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Question

Difficulty: HardNecessary Assumption

Policy Analyst: In an effort to reduce the municipality's overall greenhouse gas emissions, the local government recently shifted all non-essential administrative staff to a four-day workweek, closing their respective office buildings completely on Fridays. Since this scheduling change took effect, metered energy consumption in these municipal facilities has decreased by exactly one-fifth on Fridays compared to the historical average. Therefore, this policy will inevitably yield a net reduction in the municipality's total greenhouse gas emissions.

Which of the following are assumptions on which the policy analyst's argument depends? (Select all that apply.)

  1. The energy previously consumed by the municipal offices on Fridays was generated by sources that produce greenhouse gas emissions.Answer
  2. The administrative staff's energy usage at their residences on Fridays does not increase to a level that completely offsets the energy savings achieved by closing the municipal offices.Answer
  3. C
    The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the municipality on Fridays was previously higher than the amount produced on any other day of the week.
  4. D
    The energy consumed by the municipal offices from Monday through Thursday remained completely unchanged after the implementation of the four-day workweek.
  5. E
    The administrative staff members previously commuted to work in personal vehicles that contributed heavily to the municipality's greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer

The correct assumptions are that the previously consumed energy was generated by emission-producing sources, and that staff home energy usage does not completely offset the office savings.
For the analyst's conclusion about a 'net reduction in total emissions' to follow from the premise about a 'decrease in energy consumption', two things must be true: the energy being saved must actually have been responsible for emissions, and the savings must not be wiped out by increased energy consumption elsewhere (such as employees' homes).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the argument.
Premise: Closing offices on Fridays reduced Friday energy consumption by 20%. Conclusion: This policy will yield a net reduction in the municipality's total greenhouse gas emissions.
Identifying the exact premises and the main conclusion is the first step in finding gaps in the reasoning.
2
Identify logical gaps between the premises and the conclusion.
Gap 1: Equating 'energy consumption' with 'greenhouse gas emissions'. Gap 2: Assuming the Friday savings are not negated by increases elsewhere (like at home on Fridays or in the office Mon-Thu).
Necessary assumptions almost always bridge a gap between the evidence provided and the specific wording of the conclusion.
3
Evaluate the answer choices using the Negation Test.
Negating the correct options destroys the conclusion. If the energy wasn't producing emissions, saving it doesn't reduce emissions. If home usage offsets the savings, there is no net reduction.
The Negation Test is the definitive way to prove whether a statement is strictly necessary for an argument to hold.

Key Concept

Identifying necessary defender and bridge assumptions using the Negation Test.
Estimated Time:2m 30s
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Topics

Necessary Assumption

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