A recent article stated that only 5.5% of American colleges grant the majority of their degrees in the liberal arts. Citing this, a reader wrote to lament that this was further evidence of the decline of academic rigor in American post high school education.

Which of the following is an assumption on the part of the reader?

A)The percentage of American colleges granting liberal arts degrees would continue to drop.
B)All colleges should grant the majority of their degrees in the liberal arts.
C)Most post-secondary scientific, engineering, and vocational training does not involve as much academic rigor as liberal arts training.
D)Academic rigor is the most important aspect of post high school education.
E)Of the colleges that do not grant the majority of their degrees in the liberal arts, many granted fewer than a quarter of their degrees in the liberal arts

Coclusion : a reader wrote to lament that this was further evidence of the decline of academic rigor in American post high school education.

1) we do not know

2) not in the stimulus

3) we do not have sufficient information

4) correct true for the conclusion

5) we do not care about this


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The question asks for an assumption made by the reader. The reader’s
conclusion is that academic rigor is in decline, based on the percentage of
colleges granting a majority of their degrees in the liberal arts mentioned in the
article. To draw this conclusion, the reader must assume that degrees not in the
liberal arts were not as academically rigorous.
(A) It is not necessary for the reader to assume that the percentage will continue
to drop. The reader's conclusion concerns the present. Assumptions must be
both unstated and necessary.
(B) This extreme statement is not a necessary assumption. The reader does not
have to assume that all colleges should do so; the conclusion only relies on an
assumption that 5.5% is too low.
(C) CORRECT. To conclude that the low percentage of colleges granting the
majority of their degrees in the liberal arts indicates a decline in academic rigor,
the reader must assume that other degree programs required less academic
rigor. If not, this evidence would not indicate a decline in academic rigor.
(D) This is not a necessary assumption. The relative importance of academic
rigor is irrelevant to the reader’s claim. That claim only asserts that academic
rigor, in isolation, is in decline. The claim has nothing to do with its importance
relative to other attributes.
(E) It is not necessary to assume anything specific about the schools that do not
grant a majority of their degrees in the liberal arts, as they are not the subject of
the evidence or the conclusion. The reader feels that the low percentage
mentioned is evidence enough; it is not necessary to assume any arbitrary level
below the 50% of degrees standard that the article and the reader use.

For me its C...

After a carefull reading, true, only C fills the gap
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OA is c.. Thank u all.. but i consider this question litle dificlt.. this seems tough to me..

still not complete satisfied with the answer..!! bt thank u guyz..

@sguntake: The answer for the question regarding genetic mutation should be
E: the plague does not cause genetic mutations such as delta-32.

If you negate this => the plague does cause genetic mutations such as delta-32 , then the conclusion that "people survived because they had a genetic mutation" breaks down.

In the other question "A recent article stated that only 5.5% ....", answer choice C, even though the correct answer, is not as precise because one has to assume that "Most post-secondary scientific, engineering, and vocational training" == Most other colleges that students go to post high school. However, no other choice fits the bill.
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