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Difficulty: EasySufficient Assumption

Archivist: Every historical document treated with vapor phase deacidification is completely free of acidic deterioration. The recently recovered municipal charter was treated with vapor phase deacidification. Therefore, the municipal charter is suitable for permanent archival display.

The archivist's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

  1. A
    Any historical document that is suitable for permanent archival display is completely free of acidic deterioration.
  2. B
    A historical document cannot be suitable for permanent archival display unless it has been treated with vapor phase deacidification.
  3. Any historical document that is completely free of acidic deterioration is suitable for permanent archival display.Answer
  4. D
    Vapor phase deacidification is the only process that effectively eliminates acidic deterioration in historical documents.
  5. E
    Most historical documents that are completely free of acidic deterioration are suitable for permanent archival display.

Answer

The argument's conclusion is fully guaranteed if it is assumed that any historical document completely free of acidic deterioration is suitable for permanent archival display.
The correct option provides the exact missing premise needed to form a valid deductive syllogism. The premises establish that the municipal charter was treated with vapor phase deacidification, which guarantees it is completely free of acidic deterioration. Connecting 'completely free of acidic deterioration' directly to 'suitable for permanent archival display' guarantees the truth of the conclusion without exception.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the premises and the conclusion.
Premise 1: Municipal charter was treated with vapor phase deacidification. Premise 2: Treated with vapor phase deacidification implies free of acidic deterioration. Intermediate inference: Municipal charter is free of acidic deterioration. Conclusion: Municipal charter is suitable for permanent archival display.
Deconstructing the argument isolates the stated evidentiary basis from the final claim.
2
Identify the deductive gap between the premises and the conclusion.
The premises prove the charter is 'free of acidic deterioration', but the conclusion introduces the new term 'suitable for permanent archival display'.
A sufficient assumption must provide a bridge that connects the established condition to the conclusion's new predicate.
3
Formulate the required conditional link.
If a document is free of acidic deterioration, then it is suitable for permanent archival display (Free of Deterioration -> Suitable for Display).
This conditional rule completes the deductive chain: Municipal Charter -> Treated -> Free of Deterioration -> Suitable for Display.

Key Concept

Sufficient Assumption Deductive Linkage
Estimated Time:45s
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Sufficient Assumption

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