The Little Blue Reasoning Book - Brandon Royal [38]
See solution
Tip #38: One way to uncover implementation assumptions is to anticipate bottlenecks.
Problem 27: Public Transportation
People should switch from driving their cars to work on weekdays to taking public transportation, such as buses and subways. In major cities such as New York, London, or Tokyo, for example, cars are an expensive and inefficient means of transportation, and fossil fuel emissions are the major source of the city’s pollution.
The argument above makes all of the following assumptions EXCEPT
A) There may be easier ways to combat pollution in large cities than by having people switch to taking public transportation.
B) There are enough people who actually own cars, which are currently being used to drive to work, to make this plan realistically feasible.
C) Public transportation is both available and accessible should someone wish to switch.
D) Current public transportation systems can accommodate all the people who decide to switch.
E) The city can afford to pay public transport drivers and related personnel who may otherwise remain idle once the morning and evening rush hour periods are over.
See solution
Tip #39: An argument may depend on the assumption that a person or organization is aware of a pre-existing fact, situation, or condition.
Problem 28: Rainbow Corporation
“Tina obviously cares little about the environment. She continues to use Purple Rider Felt Pens even though the company that makes these pens, Rainbow Corp., has been the focus of several recent newspaper articles as a result of its indictment for several violations involving dumping toxic wastes in the harbor.”
Which of the following would most weaken the claim that Tina cares little about the environment?
A) Although the Rainbow Corp. has been the subject of several newspaper articles, it has been praised by consumers for its high-quality products.
B) Tina is not aware of the recent newspaper articles which feature Rainbow Corp. and its indictment for several violations involving dumping toxic wastes in the harbor.
C) The newspaper which ran the articles of Rainbow’s indictments also owns a “gossip magazine” called the Tipsy Tattler.
D) The public relations department of Rainbow Corp. never issued a statement denying that the company violated the law.
E) Tina was a member of an environmental protection organization during her freshman and sophomore years in college.
See solution
Tip #40: Searching for something does not guarantee that we’ll recognize it once we’ve found it. The ability to accurately identity that which we are seeking to find may be a key assumption.
Problem 29: Personality
The interview is becoming an integral part of the admissions process at most graduate business programs. Since personality is deemed important to success not only in business school but also on the job, feedback from interviews will help the admissions office select candidates whose personalities are suited for business school and the workplace.
Which of the following is a fundamental assumption in the argument above?
A) Admission efforts will be successful if they include interviews.
B) The interview is becoming the most important element in the business school admissions process.
C) Interviewers can accurately identify those applicants whose personalities are suited and unsuited to success in business school.
D) The sole purpose of the interview from the eyes of the admissions office is to evaluate whether business school applicants’ personalities are suited to the business school environment.
E) Interviews will be held at similar times of the day and will be conducted in venues that are reasonably comparable.
See solution
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Tip #41: Always look for potentially vague terms in an argument and ask for or seek clarification.
Problem 30: Yuppie Café
For the purposes of reinforcing techniques used to analyze arguments, write or sketch a