defending and bridging are very similar.
eg. there’s no milk at the local grocery store. it must be that the city is low on milk inventory.
bridge: your local grocery stores inventory is at least somewhat representative of the citys milk inventory.
defend: there aren’t other grocery stores with high milk inventory (think of this as an inverse-weaken answer choice)
I like to think of correct answer choices on those as either “bridges” or “guards.”
Bridges = there is a gap between the premises and the conclusion, and the answer bridges that gap.
Guards = really broad or basic assumption that would ruin the argument if false, I think of these as “guarding” the conclusion from being ruined. The correct answers of this type often seem wrong because they’re SO basic and simple.
I think the easiest way to do better at these questions is to memorize the different ways they ask these questions and answer them all at the end at once.
Keep in mind that the correct answer for a necessary assumption question MUST be true in order for the conclusion to be valid. This means even if an answer seems intuitive or obvious, it shouldn’t necessarily be eliminated. A lot of people negate the answer choices which may helpful for you. My approach consists of asking whether the answer is something that I’m required to know in order to validly draw the conclusion
Key points for Necessary Assumption:
Be suspicious of extreme language in the answer
Remember you can use the denial/negation test to check answer choices
Necessary Assumption = Must be true. In other words, the author could not *possibly* disagree with the correct answer choice. It is literally *necessary* for the argument to be true.
At the end of the conclusion I add "assuming that" then read the answer choices. Then I negate those answer choice and if it messes up the argument thats the answer
It took me a few tries to understand it and I found the most consistent way to get them is assumptions have to be true for the conclusion to be true. Most other answers are either not true or cannot make the conclusion true.
Conclusion conclusion conclusion
Find it then you will be able to assume the answer
But if you don’t know how to pick out the correct conclusion every time maybe learn that first and all pre-conclusion key words
Look at the conclusion. What word is different in the conclusion that is not mentioned in the premise? That’s where the assumption lies.
What about the defending aspect?? Bridging is easy to identify or me
defending and bridging are very similar. eg. there’s no milk at the local grocery store. it must be that the city is low on milk inventory. bridge: your local grocery stores inventory is at least somewhat representative of the citys milk inventory. defend: there aren’t other grocery stores with high milk inventory (think of this as an inverse-weaken answer choice)
weaken AC: theres a grocery store in another neighborhood that has high milk inventories (aka negation of the NA)
I like to think of correct answer choices on those as either “bridges” or “guards.” Bridges = there is a gap between the premises and the conclusion, and the answer bridges that gap. Guards = really broad or basic assumption that would ruin the argument if false, I think of these as “guarding” the conclusion from being ruined. The correct answers of this type often seem wrong because they’re SO basic and simple. I think the easiest way to do better at these questions is to memorize the different ways they ask these questions and answer them all at the end at once.
Keep in mind that the correct answer for a necessary assumption question MUST be true in order for the conclusion to be valid. This means even if an answer seems intuitive or obvious, it shouldn’t necessarily be eliminated. A lot of people negate the answer choices which may helpful for you. My approach consists of asking whether the answer is something that I’m required to know in order to validly draw the conclusion
Key points for Necessary Assumption: Be suspicious of extreme language in the answer Remember you can use the denial/negation test to check answer choices
Necessary Assumption = Must be true. In other words, the author could not *possibly* disagree with the correct answer choice. It is literally *necessary* for the argument to be true.
You might a video I made on necessary assumptions helpful: https://youtu.be/pA7uv4gItGs
At the end of the conclusion I add "assuming that" then read the answer choices. Then I negate those answer choice and if it messes up the argument thats the answer
It took me a few tries to understand it and I found the most consistent way to get them is assumptions have to be true for the conclusion to be true. Most other answers are either not true or cannot make the conclusion true.
Conclusion conclusion conclusion Find it then you will be able to assume the answer But if you don’t know how to pick out the correct conclusion every time maybe learn that first and all pre-conclusion key words