CARS Assumptions and Underlying Premises

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?

Accepted Answer

The relationship between gun laws and crime rates observed in other countries would apply similarly in the target country

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Higher salaries will attract or retain more qualified teachers who will improve instruction

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

A premise the argument takes for granted without stating it explicitly

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Customers value having more features over other purchasing factors such as price or simplicity

Answer

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'?

Accepted Answer

Beyond a certain threshold, additional study hours produce diminishing returns and may impair performance through fatigue

Answer

This directly challenges the assumed linear relationship between study time and performance, which is the foundational premise of the argument.

(CARS) Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Practice Test

(CARS) Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Practice Test

CARS Assumptions and Underlying Premises