Necessary AssumptionDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Because people from all over the world agreed on which faces showed which emotions, the researchers concluded this ability must be hard-wired into our biology.
Conclusion: Humans have a genetic predisposition to link specific facial expressions with specific basic emotions.
Reasoning: In a study of people from very different cultures, every participant identified the same emotions in five photographs of human faces.
Analysis: The argument jumps from 'universal agreement' to 'genetic cause.' To make this link hold, the author must assume that this agreement didn't come from a non-genetic source, such as globalized media or shared cultural learning. A necessary assumption would be that these 'disparate' cultures haven't all been exposed to the same external influences that teach these expressions. If they all watch the same movies, the agreement might be learned rather than innate. Look for an answer that eliminates this alternative explanation.
Conclusion: Humans have a genetic predisposition to link specific facial expressions with specific basic emotions.
Reasoning: In a study of people from very different cultures, every participant identified the same emotions in five photographs of human faces.
Analysis: The argument jumps from 'universal agreement' to 'genetic cause.' To make this link hold, the author must assume that this agreement didn't come from a non-genetic source, such as globalized media or shared cultural learning. A necessary assumption would be that these 'disparate' cultures haven't all been exposed to the same external influences that teach these expressions. If they all watch the same movies, the agreement might be learned rather than innate. Look for an answer that eliminates this alternative explanation.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage15.Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
Correct Answer
D
The argument depends on treating cross-cultural commonality as evidence of genetic predisposition. Choice D supplies exactly that bridge. Negation test: If a behavior common to disparate cultures is probably not due to genetic predisposition, then the observed agreement would not show a genetic basis, and the conclusion collapses. Thus D is necessary.
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