Question:
Passage: Editorial: The structure of the present school calendar was established to satisfy the requirements of early-twentieth-century agricultural life. In those days, farmers needed their children to have long breaks during which they could remain at home and help with the harvest. The contemporary school year is thus made up of periods of study interspersed with long breaks. But agricultural life no longer occupies most of our citizens, so we can now make changes that serve the interests of children. Therefore, long breaks should be removed from the school calendar.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption on which the editorial's argument depends?
Choices:
A.) Children of farmers need to continue observing a school calendar made up of periods of study interspersed with long breaks.
B.) A change in the present school calendar that shortened breaks would serve the interests of agricultural life.
C.) During long breaks children have a tendency to forget what they have learned.
D.) A school calendar made up of periods of study without long breaks would serve the interests of children more than a school calendar with long breaks.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Leatherbacks, the largest of the sea turtles, when subjected to the conditions of captivity, are susceptible to a wide variety of fatal diseases with which they would never come in contact if they lived in the wild. It is surprising, therefore, that the likelihood that a leatherback will reach its theoretical maximum life expectancy is about the same whether that animal is living in captivity or in the wild.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy?
Choices:
A.) Few zoologists have sufficient knowledge to establish an artificial environment that is conducive to the well-being of captive leatherbacks.
B.) The average life expectancy of sea turtles in general is longer than that of almost all other marine animals.
C.) Most leatherbacks that perish in the wild are killed by predators.
D.) The size of a leatherback is an untrustworthy indicator of its age.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Chairperson: The board of directors of our corporation should not allow the incentives being offered by two foreign governments to entice us to expand our operations into their countries without further consideration of the issue. Although there is an opportunity to increase our profits by expanding our operations there, neither of these countries is politically stable.
Q: The chairperson's reasoning most closely conforms to which one of the following principles?
Choices:
A.) Boards of directors should always disregard governmental incentives when considering where to expand corporate operations.
B.) A corporation should never expand operations into countries that are politically unstable.
C.) Corporations should always be cautious about expanding operations into politically unstable countries.
D.) Political stability is the most important consideration in deciding whether to expand operations into a country.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Maria: Thomas Edison was one of the most productive inventors of his time, perhaps of all time. His contributions significantly shaped the development of modern lighting and communication systems. Yet he had only a few months of formal schooling. Therefore, you do not need a formal education to make crucial contributions to technological advancement. Frank: That is definitely not true anymore. Since Edison's day there have been many new developments in technology; to make crucial contributions today you need much more extensive technical knowledge than was needed then.
Q: Frank's reasoning in his response to Maria is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Choices:
A.) presumes that no other inventor of Edison's time could have been as productive as Edison
B.) fails to criticize or question any of Maria's statements about Edison
C.) relies on using the term "crucial" differently from the way Maria used it
D.) fails to address the possibility that technical knowledge may be acquired without formal education
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In some countries, there is a free flow of information about infrastructure, agriculture, and industry, whereas in other countries, this information is controlled by a small elite. In the latter countries, the vast majority of the population is denied vital information about factors that determine their welfare. Thus, these countries are likely to experience more frequent economic crises than other countries do.
Q: The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) A small elite that controls information about infrastructure, agriculture, and industry is likely to manipulate that information for its own benefit.
B.) In nations in which the government controls access to information about infrastructure, agriculture, and industry, economic crises are common.
C.) Economic crises become more frequent as the amount of information available to the population about factors determining its welfare decreases.
D.) The higher the percentage of the population that participates in economic decisions, the better those decisions are.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Hana said she was not going to invite her brothers to her birthday party. However, among the gifts Hana received at her party was a recording in which she had expressed an interest. Since her brothers had planned to give her that recording, at least some of Hana's brothers must have been among the guests at Hana's birthday party after all.
Q: A reasoning error in the argument is that the argument
Choices:
A.) uses a term that is intrinsically evaluative as though that term was purely descriptive
B.) disregards the possibility that a change of mind might be justified by a change in circumstances
C.) treats the fact of someone's presence at a given event as a guarantee that that person had a legitimate reason to be at that event
D.) fails to establish that something true of some people is true of only those people
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If you have no keyboarding skills at all, you will not be able to use a computer. And if you are not able to use a computer, you will not be able to write your essays using a word processing program.
Q: If the statements above are true, which one of the following must be true?
Choices:
A.) If you have some keyboarding skills, you will be able to write your essays using a word processing program.
B.) If you are able to use a computer, you will probably be able to write your essays using a word processing program.
C.) If you are able to write your essays using a word processing program, you have at least some keyboarding skills.
D.) If you are not able to write your essays using a word processing program, you have no keyboarding skills.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Rossi: It is undemocratic for people to live under a government in which their interests are not represented. So children should have the right to vote, since sometimes the interests of children are different from those of their parents. Smith: Granted, children's interests are not always the same as their parents'; governmental deficits incurred by their parents' generation will later affect their own generation's standard of living. But even if children are told about the issues affecting them, which is not generally the case, their conceptions of what can or should be done are too simple, and their time horizons are radically different from those of adults, so we cannot give them the responsibility of voting.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes Rossi's argument?
Choices:
A.) It relies on evaluating the predictable consequences of a proposal.
B.) It denies the good faith of an opponent.
C.) It makes an appeal to a general principle.
D.) It employs a term on two different occasions in different senses.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Rossi: It is undemocratic for people to live under a government in which their interests are not represented. So children should have the right to vote, since sometimes the interests of children are different from those of their parents. Smith: Granted, children's interests are not always the same as their parents'; governmental deficits incurred by their parents' generation will later affect their own generation's standard of living. But even if children are told about the issues affecting them, which is not generally the case, their conceptions of what can or should be done are too simple, and their time horizons are radically different from those of adults, so we cannot give them the responsibility of voting.
Q: Smith's statements can most directly be used as part of an argument for which one of the following views?
Choices:
A.) If there are any limitations on full democracy that result from denying the vote to children, such limitations must be accepted.
B.) Children have rights that must be respected by any political authority that rules over them.
C.) If parents do not adequately represent their children's interests in the political sphere, those interests will be adequately represented by someone else.
D.) News programs for children would give them enough information to enable them to vote in an informed way.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: To accommodate the personal automobile, houses are built on widely scattered lots far from places of work and shopping malls are equipped with immense parking lots that leave little room for wooded areas. Hence, had people generally not used personal automobiles, the result would have to have been a geography of modern cities quite different from the one we have now.
Q: The argument's reasoning is questionable because the argument
Choices:
A.) overlooks the fact that many technological innovations other than the personal automobile have had some effect on the way people live
B.) infers from the idea that the current geography of modern cities resulted from a particular cause that it could only have resulted from that cause
C.) takes for granted that shopping malls do not need large parking lots even given the use of the personal automobile
D.) takes for granted that people ultimately want to live without personal automobiles
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Many of the presidents and prime ministers who have had the most successful foreign policies had no prior experience in foreign affairs when they assumed office. Although scholars and diplomats in the sacrosanct inner circle of international affairs would have us think otherwise, anyone with an acute political sense, a disciplined temperament, and a highly developed ability to absorb and retain information can quickly learn to conduct a successful foreign policy. In fact, prior experience alone will be of little value to a foreign policymaker who lacks all three of these traits.
Q: If all of the statements above are true, which one of the following must be true?
Choices:
A.) A president or prime minister with years of experience in foreign affairs will have a more successful foreign policy than one who does not have experience in foreign affairs.
B.) Prior experience in foreign affairs is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for a president or prime minister to have a successful foreign policy.
C.) Prior experience in foreign affairs is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a president or prime minister to have a successful foreign policy.
D.) An acute political sense, a disciplined temperament, and a highly developed ability to absorb and retain information are each necessary conditions for a president or prime minister to have a successful foreign policy.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Navigation in animals is defined as the animal's ability to find its way from unfamiliar territory to points familiar to the animal but beyond the immediate range of the animal's senses. Some naturalists claim that polar bears can navigate over considerable distances. As evidence, they cite an instance of a polar bear that returned to its home territory after being released over 500 kilometers (300 miles) away.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the validity of the evidence offered in support of the naturalists' claim?
Choices:
A.) The site at which the polar bear was released was on the bear's annual migration route.
B.) Polar bears are only one of many species of mammal whose members have been known to find their way home from considerable distances.
C.) The polar bear stopped and changed course several times as it moved toward its home territory.
