Question:
Passage: Although the first humans came to Australia 56,000 years ago and undoubtedly brought new diseases with them, human-borne diseases probably did not cause the mass extinction of large land animals and birds that took place over the following 10,000 years. After all, more than 55 different species disappeared at about the same time, and no one disease, however virulent, could be fatal to animals across that many different species.
Q: Which one of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning that is most parallel to that in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Even though Lena, Jen, and Mark would like to go out to dinner together after the movie tonight, they will probably go straight home after the show. Of the five restaurants that are in the immediate vicinity of the theater, there is not a single one that all three of them like.
B.) Even though the influenza vaccine does not always prevent influenza, it sometimes reduces the severity of its symptoms. Therefore it is incorrect to say that some people who receive the vaccine derive no benefit from it.
C.) Even though I can fix some things and you can fix some things, the two of us will be unable to repair our apartment without outside help. The apartment has both a broken window and a broken bedroom door, and neither of us is able to fix both doors and windows.
D.) Even though this painting is highly regarded by critics, it cannot legitimately be deemed great art. Most art that was produced in the last hundred years is not great art, and this painting, beautiful though it is, was probably painted only 40 years ago.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A tax preparation company automatically adds the following disclaimer to every e-mail message sent to its clients: "Any tax advice in this e-mail should not be construed as advocating any violation of the provisions of the tax code." The only purpose this disclaimer could serve is to provide legal protection for the company. But if the e-mail elsewhere suggests that the client do something illegal, then the disclaimer offers no legal protection. So the disclaimer serves no purpose.
Q: The argument's conclusion can be properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) A disclaimer that is included in every e-mail message sent by a company will tend to be ignored by recipients who have already received many e-mails from that company.
B.) Some of the tax preparation company's clients would try to illegally evade penalties if they knew how to do so.
C.) At least some of the recipients of the company's e-mails will follow the advice contained in the body of at least some of the e-mails they receive.
D.) If the e-mail does not elsewhere suggest that the client do anything illegal, then the company does not need legal protection.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Well-intentioned people sometimes attempt to resolve the marital problems of their friends. But these attempts are usually ineffectual and thereby foster resentment among all parties. Thus, even well-intentioned attempts to resolve the marital problems of friends are usually unjustified.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most strongly supports the reasoning above?
Choices:
A.) One should get involved in other people's problems only with the intention of producing the best overall consequences.
B.) No actions based on good intentions are justified unless they also result in success.
C.) Good intentions are the only legitimate grounds on which to attempt to resolve the marital problems of friends.
D.) Interpersonal relations should be conducted in accordance with doing whatever is right, regardless of the consequences.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: It has been said that authors who write in order to give pleasure cannot impart to their readers the truth of their subject matter. That claim cannot be true. If it were, one could determine the truthfulness of a book simply by looking at its sales figures. If the book were very popular, one could reasonably conclude that it gave people pleasure and therefore that at least some of what is written in the book is not true.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Choices:
A.) When people choose to read a book, they generally do not already know whether reading it will give them pleasure.
B.) A book will not give its readers pleasure unless it was intended by its author to have that effect.
C.) A book can be popular for reasons other than its ability to give readers pleasure.
D.) Even when an author writes with the goal of giving people pleasure, that goal will not necessarily be achieved.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: It is likely that most of the new television programs Wilke & Wilke produce for this season will be canceled. Most of the new shows they produced last season were canceled due to insufficient viewership. Furthermore, their new shows are all police dramas, and few police dramas have been popular in recent years.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to strengthen the argument?
Choices:
A.) None of the most popular television shows last year were police dramas.
B.) Most of the shows that Wilke & Wilke produced last year were police dramas.
C.) Wilke & Wilke have produced more new shows for this season than they produced last season.
D.) All of the new shows that Wilke & Wilke produced last year that were canceled were police dramas.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If a corporation obtains funds fraudulently, then the penalty should take into account the corporation's use of those funds during the time it held them. In such cases, the penalty should completely offset any profit the corporation made in using the funds.
Q: Which one of the following conforms most closely to the principle illustrated above?
Choices:
A.) If someone is sentenced to perform community service, the court has a responsibility to ensure that the community at large rather than a private group benefits from that service.
B.) If an athlete is found to have used banned performance-enhancing substances, that athlete should be prohibited from participating in all future athletic competitions.
C.) If a factory is found to have been recklessly violating pollution laws, that factory should be required to make the expenditures necessary to bring it into compliance with those laws to the satisfaction of the regulators.
D.) If a convicted criminal writes a memoir describing the details of that criminal's crime, any proceeds of the book should be donated to a charity chosen by a third party.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Aisha: Vadim is going to be laid off. Vadim's work as a programmer has been exemplary since joining the firm. But management has already made the decision to lay off a programmer. And this firm strictly follows a policy of laying off the most recently hired programmer in such cases.
Q: Aisha's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) Vadim is the most recently hired programmer at the firm.
B.) When Vadim was hired, the policy of laying off the most recently hired programmer was clearly explained.
C.) It is bad policy that the firm always lays off the most recently hired programmer.
D.) Every other programmer at the firm has done better work than Vadim.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Wanda: It is common sense that one cannot create visual art without visual stimuli in one's work area, just as a writer needs written stimuli. A stark, empty work area would hinder my creativity. This is why there are so many things in my studio. Vernon: But a writer needs to read good writing, not supermarket tabloids. Are you inspired by the piles of laundry and empty soda bottles in your studio?
Q: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the principle underlying Vernon's response to Wanda?
Choices:
A.) Messiness impairs artistic creativity.
B.) The quality of the stimuli in an artist's environment matters.
C.) One should be able to be creative even in a stark, empty work area.
D.) Supermarket tabloids should not be considered stimulating.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The official listing of an animal species as endangered triggers the enforcement of legal safeguards designed to protect endangered species, such as tighter animal export and trade restrictions and stronger antipoaching laws. Nevertheless, there have been many cases in which the decline in the wild population of a species was more rapid after that species was listed as endangered than before it was so listed.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, does most to account for the increase in the rate of population decline described above?
Choices:
A.) Animals are more desirable to collectors when they are perceived to be rare.
B.) Poachers find it progressively more difficult to locate animals of a particular species as that species' population declines.
C.) Public campaigns to save endangered animal species often focus only on those species that garner the public's affection.
D.) The process of officially listing a species as endangered can take many years.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Annette: To persuade the town council to adopt your development plan, you should take them on a trip to visit other towns that have successfully implemented plans like yours. Sefu: But I have a vested interest in their votes. If council members were to accept a trip from me, it would give the appearance of undue influence.
Q: The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Annette and Sefu disagree over whether
Choices:
A.) the appearance of undue influence should be avoided
B.) other towns have successfully implemented similar development plans
C.) Sefu should take the council on a trip to visit other towns
D.) the council should adopt Sefu's development plan
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Scholar: Recently, some religions have updated the language of their traditional texts and replaced traditional rituals with more contemporary ones. These changes have been followed by increases in attendance at places of worship affiliated with these religions. This shows that any such modernization will result in increased numbers of worshipers.
Q: The scholar's reasoning is flawed because the scholar presumes without giving sufficient justification that
Choices:
A.) the modernization of the texts and rituals of some religions was the cause of their increases in attendance
B.) not every religion can update its texts and replace its traditional rituals
C.) modernization of religious texts and rituals will not involve an alteration of their messages
D.) making texts and rituals more modern is the only way in which a religion could bring about an increase in attendance at places of worship
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If one is to participate in the regional band, one must practice very hard or be very talented. Therefore, Lily, who is first trombonist in the regional band and is very talented, does not practice hard.
Q: The flawed reasoning in which one of the following arguments most closely resembles the flawed reasoning in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) To stay informed about current events, one must read a major newspaper or watch national TV news every day. So Julie, who is informed about current events and reads a major newspaper every day, does not watch TV news.
B.) In order to have a chance to meet its objectives, the army needs good weather as a precondition for retaining its mobility. The weather is good today, so the army will meet its objectives.
C.) If Lois were on vacation, she would be visiting her brother in Chicago or seeing friends in Toronto. Since she is not on vacation, she is in neither Chicago nor Toronto.
D.) If Wayne is to get a ride home from the library, either Yvette or Marty must be there. Yvette is not at the library, so Marty must be there.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Dietitian: Eating fish can lower one's cholesterol level. In a study of cholesterol levels and diet, two groups were studied. The first group ate a balanced diet including two servings of fish per week. The second group ate a very similar diet, but ate no fish. The first group showed lower cholesterol levels, on average, than the second group. The two groups had displayed similar average cholesterol levels prior to the study.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the dietitian's argument by the claim that the two groups had displayed similar average cholesterol levels prior to the study?
