Our school district should not spend its money on the new Verbal

Question

Our school district should not spend its money on the new Verbal Advantage reading program. After all, our students get all the reading practice they need by studying history and science.

The argument above depends on which the following assumptions?

(A) The Verbal Advantage program would not help the students learn history and science.
(B) Other reading programs are just as effective but less expensive than the Verbal Advantage program.
(C) The Verbal Advantage program involves only reading practice.
(D) Teaching students history and science is more important than teaching them reading skills.
(E) The students can already read well enough to study history and science.

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LamboWalker · Answer

(A) The Verbal Advantage program would not help the students learn history and science. 
We are only concerned with reading practice here, not the knowledge of history and science.

(B) Other reading programs are just as effective but less expensive than the Verbal Advantage program. 
Negation - Even if other programs are not as effective, the argument still stands true.

(C) The Verbal Advantage program involves only reading practice.
Correct. If the opposite of this were true, the whole argument fails.

(D) Teaching students history and science is more important than teaching them reading skills. 
Out of scope.

(E) The students can already read well enough to study history and science. 
Strengthener if anything.

Answer is C

enduser1993 · Answer

IMO - C : Negation technique

conclusion: Our school district should not spend its money on the new Verbal Advantage reading program. 
Premise : All reading skills obtained from that program can be obtained from studying History and science

The Verbal Advantage program involves "not" only reading practice - So there are other benefits of verbal program. Hence spending is ok.

riyabatra2206 · Answer

How is C correct?

Option C - The Verbal Advantage program involves only reading practice.
Negated - The Verbal Advantage program does NOT involve only reading practice.
The question says "Verbal Advantage READING program". So how can there be other things taught in the program apart from reading?

IMO it should be E.
E when negated - The students CANNOT already read well enough to study history and science. If they cannot read well enough already, the conclusion that the school should not spend its money on the new Verbal Advantage reading program would break as this would clearly indicate that the students need more reading practice than are already receiving by studying history and science.

SirSanguine · Answer

E is definitely an assumption.

Its negation ie students cant read well enough to study history concludes the need of a verbal advantage program.

For C to be the favorable choice it should have additional info such as:

(C) The Verbal Advantage program involves only reading practice, which is not of a higher level than that from the history textbooks.

Nayaab24 · Answer

Option E is no less than a conclusion. On the other hand, C safely assumes that Verbal program is more than developing reading skills. Hence, C

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Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The correct answer is (C).

The argument boils down to the following, including the unstated assumption provided by choice (C):

Premise : Students get enough reading practice already.
 Unstated assumption (choice C) : The program provides only reading practice.
 Conclusion : The program is unnecessary.

None of the other four choices provides the necessary assumption.

Our school district should not spend its money on the new Verbal

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Our school district should not spend its money on the new Verbal

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