Critical Reasoning — Assumptions Statement: “A good book, even if costly, gets sold.” Assumptions to evaluate: I. Some books are better (good) than others. II. Most books are costly.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Only assumption I is implicit

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
The statement contrasts “good” (quality) with “costly” (price) and asserts that quality drives sales despite high price. For such a claim, the language presupposes the existence of a quality distinction among books, but not any particular proportion of costly books in the market.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Claim: Good books sell even if expensive.
  • Assumption I: Quality varies; some books are good, others not.
  • Assumption II: Most books are costly.


Concept / Approach:

  • Using the category “good book” relies on the concept of comparative quality.
  • The statement makes no claim about how many books are costly; it only says price does not stop sales for good books.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Assumption I is necessary because the sentence would be vacuous if no distinction in quality existed.Assumption II is unnecessary; the truth of the claim does not depend on the prevalence of costly books.


Verification / Alternative check:

If I were false, the predicate “good” would be meaningless and the claim collapses. If II were false, the claim can still stand.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

II / Either / Neither / Both: These either impose an irrelevant market share condition or ignore the needed quality distinction.


Common Pitfalls:

Reading a market-wide frequency assumption into a statement about a subset.


Final Answer:

Only assumption I is implicit

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