Choices:
A.) It rules out an alternative explanation of the data collected in the study.
B.) It introduces an alternative explanation of the phenomenon described in the main conclusion.
C.) It is offered as an objection to the main conclusion of the argument.
D.) It provides background information on the purpose of the study.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Satellite navigation systems (satnavs) for cars, in which computer voices announce directions as you drive, save fuel and promote safety. Studies show that, when assigned to novel destinations, drivers using satnavs took, on average, 7 percent fewer miles per journey than drivers using paper maps. Fewer miles driven means, on average, less fuel consumed. Also, the drivers who used satnavs drove more carefully in that they were not taking their eyes off the road to check paper maps.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Choices:
A.) The more fuel a vehicle consumes, the more motivation a driver has to find the shortest route to his or her destination.
B.) Drivers who are given directions as needed are less likely to change course suddenly or make other risky maneuvers.
C.) Drivers who own satnavs usually prefer to drive to their accustomed destinations by using their customary routes rather than by following the directions given by the satnavs.
D.) Drivers who do not routinely need to drive to an unfamiliar location are more likely to plan out their route carefully prior to departure.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A manager cannot extract the best performance from employees by threatening them with termination or offering financial rewards for high productivity. Rather, employees must come to want to do a good job for its own sake. One of the best ways for a manager to achieve this is to delegate responsibility to them, especially for decisions that previously had to be made by the manager.
Q: Which one of the following propositions is best illustrated by the situation described in the passage?
Choices:
A.) In some cases one's effectiveness in a particular role can be enhanced by a partial relinquishing of control.
B.) It is often the case that the desire for prestige is more powerful than the desire for job security.
C.) People who carry out decisions are in the best position to determine what those decisions should be.
D.) Increased responsibility can improve a person's sense of how power should be used.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Richard: Because it fails to meet the fundamental requirement of art—that it represent—abstract art will eventually be seen as an aberration. Jung-Su: Although artists, like musicians, may reject literal representation, makers of abstract art choose to represent the purely formal features of objects, which are discovered only when everyday perspectives are rejected. Thus, whatever others might come to say, abstract art is part of the artistic mainstream.
Q: Richard and Jung-Su disagree over whether
Choices:
A.) makers of abstract art reject literal representation
B.) the fundamental requirement of art is that it represent
C.) abstract art will be seen as an aberration
D.) abstract art is representational
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A person who knowingly brings about misfortune should be blamed for it. However, in some cases a person who unwittingly brings about misfortune should not be blamed for it. For example, a person should never be blamed for unwittingly bringing about misfortune if the person could not reasonably have foreseen it.
Q: The principles above, if valid, most help to justify the reasoning in which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Gougon had no reason to think that serving the hollandaise sauce would make his guests ill, but he was concerned that it might. Thus, if the hollandaise sauce does make Gougon's guests ill, Gougon should be blamed for it.
B.) Although he would have realized it if he had thought about it, it did not occur to Riley that parking his car in the center lane of Main Street could lead to a traffic accident. So, if a traffic accident does result from Riley's parking his car in the center lane of Main Street, he should not be blamed for it.
C.) Oblicek had no idea that suggesting to her brother that he take out a loan to expand his business was likely to cause the business to go bankrupt, nor could she have reasonably foreseen this. So, if the loan does cause her brother's business to go bankrupt, Oblicek should not be blamed for it.
D.) When Dr. Fitzpatrick gave his patient the wrong medicine, he did not know that it would cause the patient to experience greatly increased blood pressure. So, if no one else knowingly did anything that contributed to the patient's increase in blood pressure, no one other than Dr. Fitzpatrick is to blame for it.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Researcher: Research has shown that inhaling the scent of lavender has measurable physiological effects tending to reduce stress. It is known that intense stress can impair the immune system, making one more susceptible to illness. Therefore, it is likely that the incidence of illness among those who regularly inhale the scent of lavender is reduced by this practice.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption that the researcher's argument requires?
Choices:
A.) Some people who regularly inhale the scent of lavender would otherwise be under enough stress to impair their immune systems.
B.) Many, if not all, of the scents that have a tendency to reduce susceptibility to illness do so, at least in part, by reducing stress.
C.) Reduced stress diminishes susceptibility to illness only for people who are under enough stress to impair their immune systems to at least some degree.
D.) At least some people who use the scent of lavender to induce relaxation and reduce stress are no more susceptible to illness than average.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Government statistics show that the real (adjusted for inflation) average income for families has risen over the last five years. Therefore, since this year the Andersen family's income is average for families, the family's real income must have increased over the last five years.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Choices:
A.) ambiguously uses the term "average" in two different senses
B.) presumes, without providing justification, that the government makes no errors in gathering accurate estimates of family income
C.) fails to consider the possibility that the Andersen family's real income was above average in the recent past
D.) fails to take into account inflation with respect to the Andersen family's income
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Certain methods of creating high-quality counterfeit banknotes involve making accurate measurements of the images printed on genuine banknotes. Hence, if the production of high-quality counterfeit banknotes is to be prevented, some of the images on banknotes must be made very difficult or impossible to measure accurately.
Q: The argument's conclusion can be properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) Once the images printed on a banknote have been measured accurately, there is no further impediment to the banknote's being exactly replicated.
B.) Few countries produce banknotes with images that are difficult for counterfeiters to measure accurately.
C.) New designs in banknotes generally lead to decreases in the amount of counterfeit currency in circulation.
D.) Today's copying technology is sophisticated enough to replicate almost any paper product with great precision.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Armstrong: For the treatment of a particular disease, Dr. Sullivan argues for using nutritional supplements rather than the pharmaceuticals that most doctors prescribe. But this is in his self-interest since he is paid to endorse a line of nutritional supplements. Thus, we should not use nutritional supplements in treating the disease.
Q: Armstrong's argument is flawed in that it
Choices:
A.) relies on two different meanings of the term "supplement" to draw a conclusion
B.) appeals to people's emotions regarding the treatment of disease rather than to the efficacy of the two approaches to treatment
C.) criticizes Dr. Sullivan's motives for holding a position rather than addressing the position itself
D.) fails to justify its presumption that nutritional
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Economist: If the economy grows stronger, employment will increase, and hence more parents will need to find day care for their young children. Unfortunately, in a stronger economy many day-care workers will quit to take better-paying jobs in other fields. Therefore, a stronger economy is likely to make it much more difficult to find day care.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption the economist's argument requires?
Choices:
A.) The total number of young children in day-care centers will decrease if the cost of day care increases significantly.
B.) If the economy grows stronger, the number of new day-care workers will not be significantly greater than the number of day-care workers who move to better-paying jobs in other fields.
C.) If the economy grows stronger, most of the new jobs that are created will be in fields that pay well.
D.) The shortage of day care for children is unlikely to worsen unless employment increases and many day-care center employees quit to take better-paying jobs in other fields.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Ostrich farming requires far less acreage than cattle ranching requires, and ostriches reproduce much faster than cattle. Starting out in cattle ranching requires a large herd of cows, one bull, and at least two acres per cow. By contrast, two pairs of yearling ostriches and one acre of similar land are enough to begin ostrich farming. The start-up costs for ostrich farming are greater, but it can eventually bring in as much as five times what cattle ranching does.
Q: Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) A cow consumes no more feed than an ostrich does.
B.) Two pairs of yearling ostriches are more expensive than a herd of cows and a bull.
C.) Ostrich farmers typically lose money during their first year.
D.) Cattle ranching is not a good source of income.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: For several centuries there have been hairless dogs in western Mexico and in coastal Peru. It is very unlikely that a trait as rare as hairlessness emerged on two separate occasions. Since the dogs have never existed in the wild, and the vast mountainous jungle separating these two regions would have made overland travel between them extremely difficult centuries ago, the dogs must have been transported from one of these regions to the other by boat, probably during trading expeditions.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption that the argument requires?
Choices:
A.) If hairless dogs were at one time transported between western Mexico and coastal Peru by boat, they were traded in exchange for other goods.
B.) Centuries ago, it was easier to travel by boat between western Mexico and coastal Peru than to travel by an overland route.
C.) Hairless dogs have never been found anywhere except in the regions of western Mexico and coastal Peru.
D.) Most of the trade goods that came into western Mexico centuries ago were transported by boat.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Researchers working in Western Australia have discovered the oldest fragments of the Earth's early crust that have yet been identified: microdiamonds. These microscopic crystals measure only 50 microns across and were formed 4.2 billion years ago. This discovery sheds light on how long it took for the Earth's crust to form, since this date is only 300 million years after the formation of the Earth itself.
