GRE General TestAnalytical WritingEasy
A city council member argues that implementing a new recycling program, which requires residents to sort waste into five categories, will significantly reduce landfill waste. This reduction, the council member claims, will lead to a decrease in the city's overall environmental footprint. Which of the following is an assumption on which the council member's argument depends?
- AThe new recycling program will be more cost-effective than the current waste disposal methods.
- BResidents will comply with the new sorting requirements and actively participate in the program.
- COther cities with similar multi-category recycling programs have experienced a reduction in landfill waste.
- DA decrease in landfill waste is the only factor contributing to a city's environmental footprint.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Residents will comply with the new sorting requirements and actively participate in the program.
The argument posits that implementing the program will reduce waste. This outcome is entirely dependent on residents actually participating and correctly sorting their waste. Without compliance, the program cannot achieve its goal.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Cost-effectiveness is a practical consideration but not an assumption necessary for the program to reduce waste.
- C. While evidence from other cities could support the argument, it's not a necessary assumption for this specific city's program to work.
- D. The argument states a decrease in landfill waste will 'lead to a decrease in the city's overall environmental footprint,' not that it's the only factor. This option is too strong and not a necessary assumption.
Identifying Assumptions
An assumption is an unstated premise that must be true for the argument's conclusion to logically follow from its stated premises.
- It's a necessary bridge between premises and conclusion.
- If an assumption is false, the argument falls apart.
- Often reveals a gap in the argument's logic.
Memory trick: Assumptions are the hidden bridges that connect the ideas.