Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. The reason for the rise is that the falling value of the dollar will make it cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source. Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above? (A) Factory output of paper products in Japan and Western Europe will increase sharply during this year. (B) The quality of the wood pulp produced in the United States would be adequate for the purposes of Japanese and Western European paper manufacturers. (C) Paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe would prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States if cost were not a factor. (D) Demand for paper products made in Japan and Western Europe will not increase sharply during this year. (E) Production of wood pulp by United States companies will not increase sharply during this year. CR69561.01

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Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this

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BhaveshGMAT

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21 Aug 2021, 20:25

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MartyTargetTestPrep I am having trouble eliminating C. Could you help?

MartyTargetTestPrep

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22 Aug 2021, 04:04

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BhaveshGMAT

MartyTargetTestPrep I am having trouble eliminating C. Could you help?

The conclusion of the argument is the following:

Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year.

The support for that conclusion is that wood pulp from the United States will be cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe than other wood pulp.

Let's now consider (C).

(C) Paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe would prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States if cost were not a factor.

Notice that (C) provides an additional reason why manufacturers will buy United States pulp. They prefer United States pulp.

OK, but does the author need that additional reason in order to make this argument? No, the author has already provided a reason why exports of United States pulp will rise. United States pulp will be cheaper than other pulp. The author doesn't need to assume that there is an additional reason in order for the argument to work.

Some people choose (C) because they perceive it as saying something along the lines of the following:

To paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe, wood pulp produced in the United States is just as good as other pulp if the cost is the same.

However, that's not what (C) says. It says that the manufacturers prefer United States pulp.

Eliminate (C).

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28 May 2022, 21:00

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ThatDudeKnows MartyTargetTestPrep pls explain choice C and why it is wrong. If costs were not a factor and they still preferred it, means their export would increase if say, the costs were taken into consideration as well, because we now know that prices have become cheaper so of course if they take prices into consideration now, they will tend to buy it even more and this is necessary for the conclusion. Not sure why it is wrong.

Additionally 'if cost were not a factor' means that if costs did not matter irrespective of costs being high, low or same. However, I am not sure why have the explanations by experts are saying it means " if costs were equal"

Also can we use choice C to infer anything about what would haappen if costs were a factor: like they would buy more in that case?

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28 May 2022, 21:15

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Elite097

ThatDudeKnows MartyTargetTestPrep pls explain choice C and why it is wrong. If costs were not a factor and they still preferred it, means their export would increase if say, the costs were taken into consideration as well, because we now know that prices have become cheaper so of course if they take prices into consideration now, they will tend to but it even more. Not sure why it is wrong.

Additionally 'if cost were not a factor' means that if costs did not matter irrespective of costs being high, low or same. However, I am not sure why have the explanations by experts are saying it means " if costs were equal"

As you suggested, "if costs were not a factor" does not mean exactly the same thing as "if costs were equal." It means, "if costs did not matter," possibly because they were equal but also possibly because they were insignificant or for some other reason.

Still, (C) isn't correct because the argument works fine even if (C) isn't true, and here's why.

The argument has already provided support for the conclusion that exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. That support is that United States wood pulp will be cheaper than other wood pulp for paper manufacturers.

Now, here's (C).

(C) Paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe would prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States if cost were not a factor.

Notice that (C) provides an additional reason why exports of United States wood pulp will rise: manufacturers prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States.

The thing is that the argument doesn't need this additional reason to work. It doesn't need what you termed "even more." The evidence provided supports the conclusion without this additional reason. So, (C) is not an assumption upon which the argument relies.

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28 May 2022, 21:43

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Elite097

Two arguments against C:

First, by analogy:
I live in Miami and would prefer to eat dinner at my favorite, very expensive, restaurant in Los Angeles every night if cost were not an issue.
Let's say I win the lottery. Will I eat dinner at my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles every night? No. My daughter still has school in Miami. So the assumption that I would prefer to eat there every evening has no impact on whether I actually will.

