to the direction of writing. Originally, Phoenician writing ran in either direction, but by the eighth century B.C. it had been consistently written from right to left for about two centuries.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first is the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second reports a discovery that has been used to support a position that the argument opposes.

B. The first is the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which the argument relies.

C. The first presents evidence that is used in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which the argument relies.

D. The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is the position that the argument seeks to establish.

E. The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is evidence that has been used to support that position."



You can see that the portions in bold are the same, but the answer choices are different. The question, as you posted it does not have a correct answer, since the main conclusion of the argument is the first portion in bold.

The correct answer to this question is B.

As to your main question of how the answer can be an assumption, Now here is a different situation. In this case, the second bold portion is stated not as a fact, but as an inference or additional deduction made in light of the fact stated earlier in the sentence that "the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians." This second bold portion is not even a proper inference because there is not enough information to state that this must be true.

Because the second portion is not stated as a fact, but as an inference or conclusion that has been drawn - based on insufficient evidence, then it is an assumption. In this case the word "assumption" means that the statement is made with insufficient evidence and so the truth of the statement is not supported but is taken for granted, or "assumed." A fact cannot be assumed if it is stated, but other statements can.
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by singhsa » Wed Sep 08, 2010 10:29 am
David@VeritasPrep wrote:
Because the second portion is not stated as a fact, but as an inference or conclusion that has been drawn - based on insufficient evidence, then it is an assumption. In this case the word "assumption" means that the statement is made with insufficient evidence and so the truth of the statement is not supported but is taken for granted, or "assumed." A fact cannot be assumed if it is stated, but other statements can.
Oh i get it now. tricky question. Thanks David