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Difficulty: MediumStatement and Assumptions

The Department of Health has released a public health notice: 'Due to recent major repairs on the central distribution pipeline, all residents are instructed to thoroughly boil tap water before consumption for the next 48 hours.'

Which of the following assumptions are implicit in the notice? (Select all that apply)

  1. The recent repair work on the central pipeline has potentially introduced impurities into the water supply.Answer
  2. Citizens possess the necessary means and facilities to boil water in their households.Answer
  3. C
    The tap water will become completely safe for direct consumption immediately after the 48-hour advisory period ends.
  4. D
    Boiling water is the only scientifically effective method to purify contaminated municipal water supplies.

Answer

The implicit assumptions are that the recent repair work potentially introduced impurities into the water supply, and that citizens have the necessary means to boil water in their households.
The advisory instructs residents to boil water due to a pipeline repair. For this to be logical, the author must assume the repair introduced a risk of contamination. Furthermore, for the instruction to be practical, it is assumed that residents have the ability to boil their water.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the notice to identify the core directive and its stated cause.
The directive is to boil water for 48 hours; the cause is recent major repairs on the pipeline.
Identifying the cause-and-effect relationship is the first step in uncovering the unstated premises.
2
Evaluate the implicit link between the pipeline repairs and the need to boil water.
The author must assume that the repairs created a risk of water contamination, otherwise the directive would be unnecessary.
An assumption is a missing link that makes the statement's logic hold true.
3
Assess the practical feasibility assumed by the directive.
The author assumes that the residents have the capability and resources to actually boil their tap water.
Directives intended for public compliance inherently assume that the public can carry them out.
4
Distinguish the valid assumptions from inferences and external facts among the remaining options.
Guaranteeing safety exactly after 48 hours is a prediction (inference), and claiming boiling is the 'only' method is an external evaluation, neither of which are strictly required premises.
Assumptions must be foundational to the statement, not conclusions drawn from it or external judgments.

Key Concept

Statement and Assumptions
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Topics

Statement and Assumptions

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