Necessary AssumptionDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Some book characters are called psychic, but since the things they 'see' don't always happen, they aren't actually psychic.
Conclusion: Many fictional characters who are claimed to be precognitive are actually shown by their stories to lack that ability.
Reasoning: Accuracy requires the event to occur, and in many stories, the events these characters 'see' do not actually take place.
Analysis: The argument relies on the idea that 'precognition' requires every vision to be accurate. If a character sees ten things and nine come true, the author concludes they aren't precognitive because of the one that didn't. The 'Gap' is the assumption that precognition is an all-or-nothing ability. We need to assume that failing to have an accurate perception even once (or in the specific instances mentioned) disqualifies a character from being truly precognitive.
Conclusion: Many fictional characters who are claimed to be precognitive are actually shown by their stories to lack that ability.
Reasoning: Accuracy requires the event to occur, and in many stories, the events these characters 'see' do not actually take place.
Analysis: The argument relies on the idea that 'precognition' requires every vision to be accurate. If a character sees ten things and nine come true, the author concludes they aren't precognitive because of the one that didn't. The 'Gap' is the assumption that precognition is an all-or-nothing ability. We need to assume that failing to have an accurate perception even once (or in the specific instances mentioned) disqualifies a character from being truly precognitive.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage5.Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
Correct Answer
A
A is necessary. It links “truly precognitive” to “all perceptions accurate.” Negation test: If a character could be truly precognitive even when some future-perceptions are inaccurate, then showing that some perceived events don’t occur would not establish that the character isn’t truly precognitive. The argument would collapse, so A is required.
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