CARS Assumptions and Underlying Premises 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An author argues that stricter gun laws will reduce violent crime because countries with stricter laws have lower crime rates. What must the author assume for this argument to hold?
- The relationship between gun laws and crime rates observed in other countries would apply similarly in the target country (Correct answer)
- All violent crimes involve the use of firearms
- Countries with strict gun laws have no violent crime whatsoever
- Gun ownership is the primary cause of all criminal behavior
Correct answer: The relationship between gun laws and crime rates observed in other countries would apply similarly in the target country
The argument assumes that the correlation seen in other countries is transferable, making cross-country comparison a valid basis for the policy conclusion.
Question 2: A passage claims that increasing teacher salaries will improve student outcomes. Which of the following is an unstated assumption of this argument?
- Higher salaries will attract or retain more qualified teachers who will improve instruction (Correct answer)
- All teachers currently earn below the poverty line
- Student outcomes are determined solely by teacher quality
- Government funding for education is unlimited
Correct answer: Higher salaries will attract or retain more qualified teachers who will improve instruction
The argument implicitly assumes a mechanism connecting higher pay to better instruction, which is the missing causal link between salaries and outcomes.
Question 3: In CARS, an 'assumption' differs from an 'inference' primarily in that an assumption is:
- A premise the argument takes for granted without stating it explicitly (Correct answer)
- A conclusion drawn logically from stated evidence
- A counterargument the author acknowledges but dismisses
- An example the author uses to illustrate the main point
Correct answer: A premise the argument takes for granted without stating it explicitly
Assumptions are unstated premises the argument relies upon, whereas inferences are conclusions derived from what the author does state.
Question 4: An author writes: 'Since our product has more features than competitors, customers will prefer it.' Which assumption underlies this claim?
- Customers value having more features over other purchasing factors such as price or simplicity (Correct answer)
- The product is priced identically to all competitor products
- All customers are aware of every feature offered by every competitor
- Having fewer features always makes a product inferior
Correct answer: Customers value having more features over other purchasing factors such as price or simplicity
The argument assumes that feature quantity is what customers prioritize, which is the unstated value premise linking features to customer preference.
Question 5: Which of the following, if true, would most directly undermine the assumption in this argument: 'Students who study more hours perform better on exams, so we should require longer study sessions'?
- Beyond a certain threshold, additional study hours produce diminishing returns and may impair performance through fatigue (Correct answer)
- Some students already study the required number of hours voluntarily
- Exam performance is one of several metrics used to assess student learning
- Study sessions can take place either at home or at school
Correct answer: Beyond a certain threshold, additional study hours produce diminishing returns and may impair performance through fatigue
This directly challenges the assumed linear relationship between study time and performance, which is the foundational premise of the argument.
Question 6: A passage argues that ancient texts should be interpreted literally because the authors wrote exactly what they meant. What is the key assumption?
- Ancient authors did not use metaphor, irony, or culturally specific language that modern readers might misunderstand (Correct answer)
- All ancient texts have been perfectly preserved without translation errors
- Literal interpretation is always more academically rigorous than figurative interpretation
- Modern readers have no access to historical or cultural context
Correct answer: Ancient authors did not use metaphor, irony, or culturally specific language that modern readers might misunderstand
The argument presupposes that ancient language is transparent and stable, with no metaphorical or cultural layers that require interpretive work from modern readers.
Question 7: When an argument rests on a 'necessary assumption,' this means the assumption is one that:
- Must be true for the conclusion to follow from the premises (Correct answer)
- Makes the conclusion more likely but is not required for it
- Has been explicitly stated by the author in the passage
- Can be inferred from evidence presented in a separate source
Correct answer: Must be true for the conclusion to follow from the premises
A necessary assumption is one whose negation fatally weakens or destroys the argument, making it a logical requirement rather than supplementary support.
CARS Assumptions and Underlying Premises 1
An author argues that stricter gun laws will reduce violent crime because countries with stricter laws have lower crime rates.
What must the author assume for this argument to hold?