Critical Reasoning

How do the airlines expect to prevent commercial plane crashes? Studies have shown that pilot error contributes to two-thirds of all such crashes. To address this problem, the airlines have upgraded their training programs by increasing the hours of classroom instruction and emphasizing communication skills in the cockpit. But it is unrealistic to expect such measures to compensate for pilots"Ÿ lack of actual flying time. Therefore, the airlines should rethink their training approach to reducing commercial crashes.

Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument depends?

(A) Training programs can eliminate pilot errors.
(B) Commercial pilots routinely undergo additional training throughout their careers.
(C) The number of airline crashes will decrease if pilot training programs focus on increasing actual flying time.
(D) Lack of actual flying time is an important contributor to pilot error in commercial plane crashes.
(E) Communication skills are not important to pilot training programs.

OA: D

Source: Aristotle Prep

Please suggest any other method than negation technique to solve assumption question.

neeti2711 wrote:Please suggest any other method than negation technique to solve assumption question.

One way to get to the answer to such a question is to look at the logical relationship between each answer choice and the prompt.

The first thing you have to do is to clearly identify the conclusion.

Conclusion: The airlines should rethink their training approach to reducing commercial crashes.

Now look at what supports the conclusion.

Premise: It is unrealistic to expect such measures to compensate for pilots' lack of actual flying time.

An assumption fills a gap between the premise and the conclusion. Some people seek to identify the gap before they look at the answer choices. However, in doing so you may find the wrong gap. So I personally prefer to just go to the answer choices to find something that works.

A. This does not work. The point of the argument is that training programs will not solve the problem. So the relationship between this choice and the argument is one of contradicting the conclusion rather than supporting it. An assumption has to contribute to supporting the conclusion, not contradict it.

B. This is not an assumption of the argument. The argument is about flying time and how training programs don't address lack of flying time. Pilots don't have to go through additional training in order for that argument to work.

C. The point of the argument is that training does not address the need for flying time, and that therefore the airlines should rethink their plans. What this choice says is not necessary in order for that argument to work.

D. Ok this is interesting. The conclusion is that airlines should rethink their approach to reducing crashes because the one that they are using does not address lack of flying time. Clearly, that argument ONLY WORKS IF LACK OF FLYING TIME CONTRIBUTES TO CRASHES. So this answer choice fills a gap between the premise that training programs don't address lack of flying time and the conclusion that therefore airlines should change their approach.

E. The argument is about training programs and how they don't address lack of flying time. Whether communications skills are important does not impact an argument about training programs addressing flying time.

So the correct answer is D, as you can clearly see by identifying the conclusion and what supports the conclusion and then analyzing the relationship between each answer choice and the structure of the argument.