Statement and Assumption

Logical Reasoning(Master ) Statement - Assumptions

STATEMENT:

At the simplest level, a statement is a prescribed account of certain facts, views, problems or circumstances expressed in words.

ASSUMPTION:

An idea which is thought to be true, or sure to happen, but is not explicitly proved or supported by proofs.

IMPLICIT:

Something that is suggested or is to be understood, though it is not plainly expressed.
In our day to day affairs, we make a lot of statements as a part of our communication process. As the communication process evolved over time, brevity became the norm as statements became smaller & crisper, yet they continued to carry the same meaning.
In this kind of communication, the speaker/author leaves certain ideas unsaid, those which he takes for granted, which work as a link b/w a statement & a conclusion. These unsaid ideas are on the speaker/author’s mind before making a statement. These unsaid ideas are very much implied in the statement.

Example 1

To understand the above, let us assume that your friend has applied for a competitive exam. You saw him working hard, preparing for that exam. It is a natural reaction to say that, ‘He is working hard, & he will be successful’. Here you are co-relating 2 different aspects. ‘Working hard’ & ‘succeeding’. How can you relate these two? Obviously by ASSUMING that hard work is necessary to attain success.

Normal way of expression Expression intended

a) He is working hard i) i) He is working hard

ii) Those, who work hard, succeed.

[This statement is taken for granted]

b) He will be successful iii) He will be successful

Approach to the question:

The words used in the statements & the format of the statements give some clue in evaluating the assumptions.

Rules to be followed

KEYWORDS

Words like ‘all’, ‘only’, ‘every’, etc., are definitive in nature, whereas words like ‘some’, ‘a few’, ‘many’, etc., are not. Therefore one should differentiate b/w statements like “use entire time for studies” & “use some time for studies”.

Rules:

Assumption is always Indefinite & Positive
Some, to large extent, many, much , exist in the assumption
Some words like only, each, any, every, all, question indicating word ( why,these,what), Answer indicating words(therefor), Definitely, But , Certainly exist in the assumption that assumption will always be explicit(False).
Some words like some, to large extent, many, much , exist in the assumption that assumption will always be implicit(True).
Any assumption that is conveying the message of advertisement , notice, appeal that assumption will always be implicit(True).
Any assumption that is talking about the social welfare (positive) , govt. policies that assumption will always be implicit(True).
If any assumption is talking about past & future that assumption will always be explicit(False).
If any assumption showing the word like suggestion, order, request that will always be implicit(True). Restatement is never implicit.
Comparison always wrong.
Whenever a notice is issued it is assumed that the notice will have desired effect.
Whenever something is advertised it is assumed that it will be read by the people for whom it is meant.