D.) Polar bears often rely on their extreme sensitivity to smell in order to scent out familiar territory.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: City council member: Despite the city's desperate need to exploit any available source of revenue, the mayor has repeatedly blocked council members' attempts to pass legislation imposing real estate development fees. It is clear that in doing so the mayor is sacrificing the city's interests to personal interests. The mayor cites figures to show that, in the current market, fees of the size proposed would significantly reduce the number of building starts and thus, on balance, result in a revenue loss to the city. But the important point is that the mayor's family is heavily involved in real estate development and thus has a strong financial interest in the matter.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately and completely expresses the main conclusion of the city council member's argument?
Choices:
A.) In blocking council members' attempts to impose real estate development fees, the mayor is sacrificing the city's interests to personal interests.
B.) The city would benefit financially from the passage of legislation imposing real estate development fees.
C.) Imposing real estate development fees is the best way for the city to exploit the available sources of revenue.
D.) The mayor's family has a strong financial interest in preventing the passage of legislation that would impose real estate development fees.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: City council member: Despite the city's desperate need to exploit any available source of revenue, the mayor has repeatedly blocked council members' attempts to pass legislation imposing real estate development fees. It is clear that in doing so the mayor is sacrificing the city's interests to personal interests. The mayor cites figures to show that, in the current market, fees of the size proposed would significantly reduce the number of building starts and thus, on balance, result in a revenue loss to the city. But the important point is that the mayor's family is heavily involved in real estate development and thus has a strong financial interest in the matter.
Q: The reasoning in the city council member's argument is flawed because
Choices:
A.) the council member's own absence of personal interest in the proposed legislation has not been established
B.) the issue of the mayor's personal interest in the proposed legislation is irrelevant to any assessment of the mayor's action with respect to that legislation
C.) the mayor's course of action being personally advantageous is not inconsistent with the mayor's action being advantageous for the city
D.) that a person or a municipality has a need for something does not, in itself, establish that that person or that municipality has a right to that thing
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Seemingly inconsequential changes in sea temperature due to global warming eventually result in declines in fish and seabird populations. A rise of just two degrees prevents the vertical mixing of seawater from different strata. This restricts the availability of upwelling nutrients to phytoplankton. Since zooplankton, which feed upon phytoplankton, feed the rest of the food chain, the declines are inevitable.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the statement that zooplankton feed upon phytoplankton?
Choices:
A.) It helps show how global temperature changes affect larger sea animals indirectly.
B.) It is intended to provide an example of the ways in which the vertical mixing of seawater affects feeding habits.
C.) It is a hypothesis supported by the fact that phytoplankton feed on upwelling nutrients.
D.) It is offered in support of the idea that global warming poses a threat to all organisms.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Retailers that excel in neither convenience nor variety of merchandise tend not to be very successful. Yet many successful retailers excel in just one of the areas and meet competitors' standards for the other. Hence, a retailer's success need not depend on excellence in both areas.
Q: The structure of the reasoning in the argument above is most parallel to that in which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Runners who have only average speed and endurance are unlikely to win long-distance races. Some long-distance champions, however, win by being above average in speed or endurance only; therefore, being above average in both speed and endurance is not necessary.
B.) Most plants that are neither ornamental nor edible are useless and are thus classified as weeds; yet many such plants are useful for purposes other than food or ornamentation, and are thus not classified as weeds. Hence, not all inedible and non-ornamental plants are weeds.
C.) Excellence in a particular swimming stroke is not always necessary in order for a swimmer to win a race that requires each swimmer to use several different strokes in sequence, and many swimmers win these races without being the best at any of the strokes. Therefore, anyone who does excel at all the strokes is almost certain to win.
D.) Bicyclists who have only average speed are unlikely to win short races, but in a long-distance race such bicyclists can win if they have better-built bicycles than average and better endurance than average. Therefore, most bicycle races are not won by bicyclists with above-average speed.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Detective: Because the embezzler must have had specialized knowledge and access to internal financial records, we can presume that the embezzler worked for XYZ Corporation as either an accountant or an actuary. But an accountant would probably not make the kind of mistakes in ledger entries that led to the discovery of the embezzlement. Thus it is likely that the embezzler is one of the actuaries.
Q: Each of the following weakens the detective's argument EXCEPT:
Choices:
A.) There is evidence of breaches in computer security at the time of the embezzlement that could have given persons outside XYZ Corporation access to internal financial records.
B.) The actuaries' activities while working for XYZ Corporation were more closely scrutinized by supervisors than were the activities of the accountants.
C.) XYZ Corporation employs eight accountants, whereas it has only two actuaries on its staff.
D.) An independent report released before the crime took place concluded that XYZ Corporation was vulnerable to embezzlement.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Until 1985 all commercial airlines completely replenished the cabin air in planes in flight once every 30 minutes. Since then the rate has been once every hour. The less frequently cabin air is replenished in a plane in flight, the higher the level of carbon dioxide in that plane and the easier it is for airborne illnesses to be spread.
Q: Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) In 1985 there was a loosening of regulations concerning cabin air in commercial airline flights.
B.) In 1980 the level of carbon dioxide in the cabin air on a two-hour commercial airline flight was lower than it is today on a similar flight.
C.) Low levels of carbon dioxide in cabin air make it impossible for airborne illnesses to spread.
D.) In 1980 the rate at which the cabin air was replenished in commercial airliners was sufficient to protect passengers from the effects of carbon dioxide buildup.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: There is no genuinely altruistic behavior. Everyone needs to have sufficient amount of self-esteem, which crucially depends on believing oneself to be useful and needed. Behavior that appears to be altruistic can be understood as being motivated by the desire to reinforce that belief, a clearly self-interested motivation.
Q: A flaw in the argument is that it
Choices:
A.) presumes, without providing justification, that if one does not hold oneself in sufficient self-esteem one cannot be useful or needed
B.) takes for granted that any behavior that can be interpreted as self-interested is in fact self-interested
C.) presupposes that anyone who is acting out of self-interest is being altruistic
D.) fails to consider that self-esteem also depends on maintaining an awareness of one's own value
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Current maps showing the North American regions where different types of garden plants will flourish are based on weather data gathered 60 years ago from a few hundred primitive weather stations. New maps are now being compiled using computerized data from several thousand modern weather stations and input from home gardeners across North America. These maps will be far more useful.
Q: Each of the following, if true, helps to support the claim that the new maps will be more useful EXCEPT:
Choices:
A.) Some of the weather stations currently in use are more than 60 years old.
B.) Weather patterns have changed in the past 60 years.
C.) Weather patterns can be described more accurately when more information is available.
D.) Home gardeners can provide information on plant flourishing not available from weather stations.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A smoker trying to quit is more likely to succeed if his or her doctor greatly exaggerates the dangers of smoking. Similar strategies can be used to break other habits. But since such strategies involve deception, individuals cannot easily adopt them unless a doctor or some other third party provides the warning.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
Choices:
A.) People tend to believe whatever doctors tell them.
B.) The more the relevant danger is exaggerated, the more likely one is to break one's habit.
C.) A doctor is justified in deceiving a patient whenever doing so is likely to make the patient healthier.
D.) People generally do not find it easy to deceive themselves.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Most people who shop for groceries no more than three times a month buy prepared frozen dinners regularly. In Hallstown most people shop for groceries no more than three times a month. Therefore, in Hallstown most people buy prepared frozen dinners regularly.
Q: Which one of the following arguments has a flawed pattern of reasoning most like the flawed reasoning in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) It is clear that John cannot drive, since he does not own a car and no one in his family who does not own a car can drive.
B.) It is clear that most drivers in West Ansland are safe drivers since there are very few driving accidents in West Ansland and most accidents there are not serious.
C.) It is clear that Fernando's friends usually drive to school, since all of his friends can drive and all of his friends go to school.
D.) It is clear that most people in Highland County drive sedans, since most people who commute to work drive sedans and most people in Highland County commute to work.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editorial: This political party has repeatedly expressed the view that increasing spending on education is a worthy goal. On other occasions, however, the same party has claimed that the government should not increase spending on education. So this party's policy is clearly inconsistent.
Q: The argument in the editorial depends on assuming which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Even if a goal is a morally good one, one should not necessarily try to achieve it.
B.) Members of one political party never have inconsistent views on how to best approach a political issue.
C.) A consistent political policy does not hold that an action that comprises a worthy goal should not be performed.