Second, by direct counter argument:
It's entirely possible that Japanese and European customers prefer to use pulp produced in Finland, not the US, if cost were not a factor. But maybe Finnish pulp is crazy expensive this year because of a recent rash of polar bear attacks slowing production, so Japanese and European customers will buy American this year. We just negated the assumption and still got to the conclusion. Oops, there went answer choice C!!

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30 May 2022, 11:03

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KarishmaB

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Responding to a pm:
The correct answer is (B).
Why not (C)? Because (C) is a sufficient condition for the conclusion to be true while (B) is a necessary condition for the conclusion to be true. An assumption is a necessary premise for the conclusion so (B) is the correct option.

To elaborate:

Premises:
- Dollar is falling.
- It will be cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source.

Conclusion:
- Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year.

The conclusion is linking 'Sale of pulp' to 'Cost of pulp'. It says since the cost will be lower, it will sell. We are assuming here that the American pulp is adequate in all other qualities that you look for while buying. Or that lower cost is all that matters while buying something.

Option (B) says that the quality is adequate and hence is an assumption. Notice that it is necessary for our conclusion. If the quality is not adequate, no matter what the cost, US pulp sale may not increase.

Option (C) says that Japanese and Europeans prefer to use US pulp if cost does not matter. Do we NEED this to be true? No. It is good if it is true because it means that if cost of US pulp goes down, US pulp will sell more (hence, it is sufficient for the conclusion to be true - assuming all else stays constant). But do we NEED them to prefer US pulp? No. It is not necessary for our conclusion to be true.

Beware of this difference between 'necessary' and 'sufficient' conditions. Remember that assumptions are NECESSARY conditions, they don't need to be sufficient. We end up incorrectly choosing sufficient because they cover a wider range. If sufficient is true, then conclusion has to be true. But mind you, that is not the question. THe question is looking for a necessary condition, not for a sufficient condition.

Check out another question on the same logic:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/since-mayor-d ... sufficient

and watch out for my this week's post. I will discuss this on my blog Quarter Wit Quarter Wisdom.

Hey KarishmaB,

I am having hard time understanding this logic. If other variables (complementing our sufficient condition) are at play as well, why will the export suddenly increase? For example, if US quality was preferred, it was preferred before devaluation as well, the only factor that will change is cost. So, this dynamic is captured better in option C. What am I missing?

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Updated on: 08 Aug 2023, 02:53

Originally posted by KarishmaB on 31 May 2022, 03:05.
Last edited by KarishmaB on 08 Aug 2023, 02:53, edited 1 time in total.

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vshr

KarishmaB

marshpa

Responding to a pm:
The correct answer is (B).
Why not (C)? Because (C) is a sufficient condition for the conclusion to be true while (B) is a necessary condition for the conclusion to be true. An assumption is a necessary premise for the conclusion so (B) is the correct option.

To elaborate:

Premises:
- Dollar is falling.
- It will be cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source.

Conclusion:
- Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year.

The conclusion is linking 'Sale of pulp' to 'Cost of pulp'. It says since the cost will be lower, it will sell. We are assuming here that the American pulp is adequate in all other qualities that you look for while buying. Or that lower cost is all that matters while buying something.

Option (B) says that the quality is adequate and hence is an assumption. Notice that it is necessary for our conclusion. If the quality is not adequate, no matter what the cost, US pulp sale may not increase.

Option (C) says that Japanese and Europeans prefer to use US pulp if cost does not matter. Do we NEED this to be true? No. It is good if it is true because it means that if cost of US pulp goes down, US pulp will sell more (hence, it is sufficient for the conclusion to be true - assuming all else stays constant). But do we NEED them to prefer US pulp? No. It is not necessary for our conclusion to be true.