Q: If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true?
Choices:
A.) The Earth's crust took no longer than 300 million years to start to form.
B.) All naturally occurring microdiamonds were formed at the time the Earth's crust was being formed.
C.) Microdiamonds were the first components of the Earth's crust to form.
D.) The Earth's crust first formed in the area that is now Western Australia.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The public square was an important tool of democracy in days past because it provided a forum for disparate citizens to discuss the important issues of the day. Today, a person with Internet access can discuss important issues with millions of people across the nation, allowing the Internet to play the role once played by the public square. Hence, we should ensure that Internet users have at least as much freedom of expression as did people speaking in the public square.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Choices:
A.) A public forum can lose effectiveness as a tool of democracy if participants cannot discuss issues freely.
B.) People speaking in the public square of days past had complete freedom of expression.
C.) Other than the Internet, no other public forum today is an important tool of democracy.
D.) All citizens have the same level of access to the Internet.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: At a large elementary school researchers studied a small group of children who successfully completed an experimental program in which they learned to play chess. The study found that most of the children who completed the program soon showed a significant increase in achievement levels in all of their schoolwork. Thus, it is likely that the reasoning power and spatial intuition exercised in chess-playing also contribute to achievement in many other areas of intellectual activity.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most tends to undermine the argument?
Choices:
A.) At least some of the students who did not successfully complete the program were nevertheless more talented chess players than some of the students who did complete the program.
B.) Some students who did not participate in the chess program participated instead in after-school study sessions that helped them reach much higher levels of achievement in the year after they attended the sessions.
C.) Some students who did not participate in the chess program had learned to play chess at home.
D.) Many of the children who completed the program subsequently sought membership on a school chess team that required a high grade average for membership.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: On Wednesdays, Kate usually buys some guava juice. But the only place she can buy guava juice is the local health food store. It follows that she must sometimes shop at the local health food store on Wednesdays.
Q: The argument above is most similar in its pattern of reasoning to which one of the following arguments?
Choices:
A.) Only teachers at the Culinary Institute are allowed to use the institute's main kitchen. Most dinners at Cafe Delice are prepared in that kitchen. So at least some dinners at Cafe Delice must be prepared by Culinary Institute teachers.
B.) All dinners at Cafe Delice are prepared in the main kitchen of the Culinary Institute. But only teachers at the institute are allowed to use that kitchen. So the dinners at Cafe Delice must be prepared by Culinary Institute teachers.
C.) Most teachers at the Culinary Institute are allowed to use the institute's main kitchen. Dinners at Cafe Delice are only prepared in that kitchen. So dinners at Cafe Delice must sometimes be prepared by Culinary Institute teachers.
D.) Most dinners at Cafe Delice are prepared in the main kitchen of the Culinary Institute. All the teachers at the institute are allowed to use that kitchen. So at least some dinners at Cafe Delice must be prepared by Culinary Institute teachers.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editor: The city's previous recycling program, which featured pickup of recyclables every other week, was too costly. The city claims that its new program, which features weekly pickup, will be more cost effective, since the greater the volume of recyclables collected per year, the more revenue the city gains from selling the recyclables. But this is absurd. People will put out the same volume of recyclables overall; it will just be spread out over a greater number of pickups.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the editor's argument?
Choices:
A.) The cost of collecting and disposing of general trash has been less than the cost of collecting and disposing of recyclables, and this is still likely to be the case under the new recycling program.
B.) Because of the increase in the number of pickups under the new program, the amount charged by the contractor that collects the city's recyclables will increase significantly.
C.) Even if the volume of collected recyclables increases, that increase might not be enough to make the recycling program cost effective.
D.) A weekly schedule for recyclables pickup is substantially easier for people to follow and adhere to than is a schedule of pickups every other week.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Professor: Many introductory undergraduate science courses are intended to be "proving grounds," that is, they are designed to be so demanding that only those students most committed to being science majors will receive passing grades in these courses. However, studies show that some of the students in these very demanding introductory courses who are least enthusiastic about science receive passing grades in these courses. Hence, designing introductory science courses to serve as proving grounds has not served its intended purpose.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption that the professor's argument requires?
Choices:
A.) Science departments need a way to ensure that only those students most committed to being science majors will receive passing grades in introductory science courses.
B.) Some of the students in the very demanding introductory science courses who are most enthusiastic about science do not receive passing grades in those courses.
C.) If some of the students who are most enthusiastic about science do not receive passing grades in introductory science courses, then designing these courses to serve as proving grounds has been unsuccessful.
D.) None of the students in the very demanding introductory science courses who are least enthusiastic about science are among the students most committed to being science majors.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Many bird and reptile species use hissing as a threat device against potential predators. The way these species produce hissing sounds is similar enough that it is likely that this behavior developed in an early common ancestor. At the time this common ancestor would have lived, however, none of its potential predators would have yet acquired the anatomy necessary to hear hissing sounds.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above?
Choices:
A.) The common ancestor of bird and reptile species would probably have employed multiple threat devices against potential predators.
B.) Like its potential predators, the common ancestor of bird and reptile species would have lacked the anatomy necessary to hear hissing sounds.
C.) The production of a hissing sound would have increased the apparent body size of the common ancestor of bird and reptile species.
D.) The use of hissing as a threat device would have been less energetically costly than other threat behaviors available to the common ancestor of bird and reptile species.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Grecia: The survey that we are conducting needs to track employment status by age, so respondents should be asked to indicate their age. Hidalgo: We don't need results that provide employment status figures for every single age. So we should instead ask respondents merely to identify the age range that they fall into.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most justifies Hidalgo's stance?
Choices:
A.) Surveys gathering information for a specific purpose should not collect more detailed personal information than is necessary to achieve the purpose.
B.) Surveys should gather detailed personal information only if survey respondents are first told about how that information will be used.
C.) Sensitive personal information should be gathered only if a secure means of storing that information is available.
D.) Surveys should be allowed to gather any information that might be needed to meet their purposes.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In 1893, an excavation led by Wilhelm Dorpfeld uncovered an ancient city he believed to be Troy, the site of the war described in Homer's epic poem the Iliad. But that belief cannot be correct. In the Iliad, the Trojan War lasted ten years, but a city as small as the one uncovered by Dorpfeld's team could not have withstood a siege lasting ten years.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Choices:
A.) The city excavated by Dorpfeld's team had many features that scholars of the time believed Troy had.
B.) In 1 893, scholars knew of no other ancient city that could have been Troy.
C.) The Iliad accurately represents the duration of the Trojan War
D.) Dorpfeld's team found no evidence in the city they excavated that a siege had occurred there.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Flynn: Allowing people to collect large damage awards when they successfully sue corporations that produce dangerous products clearly benefits consumers, since the possibility of large awards gives corporations a strong incentive to reduce safety risks associated with their products. Garcia: Without sensible limits, damage awards can be so high that corporations are destroyed. As a result, employees lose their jobs and the productivity of the corporation is lost. This harms the economy and thus harms consumers.
Q: Garcia responds to Flynn's argument by
Choices:
A.) arguing that the policy supported in Flynn's argument could have undesirable consequences
B.) providing evidence that undermines one of the premises of Flynn's argument
C.) contending that Flynn's argument could be used to support a policy that is inconsistent with the policy that Flynn advocates
D.) providing an alternative explanation for a situation described in Flynn's argument
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Monroe: Our organization's project has been a failure. Our stated goal was to reduce as much as possible the number of homes in the community that lack electricity. Now, at the project's conclusion, approximately 2,000 homes are still without electricity. Wilkerson: But before the project began, over 5,000 homes in the community had no electricity. Surely bringing electricity to around 3,000 homes counts as a success for the project.
Q: Monroe and Wilkerson disagree over the truth of which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Approximately 2,000 homes in the community are still without electricity.
B.) The stated goal of the project was to reduce as much as possible the number of homes in the community that lack electricity.
C.) Leaving approximately 2,000 homes in the community without electricity at the conclusion of the project counts as a failure for the project.
D.) The organization's project must be considered a failure if any home in the community has no electricity.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Researchers asked 1 00 fifty-year-olds and 1 00 twenty-year-olds whether they gave blood. Because nearly twice as many fifty-year-olds as twenty-year-olds reported that they sometimes gave blood, the researchers concluded that, on average, fifty-year-olds are more altruistic than twenty-year-olds. But there is reason for skepticism. Many people hesitate to admit that their behavior does not conform to societal expectations.
