- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Wed Sep 07, 2016 10:10 am
#28394
Complete Question Explanation
Assumption. The correct answer choice is (C)
In this stimulus, the author concludes that Sanderson committed a morally wrong act by failing to
tell his cousin that he had overheard someone say that a certain factory was going to close. To reach
this conclusion the author compares Sanderson’s act to the act of lying, which the author defines
as “making a statement with the intention of misleading someone.” Although Sanderson did not
actually lie, since he did not say anything, the author believes that Sanderson’s failure to tell his
cousin is morally no different than lying. This is because the author applies a rule stating that there
is no moral difference between stating something and failing to state something if both are done
with the same intention. In Sanderson’s case, the author says that Sanderson knew that if he did not
tell his cousin the factory was closing, then his cousin would assume that the factory was going to
remain open. Applying the rule that failing to state is morally no different than stating if done with
the same intention, the author concludes that Sanderson’s failure to tell his cousin about the factory
was morally wrong.
The author has made an assumption to reach this conclusion, relying on the fact that Sanderson
intended to mislead his cousin. However, all we know is that Sanderson overheard someone saying
that the factory was going to close. Just because someone said the factory was going to close does
not mean that it was in fact going to close. And, more to the point, it does not mean that Sanderson
believed that the factory was going to close. It could be the case that Sanderson dismissed what
he overheard as idle speculation. If so, his failure to tell his cousin about the factory gossip is not
morally equivalent to lying, because there is no evidence that Sanderson intended to mislead his
cousin.
The question stem identifies this as an Assumption question. Since there is no new or “rogue”
information in the conclusion, this is a Defender style Assumption question. Our prephrase is that the
correct answer choice will relate to the author’s assumption that Sanderson thought the factory was
going to close.
Answer choice (A): The author did not address the impact of the cousin wanting or not wanting to
know about the factory closing. The only rule we have to apply to the facts is that Sanderson’s action
was morally wrong if he intended to mislead his cousin. The cousin’s desire for the information is
irrelevant to the conclusion.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice has to do with the impact of Sanderson’s failure to tell his
cousin, and not with the morality of Sanderson’s action. If someone else told the cousin about the
factory, then Sanderson’s decision not to tell his cousin about it had no real impact, since the cousin
learned from another source. However, the cousin’s knowledge is irrelevant to Sanderson’s decision,
which he made “knowing that if he withheld this information, his cousin would assume [the factory]
would remain open.”
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice, because it goes to the issue of intending to
mislead. If Sanderson did not believe that the factory was going to close, then his act was to not tell
his cousin something that he did not believe to be true. In fact, under that scenario, Sanderson would
have been lying if he told his cousin that the factory would be closing.
Answer choice (D): This hypothetical is irrelevant to the conclusion. The fact of the matter is that the
cousin did not ask Sanderson about the factory.
Answer choice (E): Here, the answer choice provides a motive for Sanderson to lie to his cousin, but
the conclusion does not require that Sanderson had a motive to lie.
Assumption. The correct answer choice is (C)
In this stimulus, the author concludes that Sanderson committed a morally wrong act by failing to
tell his cousin that he had overheard someone say that a certain factory was going to close. To reach
this conclusion the author compares Sanderson’s act to the act of lying, which the author defines
as “making a statement with the intention of misleading someone.” Although Sanderson did not
actually lie, since he did not say anything, the author believes that Sanderson’s failure to tell his
cousin is morally no different than lying. This is because the author applies a rule stating that there
is no moral difference between stating something and failing to state something if both are done
with the same intention. In Sanderson’s case, the author says that Sanderson knew that if he did not
tell his cousin the factory was closing, then his cousin would assume that the factory was going to
remain open. Applying the rule that failing to state is morally no different than stating if done with
the same intention, the author concludes that Sanderson’s failure to tell his cousin about the factory
was morally wrong.
The author has made an assumption to reach this conclusion, relying on the fact that Sanderson
intended to mislead his cousin. However, all we know is that Sanderson overheard someone saying
that the factory was going to close. Just because someone said the factory was going to close does
not mean that it was in fact going to close. And, more to the point, it does not mean that Sanderson
believed that the factory was going to close. It could be the case that Sanderson dismissed what
he overheard as idle speculation. If so, his failure to tell his cousin about the factory gossip is not
morally equivalent to lying, because there is no evidence that Sanderson intended to mislead his
cousin.
The question stem identifies this as an Assumption question. Since there is no new or “rogue”
information in the conclusion, this is a Defender style Assumption question. Our prephrase is that the
correct answer choice will relate to the author’s assumption that Sanderson thought the factory was
going to close.
Answer choice (A): The author did not address the impact of the cousin wanting or not wanting to
know about the factory closing. The only rule we have to apply to the facts is that Sanderson’s action
was morally wrong if he intended to mislead his cousin. The cousin’s desire for the information is
irrelevant to the conclusion.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice has to do with the impact of Sanderson’s failure to tell his
cousin, and not with the morality of Sanderson’s action. If someone else told the cousin about the
factory, then Sanderson’s decision not to tell his cousin about it had no real impact, since the cousin
learned from another source. However, the cousin’s knowledge is irrelevant to Sanderson’s decision,
which he made “knowing that if he withheld this information, his cousin would assume [the factory]
would remain open.”
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice, because it goes to the issue of intending to
mislead. If Sanderson did not believe that the factory was going to close, then his act was to not tell
his cousin something that he did not believe to be true. In fact, under that scenario, Sanderson would
have been lying if he told his cousin that the factory would be closing.
Answer choice (D): This hypothetical is irrelevant to the conclusion. The fact of the matter is that the
cousin did not ask Sanderson about the factory.
Answer choice (E): Here, the answer choice provides a motive for Sanderson to lie to his cousin, but
the conclusion does not require that Sanderson had a motive to lie.