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12 Aug 2025, 03:24
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Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
55%
(hard)
Question Stats:
62% (01:26) correct
38%
(01:48)
wrong
based on 441
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A personal interview can be a crucial piece of the college admissions process. State University, a large college, uses interviews to eliminate candidates who do not demonstrate sufficient independence to be successful at such a large school.
This argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) Admission officers are able to accurately and quickly judge applicants' independence.
(B) A personal interview can be more important in the college admission process than letters of recommendation.
(C) Determining if the applicant would be a good fit for the university is the primary goal of a personal interview.
(D) Using personal interviews in the college admission process guarantees success for the university and the independence of its entering class.
(E) State University now considers a personal interview much more important than it did in years past.
This argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) Admission officers are able to accurately and quickly judge applicants' independence.
(B) A personal interview can be more important in the college admission process than letters of recommendation.
(C) Determining if the applicant would be a good fit for the university is the primary goal of a personal interview.
(D) Using personal interviews in the college admission process guarantees success for the university and the independence of its entering class.
(E) State University now considers a personal interview much more important than it did in years past.
20 Aug 2025, 22:39
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The argument assumes interviews can reliably identify applicants who lack sufficient independence. That requires assuming admissions officers can accurately judge independence in an interview.
OPT (B), (C), (E): out of scope
OPT (D): Far too strong (guarantees success). The policy need not guarantee success, just effectively screen for independence.
OPT (B), (C), (E): out of scope
OPT (D): Far too strong (guarantees success). The policy need not guarantee success, just effectively screen for independence.
ashusham
11 Sep 2025, 00:02
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The systematic approach to solve it:
Understanding the Argument Structure
The argument presents:
Premise: State University uses interviews to eliminate candidates who don't demonstrate sufficient independence
Implicit conclusion: This interview process helps ensure students have the independence needed for success at a large school
Identifying the Logical Gap
For any assumption question, we need to find what must be true for the argument to work. Ask yourself: What's the author taking for granted?
The key gap here: The argument assumes that interviews can actually measure what they're trying to measure (independence). If interviews couldn't accurately assess independence, then using them for elimination would be meaningless.
Evaluating Answer Choices
Option A : Admission officers are able to accurately and quickly judge applicants' independence.
✓ CORRECT - This fills the gap perfectly. If officers couldn't accurately judge independence, the entire interview process would fail at its stated purpose.
Option B : A personal interview can be more important than letters of recommendation.
✗ The argument never compares interviews to other admission tools. This comparison isn't necessary.
Option C Determining if the applicant would be a good fit is the primary goal.
✗ The argument specifically states interviews assess independence, not general "fit." This contradicts rather than supports the argument.
Option D Using personal interviews guarantees success for the university.
✗ Too extreme. The argument doesn't need to assume guaranteed success - just that interviews help identify independence.
Option E State University considers interviews much more important than in years past.[/b]
✗ Temporal comparison is irrelevant. The argument is about current practice, not historical changes.
Key Takeaway for Assumption Questions
Use the Negation Test: If you negate the correct answer, the argument should fall apart.
Negating (A): "Officers cannot accurately judge independence" → This destroys the argument because interviews would then be useless for their stated purpose.
Answer: A
Remember: In assumption questions, look for the unstated link between evidence and conclusion. The correct answer will be something the author must believe for their reasoning to be valid.
Understanding the Argument Structure
The argument presents:
Premise: State University uses interviews to eliminate candidates who don't demonstrate sufficient independence
Implicit conclusion: This interview process helps ensure students have the independence needed for success at a large school
Identifying the Logical Gap
For any assumption question, we need to find what must be true for the argument to work. Ask yourself: What's the author taking for granted?
The key gap here: The argument assumes that interviews can actually measure what they're trying to measure (independence). If interviews couldn't accurately assess independence, then using them for elimination would be meaningless.
Evaluating Answer Choices
Option A : Admission officers are able to accurately and quickly judge applicants' independence.
✓ CORRECT - This fills the gap perfectly. If officers couldn't accurately judge independence, the entire interview process would fail at its stated purpose.
Option B : A personal interview can be more important than letters of recommendation.
✗ The argument never compares interviews to other admission tools. This comparison isn't necessary.
Option C Determining if the applicant would be a good fit is the primary goal.
✗ The argument specifically states interviews assess independence, not general "fit." This contradicts rather than supports the argument.
Option D Using personal interviews guarantees success for the university.
✗ Too extreme. The argument doesn't need to assume guaranteed success - just that interviews help identify independence.
Option E State University considers interviews much more important than in years past.[/b]
✗ Temporal comparison is irrelevant. The argument is about current practice, not historical changes.
Key Takeaway for Assumption Questions
Use the Negation Test: If you negate the correct answer, the argument should fall apart.
Negating (A): "Officers cannot accurately judge independence" → This destroys the argument because interviews would then be useless for their stated purpose.
Answer: A
Remember: In assumption questions, look for the unstated link between evidence and conclusion. The correct answer will be something the author must believe for their reasoning to be valid.
