different words to describe conditional reasoning

[zwiedman]

I've encountered a few different words (indicators) in conditional reasoning and was wondering if somebody could clarify them for me and if I'm diagramming them correctly.

A depends on B
A--->B

A implies B
B----->A


A assures B
B----->A

are these correct?

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi,

Thanks for your question.

A depends on B
A--->B

This is correct. If B is depended upon, it is a necessary condition for A.

A implies B
B----->A

If A implies B, that does not mean that A is a necessary condition for B. If anything, it could be the other way around. I'd hesitate to even draw a conditional diagram here, because mere implication falls short of the absolute relationship between sufficient/necessary condition we expect to find in any conditional statement.

A assures B
B----->A

If the occurrence of A assures the occurrence of B, then A is sufficient, and B is necessary. You have the diagram backwards. It should be A B. That said, the word "assures" is not something commonly used by the test makers to create conditional reasoning statements. It would be a rare occasion for them to use this phrasing.

Hope this helps! Let me know.