Identifying Necessary Assumptions

Corporate governance expert: To prevent the catastrophic financial collapses seen recently, a new regulation requires that a majority of any public corporation's risk-management committee be independent directors—those with no prior financial ties to the company. However, this regulation will likely fail to achieve its primary goal. The most significant financial disasters occurred because risk committees were unaware of the complex financial instruments executives were utilizing. Yet, maintaining true independence from a company almost always precludes a deep, specialized understanding of its highly proprietary operations.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the corporate governance expert's argument depends?

Consider the following argument:

To revitalize its struggling economy, the town council of Bellville plans to offer substantial tax incentives to attract major tech companies. The council reasons that because tech companies employ high-earning professionals, the relocation of these companies will bring new wealthy residents to Bellville. These new residents will spend their money at local businesses, thereby providing the significant economic boost the town needs.

Statement to evaluate:
The argument necessarily assumes that the high-earning professionals employed by these tech companies will spend a larger percentage of their income at local Bellville businesses than the town's current residents do.

Urban planner: Over the last decade, the percentage of City M's residents who commute by bicycle has tripled. During this exact same timeframe, the total number of traffic accidents involving bicycles in the city has only doubled. Therefore, the comprehensive network of protected bicycle lanes installed a decade ago has successfully achieved its goal of making bicycle commuting safer per rider.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the urban planner's argument depends?

Musicologist: The recently uncovered piano sonata manuscript is undoubtedly an authentic late work by the renowned composer Johannes Berg. The manuscript features a highly unorthodox harmonic progression in its second movement. Historical records demonstrate that Berg was the only composer of his era to experiment with this specific progression, an innovation he developed exclusively during the final three years of his life.

The musicologist's argument requires the assumption that the manuscript was not created by a later musician or forger who deliberately imitated Berg's unique harmonic progression.

Musicologist: Recently, a collection of manuscripts containing complex polyphonic musical notation was found sealed within the original, undisturbed 11th-century stonework of the Valerius Monastery. Previously, historians believed that polyphonic music was entirely unknown in this region until the 13th century. Because the stonework has remained completely intact since the monastery's construction, it is clear that the 11th-century monks who lived at the Valerius Monastery practiced polyphonic musical composition.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the musicologist's argument?

Financial analyst: To boost our country's stagnant national savings rate, lawmakers have proposed replacing the current flat income tax with a comprehensive consumption tax. Because a consumption tax applies only to money spent on goods and services, rather than on money earned, citizens will be heavily incentivized to save a larger portion of their income to minimize their tax burden. Consequently, transitioning to this consumption tax system will successfully alleviate the national savings crisis without causing a decline in overall government tax revenue.

Which of the following statements are necessary assumptions upon which the financial analyst's argument depends? (Select all that apply)

Technology policy analyst: A newly mandated chemical additive, PetroZ, reduces friction in commercial power plant turbines by 15 percent. This reduced friction leads to lower operating temperatures and significantly extends the lifespan of internal turbine parts. Therefore, power companies that comply with the mandate to use PetroZ will spend less money on turbine maintenance overall.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the technology policy analyst's argument depends?

Sociologist: During periods of rapid economic transition, a society can maintain high levels of civic engagement only if it possesses robust local institutions. Over the last decade, the nation of Oakhaven has undergone a rapid economic transition, which coincided with the widespread adoption of hyper-connected digital platforms. In this same period, Oakhaven's civic engagement levels have plummeted. It is clear, therefore, that the adoption of hyper-connected digital platforms eroded Oakhaven’s local institutions.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the sociologist’s argument depends?

Linguist: The indigenous Vana language uses a highly complex tonal system to convey grammatical tense. Researchers have documented that Vana children successfully master this tonal system by age three, significantly earlier than children in other cultures master grammatical tense. This rapid mastery must result from the traditional high-protein Vana diet, which significantly accelerates the physical development of the auditory cortex during early childhood.

Which of the following statements are necessary assumptions required by the linguist's argument? (Select all that apply)

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?

