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Zorluk: ZorIdentifying Necessary Assumptions

Agricultural researcher: A newly engineered strain of wheat produces a compound toxic to the wheat midge. In recent trials, plots planted with the engineered strain suffered 85 percent less midge damage than plots planted with conventional wheat. Since the engineered strain costs exactly the same to cultivate per acre as conventional wheat, replacing conventional wheat with the engineered strain across the agricultural sector will definitively result in a substantial increase in overall agricultural profitability.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the agricultural researcher's argument depends?

  1. The current level of wheat midge damage to conventional wheat causes a substantial reduction in the overall profitability of cultivating it.Cevap
  2. B
    The engineered strain of wheat will completely eliminate the financial losses associated with midge damage.
  3. C
    The engineered strain of wheat produces a higher baseline yield per acre than conventional wheat, even in fields where the wheat midge is absent.
  4. D
    The absolute number of wheat midges in the agricultural sector will decrease by at least 85 percent once the engineered strain is widely planted.
  5. E
    Consumers are willing to pay a higher market price for the engineered strain of wheat than they currently pay for conventional wheat.

Cevap

The correct answer is the option stating that the current level of wheat midge damage to conventional wheat causes a substantial reduction in the overall profitability of cultivating it.
The argument concludes that there will be a 'substantial increase' in profitability due to an 85 percent reduction in midge damage. For a reduction in damage to cause a substantial increase in profit, the damage itself must currently be a substantial drain on profit. If midge damage only costs farmers a few dollars a year (a negligible amount), reducing it by 85 percent will not substantially increase overall profitability.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Analyze the argument's structure to identify the premises and the conclusion.
Premises: The new strain suffers 85% less damage and costs the same to cultivate. Conclusion: Replacing conventional wheat with the new strain will result in a substantial increase in profitability.
Deconstructing the argument is the first step in identifying logical gaps between the evidence provided and the claim being made.
2
Identify the logical gap between the premises and the conclusion.
The argument jumps from a percentage reduction in damage directly to a definitive, substantial increase in overall profitability, assuming the damage was financially significant to begin with.
Necessary assumptions must bridge the gap between the provided evidence and the author's strong conclusion.
3
Apply the Negation Test to evaluate potential assumptions.
If we logically negate the correct statement—meaning current midge damage does NOT cause a substantial reduction in profitability—then solving the midge problem cannot possibly result in a substantial increase in profitability. The argument's conclusion completely collapses.
The Negation Test definitively proves whether a statement is strictly required for the conclusion to stand.

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Identifying Necessary Assumptions via the Negation Test
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Identifying Necessary Assumptions

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