Film preservation requires transferring old movies from their original

Complete Question Explanation

Assumption. The correct answer choice is (D)

The stimulus contains the following structure:

Premise: Film preservation requires transferring old movies from their original,
deteriorating nitrate film to stable acetate film, which is a time-consuming and
expensive process.

Sub. Concl.: There is no way to transfer all currently deteriorating nitrate films to acetate
before they disintegrate.

Conclusion: Some films from the earliest years of Hollywood will not be preserved.

Take a closer look at the conclusion: “some films from the earliest years of Hollywood will not
be preserved.” All we know from the premises is that some deteriorating nitrate films will not be
preserved: that alone does not mean that some films from the earliest years of Hollywood will not be
preserved. What if all of them have already been transferred to acetate? And even if they have not,
there is no reason to suspect that these films in particular will be the ones that never get transferred
to acetate.

Because this is an assumption question, the answer you select must contain a statement upon which
the argument depends, i.e. a statement that is necessary for the conclusion to be true. Typically, if
you see a new or “rogue” element in the conclusion, look for a Supporter assumption answer that
links the new element back to the premises. Since “films from the earliest years of Hollywood” did
not appear anywhere else in the argument, the Supporter assumption must state that at least some
films from the earliest years of Hollywood still exist in their original material (and are therefore
deteriorating). This prephrase reveals answer choice (D) to be correct.

Answer choice (A): This answer choice may seem attractive, because it supports the idea that some
currently deteriorating nitrate films will never be preserved. To double-check if this is an assumption,
apply the Assumption Negation Technique—logically negate the answer and ask yourself if the
following statement would undermine the argument:

A new technology for transferring old movies from nitrate film to acetate film
will be developed at some point in the future.

Even if a new technology for transferring old movies to acetate is invented in the future, it is still
possible that some films from the earliest years of Hollywood are irrevocably lost. Recall the
author’s assertion that “there is no way to transfer all currently deteriorating nitrate films to acetate
before they disintegrate.” Clearly, unless the new technology is developed and implemented in
the immediate future, there is a significant risk that the films currently deteriorating will have
disintegrated by the time the new technology becomes viable.

Since the logical opposite of answer choice (A) does not weaken the conclusion, this is not an
assumption upon which the argument depends.

Savvy test takers would eliminate answer choice (A) immediately, because it does not make any
mention of the rogue element in the conclusion (“films from the earliest years of Hollywood”).
Given that Supporters connect new elements, one would suspect that the correct answer would
include this element.

Answer choice (B): The author never discussed the cost of film preservation, and no assumption was
made regarding the relative cost of transferring films from nitrate to acetate. Because an assumption
is something the author believed when forming the argument, correct assumption answers cannot
contain extraneous information. This answer choice can also be eliminated because it does not make
any mention of the rogue element in the conclusion.

Answer choice (C): This answer choice may seem attractive because it strengthens the conclusion of
the argument. Indeed, if only a few films from the earliest years of Hollywood have been transferred
to acetate, it is even more likely that time will run out before we can transfer the rest. However, just
because a statement supports the conclusion does not mean it is necessary for the conclusion to
be true. Apply the Assumption Negation Technique—drop the negative term (“not many”) and ask
yourself, “What would the author say to this negation?”

Many films from the earliest years of Hollywood have already been
transferred to acetate.

The author would reply that “many” does not mean “all,” and that a sufficiently high number of nontransferred
films can still disintegrate before they are preserved. Since the logical opposite of answer
choice (C) does not weaken the conclusion, this is not an assumption upon which the argument
depends.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice, as it is consistent with our prephrase of the
Supporter Assumption. Consider the author’s conclusion that “some films from the earliest years
of Hollywood will not be preserved.” Clearly, her conclusion depends on the idea that at least some
films from the earliest years of Hollywood have not yet been transferred from nitrate to acetate, and
therefore exist solely in their original material.

If this answer is troubling you, use the Assumption Negation Technique and ask yourself if the
following statement would undermine the argument:

None of films from the earliest years of Hollywood currently exist solely in
their original material.

This clearly shows that the author’s concerns are unfounded, since no films from the earliest years of
Hollywood would be in danger of disintegrating. Because the logical opposite of answer choice (D)
attacks the argument, this must be the correct answer.

Remember—when an Assumption answer choice starts with a phrase such as “at least one” or
“some,” chances are high that the answer will be correct. Although you should not immediately
assume that it is, use the proper negation (“none”) to check it by using the Assumption Negation
Technique.

Answer choice (E): The author makes no statement regarding the kind of films that are the most likely to disintegrate. Therefore, there is no way to determine if an assumption has been made associating the relative popularity of these films with their likelihood of being lost.

In general, avoid answers to Assumption questions containing phrases such as “most” and “least.” An
assumption can be considered a “minimalist” answer, and cannot contain exaggerations or elements
that are extraneous to the argument.