Q: The reasoning above calls into question a conclusion drawn from statistical data by
Choices:
A.) offering an alternative explanation of some of the data
B.) showing that one cannot directly observe altruism
C.) showing that the data are based on an unrepresentative sample
D.) criticizing the motives of the researchers
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Mario: I see that the only rug store in Glendale has gone out of business. Evidently there's little demand for rugs in Glendale. So if you're planning to open a new business there, rugs would be one product to avoid. Renate: It's true that the store is gone, but its closing had little to do with the product it sold. All this means is that the
Q: The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Mario and Renate disagree over whether
Choices:
A.) the rug store in Glendale sold rugs of inferior quality
B.) rug stores can close because of insufficient demand for rugs
C.) it is a good idea to open a rug store in Glendale
D.) it is possible to determine the market for rugs in Glendale
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editorialist: The city council is considering increasing the amount of air traffic allowed at the airport beyond its original design capacity. Several council members say that this increase would not decrease safety as it would be accompanied by the purchase of the latest safety technology. But in fact it would decrease safety. Numerous studies conducted 30 years ago show that safety was reduced at every airport where the permitted level of traffic was increased beyond the airport's original design capacity, even when those airports made use of the latest safety technology.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the editorialist's argument?
Choices:
A.) The argument fails to consider that a slight increase in safety risks might be acceptable if it yields overriding benefits of another kind.
B.) The argument draws a conclusion on the basis of a general statement that has in tum been inferred from a very limited number of particular instances.
C.) The argument fails to consider the possibility that whether an airport can allow more air traffic than it was originally designed for without reducing safety depends largely on what the latest technology is.
D.) The argument fails to consider the possibility that the city council members who support the increase are aware of the studies that were conducted 30 years ago.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Philosopher: It has been argued that because particular moral codes differ between cultures, morality must be entirely a product of culture and cannot be grounded in some universal human nature. This argument is flawed. Research suggests that certain moral attitudes, such as disapproval of unfairness and cruelty, are shared across all cultures. And just as certain universal tastes like sweetness and saltiness can, in different cultural contexts, provide the basis for many different
Q: Which one of the following most logically completes the argument?
Choices:
A.) the moral codes of most cultures resemble each other in many respects
B.) moral attitudes can be adapted to suit the moral codes of many different cultures
C.) it is possible to understand the basis of the moral codes of different cultures
D.) a variety of moral codes can be based in shared moral attitudes
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In a recent field study of prairie plants, the more plant species a prairie plot had, the more vigorously the plants grew and the better the soil retained nutrients. Thus, having more plant species improves a prairie's ability to support plant life.
Q: The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Choices:
A.) takes an increase in number to indicate an increase in proportion
B.) bases a general conclusion on data that is likely to be unrepresentative
C.) takes for granted that the characteristics of one prairie plot could reveal something about the characteristics of other prairie plots
D.) infers of two correlated.phenomena, X and Y, that X causes Y without considering whether Y causes X
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Anthropologist: In an experiment, two groups of undergraduates were taught how to create one of the types of stone tools that the Neanderthals made in prehistoric times. One group was taught using both demonstrations and elaborate verbal explanations, whereas the other group learned by silent example alone. The two groups showed a significant difference neither in the speed with which they acquired the toolmaking skills nor in the level of proficiency they reached. This shows that Neanderthals could just as well have created their sophisticated tools even if they had no language.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the anthropologist's argument?
Choices:
A.) The tools that the undergraduate's were taught to make were much simpler and easier to make than most types of tools created by Neanderthals.
B.) The students who were taught with verbal explanations were allowed to discuss the toolmaking techniques among themselves, whereas the students who learned by silent example were not.
C.) The instructor Who taught the .group of students who learned by, silent example alone was much less proficient at making the stone tools than was the instructor who taught the other group of students.
D.) The tools created by Neanderthals were much less sophisticated than the tools created by anatomically modem humans who almost certainly possessed language and lived at the same time as the Neanderthals.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Modest amounts of exercise can produce a dramatic improvement in cardiovascular health. One should exercise most days of the week, but one need only do the equivalent of half an hour of brisk walking on those days to obtain cardiovascular health benefits. More vigorous exercise is more effective, but a strenuous workout is not absolutely necessary.
Q: Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the statements above?
Choices:
A.) Doing the equivalent of an hour of brisk walking two or three times a week generally produces dramatic improvements in cardiovascular health.
B.) It is possible to obtain at least as great an improvement in cardiovascular health from doing the equivalent of half an hour of brisk walking most days of the week as from having a strenuous workout most days of the week.
C.) Having a strenuous workout most days of the week can produce a dramatic improvement in cardiovascular health.
D.) Aside from exercise, there is no way of improving one's cardiovascular health.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Sartore is a better movie reviewer than Kelly. A movie review should help readers determine whether or not they are apt to enjoy the movie, and a person who is likely to enjoy a particular movie is much more likely to realize this by reading a review by Sartore than a review by Kelly: even though Sartore is more likely to give a movie an unfavorable review than a favorable one.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Choices:
A.) Reading a movie review by Sartore will usually help one to enjoy the .movie more than one otherwise would have.
B.) One who is apt not to enjoy a particular movie is more likely to realize this by reading a review by Sartore than a review by Kelly.
C.) Most of the movies that Sartore reviews are also reviewed by Kelly.
D.) Sartore has technical knowledge of film, whereas Kelly is merely a fan.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Specially bred aquarium fish with brilliant coloration and unusual body shapes may be popular with connoisseurs, but they are inferior to ordinary fish. Hampered by their elaborate tails or strangely shaped fins, the specially bred fish cannot reach food as quickly as can the ordinary fish that compete with them for food, and so they are often underfed. Also, they do not breed true; most offspring of the specially bred fish lack the elaborate tails and brilliant coloration of their parents.
Q: Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) Connoisseurs are not interested in dull-colored, simply shaped fish.
B.) Ordinary fish tend not to have elaborate tails or strangely shaped fins.
C.) Specially bred aquarium fish must receive special care if they are to survive.
D.) Strangely shaped fins and elaborate tails interfere with a fish's ability to reproduce.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Ethicist: The general principle-if one ought to do something then one can do it-does not always hold true. This may be seen by considering an example. Suppose, someone promises to meet a friend at a certain time, but-because of an unforeseen traffic jam-it is impossible to do so.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the ethicist's argument?
Choices:
A.) If a person failed to do something she or he ought to have done, then that person failed to do something that.she or he promised to do.
B.) Only an event like an unforeseen.traffic jam could excuse a person from the obligation to keep a promise.
C.) The obligation created by a promise is not relieved by the fact that the promise cannot be kept.
D.) If there is something that a.person ought not do, then it is something that that person is capable of not doing.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The production of leather and fur for clothing is labor intensive, which means that these materials have tended to be expensive. But as fashion has moved away from these materials, their prices have dropped, while prices of some materials that require less labor in their production and are more fashionable have risen.
Q: The situation described above conforms most closely to which one of the following generalizations?
Choices:
A.) Materials that require relatively little labor in their production tend to be fashionable.
B.) Cultural trends tend to be an important determinant of the prices of materials used in manufacturing.
C.) The price of any manufactured good depends more on how fashionable that good is than on the materials it is made from.
D.) It is more important for the materials used in the manufacture of clothing to be fashionable than it is for them to be practical.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In most of this forest, the expected outbreak: of tree-eating tussock moths should ,not be countered. After all, the moth is beneficial where suppression of forest fires, for example, has left the forest unnaturally crowded with immature trees, and
Q: The conclusion of the argument is most strongly supported if which one of the following completes the passage?
Choices:
A.) mature trees are usually the first to be eaten by tussock moths
B.) more than half of the forest is unnaturally crowded with immature trees
C.) the expected outbreak: of tussock moths will almost certainly occur if no attempt is made to counter it
D.) there are no completely effective countermeasures against the moth
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In order to relieve traffic congestion, the city of Gastner built a new highway linking several of the city's suburbs to the downtown area. However, the average commute time for workers in downtown Gastner increased after the new highway opened.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps, to explain the increase in average commute time?
Choices:
A.) In Gastner's downtown area, traffic on the roads near the new highway become more congested after the new highway was opened.
B.) At the same time the new highway was being built,. road repair work was being done on important streets leading to downtown Gastner.
C.) Most people who work in the downtown area of Gastner commute from one of the city's suburbs.
D.) The location of the new highway is most convenient for people who commute to and from Gastner's largest suburbs.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Office worker: I have two equally important projects that remain undone. The first one is late already, and if devote time to finishing it, then I won't have time to finish the second one before its deadline. Admittedly, there's no guarantee that I can finish the second project on time even if I devote all of my time to it, but I should nonetheless devote all of my time to the second one.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the office worker's reasoning?
Choices:
A.) It is better to attempt to finish a project on time than to attempt to finish a late project that does not have higher priority.
