Sufficient assumption

(SA)

Stems that ask us to provide an additional piece of information that, if true, would make the argument in the stimulus completely valid.

Avg. 1.35 per section

“The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?”

6%
16%
38%
26%
13%

Avg. difficulty: 3.2

Correct answer criteria

  • Something that, if added to the premises, would 100% guarantee the truth of the conclusion.

Key tactics

  • Identify the conclusion and the premises
  • Think about why the conclusion doesn't have to be true even if the premises are true
  • Pay attention to new concepts brought up in the conclusion but not mentioned in the stimulus. The argument has to make some kind of assumption about those new ideas
  • Be ready for conditional logic in the premises or conclusion. Sufficient assumption questions often involve identifying missing links between different conditional relationships
  • If you're stuck on an answer, ask whether that answer, combined with the premises, 100% proves the conclusion. If it doesn't, it's not correct

Answer choice tips

  • Be careful about picking weak answers. It's difficult for a weakly worded answer to guarantee the truth of the conclusion
  • Be ready to think about contrapositives - sometimes you may know what you're looking for but the correct answer is presented in the contrapositive form

Looking for more?

7Sage offers a full course of video lessons that cover each question type in depth, targeted drills, and performance analytics.

Logical reasoning question types

Argument part Evaluate Fill in the blank Flaw or descriptive weakening Inference Main conclusion or main point Method of reasoning or descriptive Most strongly supported Must be false Must be true Necessary assumption Parallel flawed method of reasoning Parallel method of reasoning Point at issue: agree Point at issue: disagree Principle PSA - find or complete the application PSA - find the rule Resolve reconcile or explain Strengthen Sufficient assumption Weaken

Reading comprehension question types

Analogy (RC) Application Author’s attitude Author’s perspective Describe approach Describe organization Describe relationship Implied Logical continuation Main point Meaning in context (of word, phrase, or idea) Other’s perspective Principle or generalization Purpose in context (of word, phrase, or idea) Purpose of paragraph Purpose of passage Stated Structure WSE (RC)

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