What are assumptions?

An assumption is something that you presume or take for granted. For example, when you say “I’m flying to Sweden in the summer”, you are basing this statement on the assumption that you will have the physical ability to fly, that a more important or urgent use of your time will not arise, that flights will be available, that the Swedish borders will remain open, and so on.

In the assumptions section of a Watson Glaser test, you will typically be presented with a primary statement, followed by a series of proposed assumptions. You will then need to determine whether the primary statement presumes or takes for granted the points raised within each assumption. In other words: must the maker of the primary statement have based their statements or conclusions on the assumptions presented? 

• Select ASSUMPTION MADE if you think that a proposed assumption is taken for granted in the statement. 
• Select ASSUMPTION NOT MADE if you think that a proposed assumption is not necessarily taken for granted in the statement.

Remember to disregard your own thoughts and opinions and assess each proposed assumption independently; base your conclusions only on the text, regardless of whether you personally believe that each assumption is actually reasonable.