B.) It is better to first finish those projects that must be done than to interrupt them with projects that are merely optional.
C.) It is better to focus one's time on a single project than to split one's time between two projects.
D.) It is better to finish one of two projects than to risk failing to finish both projects.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Science teacher: An abstract knowledge of science is very seldom useful for the decisions that adults typically make in their daily lives. But the skills taught in secondary. school should be useful for making such decisions. Therefore, secondary school science courses should teach students to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues, such as health and public policy, instead of or perhaps in addition to teaching more abstract aspects of science.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption the science teacher's argument requires?
Choices:
A.) The ability to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues is sometimes useful in making the decisions that adults typically make in their daily lives.
B.) Teaching secondary, school students the more abstract aspects of science is at least as important as teaching them to evaluate science based arguments regarding practical issues.
C.) No secondary school science courses currently teach students how to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues.
D.) Adults who have an abstract knowledge of science are no better at evaluating science-based arguments regarding practical issues than are adults who have no knowledge of science at all.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Lyle: Admittedly, modernizing the language of premodern plays lessens their aesthetic quality, but such modernizing remains valuable for teaching history, since it makes the plays accessible to students who would otherwise never enjoy them. Carl: But such modernizing prevents students from understanding fully what the plays said to premodern audiences. Thus, modernizing plays is of no use for teaching history, because students cannot gain deep knowledge of the past from modernized plays.
Q: Which one of ,the following most accurately expresses a point of disagreement between Lyle and Carl?
Choices:
A.) whether the loss in aesthetic quality that results from modernizing the language of premodern plays lessens the plays usefulness for teaching history
B.) whether increasing the accessibility of premodern plays through modernizing their language is valuable for teaching history
C.) whether using plays with modernized language to teach history requires that there be some loss in the aesthetic quality of the plays
D.) whether the highest form of aesthetic enjoyment of premodern plays comes from seeing them as they were originally performed
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Most kinds of soil contain clay, and virtually every kind of soil contains either sand or organic material, or both. Therefore, there must be some kinds of soil that contain both clay and sand and some that contain both clay and organic material.
Q: The pattern of flawed reasoning in which one of the following arguments is most parallel to that in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Nearly all pharmacies sell either shampoo or toothpaste, or both. Therefore, since most pharmacies sell cosmetics, there must be some pharmacies that sell both cosmetics and toothpaste and some that sell both cosmetics and shampoo.
B.) Virtually every pharmacy that sells shampoo also sells toothpaste. Most pharmacies sell cosmetics. Therefore, there must be some pharmacies that sell both cosmetics and toothpaste and some that sell both cosmetics and shampoo
C.) Most pharmacies sell cosmetics. Nearly all pharmacies sell shampoo or toothpaste, or both. Therefore, unless there are some pharmacies that sell both cosmetics and toothpaste, there must be some that sell both cosmetics and shampoo.
D.) Undoubtedly, most pharmacies sell cosmetics for almost all pharmacies sell either shampoo or toothpaste, or both, and there are some pharmacies that sell both cosmetics and shampoo and some that sell both cosmetics and toothpaste.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In 2005, an environmental group conducted a study measuring the levels of toxic—chemicals in the bodies of eleven volunteers. Scientifically valid inferences could not be drawn from the study because of the small sample size, but the results were interesting nonetheless. Among the subjects tested, younger subjects showed much lower levels of PCBs-toxic chemicals that were banned in the 1970s. This proves that the regulation banning PCBs was effective in reducing human exposure to those chemicals.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Choices:
A.) overlooks the possibility that two or more chemicals produce the same effects
B.) takes something to be the cause of a reduction when it could have been an effect of that reduction
C.) takes an inconsistent stance regarding the status of the inferences that can be drawn from the study
D.) does not consider the possibility that PCBs have detrimental effects on human health several years after exposure
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A spy fails by being caught, and it is normally only through being caught that spies reveal their methods. The successful spy is never caught. So the available data are skewed: One can learn a lot about what makes a spy fail but very little about what makes a spy succeed
Q: Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to the argument above?
Choices:
A.) People who are aware of their motives can articulate them. But unconscious motives are usually impossible to acknowledge. So people are more likely to hear about other people's conscious motives than their unconscious ones.
B.) Because someone intervened in the conflict, the effects of that intervention can be discerned. But since no one can investigate what does not happen, it is impossible to discern that would have happened had someone not intervened.
C.) It is unclear whether the company's venture succeeded, because the criteria for its success are undefined, But if the venture had had a measurable goal, then it would have been possible to judge its success.
D.) of those who participated in the marathon,some succeeded and others failed. But those who did not participate at all neither succeeded nor failed, since both success and failure require participation.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Families with underage children make up much of the ' population, but because only adults can vote, lawmakers in democracies pay too little attention to the interests of these families. To remedy this, parents should be given additional votes to cast on behalf of their underage children. Families with underage children would thus receive fair representation.
Q: The argument requires assuming which one of the following principles?
Choices:
A.) The amount of attention that lawmakers give to a group's interests should be directly proportional to the number of voters in that group.
B.) A group of people can be fairly represented in a democracy even if some members of that group can vote on behalf of others in that group.
C.) It is not fair for lawmakers to favor the interests of people who have the vote over the interests of people who do not have the vote.
D.) The parents of underage children should always consider the best interests of their children when they vote.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Critic: The Gazette-Standard newspaper recently increased its editorial staff to avoid factual errors. But this clearly is not working. Compared to its biggest competitor, the Gazette-Standard currently runs significantly more corrections acknowledging factual errors.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the critic's argument?
Choices:
A.) The Gazette-Standard more actively follows up reader complaints about errors in the paper than does its biggest competitor.
B.) The Gazette-Standard pays its editorial staff lower salaries than its biggest competitor pays its editorial staff.
C.) The increase in the Gazette-Standard's editorial staff has been offset by a decrease in the reporting staff at the newspaper.
D.) The Gazette-Standard has been in business considerably longer than has its biggest competitor.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A nonprofit organization concerned with a social issue sent out a fund-raising letter to 5,000 people. The letter was accompanied by a survey soliciting recipients opinions. Of the 300 respondents, 283 indicated in the survey that they agreed with the organization's position on the social issue. This suggests that most of the 5,000 people to whom the letter was sent agreed with that position.
Q: The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds?
Choices:
A.) It relies on the accuracy of a survey made under conditions in which it is probable that most of the responses to that survey did not correctly reflect the opinions of the respondents.
B.) It takes for granted that the fund-raising letter had some influence on the opinions of most of the people who received it.
C.) It draws a conclusion about a population from observations of a subgroup that is quite likely to be unrepresentative of that population in certain relevant respects.
D.) It uses evidence about an opinion held by the majority of a population in an attempt to justify a conclusion regarding the opinion of a small part of that population.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: An unstable climate was probably a major cause of the fall of the Roman empire. Tree-ring analysis shows that Europe's climate underwent extreme fluctuations between 250 A.D. and 550 A.D., a period that encompasses Rome's decline and fall. This highly variable climate surely hurt food production, which made the empire harder to rule and defend.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Choices:
A.) The areas of the Roman empire that had the greatest climatic instability between 250 A.D. and 550 A.D. did not experience unusual levels of unrest during that period.
B.) During periods when the Roman empire was thriving, Europe consistently experienced weather that was favorable for agriculture.
C.) Total food production in Europe was likely greater in the years around 550 A.D. than in the years around 250 A.D.
D.) Political failures within the Roman empire during its last years led to conflicts that hampered agricultural production.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Sales manager: Having spent my entire career in sales, most of that time as a sales manager for a large computer company, I know that natural superstar salespeople are rare. But many salespeople can perform like superstars if they have a good manager. Therefore, companies should ____
Q: Which one of the following most logically completes the sales manager's argument?
Choices:
A.) devote more effort to finding good managers than to finding natural superstar salespeople
B.) devote more effort to training than to evaluating salespeople
C.) keep to a minimum the number of salespeople for which a manager is responsible
D.) reward superstar performance more than superstar talent
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: According to economists, people's tendency to purchase a given commodity is inversely proportional to its price. When new techniques produced cheaper steel, more steel was purchased. Nevertheless, once machine-produced lace became available, at much lower prices than the handcrafted variety, lace no longer served to advertise its wearers' wealth and the lace market collapsed. Obviously, then, there are exceptions to the economists' general rule.
Q: The claim that more steel was purchased when it could be manufactured more cheaply plays which one of the following roles in the argument?
Choices:
A.) It is the evidence that, according to the argument,led economists to embrace a false hypothesis.
B.) It is used to illustrate the generalization that,according to the argument, does not hold in all cases.
