#16 - In their native habitat, amaryllis plants go dormant

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Assumption. The correct answer choice is (E)

The author of this stimulus discusses the amaryllis plant, a plant that goes dormant in nature during the dry season. Thus, the author concludes, an artificial “dry season” should be created when the amaryllis is kept as a house plant. What is the assumption—the premise that goes without saying? The author must believe that the dormancy plays some important role for the plant—otherwise there would be no reason to stop watering the plant for a season. Only correct answer choice (E) provides the correct assumption. The author must presume that going dormant carries some benefit for the plant.

To check our work, we can apply the Assumption Negation technique, and negate this answer choice:

• If going dormant doesn’t benefit the plant in some way, this weakens the author’s argument that inducing dormancy is advisable.

[lathlee]

Actually i have a big problem with the correct answer for this question which also featured in lesson 12-57 question 51, answer choice E decorates the dry season as "DURING OVERLY DRY PERIODS."
I had E as a contender but deleted this choice as possibly correct choice list since question stem talks and deals about "DURING THE DRY SEASON" which technically big difference as in I SKIPPED A MEAL, I am hungry vs SO HUNGRY i might DIE.

[Adam Tyson]

I think you may be over-thinking that one, lathlee, and your analogy brings in extremes that aren't really necessary. Rather than go down that path, go down the recommended path for assumption questions, and that is the Assumption Negation Technique. What if going dormant does NOT have any benefit other than preventing death during a dry season? If that's the case, then there would be no reason to create an artificial dry season for these plants in the house (which I have at the moment, btw, and it is in full bloom and is freaking gorgeous). That negation of E wrecks the argument, and proves it to be the correct answer, extremes notwithstanding. Remember that Assumption answers can bring in new information, and while "preventing death" (as opposed to just "helping to thrive") is new info, it isn't fatal to the answer choice. The negation makes that clear!

Use your techniques and stay on the right path! Good luck.

[oli_oops]

Complete Question Explanation

Assumption. The correct answer choice is (E)

The author of this stimulus discusses the amaryllis plant, a plant that goes dormant in nature during the dry season. Thus, the author concludes, an artificial “dry season” should be created when the amaryllis is kept as a house plant. What is the assumption—the premise that goes without saying? The author must believe that the dormancy plays some important role for the plant—otherwise there would be no reason to stop watering the plant for a season. Only correct answer choice (E) provides the correct assumption. The author must presume that going dormant carries some benefit for the plant.

To check our work, we can apply the Assumption Negation technique, and negate this answer choice:

• If going dormant doesn’t benefit the plant in some way, this weakens the author’s argument that inducing dormancy is advisable.

hello,
I get why E can be correct. But I really think that D is a better answer.
Can someone please explain why we choose E instead of D (Any amaryllis plant that fails to thrive is likely to have been dormant for too short a time)?
Thank you!!

[Jay Donnell]

Hi Oli_oops!

I think a large part of the issue here stems from the desired characteristics of an Assumption question answer, which D fails to present.

Assumption questions call for answer choices that provide necessary assumptions, and D is a fact that is far too strong to be necessary.

This can be further illuminated by running our test to check the answer by utilizing the Assumption Negation Technique. The correct answer, when negated, will ruin the argument, proving that the original response was in fact required for the argument to maintain a chance at validity.

When we negate D, it would read: "It is not the case that any amaryllis plant that fails to thrive is likely to have been dormant for too short a time." This just means that there are presumably several other reasons why an amaryllis may fail to thrive other than its dormancy, say a lack of sunlight or nutrients, or even the presence of a predator or disease that is consuming the plant. While negated, the advice in the conclusion that 'water should be withheld during part of the year so that the plant may go dormant' remains intact, as even though the dormancy may not be the only reason for a plant's lack of thriving, it could still be a quite relevant one.

When we negate the correct response of E, the argument falls apart without the idea in the original answer choice. E, while negated, reads: "Going dormant benefits amaryllis plants in their native habitat in NO way other than simply preventing death during overly dry periods." In that case, since a domesticated houseplant doesn't risk having "dry seasons" as the plant owner is capable of watering throughout the course of the entire year, there would be no other reason why we should withhold water as the only benefit it would provide is one to a problem that no longer exists.

A notable difference in the language between D and E is the relative strength of the answers, where an Assumption answer is far more likely to be of lower logical force, where a Justify answer loves very strong answers.

Ask yourself, which is a better answer for what is needed to survive a month-long solo camping trip?
a) you have some water during the month
b) you have access to water during every single second of the month

B wouldn't hurt the argument of course, but it provides too much information to be needed for our survival. Using the negation test, if we didn't have access to water every single second we could still very easily have sufficient water to survive, but if we had NO water during the month, then survival is out of the question. That helps prove why A works as an Assumption answer where B does not.

Hope that helps!