Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Neither 1 nor 2 is true
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question tests understanding of assumptions behind a conditional statement. The statement says, "If he is intelligent, he will pass the examination." In logic this means that intelligence is a sufficient condition for passing, according to the speaker. Assumptions are the ideas that must be true in the background for the speaker to make such a statement. We must decide whether the speaker is assuming that intelligence is the only way to pass and whether the speaker assumes that he will in fact pass the examination.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The original sentence is a conditional statement of the form "If condition, then result." It does not say that the condition is necessary; it only claims that if the condition holds, the result will follow. So, when the speaker says that intelligence will lead to passing, it does not automatically mean that passing is impossible without intelligence. It also does not assert that the condition is actually true for this person. The speaker is not guaranteed that he is intelligent, only stating a possible link. Therefore, neither of the two given assumptions must be taken as true for the statement itself to make sense.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Evaluate Assumption 1. It states that to pass, he must be intelligent, which means intelligence is a necessary condition.Step 2: The original statement only says that if he is intelligent, he will pass, which makes intelligence a sufficient condition, not necessarily the only condition.Step 3: The statement remains meaningful even if a non intelligent but very hard working candidate might pass, so Assumption 1 is not implicit.Step 4: Evaluate Assumption 2. It claims that he will in fact pass the examination.Step 5: The statement is hypothetical. It does not say that he is intelligent, only that if he is intelligent, then he will pass, so the speaker need not assume that he will definitely pass.
Verification / Alternative check:
If we deny Assumption 1 and allow that some students pass without being intelligent, the given statement about intelligence still makes sense as a special case.If we deny Assumption 2 and admit that he may fail, the statement continues to be valid as a conditional relation, not a prediction.Thus the original statement does not depend on either Assumption 1 or Assumption 2 being true.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong because it treats a sufficient condition as if it were a necessary condition, which is not implied.Option B is wrong because the statement is not a guarantee that he will pass; it only links passing to a condition that may or may not hold.Option C is wrong because neither assumption is essential, so it is not a case where one or the other must be true.
Common Pitfalls:
Learners often confuse necessary and sufficient conditions and assume that "if A then B" also means "if B then A," which is not valid.Another pitfall is reading extra information into simple conditionals, such as assuming that the condition actually holds in the real situation.
Final Answer:
Therefore, the statement does not require either of the two given assumptions, and the correct answer is Neither 1 nor 2 is true.
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