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Necessary Assumption

Conditional Must Be True

STEP 1
Identify the Question Stem
Look for keywords that signal a Necessary Assumption question:
"requires an assumption"
"depends on assuming"
"assumes which of the following"
"relies on which assumption"
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STEP 2
Read & Analyze the Stimulus
  • Track how premises connect
  • Identify Premise(s) & Conclusion
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STEP 3
Core Argument
  • Simplified Premise → Conclusion
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STEP 4
Identify the Gap & Translate if Helpful
  • Predict: What's missing between Premise & Conclusion?
  • If possible, express in conditional form (A → B)
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STEP 5
Answer Choice Strategy
Start with the Must Be True test. Use the Negation Test as a fallback.
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Must Be True Test
  • If the premises and conclusion are true, does this answer choice have to be true?
Tip: Embrace the conclusion.
Negation Test
  • If this were false, would the argument fall apart?
See a negative word like "none"? Use this test to get rid of it.
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Correct Answer Check
Must be true for the argument to work
Negation destroys the argument
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