Worked Examples: Assumptions and Arguments

This lesson provides a comprehensive set of worked examples covering assumption identification, strongest argument evaluation, and argument analysis. Each example is solved step by step with explicit reasoning. Use this lesson for practice and as a revision reference before your UCAT.

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Example 1: Identifying an Assumption (Negation Test)

Time budget: 45 seconds

"The hospital should switch to electronic prescribing to reduce medication errors. A study at another hospital found that electronic prescribing reduced errors by 40%."

Which is an assumption of this argument?

A. Medication errors are the most common type of hospital error. B. The study's results are applicable to this hospital. C. Electronic prescribing is cheaper than paper prescribing. D. All medication errors are preventable.

Apply the negation test:

A. "Medication errors are NOT the most common." → The argument does not claim they are the most common, only that they should be reduced. Argument survives. ✗

B. "The study's results are NOT applicable to this hospital." → If the study does not apply here, there is no evidence that switching will reduce errors at this hospital. Argument collapses. ✓

C. "Electronic prescribing is NOT cheaper." → The argument is about reducing errors, not saving money. Cost is not relevant to the argument as stated. Argument survives. ✗

D. "NOT all medication errors are preventable." → The argument does not claim all errors are preventable — a 40% reduction acknowledges that some errors remain. Argument survives. ✗

Answer: B

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Example 2: Strongest Argument FOR

Time budget: 45 seconds

Proposal: "GPs should be required to offer video consultations as an alternative to in-person appointments."

Which is the strongest argument FOR?

A. Video consultations would allow GPs to see more patients per day, which could reduce waiting times that currently average three weeks in some areas. B. Many patients prefer the convenience of video consultations. C. Other countries have successfully implemented video consultations. D. Video consultations save patients the cost of travelling to the surgery.

Evaluation:

Option	Relevant?	Evidence-based?	Specific?	Verdict
A	✓ (addresses waiting times — a concrete healthcare outcome)	✓ (cites waiting times data)	✓ (three weeks)	Strong
B	Partially (patient preference, not health outcome)	✗ (no data)	✗ (vague)	Weak
C	Marginally (shows feasibility, not desirability)	✗ (no specific outcomes)	✗ (vague)	Weak
D	Partially (benefit to patients)	✗ (no data on magnitude)	✗ (vague)	Moderate

Answer: A — It cites a specific problem (three-week waits) and explains how the proposal would address it (more patients per day → shorter waits).

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Example 3: Strongest Argument AGAINST

Time budget: 45 seconds

Proposal: "Hospitals should replace all paper medical records with electronic health records (EHRs)."

Which is the strongest argument AGAINST?

A. Some doctors find electronic systems difficult to use. B. Paper records have been used reliably for over a century. C. Electronic systems are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which could compromise thousands of patients' confidential data simultaneously — a risk that does not exist with paper records. D. The transition would be expensive.

Evaluation:

Option	Relevant?	Evidence-based?	Specific?	Verdict
A	Partially (addresses usability)	✗ (anecdotal)	✗ (vague)	Weak
B	✗ (appeal to tradition)	✗	✗	Weak
C	✓ (addresses a specific risk)	✓ (identifies a concrete threat)	✓ (thousands of patients, simultaneous compromise)	Strong
D	Partially	✗ (no figures)	✗	Moderate

Answer: C — It identifies a specific, serious risk (cyber-attacks compromising patient data) that is unique to the proposal and quantifies the scale (thousands of patients simultaneously).

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Example 4: Yes/No Item (Assumptions)

Time budget: 55 seconds

"A school has introduced a healthy eating policy that bans sweets and fizzy drinks from the school premises. The headteacher states: 'This policy will improve our students' health and academic performance.'"

For each statement, decide whether it is an assumption of the headteacher's argument. Yes or No.

Statement	Answer
A. Students currently consume sweets and fizzy drinks at school.
B. Removing sweets and fizzy drinks from school will lead students to make healthier choices overall.
C. Academic performance is affected by diet.
D. The school has a responsibility to manage students' diets.

Analysis:

A. "Students currently consume sweets and fizzy drinks at school."

Negation: "Students do NOT currently consume sweets and fizzy drinks at school." If students were not consuming them anyway, banning them would have no effect on health or performance. The argument collapses. → Yes.

B. "Removing sweets and fizzy drinks from school will lead students to make healthier choices overall."