#17 - Traditionally, students at Kelly University have

[FK00144]

Rachel,

Thank you it does!
when working assumption questions do we use the technique used for justify questions where we look to see if there are any shared variables in the premise and conclusion and if there are we know that the correct answer choice won't include that?

[James Finch]

Hi FK,

Many Assumption question are of the Supporter type, which does have the same issue as in Justify questions that a new element will be present in the conclusion that is not in the premises. Whenever you spot that issue within an argument, then definitely Prephrase and look for answer choices that tie the conclusion to the premises, but remember to always use the Assumption Negation technique on Assumption questions to quickly check that the answer choice you like is in fact correct.

However, the hardest Assumption questions tend to be Defender Assumptions, where the stimulus will be a fairly complete argument without any obvious holes. In that case, it can be helpful (if difficult) to Prephrase, but be flexible with that Prephrase. In Defender Assumption questions, you're looking to eliminate a potential avenue of attack on the stimulus, so look for answer choices that potentially do that, and then test them with the Assumption Negation technique.

Here, the stimulus is trying hint at potential bias in the survey sample, so that would be my general Prephrase. Only (E) deals with that sample bias directly, and negating it shows that it is a necessary assumption for the conclusion to be true, making it the correct answer choice.

Hope this helps!