Statement: The Meghnagar Municipal Corporation announces: "Residents may now pay property tax online through the corporation's website. The payment counters at the ward offices will remain open as before."
Assumptions:
I. Every resident of Meghnagar has access to the internet.
II. Some residents of Meghnagar are able to pay online.
Which assumptions are implicit?

Only I is implicitCorrect answerYour answerOnly II is implicitCorrect answerYour answerNeither I nor II is implicitCorrect answerYour answerBoth I and II are implicitCorrect answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer B

Correct answer: B

Negation test for I: even if many residents have no internet, the announcement still makes sense, since the counters remain open for them. So I is not implicit; keeping the counters open actually suggests the opposite.
Negation test for II: if no resident could pay online, launching the online option would be pointless. So II is implicit.
Only II is implicit.

Worth noting

Words like "every" and "all" make an assumption too strong. The statement needs only that some residents can use the new facility.

Concept: An extreme word makes an assumption fail
Typical timeTypical: 70 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsStatements and assumptions

Practise this chapter →

Ten questions from Statements, Conclusions and Assumptions, at your own pace.

Explanation