Lesson: Critical/Logical Reasoning - 19t01

The Denial Test, Step 3

Finish with Step 3 of the Denial Test: Deny the second statement and evaluate the effect of that on the argument. Click Continue to compare your answer to ours.

Statement 2: The number of military actions involving our forces would have been greater in the past decade if we had not increased our defense spending

Countinue

Denying the statement: The number of military actions involving our forces would not have been greater in the past decade if we had not increased our defense spending.

The effect of the denial: If the number of military actions would not have been greater in the past 10 years, then the military buildup did not play a necessary part in reducing the number of conflicts. Thus, the author cannot claim that defense readiness is an efficient peace-keeping tool. The argument fails if you deny this second statement, so you know that this statement is the assumption you're looking for.