Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: A museum is selling some art to pay for building repairs. The curator says some of the paintings are low-quality anyway, so the museum's overall quality won't suffer if they are sold.

Conclusion: The museum's decision to sell parts of its collection will not result in a decrease in the collection's overall quality.

Reasoning: The curator has identified several low-quality, unsuccessful works by famous artists that contribute nothing of value to the museum's holdings.

Analysis: This argument relies on a significant 'Gap' between what the curator recommends and what the board actually does. We are told the curator thinks certain works should be sold, but the conclusion assumes the board is *only* selling those specific, low-quality works. For the conclusion to be necessary, we must assume the board isn't also selling off the 'crown jewels' to pay for those renovations. Look for an answer that limits the scope of the sale to the inferior pieces mentioned.

Passage Stimulus

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9.

The conclusion drawn depends on which one of the following assumptions?

Correct Answer
B
B is necessary: if the board sells only among the curator-recommended inferior works, selling won’t detract from quality. Negation test: If some works sold are not among those the curator recommends, they may be good works that do contribute to quality; then selling them could detract from the collection, undermining the conclusion.
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