GMAT Verbal: Critical Reasoning Assumptions 3

Question 1

A restaurant concludes its new menu is popular because revenue rose. Which assumption is necessary?

Accepted Answer

Prices were not raised at the same time

Answer

Higher revenue could stem from price increases rather than menu popularity.

Question 2

A scientist says a species is thriving because its population doubled in a protected zone. The argument assumes that:

Accepted Answer

The population was not simply migrating in from outside

Answer

A doubling could reflect inflow rather than genuine growth of the species.

Question 3

A firm decides to cut its cheapest product line to boost average profit margin. This assumes that:

Accepted Answer

Cutting the line will not reduce sales of other products

Answer

If the cheap line drives traffic to higher-margin items, cutting it could backfire.

Question 4

A college claims its graduates earn more because of its program. A necessary assumption is that:

Accepted Answer

The students would not have earned more regardless of the program

Answer

The program gets credit only if the earnings gap is not explained by who enrolls.

Question 5

A coach argues practicing at dawn improves performance because the best players do it. The hidden assumption is that:

Accepted Answer

The dawn practice causes their success rather than the reverse

Answer

The argument confuses correlation with causation unless dawn practice truly causes skill.

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