ANALYZE THE STIMULUS:Fact:
ONLY employees who have enclosed offices may smoke at their desks.
Fact: Virtually all employees
with enclosed offices are at the professional level,
Fact: Virtually
all secretarial employees lack enclosed offices.
Conclusion: secretaries who smoke should be offered enclosed offices.
This is a very classical and good example of “
supporter assumption” (for more detail, you can read
Power Score CR – Bible). Because the conclusion has a
GAP, the supporter assumption will close the gap so that the conclusion is correct.
The gap is the different job level which creates a different opportunity to smoke between professional vs non-professional. Thus, the assumption should fill this gap.
Which of the following is an assumption that enables the conclusion above to be properly drawn?
ANALYZE EACH ANSWER:A) Employees at the professional level who do not smoke should keep their enclosed offices.
Wrong. A just tells the opportunity of having enclosed offices between professional employees who smoke and professional employees who do not smoke is equal. A does NOT LINK anything to opportunities of secretaries, thus A does not help to hold a conclusion.
B) Employees with enclosed offices should not smoke at their desks, even though the new regulations permit them to do so.
Wrong. If Employees with enclosed offices do not smoke at their desks, why secretaries should smoke and have own enclosed offices?. B indirectly destroys the conclusion.
C) Employees at the secretarial level should be allowed to smoke at their desks, even if they do not have enclosed offices.
Wrong. If they are allowed to smoke without enclosed offices, why they still need enclosed offices? C is clearly wrong.
D) The smoking regulations should allow all employees who smoke an equal opportunity to do so, regardless of an employee’s job level.
Correct. D shows that all employees will have equal opportunity to smoke. In addition, ONLY employees who have enclosed offices can smoke. Clearly, they should have enclosed offices if they smoke.
E) The smoking regulations should provide equal protection from any hazards associated with smoking to all employees who do not smoke.
Wrong. Out of scope. Nothing about “any hazards”.
Hope it helps.