MAH MCA CET 2025
A study finds that employees working fewer hours per week are more productive during their working hours and concludes that reducing working hours can increase productivity and job satisfaction. Which assumption underpins the conclusion?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — Increased productivity can compensate for fewer working hours.
Detailed Solution
The study observes higher productivity per working hour; the conclusion says cutting hours increases productivity overall.
That jump needs the hidden premise that the higher hourly productivity makes up for the fewer hours, which is option (B).
✓ Check
Deny (B): if higher productivity cannot compensate for fewer hours, the conclusion fails. So (B) is assumed.⚠ Common trap
Option (D) says "always", which is stronger than the argument needs; (A) and (C) are not required for the conclusion.Quick tip
Negation test: if denying the option breaks the conclusion, it is the assumption
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Ask a doubtMore Statement & Assumptions Questions
View all ›- Q1.A study finds that employees working fewer hours per week are more productive during their working hours and concludes that reducing working hours can increase productivity and job satisfaction. Which assumption underpins the conclusion?
- Q2.A study found that employees who worked fewer hours per week were more productive. Which of the following, if true, weakens the study’s conclusion?
- Q3.Directions: A statement is followed by two assumptions. Decide which assumption(s) are implicit in the statement.
- Q4.Directions: A statement is followed by two assumptions. Decide which assumption(s) are implicit in the statement.
- Q5.Determine whether one or both assumptions are implicit or not in the given statement and choose the correct option from the options given below:
More Logical Reasoning Questions
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- Q2.Five friends P, Q, R, S, and T are standing in a row. P is to the left of Q but to the right of T. R is to the right of Q. S is between Q and R. Who is standing in the middle?Linear Arrangement
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- Q4.A, B, C, D, and E are five houses in a row from left to right. C is to the right of B and to the left of E. A is to the left of B. D is to the right of E. Which house is in the middle?Linear Arrangement
- Q5.Seven students sit in a row. Priya is second from the right. Raj is third to the left of Priya. Meena is immediately to the right of Raj. Sam is between Meena and Priya. Two students sit to the left of Raj. Who sits at the extreme left?Linear Arrangement
Statement & Assumptions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Statement & Assumptions, a key topic in the Logical Reasoning section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Statement and assumptions is a logical deduction question type. An assumption is something the author takes for granted when making a statement but doesn't say outright. You are given a statement and two or more possible assumptions, and you must decide which ones are implicit in it. A useful test is negation. Turn the assumption into its opposite and ask whether the statement still makes sense. If the statement falls apart, the assumption is implicit. For example, an advertisement saying "Join our coaching for guaranteed success" assumes that people want success and that some will respond to the advertisement. Assumptions are usually basic and reasonable, so be wary of options that are too extreme or too specific. Also remember that an assumption is different from a conclusion: it sits behind the statement rather than following from it. Practise the statement and assumptions questions below. Each solution explains why each assumption is or isn't implicit.