Level 4 — Upper Intermediate · Argument Writing
Task 31: Stating an Argument's Hidden Assumption
Write a short argument, then name the unstated premise it secretly depends on and test whether it survives being questioned — the writing side of Lesson 31's assumption-finding skills.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this task, you should be able to:
- Write a short argument, then state in a separate sentence the hidden premise it depends on
- Apply the negation test in writing — checking whether the argument survives if the assumption is false
- Distinguish a necessary assumption from a merely helpful one when naming it
Introduction
Lesson 31 taught you to find the unwritten idea an argument secretly depends on, by asking "what must be true for this conclusion to follow?" This task asks you to build an argument yourself, and then do the harder thing: name your own hidden assumption in plain writing, and test whether your argument survives if that assumption turns out to be false.
The Rule, for Writing
Core Concept
Write your evidence and your conclusion first. Then, in a separate sentence, name the assumption bridging them — the unstated idea that must be true for your conclusion to actually follow from your evidence. Finally, apply the negation test in writing: state, in one sentence, what happens to your conclusion if that assumption turns out to be false. A necessary assumption breaks the argument when negated; a merely helpful one weakens it without destroying it.
Example
Sales rose after the store added self-checkout, so self-checkout increases sales. Hidden assumption: nothing else that could explain higher sales changed at the same time. Negation test: if the store also extended its opening hours that same month, the conclusion no longer clearly follows — the assumption was necessary, not just helpful.
Your Turn
Your Turn
Write a short two- or three-sentence argument of your own (about work, a habit, or a decision) that moves from evidence to a conclusion. Then, in a separate sentence, name the hidden assumption your argument depends on. Finally, write one sentence applying the negation test — what happens to your conclusion if that assumption turns out to be false.
Vocabulary in Context
premisenounformal
a statement offered as support for a conclusion, whether written down or left unstated (যুক্তির ভিত্তি)
Often with a false premise, underlying premise, accept the premise
“The premise that all delays are avoidable is doubtful.”
negation testnoun phrasecourse term
checking whether an argument survives when its assumption is assumed false (অস্বীকার-পরীক্ষা)
Often with apply the negation test, run the negation test, negation test for
“The negation test asks: if this assumption were false, would the argument survive?”
Model Answer
Show a model answer
The new berth-scheduling software was installed in March, and turnaround times improved the same month, so the software must be why turnaround times improved. This argument depends on a hidden assumption: that nothing else affecting turnaround time changed in March. If that assumption is false — for instance, if the port also reduced vessel traffic that month because of a seasonal lull — the conclusion no longer clearly follows, since the slower traffic alone could explain the faster turnaround.
Self-Check
Self-Check
- Did you state your hidden assumption as a separate, explicit sentence, not left implied?
- Does your negation test genuinely show what happens to the conclusion if the assumption is false?
- Is the assumption you named actually necessary for the conclusion, not just loosely related to it?
- Did you write this directly in English, without translating from Bangla first?
Next: Writing 32 — Counterfactual Thinking: writing a causal claim alongside the counterfactual question that actually tests it.