Necessary AssumptionDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Because new inventions change society so much, it is very difficult to guess what a high-tech society will look like in the future.
Conclusion: Predictions about the future of societies with frequent scientific and technological breakthroughs are particularly unreliable.
Reasoning: Scientific and technological discoveries exert a significant influence on the way any society develops over time.
Analysis: There is a logical gap here between the influence of discovery and the unpredictability of discovery. The argument assumes that because these discoveries change society, we cannot predict the discoveries themselves or their specific effects. To find the necessary assumption, ask what the argument needs to exist; if we could perfectly predict every future invention, the conclusion would fall apart. Therefore, look for an answer that suggests these scientific discoveries are not themselves predictable.
Conclusion: Predictions about the future of societies with frequent scientific and technological breakthroughs are particularly unreliable.
Reasoning: Scientific and technological discoveries exert a significant influence on the way any society develops over time.
Analysis: There is a logical gap here between the influence of discovery and the unpredictability of discovery. The argument assumes that because these discoveries change society, we cannot predict the discoveries themselves or their specific effects. To find the necessary assumption, ask what the argument needs to exist; if we could perfectly predict every future invention, the conclusion would fall apart. Therefore, look for an answer that suggests these scientific discoveries are not themselves predictable.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage9.The argument depends on assuming which one of the following?
Correct Answer
C
C ties the premise to the conclusion by asserting that forecasts of discoveries or their effects are not entirely reliable. Negation test: if such forecasts were entirely reliable, then frequent, high-impact discoveries would not undermine the trustworthiness of societal predictions; the argument would collapse. So C is necessary.
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