Necessary AssumptionDiff: Hardest
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Junkyards are happy to buy newer used cars for their parts but avoid old ones because nobody wants old parts. Because of this, newer used cars are easier to sell than old ones.
Conclusion: Used cars less than ten years old are generally easier to sell than cars that are ten years old or older.
Reasoning: High demand makes items easier to sell; junkyards buy cars under ten years old because their parts are in demand, but they avoid older cars because there is little demand for those parts.
Analysis: The argument assumes that the behavior of junkyards regarding car parts is a reliable indicator of the ease of selling the entire car. There is a logical gap between 'junkyards buying cars for parts' and the 'general ease of selling a car.' We need an assumption that connects these two, perhaps by suggesting that the junkyard/parts market is a significant or representative part of the overall used car market. If there were a massive market for ten-year-old cars that didn't involve junkyards, the conclusion would fall apart.
Conclusion: Used cars less than ten years old are generally easier to sell than cars that are ten years old or older.
Reasoning: High demand makes items easier to sell; junkyards buy cars under ten years old because their parts are in demand, but they avoid older cars because there is little demand for those parts.
Analysis: The argument assumes that the behavior of junkyards regarding car parts is a reliable indicator of the ease of selling the entire car. There is a logical gap between 'junkyards buying cars for parts' and the 'general ease of selling a car.' We need an assumption that connects these two, perhaps by suggesting that the junkyard/parts market is a significant or representative part of the overall used car market. If there were a massive market for ten-year-old cars that didn't involve junkyards, the conclusion would fall apart.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage25.Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
Correct Answer
E
This directly supplies the needed bridge: if the salability of cars 10+ years old largely depends on the demand for their parts, then low parts demand makes those cars harder to sell, supporting the comparison that <10-year-old cars are generally easier to sell. Negation test: if older-car salability is not largely a function of parts demand, then the evidence about low parts demand at junkyards would not show that older cars are harder to sell, and the conclusion would lose its support.
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