Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Front-loading washers don't use much water, which means normal powder soap doesn't melt right, so you have to use special soap if you want clean clothes.

Conclusion: To achieve truly clean laundry in a front-loading machine, one must use specialized detergent rather than standard powder.

Reasoning: Front-loading machines use less water, which prevents standard powder detergent from dissolving easily.

Analysis: The argument assumes that if a detergent doesn't dissolve 'readily,' it cannot get clothes 'really clean.' There is a logical gap between the physical state of the soap (dissolving) and the final result (cleanliness). To find the necessary assumption, ask yourself: 'If powder detergent could still clean clothes well even without dissolving perfectly, would this argument fall apart?' The answer must connect the lack of dissolving to the failure to clean.

Passage Stimulus

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21.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument in the consumer magazine?

Correct Answer
D
D states that a detergent won’t get clothes really clean in a washer unless it dissolves readily in it. That’s the needed link: ordinary powder doesn’t dissolve readily in front-loaders, so it won’t get clothes really clean—hence the recommendation for a special detergent. Negating D (“detergent can get clothes really clean even if it doesn’t dissolve readily”) would collapse the argument.
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