Hidden Assumptions

Objective: Understand presuppose and choose it accurately in context.

presuppose (verb): To take something as already true or necessary when making a claim or forming a plan. Context sentences 1. The proposed online election would presuppose that every member has reliable internet access. 2. Questions about when the mayor will apologize presuppose that she has done something wrong. 3. The philosopher warns that explanations of personal choice often presuppose a stable sense of identity.

Objective: Understand posit and choose it accurately in context.

posit (verb): To put forward an idea or claim as a starting point for reasoning or discussion. Context sentences 1. To explain the unusual voting pattern, the analysts posit a conflict between local and national loyalties. 2. In her essay, Mira will posit that public gardens function as informal classrooms. 3. The model's designers posit an ideal observer who can compare every available option.

Objective: Understand postulate and choose it accurately in context.

postulate (verb): To assume a principle or condition to be true as a foundation for a theory or system of reasoning. Context sentences 1. The economists postulate that each buyer has a fixed spending limit. 2. For this geometric system, we postulate that exactly one line joins any two distinct points. 3. The researchers postulate a constant rate of change before deriving the model's predictions.

Objective: Understand hypothesize and choose it accurately in context.

hypothesize (verb): To propose a possible explanation that can be tested with evidence. Context sentences 1. The students hypothesize that darker containers will warm faster under the lamp. 2. To explain the seedlings' uneven growth, we hypothesize that one shelf receives less light. 3. The linguists hypothesize that listeners recognize familiar phrases more quickly than unfamiliar ones.

Objective: Understand theorize and choose it accurately in context.

theorize (verb): To develop a general explanation by connecting observations or ideas. Context sentences 1. From recurring conflicts across the novels, critics theorize that secrecy shapes the author's view of family life. 2. The researchers theorize about how individual habits combine to create neighborhood traditions. 3. Drawing on several classroom observations, educators theorize that a sense of ownership encourages revision.

Objective: Understand speculate and choose it accurately in context.

speculate (verb): To consider or suggest possibilities when there is not enough evidence to know what is true. Context sentences 1. Without access to the final chapter, readers speculate about the narrator's fate. 2. The committee can only speculate about how residents might use the proposed plaza. 3. Analysts speculate that the unexplained delay reflects a disagreement among the fictional company's directors.

Objective: Understand surmise and choose it accurately in context.

surmise (verb): To form a tentative conclusion from incomplete evidence. Context sentences 1. From the empty display cases, we surmise that the exhibition has already closed. 2. Readers may surmise from the torn envelope that someone opened the letter before its intended recipient. 3. The investigators surmise that the broken branch marks the route taken by the missing cart.

Objective: Understand stipulate and choose it accurately in context.

stipulate (verb): To state a specific requirement or condition in an agreement or arrangement. Context sentences 1. The scholarship rules stipulate that recipients must submit a progress report each semester. 2. Before lending the collection, the owners stipulate that every item remain inside a locked display case. 3. The partners stipulate a thirty-day review period in their agreement.

Objective: Understand predicate and choose it accurately in context.

predicate (verb): To base a claim, judgment, or decision on a particular condition or premise. Context sentences 1. The planners predicate their recommendation on the availability of a second access road. 2. We should not predicate a judgment of the entire course on a single difficult assignment. 3. The essay's authors predicate their interpretation on the narrator's honesty.

Objective: Understand presage and choose it accurately in context.

presage (verb): To serve as an early sign that something is likely to happen. Context sentences 1. In the novel, the first cracks in the palace walls presage the kingdom's collapse. 2. A series of unanswered invitations may presage the end of the alliance. 3. The opening scene's uneasy silences presage the conflict that dominates the final act.