Critical Reasoning: Assumption Questions
Bamboo is slowly being recognized by a growing number of industries as a versatile and remarkable material. With sources of wood becoming scarcer by the day, bamboo provides an ecological and sustainable substitute, especially since it is the fastest growing plant on earth. Used in Asian countries for thousands of years, bamboo can provide structural solutions for the production of tools, buildings, home utensils, furniture, and lighting. It can be said, therefore, that if bamboo replaced the wood used in the manufacturing of these products, deforestation would no longer be an ecological threat.
Which of the following is an assumption underlying the conclusion?
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]The author does not assume that replacing wood with bamboo is simple; he or she merely notes that if this were to happen, there would be no more deforestation. The author's conclusion focuses on the implications of such a replacement, not on its feasibility.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]The author does not assume that replacing wood with bamboo is cheap; he or she merely notes that if this were to happen, there would be no more deforestation. The author's conclusion focuses on the implications of such a replacement, not on its feasibility.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]The author does not assume that bamboo would be manufactured by the same process if it replaced wood; he or she merely notes that if this replacement were to happen, there would be no more deforestation. The author's conclusion focuses on the implications of such a replacement, not on its feasibility.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]The author does not conclude anything linked to the amount of public exposure deforestation receives. Therefore, he would not have to make such an assumption. This answer choice presents a new premise about this topic. It is irrelevant whether this new data supports the conclusion; what you are looking for is the assumption, which should explain how the author drew the conclusion based on the existing premises.
Well done!
[[snippet]]The author's conclusion is almost like a suggested solution to the deforestation threat. For this solution to be logical, however, he must assume that making the products mentioned is what caused deforestation in the first place. If there are other reasons, or other products, which lead to deforestation, then the conclusion is invalid.