C.) It is cited as one of several reasons for modifying a general assumption made by economists.
D.) It is described as inadequate evidence for the falsity of the argument's conclusion.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Resident: Data indicates that 30 percent of the houses in our town have inadequate site drainage and 30 percent have structural defects that could make them unsafe. Hence, at least 60 percent of our town's houses have some kind of problem that threatens their integrity.
Q: The reasoning in the resident's argument is flawed in that the argument overlooks the possibility that
Choices:
A.) structural defects are often easier to fix than inadequate site drainage
B.) the town has a relatively small number of houses
C.) some of the houses that have structure defects that could make them unsafe also have inadequate site drainage
D.) inadequate site drainage can make a house unsafe
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The decisions that one makes can profoundly affect one's life years later. So one should not regret the missed opportunities of youth, for had one decided instead to seize one of these opportunities, one would not have some of the close personal relationships one currently has. And everyone deeply cherishes their close personal relationships.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning in the argument?
Choices:
A.) People with few close personal relationships should cherish the ones they have.
B.) One should not regret making a decision if it helped to bring about something that one cherishes.
C.) People who regret the missed opportunities of youth should cherish their close personal relationships more deeply.
D.) One should not regret making a decision unless a different decision would have resulted in one having a greater number of close personal relationships.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The Kuna, a people native to several Panamanian islands, generally have a low incidence of high blood pressure. But Kuna who have moved to the Panamanian mainland do not have a low incidence of high blood pressure. Kuna who live on the islands, unlike those who live on the mainland, typically drink several cups of cocoa a day. This cocoa is minimally processed and thus high in flavonoids.
Q: Of the following, which one is most strongly supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) Foods high in flavonoids are not readily available on the Panamanian mainland.
B.) Kuna who live on the Panamanian mainland generally have higher blood pressure than other people who live on the mainland.
C.) Drinking several cups of flavonoid-rich cocoa per day tends to prevent high blood pressure.
D.) The Kuna have a genetic predisposition to low blood pressure.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Numerous studies suggest that when scientific evidence is presented in a trial, jurors regard that evidence as more credible than they would if they had encountered the same evidence outside of the courtroom context. Legal theorists have hypothesized that this effect is primarily due to the fact that judges prescreen scientific evidence and allow only credible scientific evidence to be presented in the courtroom.
Q: Which one of the following would be most useful to know in order to evaluate the legal theorists hypothesis?
Choices:
A.) how jurors respond to situations in which different expert witnesses give conflicting assessments of scientific evidence
B.) whether jurors typically know that judges have appraised the scientific evidence presented at trial
C.) whether jurors typically draw upon their own scientific knowledge when weighing scientific evidence presented at trial
D.) whether jurors reactions to scientific evidence presented at trial are influenced by other members of the jury
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Organized word-of-mouth marketing campaigns are driven by product boosters who extol a product to friends and acquaintances. A study found that these campaigns are more successful when the product booster openly admits to being part of an organized marketing campaign. This is surprising because one of the purported advantages of word-of-mouth campaigns is that consumers take a less skeptical stance toward word-of-mouth messages than toward mass-media advertisements.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the surprising finding?
Choices:
A.) Word-of-mouth marketing campaigns are generally used for specialty products that are not well suited to being marketed through mass-media advertisements.
B.) When a word-of-mouth product booster admits his or her affiliation, it fosters a more relaxed and in-depth discussion of the marketed product.
C.) Those who tend to be the most receptive to mass-media marketing campaigns are also the least likely to be influenced by knowledge of a product booster's affiliation.
D.) Most people who work as product boosters in word-of-mouth marketing campaigns have themselves been recruited through a word-of-mouth process.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Consultant: If Whalley sticks with her current platform in the upcoming election, then she will lose to her opponent by a few percentage points among voters under 50, while beating him by a bigger percentage among voters 50 and over. Therefore, sticking with her current platform will allow her to win the election.
Q: The consultant's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) There is no change Whalley could make to her platform that would win over more voters under 50 than it would lose voters 50 and over.
B.) Whalley would change her platform if she thought it would give her a better chance to win.
C.) If Whalley changes her platform, her opponent will not change his platform in response.
D.) There will be more voters in the election who are 50 and over than there will be voters under 50.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: From 1880 to 2000 Britain's economy grew fivefold, but emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, were the same on a per capita basis in Britain in 2000 as they were in 1880.
Q: The claims made above are incompatible with which one of the following generalizations?
Choices:
A.) Economic growth always increases household income and consumption, which inevitably increases per capita emissions of carbon dioxide.
B.) Countries whose economies are growing slowly or not at all usually cannot afford to enact laws restricting carbon dioxide emissions.
C.) Economic growth initially leads to increased per capita emissions of greenhouse gases, but eventually new technologies are developed that tend to reduce these emissions.
D.) As the world's population grows, emissions of greenhouse gases will increase proportionately.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Advertisement: When you need a will, consulting a lawyer is much more expensive than using do-it-yourself software. And you get a valid will either way. However, when you're ill, you aren't satisfied with simply getting some valid prescription or other; what you pay your doctor for is the doctor's expert advice concerning your particular illness. Similarly, what you pay a lawyer for is to tailor your will to your particular circumstances. Clearly, when you need a will, a lawyer's expert advice is always worth paying for.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument presented in the advertisement?
Choices:
A.) In the majority of cases, valid wills do not adequately meet the needs of the persons for whom the wills were prepared.
B.) A lawyer's knowledge and level of expertise is at least as complex as that of a doctor.
C.) Do-it-yourself software cannot tailor a person's will to meet that person's particular circumstances as well as a Jawyer can.
D.) There is some way for an ill person to get a valid prescription without first consulting a doctor.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Pollution is a problem wherever there are people who are indifferent to their environment, and nature's balance is harmed wherever there is pollution. So wherever there are people who are indifferent to their environment, nature's balance is harmed.
Q: The reasoning in which one of the following arguments is most similar to that in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Any dessert with chocolate is high in calories,and any dessert high in calories is fattening. So any dessert with chocolate is fattening.
B.) Every dessert with chocolate is high in calories,and every dessert that is high in calories is fattening. So every fattening dessert has chocolate in it.
C.) Every dessert with chocolate is high in calories, and every fattening dessert is also high in calories. So any dessert with chocolate is fattening.
D.) Any dessert that is high in calories has chocolate in it, and any dessert that is high in calories is fattening. So every dessert with chocolate is fattening.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Seventeenth-century proponents of the philosophical school of thought known as mechanism produced numerous arguments that sought to use the principles of mechanism to establish the superiority of monarchies over all other systems of government. This proliferation of arguments has been construed as evidence that the principles of mechanism themselves are in tension with democracy. But it is more likely that the principles of mechanism support democracy and that the arguments multiplied because none of them worked.
Q: The claim that the proliferation of arguments has been construed as evidence that the principles of mechanism themselves are in tension with democracy plays which one of the fllowing roles in the argument?
Choices:
A.) It introduces a hypothesis that the argument challenges.
B.) It expresses the conclusion of the argument.
C.) It states a principle that the argument seeks to establish.
D.) It describes a general phenomenon that the argument seeks to explain.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A good manager must understand people and be able to defuse tense situations. But anyone who is able to defuse tense situations must understand people. Since Ishiko is able to defuse tense situations, she must be a good manager.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that it
Choices:
A.) confuses a quality that shows an understanding of people with a quality that is necessary for understanding people
B.) overlooks the possibility that different managers defuse tense situations in different ways
C.) takes for granted that because all good managers have a certain quality, Ishiko must have that quality
D.) confuses qualities necessary for being a good manager with qualities that guarantee being a good manager
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Babblers, a bird species, live in large cooperative groups. Each member attempts to defend the group by sounding a loud barklike call when it spots a predator, inciting the others to bark too. Babblers, however, are extremely well camouflaged and could usually feed safely, unnoticed by predators. These predators, indeed, generally become aware of the presence of babblers only because of their shrill barks, which continue long after most members of the group have been able to take cover and which signal the group 's approximate location to the predators.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would most help to explain the babblers ' strange behavior?
Choices:
A.) Babblers ' predators have very good eyesight but relatively weak hearing.
B.) Babblers fly much faster than the predators that prey upon them.
C.) There is more than one type of predator that preys upon babblers.
D.) Babblers ' predators are generally intimidated by large numbers of babblers.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Photographs show an area of Europa, a moon of Jupiter, where the icy surface appears to have buckled as a result of turbulent water moving underneath. This photographic evidence indicates that there is a warm sea beneath Europa's icy surface. The presence of such a sea is thought by scientists to be a primary factor in the early development of life, so there is reason to believe that there may be life on Europa.
