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Difficulty: MediumSufficient Assumption

Archaeologist: Any ancient civilization that possessed a centralized government was capable of organizing large-scale public works. Extensive excavations in the region historically inhabited by the Moradi civilization have revealed absolutely no evidence of monumental architecture, such as pyramids, large temples, or administrative palaces. Therefore, it is clear that the Moradi did not possess a centralized government.

The archaeologist's conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?

  1. A
    Any ancient civilization that left behind evidence of monumental architecture was capable of organizing large-scale public works.
  2. B
    The Moradi civilization did not construct large-scale public works out of materials that would have completely degraded over time.
  3. Any ancient civilization that was capable of organizing large-scale public works left behind evidence of monumental architecture.Answer
  4. D
    Any ancient civilization that was not capable of organizing large-scale public works did not leave behind evidence of monumental architecture.
  5. E
    Civilizations without a centralized government are entirely incapable of producing monumental architecture.

Answer

The correct assumption is that any ancient civilization that was capable of organizing large-scale public works left behind evidence of monumental architecture.
The argument relies on connecting the evidence (no monumental architecture) to the conclusion (no centralized government). The premise states that a centralized government guarantees the capability for large-scale public works. To strictly guarantee the conclusion, we must prove the Moradi lacked this capability. The correct assumption provides the missing link: if any civilization capable of public works left behind monumental architecture, then the Moradi's lack of such architecture proves they were incapable of public works, thus perfectly proving they lacked a centralized government.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the premises and the conclusion of the argument.
Premise: Centralized Government -> Capable of Public Works. Evidence: Moradi -> NO Monumental Architecture. Conclusion: Moradi -> NO Centralized Government.
Deconstructing the argument into its conditional logic components is essential for identifying the missing link.
2
Determine the logical gap between the stated premises and the conclusion.
To prove NO Centralized Government, we must trigger the contrapositive of the premise, which requires proving NO Capability of Public Works. The evidence only establishes NO Monumental Architecture.
Identifying the exact deductive gap dictates what the sufficient assumption must provide to logically complete the argument.
3
Formulate the required sufficient assumption to bridge the gap.
The assumption must link the evidence to the required trigger: NO Monumental Architecture -> NO Capability of Public Works. The contrapositive of this is: Capable of Public Works -> Monumental Architecture.
A sufficient assumption must logically guarantee the conclusion, meaning it must complete the conditional chain perfectly without logical leaps.

Key Concept

Sufficient Assumption (Deductive Bridge)
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Topics

Sufficient Assumption

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