Consider the following phrase: Statement: It is advantageous to start…
2023
Consider the following phrase:
Statement: It is advantageous to start schooling of a child at the age of 5 or so.
Assumptions:
I. At the age of 5, the child reaches the appropriate level of development and is ready to learn.
II. After the age of 6 years, schools do not admit children.
Choose the correct option given below.
- A.
If only assumption I is implicit
- B.
If only assumption II is implicit.
- C.
If either I or II is implicit.
- D.
If neither I nor II is implicit.
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept:
In Statement-Assumption questions, an assumption is implicit only when the statement cannot logically stand without it - remove the assumption and the statement's claim collapses. An idea that merely sounds plausible, or introduces a fact the statement never relies on, is not implicit even if it could be true.
Application:
The statement claims it is advantageous to start schooling around age 5. For that claim to make sense, it must be assuming the child has reached the developmental level needed to learn by that age - this is exactly Assumption I, so it is implicit. Assumption II talks about a cutoff after age 6 for admission, which is a separate policy fact; the claim about the advantage of starting at 5 does not depend on what happens to admissions after 6, so Assumption II is not something the statement is leaning on.
Cross-check:
Test each by negation: negate Assumption I (assume a 5-year-old is NOT developmentally ready) and the statement's claim of advantage no longer holds - confirming I is implicit. Negate Assumption II (assume schools DO admit after 6) and the statement's claim about starting at 5 is completely unaffected - confirming II is not implicit.
Result:
So only Assumption I is implicit.