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Difficulty: EasyPassage Assumptions and Underlying Premises

Read the following passage carefully:

"To improve healthcare delivery in off-grid rural regions, several district administrations have begun installing decentralized solar microgrids at primary health centers. Currently, frequent power outages disrupt critical medical procedures and compromise the refrigeration of essential vaccines. Regional authorities contend that replacing diesel generators with solar microgrids will ensure a reliable, uninterrupted electricity supply, thereby directly improving maternal and child health outcomes in remote villages. To support this initiative, local administrative bodies have allocated capital subsidies for solar equipment procurement and mandated basic technical training for community health workers. Officials project that within two years, public health indicators across participating districts will reflect a marked reduction in preventable medical emergencies."

Which one of the following reflects the most crucial assumption on which the regional authorities' argument rests?

  1. Solar microgrids are capable of generating a sufficiently consistent electricity supply under rural conditions to meet health center needs.Answer
  2. B
    Solar power systems are economically cheaper to maintain over a ten-year period than traditional diesel generators.
  3. C
    Replacing diesel generators with solar microgrids will completely eliminate all maternal and infant mortality in participating districts within two years.
  4. D
    Providing basic technical training to health workers will automatically guarantee an immediate increase in overall patient attendance.

Answer

The argument fundamentally assumes that solar microgrids can generate a sufficiently consistent electricity supply under rural conditions to meet health center needs.
The correct answer identifies the fundamental bridge in the argument. The author asserts that replacing diesel generators with solar microgrids will provide an uninterrupted power supply that improves health outcomes. For this to hold true, it must be assumed that solar microgrids are actually capable of producing sufficient and consistent electricity in these rural settings.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main conclusion of the passage.
The authorities claim that replacing diesel generators with solar microgrids will ensure reliable electricity, thereby directly improving maternal and child health outcomes.
An assumption is an unstated premise necessary for the author's main conclusion to hold true.
2
Apply the Negation Test to the central premise regarding solar power reliability.
If we negate the statement—assuming solar microgrids *cannot* generate a consistent power supply under rural conditions—the core claim that they will provide uninterrupted power and improve health outcomes completely collapses.
A valid assumption must be logically necessary for the conclusion; negating it destroys the core argument.

Key Concept

Identifying Unstated Assumptions in Critical Reasoning
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Passage Assumptions and Underlying Premises

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