Critical Reasoning – Implicit Assumptions Statement: Market trends are changing continuously and, with increasing competitiveness, consumers’ demands regarding prices and quality are gradually increasing. Assumptions: I. Previously, consumers did not care about prices and quality. II. Market competitiveness is not favourable for consumers.

Introduction / Context:
The statement observes rising consumer expectations amid continuous market change and greater competition. Our goal is to test whether two proposed assumptions are necessary for the observation to hold true.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Observation: Consumer demands on price and quality are increasing.
• Assumption I: Earlier, consumers did not care about price/quality.
• Assumption II: Competitiveness is not favourable to consumers.

Concept / Approach:
“Increasing” demand does not imply “previously zero” demand. It only indicates a trend upwards from some prior level. Further, greater competition typically benefits consumers (better quality, lower prices), but the statement does not evaluate whether competitiveness is favourable or not; it merely correlates increased competition with rising expectations.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Common Pitfalls:

Final Answer:
Neither I nor II is implicit