Why (C) is right: linking premise to conclusion
A Necessary assumption explanation from our free library. The question below is original, written for this page. Then the full breakdown: why the right answer is right, and why each wrong answer is wrong.
The question
The new factory will lower the town's unemployment rate. It plans to hire 200 local workers.
Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
- The factory will be profitable in its first year.
- The factory will pay above the minimum wage.
- The 200 hires will be people who are currently unemployed. Correct
- The town's population will remain exactly the same.
- The factory's products will be sold to local customers.
Why (C) is correct
Negate (C): the 200 jobs go to people who already have jobs, or to commuters from out of town. Then the town's unemployed count does not budge, and the conclusion fails.
The argument moves from 'hiring 200 local workers' to 'lower unemployment,' and that move only works if the hires come from the ranks of the unemployed. Everything else, profits, wages, customers, is scenery.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
(A) Out of scope
Profits are never mentioned and do not matter to the unemployment math. A struggling factory that still hires 200 people lowers the rate just the same.
(B) Out of scope
The wage level does not change whether 200 people move from unemployed to employed. The conclusion is about the rate, not about pay.
(D) Too strong
The argument needs the hires to reduce unemployment, not a frozen population. "Exactly the same" is far stronger than the reasoning requires.
(E) Out of scope
Who buys the products has nothing to do with the hiring math.
Last updated October 12, 2026