Why (B) is right: the cause must be big enough
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
Sales of printed books rose this year, and analysts credit the new bookstore loyalty program.
The analysts' conclusion depends on which one of the following assumptions?
- Loyalty programs always increase sales wherever they are tried.
- The loyalty program reached enough customers to move overall sales. Correct
- Printed books are better than e-books.
- The analysts are experts in retail economics.
- Book sales will continue to rise next year.
Why (B) is correct
Negate (B): the loyalty program reached almost no customers. Then it could not have caused an overall sales increase, and crediting it makes no sense. The argument quietly assumes the program was big enough to matter.
That is the load-bearing assumption. Notice the pattern: necessary-assumption answers are often modest, almost boring. The dramatic answers, (A) and (D), are traps.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
(A) Too strong
'Always' and 'wherever' go far beyond this bookstore and this year. The argument needs the program to have worked here, not everywhere.
(C) Out of scope
The conclusion compares this year to last year, not print to digital. Quality judgments about formats play no role.
(D) Irrelevant
Their credentials do not make the reasoning valid. A conclusion can come from an expert and still rest on a bad assumption, and the question asks about the reasoning, not the people.
(E) Out of scope
The conclusion is about what caused this year's rise. Predictions about next year are a different claim entirely.
Last updated October 12, 2026