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Difficulty: MediumStatement and Assumptions

Consider the following statement and the two assumptions that follow it.

Statement:
"To encourage private car commuters to shift to public transit, the City Transit Bureau is launching a fleet of premium Wi-Fi-enabled express buses on major IT corridor routes, with fares set at triple the standard bus ticket price."

Assumptions:
I. A significant portion of private car commuters value travel amenities and comfort enough to pay a premium over standard public transit fares.
II. The introduction of these premium buses will successfully reduce vehicular emissions and alleviate peak-hour traffic jams on the IT corridors.

Which of the given assumptions is/are implicit in the statement?

  1. A
    Only assumption II is implicit
  2. B
    Neither assumption I nor II is implicit
  3. Only assumption I is implicitAnswer
  4. D
    Both assumption I and II are implicit

Answer

Only assumption I is implicit
Assumption I is a valid implicit premise. For the Transit Bureau's strategy—charging triple fare for Wi-Fi buses to attract car users—to be logical, they must assume that the target demographic is willing to pay this higher price for added comfort. Assumption II, however, is an expected future outcome or consequence of the policy, not a foundational premise required for the statement to be made. Therefore, only the first assumption is logically implicit.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core action and goal presented in the statement.
The goal is to shift car commuters to public transit. The action is providing premium Wi-Fi buses at triple the normal fare.
Identifying the author's primary objective and method is required to deduce what they must be assuming for the plan to work.
2
Evaluate Assumption I against the statement's logic.
Assumption I is implicit. The Bureau is offering a high-cost, high-comfort option specifically to attract car users.
If the Bureau did not assume car users were willing to pay this premium for comfort, launching this specific service to attract them would be completely illogical.
3
Evaluate Assumption II against the definition of a logical assumption.
Assumption II is not implicit. It describes the expected future result of the policy, not a premise.
An assumption is an unstated premise necessary for the argument to be valid before action is taken, whereas reducing emissions is an inference or consequence that follows the action.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between implicit foundational premises and intended logical consequences or factual outcomes.
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Statement and Assumptions

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