Question

Statement: The company's new marketing strategy led to a 20% increase in sales within the first quarter.
Which of the following assumptions is necessary for this conclusion?

• A. There were no external factors influencing the increase in sales.
• B. The company's competitors also experienced a similar increase in sales.
• C. The company had a similar marketing strategy in the previous quarter.
• D. The increase in sales was due to a decrease in product prices.

Hint:

In cause-effect questions, the key assumption is usually that no alternative cause is responsible for the observed effect.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the conclusion.
The statement concludes that the new marketing strategy} was the cause of the sales increase.
To accept this cause-effect claim, we must be sure no other factor contributed significantly.
Step 2: Evaluating options.
(b) Competitors’ sales increase — irrelevant to whether the marketing strategy worked.
(c) Previous similar strategy — irrelevant; we focus on the new one.
(d) Decrease in prices — this could be an alternative cause, so it must be ruled out.
Step 3: Necessary assumption.
To directly attribute the increase to the strategy, we must assume no other factors were responsible — this is exactly what (a) states.
\[ {\text{There were no external factors influencing the increase in sales (Option (a)}} \]