Beware of this difference between 'necessary' and 'sufficient' conditions. Remember that assumptions are NECESSARY conditions, they don't need to be sufficient. We end up incorrectly choosing sufficient because they cover a wider range. If sufficient is true, then conclusion has to be true. But mind you, that is not the question. THe question is looking for a necessary condition, not for a sufficient condition.

Check out another question on the same logic:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/since-mayor- ... sufficient

and watch out for my this week's post. I will discuss this on my blog Quarter Wit Quarter Wisdom.

Yes, option (C) does lead to the conclusion but is it what the question is asking you for? What the question wants to know is the assumption the author has made, not what will make the conclusion true.

An assumption needs to be true for the conclusion to stand. A sufficient condition does not NEED to be true for the conclusion. So a sufficient condition is not an assumption.

Take a simpler example:

Sana buys and eats an apple everyday.
Cost of US apples is falling and they will be cheaper than all other apples soon.

Conclusion: Sana will start consuming US apples soon.

What am I assuming? That Sana finds the taste of US apples acceptable. What if she doesn't find them acceptable? Will she start consuming them? Unlikely.
Now think about it - for my conclusion to hold, do I NEED that Sana prefers the taste of US apples over all others? No. It is good for my conclusion if this is the case but is it NECESSARY? No. Even if she doesn't prefer their taste over all others, she may still buy them if their cost is lowest and their taste acceptable.
The point is, we need to focus on what the question is looking for. The question wants an "assumption" made by the author.

Check out this blog post too: https://anaprep.com/critical-reasoning- ... open-mind/

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07 May 2023, 21:47

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KarishmaB

Could you please help me here?

Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. The reason for the rise is that the falling value of the dollar will make it cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source.

exports (Wood pulp made in US) --> Increase ---> Because (fall in dollar value) --> cheaper wood pulp source for Japan and W.Eur (than any other)

(B) The quality of the wood pulp produced in the United States would be adequate for the purposes of Japanese and Western European paper manufacturers.
This seems to be the most popular answer, and I admit, before I read option C, I thought this was the correct answer too

(C) Paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe would prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States if cost were not a factor
This says Japan and W.Eur prefer to buy wood pulp made in US if cost was not a factor.
In other words, it does not matter if quality was good or not, if the cost is low (given that cost is not a factor), Japan and W.Eur will prefer wood pulp made in US over other sources
As per the wording of this answer choice, it is implied that Japan and West Europe prefer to buy wood pulp from US but could not do so because of cost

or let me say it like this - which one of the two appears more logical -

Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. The reason for the rise is that the falling value of the dollar will make it cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source. Furthermore - Paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe would prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States if cost were not a factor

or

Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. The reason for the rise is that the falling value of the dollar will make it cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source. Furthermore - The quality of the wood pulp produced in the United States would be adequate for the purposes of Japanese and Western European paper manufacturers

KarishmaB

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08 May 2023, 03:37

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TheBipedalHorse

Sure, (C) is better than (B) but not as an assumption. We need to focus on what the question is asking, not what is best for our conclusion. As an extreme case, if the question asks for something that weakens the conclusion, we will not pick an option that strengthens it, no matter how good it is.
Here, we need an assumption, something that needs to be true, not something that if true, leads to the conclusion. There is a difference between the two.

Option (B) is necessary for the conclusion while option (C) is sufficient for the conclusion. Option (B) is an assumption while (C) leads to the conclusion (a sufficient assumption tested in LSAT)

This is an advanced question and that is the reason. Note that there is no "good" vs "better" answer in CR. There is only one correct answer in CR.

Consider a simple case:

Given more time, she will improve her GMAT score.

What is my assumption? That she has the capability to improve her score.
Am I assuming that she is very smart? No. I don't need to ASSUME that for my conclusion to hold. As long as she has the capability, it is certainly possible that she will improve her score. If she doesn't have the capability then she cannot improve her score. This is what an assumption is. If it is false, it breaks the conclusion.
Do I need her to be very smart? Can she not improve her score if she is not very smart? That is not the case. She can improve her score even if she is not VERY smart as long as she has the capability to improve.