D.) It is inconsistent for a legislator both to claim that increasing spending on education is a worthy goal and to vote against increasing spending on education.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Science journalist: Brown dwarfs are celestial objects with more mass than planets but less mass than stars. They are identified by their mass and whether or not lithium is present in their atmospheres. Stars at least as massive as the Sun have lithium remaining in their atmospheres because the mixing of elements in their internal nuclear furnaces is incomplete. Stars with less mass than the Sun have no lithium because the element has been fully mixed into their nuclear furnaces and consumed. A brown dwarf does not have a fully functional nuclear furnace and so its lithium cannot be consumed.
Q: Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the science journalist's statements?
Choices:
A.) No celestial object that has no lithium in its atmosphere is a brown dwarf.
B.) No celestial object less massive than a brown dwarf has lithium in its atmosphere.
C.) Any celestial object with lithium in its atmosphere has a nuclear furnace that has incompletely mixed the object's elements.
D.) No celestial object with lithium in its atmosphere has less mass than the Sun.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Native speakers perceive sentences of their own language as sequences of separate words. But this perception is an illusion. This is shown by the fact that travelers who do not know a local language hear an unintelligible, uninterrupted stream of sound, not sentences with distinct words.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
Choices:
A.) Native speakers' perceptions of their own language are not more accurate than are the perceptions of persons who do not know that language.
B.) Those who do not know a language cannot hear the way speech in that language actually sounds.
C.) It is impossible to understand sentences if they are in fact uninterrupted streams of sound.
D.) Accomplished non-native speakers of a language do not perceive sentences as streams of sound.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Yuriko: Our city's campaign to persuade parents to have their children vaccinated ought to be imitated by your city. In the 16 months since the enactment of legislation authorizing the campaign, vaccinations in our city have increased by 30 percent. Susan: But the major part of that increase occurred in the first 6 months after that legislation was enacted, right after your city's free neighborhood health clinics opened, and before the vaccination campaign really got going.
Q: In responding to Yuriko, Susan does which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) She cites facts that tend to weaken the force of the evidence with which Yuriko supports her recommendation.
B.) She advances the claim that a campaign such as Yuriko recommends is not necessary because most parents already choose to have their children vaccinated.
C.) She introduces evidence to show that the campaign Yuriko advocates is only effective for a short period to time.
D.) She denies Yuriko's assumption that Susan's city wants to increase the vaccination rate for children.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The process by which nylon is manufactured releases large amounts of the gas nitrous oxide, which is harmful to the environment. Since the processing of cotton fiber does not release environmentally harmful gases, there would be less environmental damage done if cotton fiber rather than nylon were used to make products such as thread and rope.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would weaken the argument?
Choices:
A.) If the quantity of nylon manufactured annually decreased substantially, the volume of several pollutants that are released into the environment during its manufacture would be reduced.
B.) Even if only some of the thread and rope that is currently being made from nylon were instead made from cotton fiber, some environmental damage would be avoided.
C.) If cotton fiber replaced nylon in the production of thread and rope, there would be a resulting increase in the amount of nylon used in other manufactured products.
D.) If thread and rope continue to be made from nylon, the production of cotton fiber will not increase as rapidly as it would if all thread and rope were to be made from cotton fiber.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: John: It was wrong of you to blame me for that traffic accident. You know full well that the accident was due to my poor vision, and I certainly cannot be held responsible for the fact that my vision has deteriorated. Michiko: But I can hold you responsible for your hazardous driving, because you know how poor your vision is. People are responsible for the consequences of actions that they voluntarily undertake, if they know that those actions risk such consequences.
Q: The principle that Michiko invokes, if established, would justify which one of the following judgments?
Choices:
A.) Colleen was responsible for her cat's being frightened, because, even though it was her brother who allowed the door to slam shut, she knew that cats are often frightened by loud noises.
B.) Colleen was responsible for missing her flight home from Paris, because she decided to take one more trip to the Eiffel Tower even though she knew she might not have sufficient time to get to the airport if she did so.
C.) Colleen was not responsible for losing her job, because, knowing that her position was in danger of being eliminated, she did everything possible to preserve it.
D.) Colleen was responsible for her automobile's having been stolen two weeks ago, because she did not take any of the precautions that the town police recommended in the antitheft manual they published last week.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Psychiatrist: Take any visceral emotion you care to consider. There are always situations in which it is healthy to try to express that emotion. So, there are always situations in which it is healthy to try to express one's anger.
Q: The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) Anger is always expressible.
B.) An emotion is visceral only if it is healthy to express.
C.) Anger is a visceral emotion.
D.) Some kinds of emotions are unhealthy to express.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Cigarette companies claim that manufacturing both low-and high-nicotine cigarettes allows smokers to choose how much nicotine they want. However, a recent study has shown that the levels of nicotine found in the blood of smokers who smoke one pack of cigarettes per day are identical at the end of a day's worth of smoking, whatever the level of nicotine in the cigarettes they smoke.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the finding of the nicotine study?
Choices:
A.) The level of tar in cigarettes is higher in low-nicotine cigarettes than it is in some high-nicotine cigarettes.
B.) Blood cannot absorb more nicotine per day than that found in the smoke from a package of the lowest-nicotine cigarettes available.
C.) Smokers of the lowest-nicotine cigarettes available generally smoke more cigarettes per day than smokers of high-nicotine cigarettes.
D.) Most nicotine is absorbed into the blood of a smoker even if it is delivered in smaller quantities.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editorial: The premier's economic advisor assures her that with the elimination of wasteful spending the goal of reducing taxes while not significantly decreasing government services can be met. But the premier should not listen to this advisor, who in his youth was convicted of embezzlement. Surely his economic advice is as untrustworthy as he is himself, and so the premier should discard any hope of reducing taxes without a significant decrease in government services.
Q: Which one of the following is a questionable argumentative strategy employed in the editorial's argument?
Choices:
A.) criticizing the source of a claim rather than examining the claim itself
B.) rejecting a proposal on the grounds that a particular implementation of the proposal is likely to fail
C.) taking lack of evidence for a claim as evidence undermining that claim
D.) presupposing what it sets out to establish
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Figorian Wildlife Commission: The development of wetlands in industrialized nations for residential and commercial uses has endangered many species. To protect wildlife we must regulate such development in Figoria: future wetland development must be offset by the construction of replacement wetland habitats. Thus, development would cause no net reduction of wetlands and pose no threat to the species that inhabit them. Figorian Development Commission: Other nations have flagrantly developed wetlands at the expense of wildlife. We have conserved. Since Figorian wetland development might not affect wildlife and is necessary for growth, we should allow development. We have as much right to govern our own resources as countries that have already put their natural resources to commercial use.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument advanced by the Figorian Wildlife Commission depends?
Choices:
A.) The species that inhabit Figorian wetlands are among the most severely threatened of the designated endangered species.
B.) The species indigenous to natural wetland habitats will survive in specially constructed replacement wetlands.
C.) In nations that are primarily agricultural, wetland development does not need to be regulated.
D.) More species have been endangered by the development of wetlands than have been endangered by any other type of development.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Figorian Wildlife Commission: The development of wetlands in industrialized nations for residential and commercial uses has endangered many species. To protect wildlife we must regulate such development in Figoria: future wetland development must be offset by the construction of replacement wetland habitats. Thus, development would cause no net reduction of wetlands and pose no threat to the species that inhabit them. Figorian Development Commission: Other nations have flagrantly developed wetlands at the expense of wildlife. We have conserved. Since Figorian wetland development might not affect wildlife and is necessary for growth, we should allow development. We have as much right to govern our own resources as countries that have already put their natural resources to commercial use.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if accepted, would most strongly support the Figorian Development Commission's position against the Figorian Wildlife Commission's position?
Choices:
A.) Environment regulation must aim at preventing any further environmental damage and cannot allow for the different degrees to which different nations have already harmed the environment.
B.) It is imprudent to allow further depletion of natural resources.
C.) Only when a reduction of populations of endangered species by commercial development has been found should regulation be implemented to prevent further damage.
D.) The right of future generations to have wildlife preserved supersedes the economic needs of individual nations.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: High blood cholesterol levels are bad for the heart. Like meat, eggs, and poultry, shellfish contains cholesterol. But shellfish is not necessarily bad for the heart; it is very low in saturated fat, which affects blood cholesterol levels much more than dietary cholesterol does.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Choices:
A.) Foods low in saturated fat promote low blood cholesterol.
B.) Small quantities of foods high in saturated fat are not bad for the heart
C.) A serving of meat or poultry is typically larger than a serving of shellfish.
D.) Meat and eggs are high in saturated fat.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Every moral theory developed in the Western tradition purports to tell us what a good life is. However, most people would judge someone who perfectly embodied the ideals of any one of these theories not to be living a good life—the kind of life they would want for themselves and their children.
