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Difficulty: MediumIdentifying Sufficient Assumptions

Economist: Implementing a universal basic income (UBI) inevitably causes the inflation rate to rise. Any economic policy that causes the inflation rate to rise will disproportionately burden citizens on fixed incomes. Consequently, the newly proposed UBI policy will undoubtedly lower the overall quality of life for the nation's elderly population.

Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the conclusion to be properly drawn?

  1. A
    A significant majority of the nation's elderly population consists of citizens who rely exclusively on fixed incomes.
  2. B
    Any economic policy that lowers the overall quality of life for the nation's elderly population is one that disproportionately burdens citizens on fixed incomes.
  3. C
    The financial benefits provided by the newly proposed UBI policy will not be enough to offset the increased cost of living for the elderly.
  4. Any economic policy that disproportionately burdens citizens on fixed incomes lowers the overall quality of life for the nation's elderly population.Answer
  5. E
    Citizens on fixed incomes experience a greater decrease in their quality of life during periods of inflation than any other demographic group does.

Answer

The correct answer is the statement that any economic policy that disproportionately burdens citizens on fixed incomes lowers the overall quality of life for the nation's elderly population.
The argument's premises establish a clear chain of cause and effect: the UBI policy leads to inflation, which in turn burdens citizens on fixed incomes. However, the conclusion abruptly claims that the UBI policy will lower the overall quality of life for the elderly population. The correct assumption must definitively bridge the gap between 'burdening citizens on fixed incomes' and 'lowering the overall quality of life for the elderly'. The correct option provides this exact conditional link, perfectly connecting the premises to the conclusion and guaranteeing its truth.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main conclusion of the argument.
The conclusion is: 'The newly proposed UBI policy will undoubtedly lower the overall quality of life for the nation's elderly population.'
Locating the conclusion is essential to determine what exact claim needs to be logically proven by the assumption.
2
Trace the logical chain established by the premises.
UBI causes inflation to rise -> Rising inflation disproportionately burdens citizens on fixed incomes. Therefore, UBI disproportionately burdens citizens on fixed incomes.
Synthesizing the premises reveals the established facts we can use to reach the conclusion.
3
Identify the logical gap between the synthesized premises and the conclusion.
The premises prove a burden on 'citizens on fixed incomes', but the conclusion jumps to a new concept: 'lower the overall quality of life for the nation's elderly population'.
A sufficient assumption must perfectly connect the end of the premise chain to the new, unsupported terms introduced in the conclusion.
4
Formulate the required conditional assumption to bridge the gap.
If an economic policy disproportionately burdens citizens on fixed incomes, then it lowers the overall quality of life for the nation's elderly population.
This 'if-then' statement mathematically guarantees the conclusion when added to the existing premise chain.

Key Concept

Identifying Sufficient Assumptions (Deductive Bridging)
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Identifying Sufficient Assumptions

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