Does anyone have any tips for Evaluate questions?

Hi,

Evaluate questions are similar to other assumption based questions in that figuring out the assumptions (the things that need to be true in order for the argument to be valid) really helps in solving the question. You do not have to think about assumptions in a formal way but could also focus on understanding what added info helps the argument and what added info hurts the argument. Overall, having a solid understanding of the components of the argument (premises, conclusions) and how they fit together is critical for success.

So let's take a simple example:

Fact: My furniture company will sell 1,000,000 units of our new chair

Fact: Each chair will sell for 1,000,000

What is something that you need to know in order to say yes or no to investing in these chairs??

We are selling a ton of chairs. They sell for a ton of money. BUT we don't know: how much it costs to produce them

You want to put yourself in the mindset of a corporate boardroom where someone is presenting a new product idea. You need to be the annoying smart guy who is pointing out the unknowns that need to be known in order to say yes or no to the idea. This is similar to a strengthen/weaken question in that the question if answered in one direction should strengthen while if answered in the opposite direction should weaken.

One way to understand these unknowns is to examine what the assumptions are that make the argument work. For the chair example, provided that you want to make a profit, the assumption is that the chairs cost less than 1,000,000 to create so that you can earn a profit. If you can figure out the how the argument is strengthened/weakened you can also figure out the questions that you need answered to evaluate that argument.

Let me know if you need more advice on this subject.

Happy Studies,

HG.