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Statement and Assumptions: The Negation Test and Other Tricks

What an assumption is • The negation test • Notices and appeals • Extreme words • Three-assumption questions

SSC Banking 📅 Last updated: 2026-10-24

An assumption is something the speaker takes for granted without saying it. In statement and assumption questions you get a short statement, often a decision, notice, advice or advertisement, followed by two or three possible assumptions. You must decide which are implicit, meaning the statement depends on them.

Three ground rules apply. Accept the statement as true, even if you disagree with it. Do not bring in outside knowledge. And remember that an assumption is never written in the statement itself; if an option only repeats the statement, it is not an assumption.

With two assumptions, each is either implicit or not, which gives 2 × 2 = 4 basic outcomes: only I, only II, both, or neither.

Many papers add a fifth option, 'either I or II is implicit', for a total of 5 answer choices. That option is rare in assumption questions and should be chosen only when the statement clearly depends on one of two opposite assumptions without saying which.

The most reliable test: negate the assumption and see whether the statement still makes sense. If the negation makes the statement pointless or self-defeating, the assumption is implicit. If the statement survives unchanged, it is not.

Worked example 1: an advertisement

'Use our new toothpaste for stronger teeth.' I. People want stronger teeth. II. No other toothpaste strengthens teeth.

Negate I: 'people do not want stronger teeth'. Then the advertisement is pointless, so I is implicit. Negate II: 'some other toothpastes strengthen teeth too'. The advertisement still works. Only I is implicit.

Worked example 2: a notice

'The library will remain closed on Monday for stock-taking.' I. Some people might come to the library on Monday if they were not told. II. The library will also be closed on Tuesday.

A notice assumes there is someone to inform; without I it serves no purpose. II is unrelated to the statement. Only I is implicit.

Most statements fall into a few patterns, and each comes with typical implicit assumptions.

  • A decision taken for a purpose assumes the action can achieve the purpose, and that it is practical to carry out.
  • A notice or instruction assumes people will read it and that at least some will follow it.
  • An appeal or advice assumes the listener may act on it, and that the problem it addresses exists or may arise.
  • An advertisement assumes people want what is offered and that advertising can influence them.

Worked example 3: both implicit

'The government has raised the fuel price to reduce its deficit.' I. The higher price will help reduce the deficit. II. People will continue to buy fuel at the higher price.

Negate I and the decision has no purpose. Negate II: if nobody bought fuel, the higher price would bring in no money. Both are implicit.

Options containing only, all, always, never, best or definitely are usually not implicit, because a statement rarely depends on something that strong. A plan to reduce traffic needs some drivers to switch, not all of them.

Worked example 4: an over-reaching option

'Ravi took an umbrella to the office today.' I. It may rain today. II. It will definitely rain today.

Ravi needs only the possibility of rain to take an umbrella, so I is implicit. II is far stronger than the statement needs. Only I is implicit.

Worked example 5: neither implicit

'Meena joined a gym near her house.' I. Meena has never exercised before. II. Gyms far from home are expensive.

Meena may have exercised before, and she may have chosen the nearby gym simply for convenience. The statement depends on neither option. Neither is implicit.

Some exams give three assumptions. Each can be implicit or not, so there are 2³ = 8 possible patterns, and the options list a selection of them, such as 'only I and II' or 'all are implicit'.

Setting aside the 'none is implicit' pattern, that leaves 7 patterns with at least one implicit assumption. Testing each assumption on its own, one at a time, is quicker and safer than trying to judge the patterns as a whole.

Worked example 6: three assumptions

'Start the online class at 7 p.m. so that working students can attend.' I. Working students are free at 7 p.m. II. Working students have internet access. III. Classes at other times are never attended.

I and II are both needed for the plan to work; III uses 'never' and is not needed. That makes 2 implicit assumptions: only I and II.

  • ✘ Choosing an option because it is true in real life rather than because the statement depends on it.
  • ✘ Picking a conclusion that follows from the statement instead of an assumption that comes before it.
  • ✘ Accepting options with extreme words such as all, only or always.
  • ✘ Choosing 'either I or II' just because the two options sound opposite.

The close cousins of this topic are statement and conclusions, course of action and strong and weak arguments. For the formal logic version, with all/some/no statements, see syllogism.

Q1. Statement (notice in an office): 'Please switch off the lights when you leave the room.' Assumptions: I. Lights are sometimes left on when people leave. II. The office does not pay for electricity. easy

✅ Answer: (a) Only I is implicit

💡 Explanation: A reminder only makes sense if people sometimes forget, so I is implicit. Negate II, 'the office does pay for electricity', and the notice still makes sense; in fact it becomes more sensible. II is not implicit.

Q2. Statement: 'The city has opened a new metro line to reduce road traffic.' Assumptions: I. The metro will remove all traffic from the roads. II. Some people who now travel by road will use the metro. easy

✅ Answer: (b) Only II is implicit

💡 Explanation: If nobody switched from road to metro, the plan could not reduce traffic, so II is implicit. I uses the extreme word 'all'; the plan only needs traffic to fall, not vanish.

Q3. Statement: 'The company has cut the price of its phone by 20% to increase sales.' Assumptions: I. A lower price may attract more buyers. II. Buyers will come to know about the price cut. medium

✅ Answer: (c) Both are implicit

💡 Explanation: Negate I: if a lower price attracted no extra buyers, the cut would be pointless. Negate II: if no buyer ever learnt of the cut, it could not raise sales either. Both are implicit.

Q4. Statement: 'Sita bought a second-hand bicycle for her son.' Assumptions: I. New bicycles are not sold in Sita's town. II. Second-hand bicycles are always better than new ones. medium

✅ Answer: (d) Neither is implicit

💡 Explanation: Sita may have chosen second-hand to save money, so the statement does not depend on new bicycles being unavailable. II uses 'always' and is not needed either. Neither is implicit.

Q5. Statement (exam instruction): 'Candidates must bring their admit card to the examination hall.' Assumptions: I. The admit card serves a purpose at the examination hall. II. Candidates without an admit card will score higher. easy

✅ Answer: (a) Only I is implicit

💡 Explanation: An instruction to bring something assumes it is needed there, so I is implicit. II has no link to the instruction at all.

Q6. Statement: 'The minister appealed to people to save water during the summer.' Assumptions: I. People may respond to the appeal. II. There may be a shortage of water in the summer. medium

✅ Answer: (c) Both are implicit

💡 Explanation: An appeal assumes it can have some effect, so I is implicit. Asking people to save water specifically in summer assumes water may run short then, so II is implicit too.

What is the difference between an assumption and a conclusion?

An assumption comes before the statement: it is what the speaker already takes for granted. A conclusion comes after: it is what you can deduce from the statement. If a sentence could only be known after reading the statement, it is a conclusion, not an assumption.

Can a sentence that repeats the statement be an assumption?

No. An assumption is unstated by definition. If an option merely restates what the statement already says, it is not an assumption, even though it is true.

All problems and solutions on this page are original. No outside facts are relied on; every numeric answer is recomputed by software before publishing.

How this page was prepared. Drafted with AI assistance (Claude (Anthropic AI model)) from the sources listed above. 5 calculations on this page were recomputed by software and matched. Automated checks also covered structure, internal links and duplicate text. Software checks cannot confirm facts. Reviewed by praveenkumar on 2026-10-24 against the sources listed above.

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