Q: The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) A person who fits the ideals of one moral theory in the Western tradition would not necessarily fit the ideals of another.
B.) Most people have a conception of a good life that does not match that of any moral theory in the Western tradition.
C.) Most people desire a life for themselves and their children that is better than a merely good life.
D.) It is impossible to develop a theory that accurately describes what a good life is.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Biologist: Humans have five fingers because we descended from a fish with five phalanges in its fins. Despite our prejudices to the contrary, our configuration of fingers is no more or less useful than several other possible configurations, e.g., six per hand. So, if humans had descended from a fish with six phalanges in its fins and had six fingers on each hand, then we would be just as content with that configuration.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the biologist's argument?
Choices:
A.) Humans are never equally content with two things of unequal usefulness.
B.) At least one species of fish had six phalanges in its fins.
C.) Humans are always equally content with two things of equal usefulness.
D.) Everyone is equally content with our present configuration of fingers.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Surrealist: Many artists mistakenly think that models need be taken only from outside the psyche. Although human sensibility can confer beauty upon even the most vulgar external objects, using the power of artistic representation solely to preserve and reinforce objects that would exist even without artists is an ironic waste.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the surrealist's argument?
Choices:
A.) Artists should not base all their work on mere representation.
B.) An artist's work should not merely represent objects from outside the psyche.
C.) True works of art rarely represent objects from outside the psyche.
D.) Artistic representation is used solely to preserve and reinforce objects.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Harrold Foods is attempting to dominate the soft-drink market by promoting "Hero," its most popular carbonated drink product, with a costly new advertising campaign. But survey results show that, in the opinion of 72 percent of all consumers, "Hero" already dominates the market. Since any product with more than 50 percent of the sales in a market is, by definition, dominant in that market, Harrold Foods dominates the market now and need only maintain its current market share in order to continue to do so.
Q: The argument commits which one of the following errors in reasoning?
Choices:
A.) treating the failure to establish that a certain claim is false as equivalent to a demonstration that that claim is true
B.) failing to exclude the possibility that what appears to be the result of a given market condition may in fact be the cause of that condition
C.) taking evidence that a claim is believed to be true to constitute evidence that the claim is in fact true
D.) mistaking a condition required if a certain result is to obtain for a condition that by itself is sufficient to guarantee that result
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Theoretically, analog systems are superior to digital systems. A signal in a pure analog system can be infinitely detailed, while digital systems cannot produce signals that are more precise than their digital units. With this theoretical advantage there is a practical disadvantage, however. Since there is no limit on the potential detail of the signal, the duplication of an analog representation allows tiny variations from the original, which are errors. These errors tend to accumulate as signals are duplicated, until this "noise" obliterates the information embodied in the original signal.
Q: The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Analog representation of information is impractical because we do not need infinitely detailed information.
B.) Digital systems are preferable to analog systems when the signal must be reproduced many times.
C.) Many ideas that work well in theory do not work well in practice.
D.) Analog systems are inferior to digital systems for most practical purposes.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Psychologist: Doctors should never prescribe sedatives for people with insomnia. Most cases of insomnia that psychologists treat are known to be caused by psychological stress. This suggests that insomniacs do not need drugs that alter their biochemistry, but rather need psychotherapy to help them alleviate the stress causing their insomnia.
Q: Each of the following describes a flaw in the psychologist's reasoning EXCEPT:
Choices:
A.) It presumes, without providing warrant, that insomnia contributes to an inability to cope with stress.
B.) It overlooks the possibility that sedatives could help insomniacs cope with stress.
C.) It presumes, without providing justification, that the cases of insomnia psychologists treat are representative of all cases of insomnia.
D.) It neglects the possibility that for some people psychotherapy is a completely ineffective treatment for stress.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Numerous paintings and engravings representing warfare can be found in remains of all civilizations going back to and including the Neolithic period, when agriculture was first developed. However, no paintings or engravings of warfare are found dating from before the Neolithic period. Therefore, warfare must have first developed as a result of the transition to an agricultural society.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Choices:
A.) There was no warfare prior to the period in which paintings and engravings of warfare were first created.
B.) Warfare is the inevitable result of the development of a civilization.
C.) Paintings and engravings of agricultural life began to be made at the same time as paintings and engravings of warfare.
D.) Paintings and engravings were the dominant forms of artistic expression during the Neolithic period.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: An antidote for chicken pox has been developed, but researchers warn that its widespread use could be dangerous, despite the fact that this drug has no serious side effects and is currently very effective at limiting the duration and severity of chicken pox.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, helps most to reconcile the apparent discrepancy indicated above?
Choices:
A.) The drug does not prevent the spread of chicken pox from one person to another, even when the drug eventually cures the disease in the first person.
B.) The drug is extremely expensive and would be difficult to make widely available.
C.) The drug has to be administered several times a day, so patient compliance is likely to be low.
D.) Use of the drug contributes to the development of deadlier forms of chicken pox that are resistant to the drug.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The tendency toward overspecialization in the study of artifacts is unfortunate. Scholars can enhance their understanding of a certain artistic period by studying art from earlier periods that had a significant influence on it. For instance, because of its influence on Spanish artisans, a proper understanding of Arabic porcelain is indispensable for a proper understanding of Spanish porcelain.
Q: Of the following, which one most closely conforms to the principle that the passage as a whole illustrates?
Choices:
A.) To understand completely Aristotle's philosophy, one must be well acquainted with the philosophy of his intellectual mentor, Plato.
B.) To understand fully the historical events of this century, a historian must have an understanding of similar events in earlier centuries.
C.) To appreciate fully the French language, one must understand the other languages that share its linguistic ancestry.
D.) To understand completely the major trends in research on aging, one must understand the influences these trends exert on society's view of aging.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editorial: Medical schools spend one hour teaching preventive medicine for every ten hours spent teaching curative medicine, even though doctors' use of the techniques of preventive medicine cuts down medical costs greatly. Therefore, if their goal is to make medicine more cost-effective, medical schools spend insufficient time teaching preventive medicine.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption on which the editorial's argument depends?
Choices:
A.) Every hour devoted to the teaching of preventive medicine reduces medical costs by 10 percent or more.
B.) The time required to teach preventive medicine thoroughly is greater than one hour for every ten that are now spent teaching curative medicine.
C.) Preventive medicine makes use of technologies that are lower in initial cost than the technologies used within the practice of curative medicine.
D.) Improvements in doctors' use of the techniques of curative medicine would only increase overall medical costs.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Dana: It is wrong to think that the same educational methods should be used with all children. Many children have been raised in more communal environments than others and would therefore learn better through group, rather than individual, activities. A child's accustomed style of learning should always dictate what method is used. Pat: No, not always. The flexibility of being able to work either on one's own or in a group is invaluable in a world where both skills are in demand.
Q: The conversation lends the most support to the claim that Dana and Pat disagree on which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) It is sometimes desirable to tailor educational methods to the way a child learns best.
B.) Many children would learn better through group, rather than individual, activities.
C.) All children should learn to adapt to various educational methods.
D.) All children can learn valuable skills from individual activities.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Experimental psychology requires the application of statistics to interpret empirical data and assess their significance. A person will not be able to understand such applications without training in statistics. Therefore, the more training one has in statistics, the better one will be at research in experimental psychology.
Q: Which one of the following arguments exhibits a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to that exhibited by the argument above?
Choices:
A.) The main cause of heart attacks is arteriosclerosis, the buildup of plaque on the interior wall of the coronary arteries. It develops over an extended period of time. Therefore, if one is at risk for arteriosclerosis, one becomes more likely to suffer a heart attack as one gets older.
B.) Since many disease processes are biochemical in nature, unless one understands chemistry one will not be able to understand the explanations for many diseases. Therefore, if one has no training in chemistry, one will not be able to master medicine.
C.) Since most disease processes are biochemical in nature, an understanding of chemistry will enable one to understand most diseases. Therefore, one needs little more than training in chemistry to be able to master medicine.
D.) Most people need the love and support of others; without it, they become depressed and unhappy. Therefore, in most instances, the more love and support a person receives, the happier that person will be.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In 1988 the government of Country X began using a new computer program to determine the number of people employed in that country. The program simply tallied the number of paychecks per pay period issued by employers in X, and used that figure as its estimate of employment. The government reported that, compared with the immediately preceding quarter, there was a large increase in the number of people employed for the first quarter for which the program was used.
Q: Which one of the following can be properly concluded from the information above, together with the fact that in the first quarter for which the program was used, some employers in X issued separate paychecks for the regular hours an employee worked, for the employee's overtime, and for bonuses and commissions?