It's the same logic here.

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11 Feb 2026, 20:54

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KarishmaB

When the question says,

Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. The reason for the rise is that the falling value of the dollar will make it cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source.

Focus word being "it" so this means
It only compares:

Buying American pulp
vs.
Buying American pulp from other countries

That means they want to buy American pulp - so quality is not an issue.

KarishmaB

In this question, the conclusion is a prediction. So we cannot say that it will happen because we cannot say anything for certain about the future. But if it is a prediction that logically follows from some given conditions, then we can say that the conditions are sufficient.

Japan and Europe prefer US pulp if cost is not a problem.
US pulp will be cheaper than any other.

Then it logically follows that Japan and Europe will prefer to buy US pulp. Then it is logical for us to say that US pulp exports will rise.
This is where the scope of our argument ends. What will actually happen in the future, we don't care.

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11 Feb 2026, 22:11

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Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. The reason for the rise is that the falling value of the dollar will make it cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source.

Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above?

The argument says exports of US wood pulp will rise because a weaker dollar will make US pulp the cheapest option for paper makers in Japan and Western Europe, so they will buy more of it.

(A) Factory output of paper products in Japan and Western Europe will increase sharply during this year.

Not required. Exports can rise even if paper output stays flat, as long as buyers switch suppliers to the US.

(B) The quality of the wood pulp produced in the United States would be adequate for the purposes of Japanese and Western European paper manufacturers.

Required. The conclusion assumes US wood pulp is usable for those manufacturers, meaning its quality is adequate for their needs. If it is not, being cheaper would not cause more purchases.

(C) Paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe would prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States if cost were not a factor.

Not required. They do not need to prefer US pulp when cost is equal, they only need to buy it when it becomes the cheapest acceptable option.

(D) Demand for paper products made in Japan and Western Europe will not increase sharply during this year.

Irrelevant. Demand not increasing does not prevent supplier switching.

(E) Production of wood pulp by United States companies will not increase sharply during this year.

Not required. Production could increase or be reallocated from domestic sales, the argument does not need to assume production stays flat.

Answer: (B)

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11 Feb 2026, 22:15

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Rickooreoisb

Buying American pulp
vs.
Buying American pulp from other countries

That means they want to buy American pulp - so quality is not an issue.

I see why you read “it” that way, but grammatically it refers to wood pulp, not “American wood pulp.” So the comparison is:

buy wood pulp from the US
vs
get wood pulp from any other source (other countries)

The argument still assumes the US pulp is acceptable for their use. Being cheapest only increases exports if the buyers can actually use that pulp. That’s why quality (adequacy) is still a required assumption.

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12 Feb 2026, 03:06

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The Argument's Core Logic:
US wood pulp exports will rise because the falling dollar makes US pulp the cheapest option.

Why B is Correct:
For something to sell because it's cheapest, it must at least be usable. If US pulp quality were inadequate, no manufacturer would buy it regardless of price.
Key principle: You don't buy something that doesn't work, no matter how cheap it is.
So the argument assumes quality is "adequate" - meaning it meets the minimum threshold needed.

Why C is Wrong:
Choice C asks: would they prefer US pulp if cost were NOT a factor?

But here's the thing - cost IS the factor! The entire argument is built on price being the reason for the purchase. The argument never claims US pulp is inherently preferred or superior.

Think of it this way:
- Do I need to love a product to buy it when it's cheapest? No.
- Do I need the product to actually work? Yes.

Negation Test:
- Negate B: "US pulp quality is NOT adequate" → Argument destroyed. They won't buy unusable pulp.
- Negate C: "They would NOT prefer US pulp if cost weren't a factor" → Argument still works! They'll still buy it because it's cheapest.

Bottom Line:
B is about meeting a minimum threshold (necessary for the argument).
C is about preference (irrelevant since price is the stated reason).

Answer: B

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