OG 2018 ,Q-635,Critical Reasoning-Assumptions-How can it be option A,when no info is given about miles is given in stimulus?
In Wareland last year, 16 percent of licensed drivers under 21 and 11 percent of drivers ages 21–24 were in serious accidents. By contrast, only 3 percent of licensed drivers 65 and older were involved in serious accidents. These fi gures clearly show that the greater experience and developed habits of caution possessed by drivers in the 65-and-older group make them far safer behind the wheel than the younger drivers are. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? (A) Drivers 65 and older do not, on average, drive very many fewer miles per year than drivers 24 and younger. (B) Drivers 65 and older do not constitute a signifi cantly larger percentage of licensed drivers in Wareland than drivers ages 18–24 do. (C) Drivers 65 and older are less likely than are drivers 24 and younger to drive during weather conditions that greatly increase the risk of accidents. (D) The difference between the accident rate of drivers under 21 and of those ages 21–24 is attributable to the greater driving experience of those in the older group. (E) There is no age bracket for which the accident rate is lower than it is for licensed drivers 65 and older
Hi Saisuraj,
The assumption only has to act as a link between the data and the conclusion. It doesn’t have to be information stated in the stimulus.
Remember the equation
Premises (stated data) + assumption (unstated data) = Conclusion
Stated data here:
16 percent of licensed drivers under 21
11 percent of drivers ages 21–24 were in serious accidents.
By contrast, only 3 percent of licensed drivers 65 and older were involved in serious accidents
Conclusion:
The greater experience and developed habits of caution possessed by drivers in the 65-and-older group make them far safer behind the wheel than the younger drivers are
The problem in the argument here is that the author has arrived at the conclusion without properly considering possible reasons other than experience and caution for the lower percentage of accidents in case of older people. In other words, the author has assumed that there can be no other reasons fot the lower percentage. Option A points this out and hence is the correct answer