Choices:
A.) The government overestimated the total number of people employed in X for the first quarter for which the program was used.
B.) The government's estimate of growth in the number of people employed was less accurate after the government began using the new program than it had been before.
C.) The government had not reported strong growth in the number of people employed for the quarters just before the new program was used.
D.) Contrary to the claims of the government of Country X, there was no growth in the number of people employed in X in the first quarter for which the program was used.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Some vegetarians have argued that there are two individually sufficient reasons for not eating meat— one based on health considerations, and the other based on the aversion to living at the expense of other conscious creatures. But suppose that eating meat were essential to good health for humans. Then it would be less clear that an aversion to living at the expense of other conscious creatures is enough of a reason to stop eating meat.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the supposition that eating meat is essential to good health?
Choices:
A.) It is used to disprove the vegetarian position that we should not eat meat.
B.) It is used to weaken the claim that the consciousness of animals is a sufficient reason for not eating meat.
C.) It is used to show that the two types of reasons cited in favor of vegetarianism are independent.
D.) It is used to disprove the claim that a vegetarian diet is healthy.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The increasing complexity of scientific inquiry has led to a proliferation of multiauthored technical articles. Reports of clinical trials involving patients from several hospitals are usually coauthored by physicians from each participating hospital. Likewise, physics papers reporting results from experiments using subsystems developed at various laboratories generally have authors from each laboratory.
Q: If all the statements above are true, which one of the following must be true?
Choices:
A.) Physics papers authored by researchers from multiple laboratories usually report results from experiments using subsystems developed at each laboratory.
B.) Most reports of clinical trials involving patients from several hospitals have multiple authors.
C.) Clinical trials involving patients from several hospitals are never conducted solely by physicians from just one hospital.
D.) When a technical article has multiple authors, they are usually from several different institutions.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Helena: Extroversion, or sociability, is not biologically determined. Children whose biological parents are introverted, when adopted by extroverts, tend to be more sociable than children of introverted parents who are not adopted. Jay: Your conclusion does not follow. Some of these children adopted by extroverts remain introverted no matter how young they are when adopted.
Q: Jay's response suggests that he interpreted Helena's remarks to mean that
Choices:
A.) biological factors play only a partial role in a child being extroverted
B.) children whose biological parents are introverted, when adopted by extroverts, tend not to be more sociable than children of introverted parents who are not adopted
C.) environmental factors can sometimes be more influential than biological factors in determining extroversion
D.) biological factors do not play any role in a child being extroverted
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Carl is clearly an incompetent detective. He has solved a smaller percentage of the cases assigned to him in the last 3 years—only 1 out of 25—than any other detective on the police force.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Carl was previously a detective in a police department in another city, and in the 4 years he spent there, he solved only 1 out of 30 crimes.
B.) Because the police chief regards Carl as the most capable detective, she assigns him only the most difficult cases, ones that others have failed to solve.
C.) Many of the officers in the police department in which Carl serves were hired or promoted within the last 5 years.
D.) Detectives on the police force on which Carl serves are provided with extensive resources, including the use of a large computer database, to help them solve crimes.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: It is well documented that people have positive responses to some words, such as "kind" and "wonderful," and negative responses to others, such as "evil" and "nausea." Recently, psychological experiments have revealed that people also have positive or negative responses to many nonsense words. This shows that people's responses to words are conditioned not only by what the words mean, but also by how they sound.
Q: The claim that people have positive or negative responses to many nonsense words plays which one of the following roles in the argument?
Choices:
A.) It is a conclusion supported by the claim that people's responses under experimental conditions are essentially different from their responses in ordinary situations.
B.) It is a premise offered in support of the conclusion that people's responses to words are engendered not only by what the words mean, but also by how they sound.
C.) It is a conclusion for which the only support provided is the claim that people's responses to words are conditioned both by what the words mean and by how they sound.
D.) It is a generalization partially supported by the claim that meaningful words can trigger positive or negative responses in people.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: People with high blood pressure are generally more nervous and anxious than are people who do not have high blood pressure. This fact shows that this particular combination of personality traits—the so-called hypertensive personality—is likely to cause a person with these traits to develop high blood pressure.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the ground that the argument
Choices:
A.) simply restates the claim that there is a "hypertensive personality" without providing evidence to support that claim
B.) takes a correlation between personality traits and high blood pressure as proof that the traits cause high blood pressure
C.) fails to define the term "hypertensive personality"
D.) focuses on nervousness and anxiety only, ignoring other personality traits that people with high blood pressure might have
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In his book, published in 1892, Grey used the same metaphor that Jordan used in her book, which was published in 1885. The metaphor is so unusual that there is little chance that two different people independently created it. Therefore, it is highly likely that Grey read Jordan's book.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
Choices:
A.) A text that was probably known to both Jordan and Grey was published in 1860 and also contained the same unusual metaphor.
B.) Both Grey's book and Jordan's book were written for the same audience.
C.) Jordan used the same metaphor in a work that she wrote in 1894 and published in 1895.
D.) According to most scholars, Grey was generally a more inventive writer than Jordan and developed many original metaphors.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Medical specialists report that patients with back muscle injuries who receive a combination of drugs and physical therapy do only as well as those who receive physical therapy alone. Yet the specialists state that drugs are a necessary part of the treatment of all patients who receive them for back muscle injuries.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the medical specialists' two claims?
Choices:
A.) Patients with injuries to other muscles show more improvement when treated with both drugs and physical therapy than when treated with physical therapy alone.
B.) Medical specialists who prescribe these treatments make accurate judgments about who needs both drugs and physical therapy and who needs physical therapy alone.
C.) Some back muscle injuries have been completely healed by a combination of drugs and physical therapy.
D.) Medical specialists treat all patients who have serious back muscle injuries with either physical therapy alone or a combination of drugs and physical therapy.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Commentator: In many countries the influence of fringe movements is increasing. The great centrifugal engine of modern culture turns faster and faster, spinning off fashions, ideologies, religions, artistic movements, economic theories, cults, and dogmas in fabulous profusion. Hence, modern culture threatens the national identities that now exist in the world.
Q: Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the commentator's argument?
Choices:
A.) It is preferable to have a pluralistic rather than a monolithic national culture.
B.) A culture with a solidified national identity tends to have more social problems than one without such an identity.
C.) The rate of cultural change in most countries will soon change drastically.
D.) A stable national identity is typically a composite of a staggering number of subcultures.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Packaging is vital to a product's commercial success. For example, the maker of a popular drink introduced a "new, improved" version which succeeded in blind taste tests. However, customers did not buy the product when marketed, mainly because the can, almost identical to that used for the earlier version of the beverage, made consumers expect that the new product would share certain features of the old, an expectation not satisfied by the new product.
Q: Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) Changing the packaging of a product will not improve the product's sales unless the product is also changed.
B.) Proper product packaging is more important than the quality of the product.
C.) To succeed in the market, a new product should not be packaged in a way that creates expectations that it does not meet.
D.) Products generally succeed in the market if they are packaged in a manner that accurately reflects their nature.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Larew: People in the lowest income quintile had a much higher percentage increase in average income over the last ten years than did those in the highest quintile. So their economic prosperity increased relative to the highest quintile's. Mendota: I disagree. The average income for the lowest quintile may have increased by a greater percentage, but the absolute amount of the increase in average income was surely greater for the highest quintile.
Q: Larew and Mendota disagree about whether
Choices:
A.) change in the economic prosperity of the lowest income quintile relative to the highest is accurately measured by comparing their percentage changes in average income
B.) the average income of people in the lowest quintile increased by a greater percentage over the last decade than did that of people in the highest quintile
C.) changes in the average income of people in the lowest quintile should ever be compared to changes in the average income of people in the highest quintile
D.) change in the economic prosperity of the lowest income quintile is more accurately measured in terms relative to the highest income quintile than in terms relative only to the lowest income quintile
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Challenge can be an important source of self-knowledge, since those who pay attention to how they react, both emotionally and physically, to challenge can gain useful insights into their own weaknesses.
Q: Which one of the following most closely conforms to the principle above?
Choices:
A.) A concert pianist should not have an entirely negative view of a memory lapse during a difficult performance. By understanding why the memory lapse occurred, the pianist can better prepare for future performances.
B.) Compassion is valuable not only for the wonderful feelings it brings, but also for the opportunities it affords to enrich the lives of other people.
C.) While some of the value of competition comes from the pleasure of winning, the primary reward of competition is competition itself.
