Necessary AssumptionDiff: Hardest
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: The author rejects the idea that 'pleasurable' books can't be 'truthful' by arguing that such a rule would make it way too easy to spot lies just by checking a book's popularity.
Conclusion: The claim that authors who write to please readers cannot tell the truth is incorrect.
Reasoning: If that claim were true, you could determine if a book is true just by looking at sales; high sales would mean the book gave pleasure, which would then mean it isn't true.
Analysis: The author's logic relies on the idea that popularity (sales) is a perfect proxy for 'giving pleasure.' If a book could be a bestseller for reasons other than pleasure—such as being a mandatory textbook or a technical manual—then high sales wouldn't necessarily trigger the 'not true' rule. Therefore, the argument must assume that high sales are a reliable indicator that a book was intended to, or does, provide pleasure to its readers.
Conclusion: The claim that authors who write to please readers cannot tell the truth is incorrect.
Reasoning: If that claim were true, you could determine if a book is true just by looking at sales; high sales would mean the book gave pleasure, which would then mean it isn't true.
Analysis: The author's logic relies on the idea that popularity (sales) is a perfect proxy for 'giving pleasure.' If a book could be a bestseller for reasons other than pleasure—such as being a mandatory textbook or a technical manual—then high sales wouldn't necessarily trigger the 'not true' rule. Therefore, the argument must assume that high sales are a reliable indicator that a book was intended to, or does, provide pleasure to its readers.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage24.Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Correct Answer
D
D provides the missing link: a book will not give pleasure unless the author intended it to. Negation test: if a book could give pleasure without that intent, then from popularity you couldn’t infer the author wrote to give pleasure, so you couldn’t apply the original claim to conclude the book is untrue. That would undermine the argument’s reasoning, so D is required.
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