| Assumption Questions |
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| Assumptions are beliefs that are not based in facts. They come from things we see, stories we hear, and books we read. Assumptions stick in our minds where we use them to make statements and decisions, but because they are not based on facts - we have never logically examined them - they sometimes lead to false statements and bad decisions. For instance, your best friend invites you on a family vacation in Mexico. You decline because you don't like hot weather. When she returns, she tells you about her wonderful experience camping in a cool, beautiful pine forest in the central mountains. Why did you assume that the weather would be hot? Perhaps because of a magazine article you had read, or a statement another friend had made. For some reason, you assumed Mexico would be hot. Your PRAXIS I Reading Test may include assumption questions. One way to answer these questions is to ask your self these questions: Why does the author say this? What could the author believe about the subject that is not stated? Let's look at a couple of statements and find the unwritten assumptions. We'll start the hard way - with no answer choices for clues! 1) I'd love to have a pet, but I'm allergic to flea-bites. 2) I was going to walk to work, but then the sky got cloudy. What must the authors believe in order to make these statements? The author of statement 1 wants a pet but won't get one for fear getting bitten by a flea. Therefore, this author must believe that all pets have fleas! What about statement 2? This author was going to walk to work but noticed clouds in the sky. Why does the author change his/her mind? The author probably assumes that the clouds are bringing either rain or snow, which would make the walk unpleasant. Those weren't so hard - here are few more statements with answer choices and questions as they may appear on the reading test. 3) None of us will pass that test; there's too much calculus on it. Which of the following assumptions is probably made by the author? A) Calculus is easy. B) No one understands calculus. C) Half the class understands calculus. If the author assumed that half of the class understood calculus, then it would be possible for many to pass the test, so C is incorrect. Further, if s/he assumed that calculus were easy (choice A), she would expect most in the class to pass. The author expects no one to pass the test because of the amount of calculus on it, and must therefore assume that no one understands calculus. 3) Never buy meat at that store because the canned goods are sometimes dusty. In arguing that one should not buy meat at a store with dusty canned goods, the author makes which of the following assumptions? A) If the canned good area is dirty, the meat-cutting area is too. B) It is bad to eat meat. C) Dust is a sign of cleanliness. D) Dust could blow from the canned goods onto the meat. Choice C is simply incorrect; dust is not a sign of cleanliness. In choice B the author warns never to buy meat from a certain store, implying that one should buy at a different store, not that one should never buy meat. While choice D, dust could blow onto the meat, is a possibility, Choice A is the best answer; the author assumes that if one part of the store is dirty, other parts are as well. 4) We can't have a beach-party without volleyball. No one will have any fun! The argument in the passage is based on which of the following assumptions? A) People like to play volleyball. B) People like to have activities during a party. C) Not everyone likes to go to parties. D) People will be so disappointed if there is no volleyball game that they won't have fun doing anything else. E) The beach closes as soon as it gets dark. What time the beach closes has nothing to do with whether to play volleyball at a beach- party, so choice E is not an option. While choices B and C may be true, they do not lead to the assumption that no one will have fun at the party if there is no volleyball game as there are many activities that could be planned. Choice A, people like to play volleyball, is a possible assumption, but the best answer choice for this question is D: people will be so disappointed that there is no volleyball game that they won't have fun doing anything else. Click here for more assumption questions. |
| Assumption: a belief with no conscious, logical thought behind it. |
| Of course, you could get a goldfish. Fleas don't live in water! |
| First we went swimming, then we had lunch, then we looked for seashells. What a great party! |
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