Statement and Argument

Introduction

A statement can be understood as a declarative sentence that can be true or false. An argument is a statement(s) containing opinions for or against a specific subject under discussion. Pieces of evidence support these arguments. The evidence is further evaluated for its forcefulness and then declared weak or strong based on the evaluation. 

The statement and argument section tests your analytical and decision-making power. It does so by giving you a statement with two or more possible arguments preceding it. The candidate must choose the strongest argument to support the main statement from the given arguments.

Statement and Argument: Types

As stated previously, arguments can be divided into weak or strong. 

1. Weak arguments:

An argument will be considered weak if it makes no sense, is impractical, has no logic supporting it and is irrelevant to the statement. Weak arguments are further divided into three types:

• Ambiguous arguments

Arguments that do not clarify the relation between the statement and the course of action or do not effectively get the point across are considered ambiguous arguments. 

• Superfluous arguments  

Superfluous arguments tend to have unnecessary or extra information, resulting in a less in-depth analysis. 

• Question-back arguments

Sometimes arguers reflect questions in their reasoning rather than providing evidence to support what they are saying. This builds a weak ground for the argument and is known as question-back arguments. 

2. Strong arguments:

Strong arguments usually do not contain personal or biased opinions in their evidence. Their evidence is instead backed by logic and practical reasoning. Such arguments are of various types:

• Factual:

 Strong arguments contain evidence that is usually true and are established facts. 

• Past predicts the result: 

The arguments of this type are true because past experiences back them up. The experience predicts the result. 

• Widespread acceptance:

This type of argument is certain because it’s either universally accepted or predominantly true. 

Statement and Argument Reasoning Tips and Tricks

There are various tips and tricks to solve the statement and argument section. Below are some of such tricks:

1. It is always advised to perform a preliminary screening of the given questions before solving them. 
2. Evaluate the arguments for how strong or weak they are. If the argument sounds absurd in the statement’s context, eliminate it. 
3. Sort your arguments based on how true it is. If the statement has any false information, it will not be considered a reasonable argument.

Statement, Argument and Assumption 

A statement is a sentence that carries information or facts about a topic or any general subject. In contrast, an assumption is an unspoken or unstated part of the statement that a person assumes before the statement. 

Upon analysis of an assumption, it is found that people leave out the assumption from the statement because it is a piece of information taken for granted. A person does so by thinking that other people will understand that piece of information without saying it out loud or stating it. 

Points to consider while choosing the correct assumption

• The assumption should always have a direct relation to the statement. 
• It is very important for the assumption not to have a loose thread; it should not be open to more than one interpretation. 
• There is no need to have unnecessary information in an assumption. The information provided by the assumption should only relate to the statement and nothing else.
• The assumption should not be a repetition of the statement.
• An assumption does not include words like ‘every,’ ‘all,’ etc. 
• A correct assumption will include words like ‘possibly,’ ‘may be,’ etc.

Assumption: Types

Assumptions are generally divided into two:

• Direct assumption-

In the case of a direct assumption, the statement itself is sufficient enough to solve the question. The statement makes it easier for the candidate to assume the assumption. 

For example:

Statement

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Assumption 

1. Apple is unhealthy. 
2. Apple is healthy and good for us.

A- Assumption 1 is the only correct assumption.

B- Assumption 2 is the only correct assumption. 

C- Both 1 and 2 are correct.

D- None of the two assumptions are correct.

Here, the correct answer would be option B because the statement here talks about the apple eradicating the need for a doctor. We can safely assume that the only reason why somebody wouldn’t need a doctor is that they are healthy. This was easy to assume because of the statement itself.

• Indirect assumption-

 As the name suggests, the only way you can trace an indirect assumption is by thoroughly understanding the given statement and what it is trying to convey.

For example:

Statement 

Staying positive and treating everything that comes your way with positivity is the only way to success.

Assumption 

1. Find your faults and work on them.
2. Leave everything on luck and let it work out.

The right answer here would be assumption one because if a person starts relying on luck, they 

will stop working hard on themselves, which is not treating things positively.