Statement & Assumption

At a glance 12 rules

1. 1What an assumption isAn assumption is unstated, and the statement cannot stand without it. Anything the statement already says is a premise, not an assumption.
2. 2The negation testNegate the option. If the statement then becomes pointless or self-defeating, it was implicit; if the statement still makes sense, it was not.
3. 3Advice and plansA suggested step assumes it can be done, that it will help, and that the problem it targets is real. It does not assume it will solve everything.
4. 4Notices, ads and offersA notice or offer assumes people can read it and act on it, and that some will; an offer also assumes the giver gains. Not that everyone complies.
5. 5Find the hidden linkAsk what joins the reason to the decision: a step aimed at a problem assumes it reaches the people or the cause behind that problem.
6. 6Weak form, not strongThe speaker needs 'some' or 'enough' ('most' for a rule everyone must follow), never 'all', 'only' or 'in every way'. An over-strong form of a real assumption is not implicit.
7. 7Results are not assumptionsWhat the action will lead to, a side effect, or a comparison the speaker never makes is not something the statement needs.
8. 8Weaken: attack the linkTake the reasons as true and hit the step to the conclusion: another cause, the real bottleneck elsewhere, or a sample that does not stand for the group.
9. 9Strengthen: close the gapConfirm the link the argument needs: the plan targets the real cause, the rival explanation is ruled out, or the compared cases are alike where it matters.
10. 10Moved, not solvedA fix that works in one place may only push the problem next door: fewer cars on a tolled road prove little if the free road beside it jams.
11. 11Price up, sales downA higher price earns more only if sales fall by less than the break-even share: from ₹40 to ₹50 that is $\tfrac{1}{5}$, since $50 \times \tfrac{4}{5} = 40$.
12. 12Check the directionIn a weaken list, an option that helps the argument is a trap, and the reverse. Options that share words with the argument but miss the gap are out.