D.) A salesperson should understand that the commission earned is not the only reward of making a sale. Salespeople should also take satisfaction from the fact that successful sales reflect well on their personalities.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In some countries, national planners have attempted to address the problems resulting from increasing urbanization by reducing migration from rural areas. But some economists have suggested an alternative approach. These economists assert that planners could solve these problems effectively by trading goods or services produced by a predominantly urban population in order to obtain the agricultural products that were previously produced domestically.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the economists' assertion?
Choices:
A.) Problems associated with migration to cities from rural areas are primarily due to trade imbalances between countries.
B.) A scarcity of agricultural products is a central element of many problems created by urbanization.
C.) All problems that have economic causes must have economic solutions.
D.) Government subsidies to urban manufacturers can ease the problems caused by the migration of people from rural to urban areas.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Inez: The book we are reading, The Nature of Matter, is mistitled. A title should summarize the content of the whole book, but nearly half of this book is devoted to discussing a different, albeit closely related subject: energy. Antonio: I do not think that the author erred; according to modern physics, matter and energy are two facets of the same phenomenon.
Q: Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the conversation above?
Choices:
A.) Inez believes that the book should be called The Nature of Energy.
B.) Inez and Antonio disagree about the overall value of the book.
C.) Inez believes that the book's title should not mention matter without mentioning energy.
D.) Antonio believes that there are no differences between matter and energy.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Politician:Those economists who claim that consumer price increases have averaged less than 3 percent over the last year are mistaken. They clearly have not shopped anywhere recently. Gasoline is up 10 percent over the last year; my auto insurance, 12 percent; newspapers, 15 percent; propane, 13 percent; bread, 50 percent.
Q: The reasoning in the politician's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Choices:
A.) uses evidence drawn from a small sample that may well be unrepresentative
B.) mistakenly infers that something is not true from the claim that it has not been shown to be so
C.) fails to show that the economists mentioned are not experts in the area of consumer prices
D.) impugns the character of the economists rather than addressing their arguments
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Sherrie: Scientists now agree that nicotine in tobacco is addictive inasmuch as smokers who try to stop smoking suffer withdrawal symptoms. For this reason alone, tobacco should be treated the same way as other dangerous drugs. Governments worldwide have a duty to restrict the manufacture and sale of tobacco. Fran: By your own admission, "addictive" is broad enough to include other commonly consumed products, such as coffee and soft drinks containing caffeine. But of course the manufacture and sale of these products should not be restricted.
Q: The dialogue above lends the most support to the claim that Sherrie and Fran disagree with each other about which one of the following statements?
Choices:
A.) Scientists and governments have a duty to cooperate in regulating drugs to protect the public health.
B.) Agreement by scientists that a substance is addictive justifies government restrictions on products containing that substance.
C.) Coffee and soft drinks that contain caffeine should not be regulated by governments.
D.) The manufacture and sale of all drugs should be regulated by governments.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In 1963, a young macaque monkey was observed venturing into a hot spring to retrieve food which had fallen in. Soon, other macaques began to enter the spring, and over a few years this behavior was adopted by the entire troop. Prior to 1963, no macaques had ever been observed in the hot spring; by 1990, the troop was regularly spending time there during the winters. Thus, these macaques are able to adopt and pass on new patterns of social behavior, and are not complete captives of their genetic heritage.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Mutations in the genetic heritage of a certain variety of macaques can occur over a time span as short as a few years or decades.
B.) The social behaviors of macaques are completely independent of their genetic heritage.
C.) New patterns of behavior that emerge in macaque populations over the course of a few years or decades are not necessarily genetically predetermined.
D.) The macaques' new pattern of behavior will persist over several generations.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Technological innovation rarely serves the interests of society as a whole. This can be seen from the fact that those responsible for technological advances are almost without exception motivated by considerations of personal gain rather than societal benefit in that they strive to develop commercially viable technology.
Q: The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Choices:
A.) contains a premise that cannot possibly be true
B.) fails to consider the possibility that actions motivated by a desire for personal gain often do not result in personal gain
C.) takes for granted that an action is unlikely to produce a certain outcome unless it is motivated by a desire to produce that outcome
D.) takes for granted that technology beneficial to society as a whole cannot be commercially viable
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: There are two kinds of horror stories: those that describe a mad scientist's experiments and those that describe a monstrous beast. In some horror stories about monstrous beasts, the monster symbolizes a psychological disturbance in the protagonist. Horror stories about mad scientists, on the other hand, typically express the author's feeling that scientific knowledge alone is not enough to guide human endeavor. However, despite these differences, both kinds of horror stories share two features: they describe violations of the laws of nature and they are intended to produce dread in the reader.
Q: If the statements above are true, which one of the following would also have to be true?
Choices:
A.) Most stories about mad scientists express the author's antiscientific views.
B.) Some stories that employ symbolism describe violations of the laws of nature.
C.) Any story that describes a violation of a law of nature is intended to invoke dread in the reader.
D.) Horror stories of any kind usually describe characters who are psychologically disturbed.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Politician: Some of my opponents have argued on theoretical grounds in favor of reducing social spending. Instead of arguing that there is excessive public expenditure on social programs, my opponents should focus on the main cause of deficit spending: the fact that government is bloated with bureaucrats and self-aggrandizing politicians. It is unwarranted, therefore, to reduce social expenditure.
Q: A reasoning flaw in the politician's argument is that the argument
Choices:
A.) takes for granted that deficit spending has just one cause
B.) makes an attack on the character of opponents
C.) portrays opponents' views as more extreme than they really are
D.) does not address the arguments advanced by the politician's opponents
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: While it is true that bees' vision is well suited to the task of identifying flowers by their colors, it is probable that flowers developed in response to the type of vision that bees have, rather than bees' vision developing in response to flower color.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the statement above?
Choices:
A.) Many insects that have vision very similar to that of bees do not depend on perceiving an object's color.
B.) Present-day bees rely exclusively on flowers for their food.
C.) The number of different species of flowers is greater than the number of different species of bees.
D.) Some flowers rely on insects other than bees.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Professor: It has been argued that freedom of thought is a precondition for intellectual progress, because freedom of thought allows thinkers to pursue their ideas, regardless of whom these ideas offend, in whatever direction they lead. However, it is clear that one must mine the full implications of interrelated ideas to make intellectual progress, and for this, thinkers need intellectual discipline. Therefore, this argument for freedom of thought fails.
Q: The conclusion drawn by the professor follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) Without intellectual discipline, thinkers can have no freedom of thought.
B.) In societies that protect freedom of thought, thinkers invariably lack intellectual discipline.
C.) Thinkers can mine the full implications of interrelated ideas only in the context of a society that values intellectual progress.
D.) Thinkers who limit their line of thought to a particular orthodoxy are hindered in their intellectual progress.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: People who have specialized knowledge about a scientific or technical issue are systematically excluded from juries for trials where that issue is relevant. Thus, trial by jury is not a fair means of settling disputes involving such issues.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Choices:
A.) The more a juror knows about a particular scientific or technical issue involved in a trial, the more likely it is that the juror will be prejudiced in favor of one of the litigating parties before the trial begins.
B.) Experts who give testimony on scientific or technical issues tend to hedge their conclusions by discussing the possibility of error.
C.) Appointing an impartial arbitrator is not a fair means of settling disputes involving scientific or technical issues, because arbitrators tend to favor settlements in which both parties compromise on the issues.
D.) The more complicated the issue being litigated, the less likely it is that a juror without specialized knowledge of the field involved will be able to comprehend the testimony being given.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If one has evidence that an act will benefit other people and performs that act to benefit them, then one will generally succeed in benefiting them.
Q: Which one of the following best illustrates the proposition above?
Choices:
A.) Betsy overheard a heating contractor say that regularly changing the filter in a furnace helps to keep the furnace efficient. So Betsy has regularly changed the furnace filter in her daughter's house. As a result, the furnace has never required maintenance due to becoming clogged with dust or dirt.
B.) A country's leaders realized that fostering diplomatic ties with antagonistic nations reduces the chances of war with those nations. Because those leaders worried that war would harm their chances of being reelected, they engaged in diplomatic discussions with a hostile country, and the two countries avoided a confrontation.
C.) A government study concluded that a proposed bureaucratic procedure would allow people to register their cars without waiting in line. The government adopted the procedure for this reason, and, as with most bureaucratic procedures, it was not successful.
