In Assumption Necessary Questions, which question best assesses the need for the assumption?

• A. Does this prove the claim?
• B. Do I need to know?
• C. Is this enough?
• D. Can this be tested?

Answer: (B)

Determining whether an assumption is necessary means checking whether the conclusion would still hold if that assumption were removed or false. The best-fitting question asks directly about that need: do I need to know this assumption for the argument to work? If the conclusion can still be reached without the assumption, it’s not necessary; if the conclusion collapses without it, the assumption is necessary.

The other options mix up what’s being tested: asking if something proves the claim tackles validity rather than necessity; asking if it’s enough tests sufficiency, not whether the assumption is required; and asking if it can be tested concerns testability, not whether it’s needed.