LNAT Assumption Identification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: 'The candidate's speech was passionate, so voters will be persuaded by it.' What assumption is made in this argument?
- Passion in public speaking is widely regarded as a sign of honesty
- Passionate speeches have historically always won elections
- Voters are persuaded primarily by passionate delivery rather than by content alone (Correct answer)
- The candidate has delivered many speeches and is highly experienced
Correct answer: Voters are persuaded primarily by passionate delivery rather than by content alone
The argument assumes that passionate delivery is what drives voter persuasion, without considering whether the content or other factors matter.
Question 2: 'Since this country has low unemployment, its economy must be doing well.' What is the underlying assumption?
- Unemployment statistics gathered by the government are always accurate
- Low unemployment is a comprehensive and sufficient indicator of overall economic health (Correct answer)
- Economic growth always leads to a reduction in the unemployment rate
- The government has direct control over the national unemployment rate
Correct answer: Low unemployment is a comprehensive and sufficient indicator of overall economic health
The argument assumes that unemployment rates alone fully capture the health of an economy, ignoring other economic indicators.
Question 3: 'Since the defendant cannot explain where he was that night, he must be guilty.' What assumption does this argument make?
- Innocent people are always able to account fully for their whereabouts (Correct answer)
- The defendant has been convicted of similar offences in the past
- The police investigation into the matter was sufficiently thorough
- Being unable to explain one's location at night constitutes a separate criminal offence
Correct answer: Innocent people are always able to account fully for their whereabouts
The argument assumes that an innocent person would always have an explanation for their whereabouts, making inability to explain equivalent to evidence of guilt.
Question 4: 'More people are attending university today than 30 years ago, so educational standards must have risen.' What assumption is made?
- University education has become more financially affordable over the past 30 years
- Increased attendance necessarily indicates that educational standards have improved (Correct answer)
- Universities have built new facilities to accommodate the greater number of students
- More jobs in today's economy require candidates to hold university degrees
Correct answer: Increased attendance necessarily indicates that educational standards have improved
The argument assumes that the quantity of people attending university is a reliable indicator of the quality of education being provided.
Question 5: 'The company's profits have doubled, so employees should receive bonuses.' What assumption underlies this argument?
- Employees contributed directly and meaningfully to the profit increase (Correct answer)
- The company has a history of distributing bonuses to employees annually
- The company's profits will continue to increase in future financial periods
- Employees have been receiving below-market compensation prior to this point
Correct answer: Employees contributed directly and meaningfully to the profit increase
The argument assumes that employees were responsible for generating the profits and therefore have a legitimate claim to share in the gains.
Question 6: 'As temperatures rise globally, we are seeing more extreme weather events. Therefore, we must reduce carbon emissions immediately.' What key assumption is being made?
- Carbon emissions are the primary cause of rising global temperatures (Correct answer)
- Extreme weather events are fundamentally unpredictable in their timing and severity
- Governments around the world have the practical ability to control carbon emissions
- Any reduction in carbon emissions will only occur very gradually over decades
Correct answer: Carbon emissions are the primary cause of rising global temperatures
The argument assumes a causal chain in which carbon emissions drive temperature increases that in turn produce extreme weather events.
Question 7: 'The newspaper has published false information before, so nothing it publishes can be trusted.' What assumption underlies this argument?
- Newspapers are the most important and primary source of information for the public
- A source that has been inaccurate on one occasion can never be considered reliable (Correct answer)
- Other newspapers and media outlets publish more accurate and reliable information
- The newspaper intentionally and knowingly publishes false information
Correct answer: A source that has been inaccurate on one occasion can never be considered reliable
The argument assumes that a single instance of error permanently and completely destroys a source's credibility.
LNAT Assumption Identification 2
'The candidate's speech was passionate, so voters will be persuaded by it.' What assumption is made in this argument?