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Difficulty: HardIdentifying Unstated Assumptions

Consider the following argument: A deep-sea oceanographic research institute plans to replace its fleet of battery-powered autonomous gliders with thermal-gradient gliders for long-term polar climate monitoring. The battery-powered gliders require frequent, expensive ship-based retrieval trips to replace depleted batteries. Because thermal-gradient gliders harvest energy from oceanic temperature differences, they can remain deployed indefinitely, thereby eliminating retrieval trips. The institute concludes that this transition will significantly lower its total operating cost per oceanographic data point collected over a five-year period.

Statement: For the institute's conclusion to hold, it must be assumed that the capital and maintenance costs unique to operating thermal-gradient gliders over five years will not exceed the financial savings achieved by eliminating ship-based battery replacement trips.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True. The claim represents a necessary unstated assumption because if the unique capital and maintenance costs of thermal-gradient gliders exceed the savings from eliminated ship trips, the overall operating cost per data point over five years will not decrease.
The statement is correct (True) because an argument concluding that overall cost will decrease after eliminating one expense implicitly relies on the assumption that no new expenses equal to or greater than the savings will be introduced. Applying the Negation Test confirms that if new costs exceed saved costs, the conclusion fails.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Deconstruct the core argument components.
Premise: Battery replacement requires costly ship trips. Premise: Thermal gliders eliminate ship trips by harvesting oceanic energy. Conclusion: Transitioning to thermal gliders will reduce total operating cost per data point over five years.
Isolating the premise-to-conclusion link clarifies the gap between eliminating one specific expense and reducing overall cost.
2
Identify the logical shift or gap.
The premises show a reduction in ship retrieval expenses, but the conclusion makes a broad claim about total operating cost over a five-year timeframe.
Total cost includes all expenses (capital acquisition, maintenance, payload integration), not just retrieval logistics.
3
Apply the Negation Test to the statement.
Negated statement: The capital and maintenance costs unique to thermal-gradient gliders DO exceed the savings from eliminating ship trips.
Testing the logical contradiction determines whether the assumption is strictly necessary.
4
Evaluate the impact of the negated statement on the conclusion.
If extra equipment costs outweigh retrieval savings, the total operating cost per data point will increase or stay equal, completely invalidating the institute's conclusion.
Since negating the statement breaks the argument, the statement is a required unstated assumption.

Key Concept

Identifying Unstated Assumptions via the Negation Test
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Topics

Identifying Unstated Assumptions

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