Any serious policy discussion about acceptable levels of risk in

- Any serious policy discussion about acceptable levels of risk is not well served if the participants fail to use the word “explosion” and use the phrase “energetic disassembly” instead.
- “Explosion” elicits desirable reactions, such as a heightened level of attention, whereas the substitute phrase does not.

Conclusion: "Explosion” is the term that should be used throughout discussions of this sort.

The argument says that the term "explosion" elicits desirable reactions so should be used.
Which of the following is an assumption?

(A) In the kind of discussion at issue, the advantages of desirable reactions to the term “explosion” outweigh the drawbacks, if any, arising from undesirable reactions to that term.

To establish that the term should be used, just focusing on "desirable reactions" is not enough. The advantages of desirable reaction should outweigh the disadvantages of undesirable reactions. Then we can say that we should use the term. That is what this option says and is hence correct.


(B) The phrase “energetic disassembly” has not so far been used as a substitute for the word “explosion” in the kind of discussion at issue.

Irrelevant whether it has been used so far or not.

(C) In any serious policy discussion, what is said by the participants is more important than how it is put into words.

Irrelevant to our discussion. We are discussing how it is put into words and which words are better. The fact that what is said is more important is irrelevant.

(D) The only reason that people would have for using “energetic disassembly” in place of “explosion” is to render impossible any serious policy discussion concerning explosions.

We don't need to assume that people would use "energetic disassembly" only because they don't want a serious discussion to take place. Perhaps the term “energetic disassembly” elicits some other desirable reactions that "explosions" doesn't and that is why people want to use this term.
We just need to assume that advantages of using explosions outweighs advantages of using “energetic disassembly” and hence we should use the term "explosions".

(E) The phrase “energetic disassembly” is not necessarily out of place in describing a controlled rather than an accidental explosion.

Irrelevant.

Answer (A)