Strengthen with Necessary Premise Questions - - Question 38
One sure way you can tell how quickly a new idea--for example, the idea of "privatization"--is taking hold among the ...
AddisonPattonAugust 14, 2019
D vs B
I initially chose B because if they did not have numerical criteria for telling when a word has passed into common usage, then how could they know for sure that that word has definitely passed into common usage? What makes D a better answer?
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Let's briefly review the stimulus. The passage argues that one way to tell how quickly an idea is taking hold among the population is to monitor how fast the words expressing the idea are passing into common usage. Professional opinions of whether the word is in common usage are available from dictionary editors, who are vitally concerned with this question.
Which of the following assumptions does the method described in the passage rely on?
(B) Dictionary editors have exact numerical criteria for telling when a word has passed into common usage.
The passage merely argues that a dictionary editor can provide a professional opinion to determine whether or not the word is in common usage, the criteria the editor is using is irrelevant as long as we accept his/ her opinion as valid.
(D) As a word passes into common usage, its meaning does not undergo any severe distortions in the process.
This is a necessary assumption because if the word associated with a certain idea undergoes "severe distortions" in the process of passing into common usage, it might not be possible to link the word in common usage to the original idea, and absent that link it is impossible to gauge how fast the idea is taking hold among the population solely based on the associated words.