D.) Zachary hoped that psychotherapy could help his parents overcome their marital difficulties. He persuaded his parents to call a psychotherapist, and eventually their problems were resolved.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Radio airplay restrictions are nationally imposed regulations. The City Club has compiled a guide to all nationally imposed regulations except those related to taxation or to labor law. Radio airplay restrictions are related neither to taxation nor to labor law, so the City Club's guide covers radio airplay restrictions.
Q: Which one of the following exhibits a pattern of reasoning most similar to that exhibited by the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Compact discs are a kind of data storage device. Leotol Corporation does not produce data storage devices that use analog storage methods. Compact discs do not use analog storage methods, so it follows that Leotol Corporation produces compact discs.
B.) Traffic laws are a type of government regulation. The association supports traffic laws that are in the public interest, even if they have not been shown to reduce the accident rate. Thus, the association should support all government regulations that are in the public interest.
C.) The Windsor Coalition is an example of a community organizing to discourage overdevelopment. The Neighborhood Association is in favor of this sort of community organizing, except when it poses a threat to regional economic growth. Therefore, the Neighborhood Association is in favor of the Windsor Coalition.
D.) Coreopsis is a perennial. The Garden Club awards a prize each year for each perennial except those that are shrubs or not native to North America. Coreopsis is native to North America and is not a shrub. So the Garden Club awards a prize each year for coreopsis.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Physics professor: Some scientists claim that superheated plasma in which electrical resistance fails is a factor in causing so-called "ball lightning." If this were so, then such lightning would emit intense light and, since plasma has gaslike properties, would rise in the air. However, the instances of ball lightning that I observed were of low intensity and floated horizontally before vanishing. Thus, superheated plasma with failed electrical resistance is never a factor in causing ball lightning.
Q: The physics professor's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) Ball lightning can occur as the result of several different factors.
B.) Superheated plasma in which electrical resistance fails does not cause types of lightning other than ball lightning.
C.) The phenomena observed by the physics professor were each observed by at least one other person.
D.) All types of ball lightning have the same cause.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Advertisement: Our oat bran cereal is the only one that has printed right on its package all of its claimed health benefits. And really health-conscious consumers have demonstrated that these health claims are true by buying our cereal since they would not have bought our cereal unless the claims were true. How do we know these consumers are really health-conscious? No really health-conscious consumer would buy food in a package that did not have accurate information about the food's health benefits printed on it.
Q: Which one of the following employs a flawed argumentative strategy that is most closely parallel to the flawed argumentative strategy in the advertisement above?
Choices:
A.) This painting is a poor imitation, because only people with poor eyesight mistook it for the original. That these people have poor eyesight is demonstrated by the fact that they also mistook a vase of flowers in the painting for a peacock.
B.) When coffee is being chosen, Brand Z is the coffee chosen by people with highly developed taste in coffee. These people showed their highly developed taste in coffee by correctly distinguishing eight brands of coffee from each other in a taste test.
C.) This card game must be intellectually challenging, because it is played by highly intelligent people, who play only intellectually challenging card games. In fact, these players' intelligence is demonstrated by the fact that they play this game.
D.) That jacket must have been made for a very short person, because only very short people were able to fit into it. We know that they were very short because we saw them before they tried on the jacket.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A study of 86 patients, all of whom suffered from disease T and received the same standard medical treatment, divided the patients into 2 equal groups. One group's members all attended weekly support group meetings, but no one from the other group attended support group meetings. After 10 years, 41 patients from each group had died. Clearly, support group meetings do not help patients with disease T live longer.
Q: Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Choices:
A.) The members of the group that attended weekly support group meetings lived 2 years longer, on average, than the members of the other group.
B.) Of the 4 patients who survived more than 10 years, the 2 who had attended weekly support group meetings lived longer than the 2 who had not.
C.) For many diseases, attending weekly support group meetings is part of the standard medical treatment.
D.) Everyone in the group whose members attended weekly support group meetings reported after 1 year that those meetings had helped them to cope with the disease.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Astronomer: I have asserted that our solar system does not contain enough meteoroids and other cosmic debris to have caused the extensive cratering on the far side of the moon. My opponents have repeatedly failed to demonstrate the falsity of this thesis. Their evidence is simply inconclusive; thus they should admit that my thesis is correct.
Q: The reasoning in the astronomer's argument is flawed because this argument
Choices:
A.) infers the truth of the astronomer's thesis from the mere claim that it has not been proven false
B.) ignores the possibility that alternative explanations may exist for the cratering
C.) presumes that the astronomer's thesis should not be subject to rational discussion and criticism
D.) fails to precisely define the key word "meteoroids"
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Many newborn babies have a yellowish tinge to their skin because their blood contains a high level of the pigment bilirubin. One group of doctors treats newborns to reduce high levels of bilirubin, since bilirubin, if it enters the brain, might cause the tetanus that sometimes occurs in newborns. However, a second group of doctors argues for allowing bilirubin levels in newborn babies to remain high, since the brain's own natural defenses normally prevent bilirubin from entering.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to support the position of the second group of doctors?
Choices:
A.) Bilirubin neutralizes certain potentially damaging substances to which newborns are exposed at birth.
B.) The treatment that most effectively reduces high levels of bilirubin in newborns has no known negative side effects.
C.) In newborns the pigment bilirubin, like other pigments, occurs not only in the blood but also in fluids involved in digestion.
D.) Some diseases that occur in newborns can weaken the brain's natural defenses and allow bilirubin to enter.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Economist:Some sociologists argue that because capitalism intrinsically involves competition, it weakens the ties between the people of a community. Although this may formerly have been true, modern capitalism requires that there be large corporations. Thus, modern capitalism promotes, rather than weakens, communal ties.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption on which the economist's argument depends?
Choices:
A.) Few economic systems are more successful than modern capitalism in fostering communal ties between citizens.
B.) An economic system that does not encourage large corporations will be less successful economically than one that does.
C.) Modern capitalism is designed primarily to distribute goods and services, not to create communal ties between people.
D.) Having large corporations in a modern capitalist system promotes the strength of communal ties.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Teacher: Participating in organized competitive athletics may increase a child's strength and coordination. As critics point out, however, it also instills in those children who are not already well developed in these respects a feeling of inferiority that never really disappears. Yet, since research has shown that adults with feelings of inferiority become more successful than those free of such anxieties, funding for children's athletic programs should not be eliminated.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the teacher's argument by the assertion that participating in organized competitive athletics may increase a child's strength and coordination?
Choices:
A.) It is a claim that the teacher attempts to refute with counterarguments.
B.) It is cited as an objection that has been raised to the position that the teacher is supporting.
C.) It is cited as an insufficient reason for eliminating funding for children's athletic programs.
D.) It is mentioned as one possible reason for adopting a policy for which the teacher suggests an additional reason.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Columnist: Donating items to charity may be a sign of generosity, but any generosity it may demonstrate is rarely a permanent virtue, since most donors make donations only intermittently.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the columnist's argument?
Choices:
A.) The argument takes for granted that most people donate out of generosity.
B.) The argument takes for granted that a character trait is present only when manifested.
C.) The argument takes for granted that truly generous people are the most virtuous.
D.) The argument generalizes from too small a sample of cases.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Researchers have found that, hours after birth, infants are able to distinguish faces from other images. Infants stare at drawings of faces for longer periods of time than they do at blank ovals or drawings in which facial features are scrambled.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the ability of newborn infants described above?
Choices:
A.) Infants learn to associate human faces with the necessities of comfort and nourishment.
B.) Infants learn to associate the sound of human voices with the images of human faces.
C.) Certain abilities of facial pattern recognition are innate in humans, rather than learned.
D.) The less an infant stares at an object, the weaker the preference the infant has for that object.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Violent crime in this town is becoming a serious problem. Compared to last year, local law enforcement agencies have responded to 17 percent more calls involving violent crimes, showing that the average citizen of this town is more likely than ever to become a victim of a violent crime.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Choices:
A.) The town's overall crime rate appears to have risen slightly this year compared to the same period last year.
B.) In general, persons under the age of 65 are less likely to be victims of violent crimes than persons over the age of 65.
C.) As a result of the town's community outreach programs, more people than ever are willing to report violent crimes to the proper authorities.
D.) In response to worries about violent crime, the town has recently opened a community center providing supervised activities for teenagers.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Two different dates have been offered as the approximate end point of the last ice age in North America. The first date was established by testing insect fragments found in samples of sediments to determine when warmth-adapted open-ground beetles replaced cold-adapted arctic beetles. The second date was established by testing pollen grains in those same samples to determine when ice masses yielded to spruce forests. The first date is more than 500 years earlier than the second.
Q: The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following conclusions about the last ice age and its aftermath in North America?
