Premise: An abstract knowledge of science is very seldom useful for the decisions that adults typically make in their daily lives.
Premise: But the skills taught in secondary school should be useful for making such decisions.
Conclusion: Therefore, secondary school science courses should teach students to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues, such as health and public policy, instead of or perhaps in addition to teaching more abstract aspects of science.

Pre-thinking:
Logical gap between premise and conclusion: By evaluating science based arguments students will be able to make decisions that adults make in their daily life.

Only option E fills the above gap and hence is the required assumption.

Science teacher: An abstract knowledge of science is very seldom useful for the decisions that adults typically make in their daily lives. But the skills taught in secondary school should be useful for making such decisions. Therefore, secondary school science courses should teach students to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues, such as health and public policy, instead of or perhaps in addition to teaching more abstract aspects of science.

Which one of the following is an assumption the science teacher's argument requires?

(A) Secondary schools should teach only those skills that are the most useful for the decisions that adults typically make in their daily lives.
-too strong to get considered
(B) Teaching secondary school students the more abstract aspects of science is at least as important as teaching them to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues.-Has not given any priority to science based arguments

(C) Adults who have an abstract knowledge of science are no better at evaluating science-based arguments regarding practical issues than are adults who have no knowledge of science at all.- same as option B

(D) No secondary school science courses currently teach students how to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues.- Too strong and do not bridge the gap between premise and conclusion

(E) The ability to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues is sometimes useful in making the decisions that adults typically make in their daily lives.- correctly fills the gap. So, this is the correct answer

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A. Th argument says that the secondary school sciences must be taught instead or in addition to ....
So,’only’ in the statement is wrong.
B. The importance of abstract sciences is not being discussed.
C. The argument doesn’t talk to no science educated people.
D. The argument says that courses should teach secondary sciences relating to practical issues. Doesn’t mean they don’t teach.
E. If to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues, such as health and public policy is related to making daily lives’ decisions, then teaching them will help their daily lives. So E.

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