Archaeologist: At the ancient site of Keltis, sophisticated wheel-thrown pottery completely replaces older, hand-built styles in excavation layers dating from 1200 BCE onward. Some scholars argue this sudden shift indicates that Keltis was conquered and repopulated by a foreign empire. However, chemical analysis confirms that the wheel-thrown pieces were made from the exact same local clay pits used for the earlier hand-built pieces. Therefore, the original inhabitants of Keltis must have independently invented the potter's wheel.

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

Marine Biologist: The rapid proliferation of the spiny sea urchin is devastating our region's kelp forests. To prevent the complete loss of these forests, conservationists plan to introduce the sunflower sea star, a natural predator of the urchin. Because the sunflower sea star actively hunts these urchins and does not consume kelp, this introduction will successfully halt the destruction of the kelp forests.

Statement: The marine biologist's argument logically depends on the assumption that introducing the sunflower sea star will eliminate the spiny sea urchin population entirely.

Epidemiologist: Our study found that residents of County X who regularly consumed dietary supplements were 30% less likely to develop sleep disorders than those who did not. However, the supplement consumers also reported exercising significantly more on average. Since regular exercise is known to improve sleep quality, we conclude that the supplements themselves likely provide no real protection against sleep disorders.

Evaluate the following statement:
The epidemiologist's argument necessarily assumes that the dietary supplements consumed in County X do not contain ingredients that completely counteract the sleep-enhancing benefits of regular exercise.

Environmentalist: Two years ago, the city implemented a ban on the use of artificial fertilizers in all residential gardens to improve the water quality of the adjacent Lake Azure. Recently, tests showed that the concentration of toxic algae in Lake Azure, which feeds on synthetic nitrogen, has decreased by 40%. Therefore, the city's ban successfully achieved its intended goal.

Which of the following must be assumed in order for the environmentalist's conclusion to be properly drawn? (Select all that apply)

Music Historian: The oldest surviving specimens of the Torathi lute feature a soundbox carved entirely from the heartwood of the Veldt oak. Shaping Veldt oak heartwood requires high-carbon steel chisels, which historical records indicate were not available in the Torathi region until the fifth century. Therefore, the Torathi lute must have been invented no earlier than the fifth century.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the music historian's argument depends?

Anthropologist: The recent excavation of sophisticated bone tools at the Marak cave site, located in a soil stratum dating back 80,000 years, challenges the accepted timeline of human cognitive development. Because shaping these tools requires the ability to conceptualize a multi-step manufacturing process, humans must have developed advanced abstract reasoning abilities much earlier than the widely accepted 50,000-year mark.

Statement: The anthropologist's argument necessarily assumes that the bone tools were not introduced into the 80,000-year-old soil stratum by human populations living at a significantly later date.

Sociologist: In a recent study of tech companies, organizations that adopted a decentralized management structure reported a significantly lower rate of employee turnover than those with a traditional hierarchical structure. Therefore, granting employees more autonomy over their daily workflow leads to greater job satisfaction, which in turn encourages them to remain with their company.

Determine whether the following statement is true or false: A necessary assumption of the sociologist's argument is that adopting a decentralized management structure actually results in employees having greater autonomy over their daily workflow.

City official: We are planning to replace our current fleet of diesel public buses with electric buses to reduce the city's overall carbon footprint. Although manufacturing electric buses generates more carbon emissions than manufacturing diesel buses, electric buses produce zero emissions while operating. Therefore, completing this fleet replacement will successfully reduce our overall carbon footprint.

Which of the following statements are necessary assumptions required by the city official's argument? Select all that apply.

Ornithologist: The endangered Kakapo bird relies almost entirely on the fruit of the Rimu tree for breeding. In fact, Kakapos only attempt to breed during years when the Rimu tree produces a massive abundance of fruit, an event known as "mast seeding." Climate models predict that rising average temperatures will cause Rimu trees to mast seed every two years over the next century, rather than their historical average of once every five years. Therefore, the frequency of Kakapo breeding seasons will significantly increase over the next century.

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

Policy Analyst: To combat congestion, the city of Oakhaven recently implemented a $10 toll for private vehicles entering the downtown business district during morning rush hour. Last month, which was the first month of the toll, the number of private vehicles entering the district during morning rush hour dropped by 30% compared to the previous month. Therefore, the financial cost of the toll must be what deterred these drivers from entering the district during morning rush hour.

Which of the following are necessary assumptions required by the policy analyst's argument?