- International Student Admissions Identifying Assumptions in Arguments Flashcards

A school board argues: 'By reducing class sizes from 30 to 20 students, we will significantly improve student performance.' What unstated assumption is most critical?

Answer: That student performance is primarily limited by individual teacher attention, which smaller classes would increase

The argument assumes teacher attention is the bottleneck for performance, and more attention will directly translate to better results.

'Online learning is just as effective as in-person learning because students can access the same materials digitally.' What does this assume?

Answer: That access to materials is the primary determinant of learning effectiveness, and in-person elements add no significant value

The argument reduces effectiveness to material access, ignoring interaction, peer collaboration, and social learning.

A mayor claims: 'Building a new sports stadium will revitalize the downtown economy.' What is the most critical hidden assumption?

Answer: That the stadium will generate net new economic activity rather than merely redistributing existing spending from other local businesses

Research often shows stadiums redistribute spending rather than create new economic growth.

'Raising the legal driving age to 18 will reduce traffic accidents because younger drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in crashes.' What assumption is required?

Answer: That the higher accident rate is due to age-related factors rather than inexperience, and delaying driving won't simply shift the problem to 18-year-olds

If the real factor is inexperience rather than age, 18-year-old new drivers would face the same elevated risk.

'Companies with wellness programs see 25% fewer sick days. All companies should implement wellness programs.' What assumption links evidence to recommendation?

Answer: That the companies studied are representative and the programs caused the reduction rather than being correlated with other health-promoting factors

Companies proactively investing in wellness may already have healthier cultures, making programs a symptom rather than cause.

'The discovery of water on Mars means we are closer to establishing human colonies there.' What fundamental assumption bridges this gap?

Answer: That water availability is a primary limiting factor for colonization, and the discovered water is accessible and sufficient

If other challenges like radiation, temperature, and distance are more prohibitive, water discovery doesn't meaningfully advance colonization.