Choices:
A.) Among those sediments deposited toward the end of the ice age, those found to contain cold-adapted arctic beetle fragments can also be expected to contain spruce-pollen grains.
B.) Toward the end of the ice age, warmth-adapted open-ground beetles colonized the new terrain opened to them faster than soil changes and seed dispersion established new spruce forests.
C.) The species of cold-adapted arctic beetle that inhabited areas covered by ice masses died out toward the end of the last ice age.
D.) Ice masses continued to advance through North America for several hundred years after the end of the ice age.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: When presented with the evidence against him, Ellison freely admitted to engaging in illegal transactions using company facilities. However, the company obtained the evidence by illegally recording Ellison's conversations. Therefore, although the company may demand that he immediately cease, it cannot justifiably take any punitive measures against him.
Q: Which one of the following judgments best illustrates the principle illustrated by the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Shakila's secretary has admitted that he is illegally receiving cable television without paying for it. Shakila would not be justified in reporting him, though, since she once did the same thing.
B.) After Price confessed to having stolen money from Long over a period of several years, Long began stealing from Price. Despite Price's guilt, Long was not justified in taking illegal action against him.
C.) After Takashi told Sarah's parents that he had seen her at the movies on Tuesday, Sarah confessed to sneaking out that day. On Monday, however, Takashi had violated the local curfew for minors. Hence Sarah's parents cannot justifiably punish her in this case.
D.) After a conservation officer discovered them, Kuttner admitted that he had set the illegal animal traps on his land. But, because she was trespassing at the time, the conservation officer cannot justifiably punish Kuttner in this case.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In a recent study, each member of two groups of people, Group A (composed of persons sixty-five to seventy-five years old) and Group B (composed of college students), was required to make a telephone call to a certain number at a specified time. The time when each call was initiated was recorded electronically. Group A proved far better at remembering to make a telephone call precisely at a specified time than did Group B. There were fourteen lapses in Group B but only one lapse in Group A. Clearly, at least one type of memory does not suffer as a person ages.
Q: Which one of the following, if all of them are true, is LEAST helpful in establishing that the conclusion above is properly drawn?
Choices:
A.) The same group of researchers answered the calls made by the callers in both study groups.
B.) Both groups had unrestricted access to telephones for making the required calls.
C.) Among the college students there were no persons more than forty years old.
D.) The members of the two groups received their instructions approximately the same amount of time before they were to make their telephone calls.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Prediction, the hallmark of the natural sciences, appears to have been made possible by reducing phenomena to mathematical expressions. Some social scientists also want the power to predict accurately and assume they ought to perform the same reduction. But this would be a mistake; it would neglect data that are not easily mathematized and thereby would only distort the social phenomena.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument?
Choices:
A.) Phenomena in the social sciences should not be reduced to mathematical formulas.
B.) The social sciences do not have as much predictive power as the natural sciences.
C.) Prediction is responsible for the success of the natural sciences.
D.) There is a need in the social sciences to improve the ability to predict.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Studies have shown that the more high-stress points a bridge has, the more likely it is to fracture eventually. This might lead one to expect fractures to develop at high-stress points. Surprisingly, however, fractures develop not at high-stress points but elsewhere on the bridge.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, contributes most to an explanation of why bridges fracture elsewhere than at high-stress points?
Choices:
A.) Structures with no high-stress points can nonetheless have a high probability of fracturing.
B.) Fractures do not develop at high-stress points, because bridges are reinforced at those points; however, stress is transferred to other points on the bridge where it causes fractures.
C.) In many structures other than bridges, such as ship hulls and airplane bodies, fractures do not develop at high-stress points.
D.) In many structures, the process of fracturing often causes high-stress points to develop.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Many people say that the press should not pry into the personal lives of private individuals. But the press has the right to publish any story of interest to the public unless that story is libelous. So, if a story about a private individual is not libelous, the press has an obligation to publish it, for such information is clearly of interest to the public.
Q: The argument's reasoning is vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument presumes, without giving warrant, that
Choices:
A.) the press can publish nonlibelous stories about private individuals without prying into their personal lives
B.) the publishing of information about the personal lives of private individuals cannot be libelous
C.) the press's right to publish always outweighs the individual's right not to be libeled
D.) one's having a right to do something entails one's having an obligation to do it
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Consumer advocate: A recent study concluded that top-loading washing machines are superior overall to front-loaders. But front-loaders have the controls and access in front. This is more convenient for wheelchair users, some of whom find it highly inconvenient to remove laundry from top-loaders. So for some consumers front-loaders are superior.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the consumer advocate's argument depends?
Choices:
A.) Retrieving clothes from front-loaders is inconvenient for people who are not wheelchair users.
B.) Convenience is the only important factor in determining which type of washing machine is superior.
C.) For some consumers the convenience of front-loaders outweighs the advantages of top-loaders in assessing which is superior.
D.) Retrieving clothes from a top-loader is convenient for people who do not use wheelchairs.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Over 90 percent of the human brain currently serves no purpose, as is evident from the fact that many people with significant brain damage show no discernible adverse effects. So once humans begin to tap into this tremendous source of creativity and innovation, many problems that today seem insurmountable will be within our ability to solve.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument?
Choices:
A.) The argument presumes, without providing justification, that the currently unused parts of the brain are a potential source of tremendous creativity and innovation.
B.) The argument infers that certain parts of the brain do nothing merely on the basis of the assertion that we do not know what they do.
C.) The argument presumes, without providing justification, that the effects of brain damage are always easily detectable.
D.) The argument presumes, without providing justification, that the only reason that any problem remains unsolved is a lack of creativity and innovation.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Some scientists have expressed reservations about quantum theory because of its counterintuitive consequences. But despite rigorous attempts to show that quantum theory's predictions were inaccurate, they were shown to be accurate within the generally accepted statistical margin of error. These results, which have not been equaled by quantum theory's competitors, warrant acceptance of quantum theory.
Q: Which one of the following principles most helps to justify the reasoning above?
Choices:
A.) A theory should not be rejected until it has been subjected to serious attempts to disprove it.
B.) A scientific theory should be accepted if it has been subjected to serious attempts to disprove it and has withstood all of them.
C.) A theory should be accepted only if its predictions have not been disproved by experiment.
D.) The consequences of a scientific theory should not be considered counterintuitive if the theory's predictions have been found to be accurate.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Psychologist: The obligation to express gratitude cannot be fulfilled anonymously. However much society may have changed over the centuries, human psychology is still driven primarily by personal interaction. Thus, the important social function of positively reinforcing those behaviors that have beneficial consequences for others can be served only if the benefactor knows the source of the gratitude.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the psychologist's argument by the claim that the obligation to express gratitude cannot be fulfilled anonymously?
Choices:
A.) It is used to counter a consideration that might be taken to undermine the argument's conclusion.
B.) It is the conclusion that the argument is intended to support.
C.) It is used to support indirectly a claim that the argument in turn uses to support directly the conclusion.
D.) It is used to identify the social benefit with which the argument is concerned.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Curator: Our museum displays only twentieth-century works, which are either on loan from private collectors or in the museum's permanent collection. Prints of all of the latter works are available in the museum store. The museum store also sells prints of some works that are not part of the museum's permanent collection, such as Hopper's Nighthawks.
Q: If the curator's statements are true, which one of the following must be true?
Choices:
A.) Hopper's Nighthawks is not displayed in the museum.
B.) Every print that is sold in the museum store is a copy of a twentieth-century work.
C.) There are prints in the museum store of every work that is displayed in the museum and not on loan from a private collector.
D.) Every print in the museum store is of a work that is either on loan to the museum from a private collector or part of the museum's permanent collection.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Nutritionist:Because humans have evolved very little since the development of agriculture, it is clear that humans are still biologically adapted to a diet of wild foods, consisting mainly of raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean meat, and seafood. Straying from this diet has often resulted in chronic illness and other physical problems. Thus, the more our diet consists of wild foods, the healthier we will be.
Q: The claim that humans are still biologically adapted to a diet of wild foods plays which one of the following roles in the nutritionist's argument?
Choices:
A.) It is a phenomenon for which the main conclusion of the nutritionist's argument is cited as an explanation.
B.) It is an intermediate conclusion for which one claim is offered as support, and which is used in turn to support the argument's main conclusion.
C.) It is a conclusion for which the only support offered is the claim that straying from a diet of wild foods has often resulted in chronic illness and other physical problems.
D.) It is a premise offered in support of the claim that humans have evolved very little since the development of agriculture.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D