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Difficulty: Very hardSufficient Assumption

Consider the following argument:

Architect: A building cannot be considered a modernist masterpiece unless it prioritizes functional utility over ornamentation and utilizes industrial materials like steel or glass. The new municipal library clearly utilizes industrial materials, featuring a striking glass facade supported by a steel frame. Furthermore, its interior layout was strictly dictated by the practical requirements of storing and accessing books.
Therefore, the new municipal library is a modernist masterpiece.

Statement: The assumption 'Any building whose interior layout is strictly dictated by practical requirements prioritizes functional utility over ornamentation' is sufficient to logically guarantee the architect's conclusion.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The correct answer is False because the original argument commits a flaw of conditional logic by treating necessary conditions as sufficient. While the proposed assumption successfully bridges a semantic gap to prove the library meets all necessary conditions, fulfilling necessary conditions is never logically sufficient to guarantee the conclusion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Diagram the conditional logic in the first sentence.
Modernist Masterpiece (MM) -> Prioritizes Functional Utility (PFU) AND Utilizes Industrial Materials (UIM).
The phrase 'cannot be considered... unless' introduces necessary conditions that must be placed on the right side of the conditional arrow.
2
Identify the premises regarding the specific subject (the municipal library).
The library has UIM (glass and steel) and its layout was dictated by practical requirements.
To map the evidence provided against the established conditional rules.
3
Analyze the proposed assumption to see what it adds.
The assumption 'Dictated by practical requirements -> PFU' establishes that the library definitely possesses PFU.
We must evaluate how this new premise changes the argument's validity.
4
Evaluate if the combined premises logically guarantee the conclusion.
With the assumption, we know the library has both PFU and UIM. The conclusion asserts the library is an MM. However, MM -> (PFU AND UIM). Fulfilling the necessary conditions does not guarantee the sufficient condition (MM).
A sufficient assumption must make the conclusion 100% deductively valid. Affirming the consequent commits a formal flaw, so the assumption is insufficient.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between necessary and sufficient conditions in formal logic, and recognizing that bridging a semantic premise gap cannot repair an underlying structural flaw.

Alternative Method

You can quickly eliminate the proposed assumption by looking purely at the logical structure rather than the meaning of the words. The first premise establishes the structure: A -> (B and C). The conclusion asserts A. Since the premises only establish the right side of the conditional, no assumption that merely reinforces the right side can ever prove the left side (A). A sufficient assumption must explicitly state that (B and C) -> A.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Sufficient Assumption

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