Question

Critical Reasoning -- Assumption Argument: 
"Flexible working hours will increase employee productivity because people perform best during the hours when they feel most energetic." 

Which of the following is a necessary assumption? 

1. Employees can accurately identify the hours when they are most productive. 
2. Productivity depends only on the time of day. 
3. Employees dislike rigid schedules.
4. Flexible hours reduce overall work time. 

Hint:

A necessary assumption is something that must be true for the argument to work. Try using the negation test: if negating the statement weakens the argument, it is a necessary assumption.

Answer 1

Step 1: Identify the core reasoning. The argument claims flexible hours increase productivity because employees work best when they feel energetic.

Step 2: Determine what must be true for this logic to hold. For employees to work during their most energetic hours, they must be able to *identify* when those hours are.

Necessary Assumption: (A)