Q: The claim that there is a warm sea beneath Europa's icy surface figures in the argument in which one of the following ways?
Choices:
A.) It is the overall conclusion of the argument.
B.) It is a subsidiary conclusion used by the argument to support its overall conclusion.
C.) It is the only consideration presented in support of the argument's overall conclusion.
D.) It is presented as support for a..subsidiary conclusion drawn in the argument.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: For consumers, the most enjoyable emotional experience garnered from shopping is feeling lucky. Retailers use this fact to their advantage, but too often they resort to using advertised price cuts to promote their ware s. Promotions of this sort might make bargain-minded consumers feel lucky; but they cut into profit margins and undermine customer loyalty.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the overall conclusion drawn ,in the argument?
Choices:
A.) Retailers take advantage of the fact that shoppers enjoy feeling lucky.
B.) Advertised price cuts are overused as a means of gaining retail sales.
C.) Using advertised price cuts to promote retail products reduces profit margins and undermines customer loyalty.
D.) Feeling lucky is the most enjoyable emotional experience garnered from shopping.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Jurist: To ensure that a legal system remains just, it is important to guarantee that lawbreaking does not give lawbreakers an unfair advantage over law abiders. Thus, notwithstanding any other goals that criminal punishment may serve, it should certainly attempt to ensure that criminal wrongdoing remains profitless.
Q: The jurist's claim that it is important to guarantee that lawbreaking does not give lawbreakers an unfair advantage over law abiders functions in the argument in which one of the following ways?
Choices:
A.) It is presented as refuting an argument that criminal punishment has goals other than guaranteeing that lawbreaking remains profitless.
B.) It expresses a principle that is offered as support for the conclusion.
C.) It is a conclusion for which the only support offered is the claim that the legal system serves multiple goals.
D.) It is a premise presented as support for the claim that the most important goal of criminal punishment is to ensure that criminal wrongdoing remains profitless.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The company president says that significant procedural changes were made before either she or Yeung was told about them. But, according to Grimes, the contract requires that either the. company president or any lawyer in the company's legal department be told about proposed procedural changes before they are made. Thus, unless what Grimes or the company president said is incorrect, the contract was violated.
Q: The argument's conclusion can be properly inferred if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) Neither Grimes nor Yeung was told about the procedural changes until after they were made.
B.) If no lawyer in the company's legal department was told about the procedural changes before they were made, then the contract was violated.
C.) No lawyer in the company's legal department was told about the procedural changes until . after they were made.
D.) If the company's president was told about the procedural changes before they were made, then the contract was not violated.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Journalist: People whose diets contain a relatively large amount of iron are significantly more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than are those whose diets contain less of this mineral. Limiting one's intake of meats, seafood, and other foods rich in iron should thus reduce one's chances of contracting this disease.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the journalist's reasoning?
Choices:
A.) Most people who have a genetic predisposition to Parkinson's disease have no more iron in their diets than people without the predisposition.
B.) The iron in some foods is much less easily absorbed by the body than the iron contained in other foods.
C.) Children and adolescents require a much larger amount of iron in their diets than do mature adults.
D.) Many of the vegetables regularly consumed by vegetarians who do not contract Parkinson's disease are as rich in iron as meat and seafood.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Riverdale's Modem Party Chairperson: Maples, the Modem Party candidate, would be a better mayor than his opponent, Tannett, who is a member of the Traditionalist Party. Every member of the Modern Party is better qualified to be mayor than is any member of the Traditionalist Party.
Q: If the statements of Riverdale's Modem Party Chairperson are true, each of the following could be true EXCEPT:
Choices:
A.) Of all the members of Riverdale's Modern Party, Maples would be the worst mayor.
B.) Few residents of Riverdale believe that Maples would be a better mayor than Tannett .
C.) Tannett is better qualified to be mayor than is Riverdale's Modern Party Chairperson.
D.) Tannett would be a better mayor than would any other member of Riverdale's Traditionalist Party.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Businessperson: Because the parking area directly in front of the building was closed for maintenance today, I was late to my meeting. If the maintenance had been done on a different day, I would have gotten to the meeting on time. After finding out that I could not park in that area it took me 1 5 minutes to find an available parking space, making me a few minutes late.
Q: The answer to which one of the following questions would be most useful to know in order to evaluate the reasoning in the businessperson's argument?
Choices:
A.) What are the parking patterns in the building's vicinity on days when the parking area in front of the building is open?
B.) Was it particularly important that the businessperson not be late to this meeting?
C.) What were the reasons for performing maintenance on the parking area directly in front of the building on that particular day?
D.) Does the businessperson have a tendency to be late to meetings? .
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: For a work to be rightly thought of as world literature, it must be received and interpreted within the writer's own national tradition and within external national traditions. A work counts as being interpreted within a national tradition if authors from that tradition use the work in at least one of three ways: as a positive model for the development of their own tradition, as a negative case of a decadent tendency that must be consciously avoided, or as an image of radical otherness that prompts refinement of the home tradition.
Q: The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) A work of world literature offers more to readers within external national traditions than it offers to readers within the writer's national tradition.
B.) A work of literature cannot be well received within an external national tradition if it is not well received within the writer's own national tradition.
C.) A work is not part of world literature if it affects the development of only one national tradition.
D.) A work should not be thought of as world literature if it is more meaningful to readers from the writer's national tradition than it is to readers from external national traditions.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: At Morris University this semester, most of the sociology majors are taking Introduction to Social Psychology, but most of the psychology majors are not. Hence, there must be more sociology majors than psychology majors enrolled in the class.
Q: The flawed pattern of reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) In the San Felipe city arboretum, most of the trees are of local rather than exotic species. Therefore, in the San Felipe area,there must be more trees of local species than of exotic species.
B.) In an opinion poll of Silver Falls residents,more said they were in favor of increased spending on roads than said they were in favor of increased spending on parks. So most Silver Falls residents must be in favor of spending more on roads but opposed to spending more on parks.
C.) Most of the paintings on display at the Metro Art Museum are from the twentieth century, but most of the paintings the Metro Art Museum owns are from the nineteenth century. It follows that the museum owns few if any of the twentieth-century paintings it displays.
D.) Most of the vegetables available at the Valley Food Co-op are organic, but most of the vegetables available at the Jumbo Supermarket are not. Thus, more organic vegetables are available at Valley Food than are available at Jumbo.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Film director: Although the production costs of my latest film are very high, there is little risk that the film studio will not recover these costs. Even if the film is unpopular, much of the money is being spent to develop innovative special-effects technology that could be used in future films.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Choices:
A.) In the past, many innovative special-effects technologies were abandoned after the films for which they were developed proved to be unpopular.
B.) The production costs of this film are so high that, even if the film is popular, it is unlikely that the film's ticket sales will offset those costs.
C.) Films that introduce innovative special-effects technologies generally draw large audiences of people who are curious about the new effects.
D.) The use of the new special-effects technology would lower the production costs of other films that use it.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In a recent study of dust-mite allergy sufferers, one group slept on mite-proof bedding, while a control group slept on bedding that was not mite-proof. The group using mite-proof bedding had a 69 percent reduction in the dust-mite allergen in their mattresses, whereas there was no significant reduction in the control group. However, even though bedding is the main source of exposure to dust mites, no symptom reduction was reported in either group.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict in the statements above?
Choices:
A.) For dust-mite allergy sufferers to get relief from their allergies, dust-mite allergens must be reduced by 90 to 95 percent.
B.) When people report their own allergy symptoms, they tend to exaggerate the severity of those symptoms.
C.) All of the participants in the study were told that one group in the study would be sleeping on mite-proof bedding.
D.) Dust-mite allergens in bedding tend to irritate many allergy sufferers' nasal passages more than do the same allergens in other locations, such as carpets.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Five years ago, the hair dryer produced by the Wilson Appliance Company accounted for 50 percent of all sales of hair dryers nationwide. Currently, however, Wilson Appliance's product makes up only 25 percent of such sales. Because of this decline, and because the average net income that Wilson receives per hair dryer sold has not changed over the last 5 years, the company's net income from sales of the product must be only half of what it was 5 years ago.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument
Choices:
A.) overlooks the possibility that the retail price of Wilson Appliance's hair dryer may have increased over the past 5 years
B.) mistakes a decline in the market share of Wilson Appliance's hair dryer for a decline in the total sales of that product
C.) does not provide specific information about the prof its hair dryers generate for the companies that produce them
D.) fails to discuss sales figures for Wilson Appliance's products other than its hair dryers
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Whether or not one can rightfully call a person's faithfulness a virtue depends in part on the object of that personas faithfulness. Virtues are by definition praiseworthy, which is why no one considers resentment virtuous, even though it is in fact a kind of faithfulness-faithfulness to hatreds or animosities.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the overall conclusion drawn in the argument?
