Sufficient Assumption Drill Pack
10 original LSAT-style questions. Work at your own pace. Answer key on the last page.
The festival will sell out. Last year's festival sold out, and this year's lineup is even stronger.
Which of the following, if assumed, guarantees the conclusion?
- A. The festival is popular.
- B. Any festival whose lineup is stronger than a sold-out previous year's will sell out.
- C. Ticket prices did not increase.
- D. The venue is the same size.
- E. Strong lineups attract crowds.
Answer: ______
The defendant must have been at the scene. His car was found in the parking lot, and he never lends his car to anyone.
The conclusion follows logically if which of the following is assumed?
- A. The defendant drives his car every day.
- B. Whenever the defendant's car is somewhere, the defendant is there too.
- C. The parking lot is near the scene.
- D. The defendant has no alibi.
- E. Cars are rarely stolen in this town.
Answer: ______
This bill will pass. Every bill with bipartisan support has passed this session, and this bill has bipartisan support.
The argument is already valid, but which restatement captures the principle that makes it so?
- A. Bills with bipartisan support deserve to pass.
- B. If every member of a category has a property, then any member of that category has it.
- C. This session has been productive.
- D. Bipartisan bills are usually good.
- E. The bill's supporters are confident.
Answer: ______
The library will close early on Fridays if foot traffic stays low. Foot traffic has stayed low every Friday this month.
The conclusion that the library will close early on Fridays follows logically if which of the following is assumed?
- A. Foot traffic is the only factor the library considers.
- B. What has been true of recent Fridays will continue to be true.
- C. The library prefers to stay open late.
- D. Foot traffic is low on weekdays too.
- E. Closing early saves the library money.
Answer: ______
The restaurant will earn a profit this year. It earned a profit last year, and nothing important has changed.
Which of the following, if assumed, allows the conclusion to follow logically?
- A. The restaurant's chefs are highly skilled.
- B. Any restaurant that earned a profit last year and faces no important changes this year will earn a profit this year.
- C. Most restaurants earn a profit every year.
- D. The restaurant has loyal customers.
- E. Profit last year was unusually high.
Answer: ______
The bridge is safe to cross. It was inspected last month and passed every test.
Which of the following, if assumed, makes the conclusion follow logically?
- A. The inspectors were qualified.
- B. Any bridge that passed every test in an inspection last month is safe to cross now.
- C. The bridge is made of steel.
- D. Most bridges are safe.
- E. The bridge was built recently.
Answer: ______
The dam will hold through the storm. It held through a worse storm last year, and it has been reinforced since.
Which assumption makes the conclusion follow logically?
- A. The engineers are confident.
- B. Any dam that survived a worse storm and was reinforced since will survive this storm.
- C. Storms are getting weaker each year.
- D. The dam is inspected regularly.
- E. Reinforcement always works.
Answer: ______
The cake will be ready by noon. It needs one more hour in the oven, and it is 11 a.m.
Which of the following, if assumed, makes the conclusion follow logically?
- A. The oven works properly.
- B. One hour from 11 a.m. is noon, and nothing will delay the baking.
- C. The cake smells good.
- D. Noon is lunchtime.
- E. The baker is skilled.
Answer: ______
The project will finish on time. All remaining tasks are minor, and the team has two weeks.
Which of the following, if assumed, guarantees the conclusion?
- A. The team is motivated.
- B. Minor tasks always take less than two weeks for this team, and no new tasks will appear.
- C. The deadline is flexible.
- D. The team has finished early before.
- E. Minor tasks are easy.
Answer: ______
The company's stock will rise. Its earnings beat expectations, and stocks of companies that beat earnings always rise.
The conclusion follows logically if which of the following is assumed?
- A. The company is well managed.
- B. The "always rise" claim has no exceptions and applies to this company now.
- C. Earnings beats are rare.
- D. Investors pay attention to earnings.
- E. The stock is currently undervalued.
Answer: ______
Answer Key
- 1. B — B is a universal rule that applies directly to this case, making the sellout a matter of logic. The others only make it likely.
- 2. B — B connects the car's location to the defendant's location with no gaps. That is all the argument needs to become airtight.
- 3. B — This is pure universal instantiation: all X are Y, this is X, so this is Y. B states that logical rule.
- 4. B — The premise is conditional on future traffic staying low, but the evidence is only about the past. Assuming the pattern holds bridges the gap completely.
- 5. B — B turns the argument into a valid deduction: the restaurant fits the rule exactly, so the conclusion is guaranteed. The rest only make it plausible.
- 6. B — B states a universal rule that covers this bridge exactly, closing the gap between "passed last month" and "safe now."
- 7. B — B supplies the exact rule that turns the two facts into a guaranteed conclusion. The others only add plausibility.
- 8. B — B closes every gap: the arithmetic and the "nothing goes wrong" condition. Then the conclusion is guaranteed.
- 9. B — B locks in both the time estimate and the "no surprises" condition. With those guaranteed, on-time completion follows.
- 10. B — The premise already states the universal rule; the argument is valid as written. B makes explicit that the rule truly covers this case with no exceptions.
Keep going: Sufficient Assumption sample questions · How to answer sufficient assumption questions