should be D

A - out of scope - doesnt talk about the lack of flying time or anything related to the arguments.

B - out of scope, what trainings ? is not specified.

c - close, but doesnt look an assumption to me.

d- my choice.

e- absurd !

(A) Training programs can eliminate pilot errors. (this might be it) It is not said that lack of training or insufficient training is the cause of pilot errors.
(B) Commercial pilots routinely undergo additional training throughout their careers. (out of scope)
(C) The number of airline crashes will decrease if pilot training programs focus on increasing actual flying time. (well the passage didn’t say that)
(D) Lack of actual flying time is an important contributor to pilot error in commercial plane crashes. ( could be this as well, but the stem does not really emphasize lack of actual flying time that much)
(E) Communication skills are not important to pilot training programs. (out of scope)

This is down to A and D.
I will pick A

I believe it is (D). I came close to chosing (C).

The author says that lack flying time cannot be compensated by training on other factors. That means lack of flying time must an important factor.
(C) is a trap because if we negate (C) we get

The number of airline crashes will not decrease if pilot training programs focus on increasing actual flying time.

Well this could be true if the airline companies just focused on more flying time and other factors could lead to crashes. This does not break the author's argument but (D) does.

(A) Training programs can eliminate pilot errors. (this might be it) It is not said that lack of training or insufficient training is the cause of pilot errors.

(D) Lack of actual flying time is an important contributor to pilot error in commercial plane crashes. ( could be this as well, but the stem does not really emphasize lack of actual flying time that much)

Hi, the author said training programs such as increasing the hours of classroom instruction or emphasizing communication skills in the cockpit are not the major factors to reduce crashes. We do not know whether pilot errors are caused by the lack of training programs because he said it is unrealistic to expect such measures.

Also, he implied in fact pilots' flying time is the major factors. So, the lack of actual flying time is an important contributor to pilot error.

(C) and (D) are close, but i'll take (D).
(C) is too strongly worded (training programs should focus)

1) How do the airlines expect to prevent commercial plane crashes?

2) Studies have shown that pilot error contributes to two-thirds of all such crashes.

3) To address this problem, the airlines have upgraded their training programs by increasing the hours of classroom instruction and emphasizing communication skills in the cockpit.

4) But it is unrealistic to expect such measures to compensate for pilots’ lack of actual flying time.

5) Therefore, the airlines should rethink their training approach to reducing commercial crashes. <--conclusion

Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument depends?

(A) Training programs can eliminate pilot errors.
- No. The author here is challenging airliens to rethink their trainig approach by providing more actual flying time. A is out.

(B) Commercial pilots routinely undergo additional training throughout their careers.
- If so, any form of training will do. B is out.

(C) The number of airline crashes will decrease if pilot training programs focus on increasing actual flying time.
- C is close, but 'will' says that the number of crashes decreasing is definite as long as there is an increase in actual flying time.

(D) Lack of actual flying time is an important contributor to pilot error in commercial plane crashes.
- This is the assumption required. If lack of actual flying time contributes to pilot error in plane crahses, then the pilot should be given more actual flying time so he/she becomes more proficient.

(E) Communication skills are not important to pilot training programs.
- Out of scope.

D is best.

I pick D

Here the assumption is that flying time will decrease pilot errors...

A) is to broad in its scope
B)out of context
c) is the conclusion not the assumption!
d) correct
e) not true...

+1 D

Beautiful question.
C is tempting, however let's read it again:
"The number of airline crashes will decrease if pilot training programs FOCUS ON increasing actual flying time".

The argument says that something must be done to solve the lack of actual flyinng time, but it doesn't claim that the training programs should FOCUS ON that aspect.
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Really good question...took me 1 min 30 secs to get this.

Used the negate rule to choose between C and D... Pretty Close
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But it is unrealistic to expect such measures to compensate for pilot's lack of actual flying time.

This line made me think about D as it says that flying time is important factor for a pilot which is assumed that it should not be neglected.
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FOCUS..this is all I need!

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