Choices:
A.) Faithfulness and resentment are obviously different, despite some similarities.
B.) Resentment should not be considered a virtuous emotion.
C.) The object of a person's faithfulness partially determines whether or not that faithfulness is virtuous.
D.) Virtuous behavior is praiseworthy by definition.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Columnist: A government-owned water utility has received approval to collect an additional charge on water bills and to use that additional revenue to build a dam. A member of the legislature has proposed not building the dam but instead spending the extra money from water bills to build new roads.That proposal is unacceptable.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the columnist's judgment that the legislator's proposal is unacceptable?
Choices:
A.) Money designated for projects that benefit an entire community should not be used for projects that benefit only some members of a community.
B.) Customers of a utility have a right to know how the money they pay to the utility will be used.
C.) A water utility should not collect an additional charge unless the money collected is used for water-related expenditures.
D.) An additional charge on water bills should not be imposed unless it is approved by the legislature.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: During its caterpillar stage, the leopard magpie moth feeds on a plant called the Natal grass cycad and by so doing laces its body with macrozamin, a toxin that makes the moth highly unpalatable to would-be predators. Since the Natal grass cycad is now endangered and facing extinction, the leopard magpie moth is also in danger of extinction.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Choices:
A.) Feeding on the Natal grass cycad is the only means by which the leopard magpie moth can make itself highly unpalatable to predators.
B.) Potential predators of the leopard magpie moth cannot determine from appearance alone whether a moth's body is laced with macrozamin.
C.) None of the potential predators of the leopard magpie moth have developed a tolerance to macrozamin.
D.) The leopard magpie moth does not have the speed or the agility to escape from any of its potential predators.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Citizen: Our government has a large budget surplus, which our leaders wish to use to pay down the national debt. This makes no sense. Because of underfunding, our military is inadequate, the infrastructures of our cities are decaying, and our highways are in disrepair. If homeowners used all their money to pay off their mortgages early, while refusing to pay for upkeep of their homes, this would not make them better off financially. The same goes for the country as a whole.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion drawn in the citizen's argument?
Choices:
A.) Government leaders want to use the country's large budget surplus to pay down the national debt.
B.) Homeowners should not pay off their mortgages early if they must neglect upkeep of their homes in order to do so.
C.) It does not make sense for the government to use the budget surplus to pay down the national debt.
D.) A homeowner's personal financial situation is analogous in relevant ways to the financial situation of a country's government.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Peraski: Although driving gas-guzzling automobiles produces a greater level of pollution than driving smaller cars, those of us who drive smaller cars when we could use a bicycle cannot speak out against the use of gas guzzlers. We would be revealing our hypocrisy. Jackson: I acknowledge I could do better in this area. But, it would be worse not to speak out against greater sources of pollution just because I am being hypocritical.
Q: The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Peraski and Jackson disagree over whether
Choices:
A.) driving even a small car when one could use a bicycle contributes to the level of pollution
B.) driving a gas-guzzling automobile produces a greater level of pollution than driving a smaller car
C.) one should speak out against polluting even if doing so reveals one's own hypocrisy
D.) speaking out against the use of gas guzzlers despite driving in situations in which one could use a bicycle reveals hypocrisy
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: For a species of large abalone shellfish to develop from a species of smaller ones, they must spend less energy on finding food and avoiding predators, and more on competition in mating. So it is surprising that the fossil record shows that a species of large abalones developed from a smaller one only after otters' which prey on abalones, began to dominate the waters in which the abalones lived.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above?
Choices:
A.) Otters and abalones also compete for the same types of food and so are drawn to the same waters.
B.) Otters have a preference for large abalones over small ones and so prefer waters in which large abalones are found.
C.) The fossils that were studied showed the development of only one of the two species of large abalones known to exist.
D.) Otters also prey on the abalones* competitors for food and so indirectly make it easier for abalones to get food.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Some managers think that the best way to maximize employee performance is to institute stiff competition among employees. However, in situations where one competitor is perceived to be clearly superior, other competitors become anxious and doubt their own ability to perform. Thus, stiff competition can undermine the result it was intended to achieve.
Q: The conclusion of the argument can be properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) The winner of a competition is often the competitor who exerts the most effort.
B.) Those who are perceived to be clearly superior almost always win.
C.) Doubting one's own ability to perform can decrease one's overall performance.
D.) Competitors who work to undermine the confidence of other participants often do better in competitions.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Creating a database of all the plant species in the scientific record has proved to be no easy task. For centuries, botanists have been collecting and naming plants without realizing that many were in fact already named. And by using DNA analysis, botanists have shown that varieties of plants long thought to belong to the same species actually belong to different species.
Q: Of the following claims, which one can most justifiably be rejected on the basis of the statements above?
Choices:
A.) An accurate database of all the plant species in the scientific record can serve as an aid to botanists in their work.
B.) A person who consults the scientific record looking under only one of a plant's names may miss available information about that plant.
C.) Botanists have no techniques for determining whether distinct plant species have been given distinct names.
D.) Most of the duplicates and omissions among plant names in the scientific record have yet to be cleared up.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A year ago several regional hospitals attempted to reduce the number of patient injuries resulting from staff errors by implementing a plan to systematically record all such errors. The incidence of these injuries has substantially decreased at these hospitals since then. Clearly, the knowledge that their errors were being carefully monitored made the hospitals* staffs much more meticulous in carrying out their patient-care duties.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Choices:
A.) Under the plan, the hospitals' staff members who were found to have made errors that caused injuries to patients received only reprimands for their first errors.
B.) The decrease in the incidence of the injuries did not begin at any hospital until the staff there became aware that the records were being closely analyzed.
C.) Before the plan was implemented the hospitals already had a policy of thoroughly investigating any staff error that causes life-threatening injury to a patient.
D.) The plan did not call for the recording of staff errors that could have caused patient injuries but did not.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In a national park located on an island, a herd of moose was increasing in number and threatening to destroy species of native plants. Wolves were introduced to the island to reduce the herd and thereby prevent destruction of the vegetation. Although the wolves prospered, the moose herd continued to grow.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the failure of the strategy involving wolves?
Choices:
A.) Attempts to control moose populations in other national parks by introducing predators have also been unsuccessful.
B.) Wolves often kill moose weakened by diseases that probably would have spread to other moose.
C.) Healthy moose generally consume more vegetation than do those that are diseased or injured.
D.) The presence of wolves in an area tends to discourage other predators from moving into the area.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If the purpose of laws is to contribute to peopled happiness, we have a basis for criticizing existing laws as well as proposing new laws. Hence, if that is not the purpose, then we have no basis for the evaluation of existing laws, from which we must conclude that existing laws acquire legitimacy simply because they are the laws.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that the argument
Choices:
A.) takes a sufficient condition for a state of affairs to be a necessary condition for it
B.) infers a causal relationship from the mere presence of a correlation
C.) draws a conclusion about how the world actually is on the basis of claims about how it should be
D.) infers that because a set of things has acertain property, each member of that set has the property
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In order for life to exist on the recently discovered planet P23, there must be water on the planets surface. But there is no water on P23's surface, so there is no life on planet P23.
Q: The pattern of reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following arguments?
Choices:
A.) Oil companies are not buying new drilling equipment. But if they were planning on increasing their drilling, they would be buying new drilling equipment. Thus, oil companies are not planning on increasing their drilling.
B.) The exports of a particular nation have recently decreased. But whenever that nation's exports decrease, its trade deficit increases. Thus, the nation's trade deficit has recently increased.
C.) The fact that the suspect was flustered when questioned by the police might be a result of the suspect's surprise at being questioned. But if it is, the probability that the suspect is guilty is very low. Thus, the fact that the suspect was flustered is not necessarily a sign that the suspect is guilty.
D.) A company must have efficient employees to be successful. And if a company's employees are knowledgeable and hardworking, then they are probably efficient. Thus, in order for a company to be successful, it must have knowledgeable and hardworking employees.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Sanchez: The sixteen new computers that the school purchased were not as expensive as many people assume. So it isn't true that too much was spent on computers. Merriweather: It isn't that the school paid more for each computer than it was worth, but that the computers that were purchased were much more elaborate than they needed to be.
Q: The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Sanchez and Merriweather disagree over whether the school
Choices:
A.) has been harshly criticized for purchasing the sixteen computers
B.) spent more in purchasing the sixteen computers than it should have
C.) needed sixteen new computers
D.) paid more for each computer than it was worth
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D