Lesson: Critical/Logical Reasoning - 18t01

The Denial Test, Step 2

Now, move on to Step 2 of the Denial Test: Deny the first statement and see what effect that has on the argument. Click continue to compare your answer to ours.

Statement 1: The increased defense spending of the past ten years has lessened the need for significant military expenditure in future decades.

Countinue

Denying the statement: The increased defense spending of the past ten years has not lessened the need for increased defense spending in future years.

The effect of the denial: The author is making a conclusion about what has been responsible for reduced military actions in the past 10 years. Even if we deny this assumption and say that more defense spending is required in the future, that would have no effect on his conclusion about what has kept the peace in the past. Because denying Choice (A) has no effect on the argument, it cannot be a necessary assumption.