Question:
Passage: Depression is a serious problem for residents of nursing homes. However, a recent study has found that residents who developed personal bonds with pets had significantly lower rates of depression than did residents who did not develop personal bonds with pets.
Q: Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) High rates of depression among nursing-home residents may result at least in part from a lack of companionship.
B.) Allowing free access to pets in nursing homes would eliminate problems relating to depression.
C.) The best method for helping a nursing-home resident to overcome depression is to provide access to a pet.
D.) Animal companionship is essential for psychological well-being.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Humorous television advertisements are the only effective ones. For if something is humorous it will not only attract people's attention, it will hold their attention long enough for a message to be conveyed. And, obviously, for an advertisement to be effective it must convey its message.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument?
Choices:
A.) It takes for granted that an advertisement's only purpose is to convey its message.
B.) It uses two senses of the term "effective" without differentiating them.
C.) It treats a necessary condition for an advertisement's being effective as if it were a sufficient condition.
D.) It takes for granted that nothing but humor can attract a person's attention and hold it long enough for a message to be conveyed.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Physician: Stories of people developing serious health problems shortly after receiving vaccinations have given rise to the question of whether vaccination is safe. But even if these stories are true, they need not be cause for concern. With millions of people being vaccinated every year, it is to be expected that some will develop health problems purely by coincidence shortly after receiving vaccinations.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the physician's argument?
Choices:
A.) For the most part, stories of people developing serious health problems shortly after receiving vaccinations involve vaccines that were recently introduced.
B.) People are no more likely, on average, to develop serious health problems shortly after receiving vaccinations than shortly before receiving vaccinations.
C.) The health problems that some people have developed shortly after receiving vaccinations have been more serious than the health problems that the vaccines were intended to prevent.
D.) Some of the illnesses that vaccines are designed to prevent have become so rare that even if people are not vaccinated, they are unlikely to contract those illnesses.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Sharita: Anyone who owns a cat should have it spayed or neutered unless they are willing to take care of the cat's offspring. It is because people fail to do this that there are so many stray cats around. Chad: Stray cats are not only a nuisance, they spread diseases and cause injuries to other cats and to humans. People feed these animals out of kindness, but doing so only exacerbates the problem unless the cats are then captured and adopted.
Q: Sharita's and Chad's statements provide the most support for the claim that they agree about which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) There are more stray cats than there should be.
B.) It is mainly out of kindness that people feed stray cats.
C.) Stray cats are a problem because of the risk they pose to humans.
D.) It is usually wrong to feed stray cats.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Detective: People who repeatedly commit crimes like embezzlement or bribery without being caught tend to become more confident. With each success, they believe that getting caught is less likely. However, the more crimes a person commits, the greater the chance that one of those crimes will be solved. It is therefore likely that most people who commit embezzlement or bribery will eventually be caught.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the detective's argument?
Choices:
A.) The majority of people who commit embezzlement or bribery do so repeatedly.
B.) People who commit embezzlement or bribery tend to be people who feel confident.
C.) Embezzlement and bribery are more likely to be solved than are many other types of crimes.
D.) No one who commits embezzlement or bribery is ever caught the first time.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If grain prices double then the average price of a loaf of bread will rise between 10 and 15 percent, whereas the price of grain-fed beef will come close to doubling.
Q: Which one of the following would, if true, most contribute to an explanation of the phenomenon described above?
Choices:
A.) Only an insignificantly small proportion of the beef sold in retail markets is produced from cattle fed on grass rather than grain.
B.) The vast majority of retail grocery outlets purchase the bread they sell from small independent bakers but purchase the meat they sell from large wholesale processing operations.
C.) The labor and marketing costs in producing and selling bread represent most of its cost, but the cost of feeding cattle represents most of the cost of producing beef.
D.) The wholesale price per pound of beef is approximately ten times the wholesale price per pound of bread.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Mark: The decongestant drug Zokaz was discontinued by its manufacturer because long-term studies revealed that it increased the risk of heart attack. Qualzan, another decongestant, works by essentially the same physiological mechanism as Zokaz. So Qualzan probably also increases the risk of heart attack. Kathy: The decongestive effects of the two drugs do stem from the same physiological mechanism. But since they are different chemically, the two drugs probably have different side effects.
Q: Which one of the following is a technique of reasoning used in Kathy's response to Mark?
Choices:
A.) challenging an argument from analogy by focusing on a dissimilarity between the things being compared
B.) attempting to undermine an argument by showing that it is incompatible with a fundamental principle of medicine
C.) using a product's overall record of safety as evidence that the product is not linked to a particular health problem
D.) arguing against a conclusion by raising questions about the validity of scientific studies cited in support of that conclusion
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: CEO: We have been falsely criticized for not being an environmentally responsible corporation. Environmentally responsible corporations are corporations that do all they can to pollute less. Our current production methods pollute significantly less than our old methods did, and there currently are no methods that do not produce any pollution.
Q: The reasoning in the CEO's argument is flawed in that it
Choices:
A.) generalizes too hastily from the inapplicability of a specific criticism to the inapplicability of a class of criticisms
B.) fails to take into account the possibility that different causes can have similar effects
C.) ignores the possibility that there are currently production methods that would allow the corporation to produce less pollution than it does now
D.) takes for granted that because the company has attempted to reduce the amount of pollution produced, they must have succeeded
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A recent study showed that people who address problems quickly and directly are significantly less likely to have gum disease than are people who react to problems by refusing to think about them. Since stress can have a negative effect on the immune system, the study's results clearly indicate that some forms of gum disease are caused or aggravated by suppression of the immune system.
Q: The argument requires the assumption that
Choices:
A.) people who have highly stressful lives tend to address problems quickly and directly
B.) refusing to think about something troubling contributes to a person's level of stress
C.) painful conditions will interfere with a person's ability to address problems quickly and directly
D.) people who tend to address problems quickly and directly will invariably seek dental care at the first sign of problems
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A science class stored one selection of various fruits at 30 degrees Celsius, a similar selection in similar conditions at 20 degrees, and another similar selection in similar conditions at 10 degrees. Because the fruits stored at 20 degrees stayed fresh longer than those stored at 30 degrees, and those stored at 10 degrees stayed fresh longest, the class concluded that the cooler the temperature at which these varieties of fruits are stored, the longer they will stay fresh.
Q: The class's reasoning is flawed in that the class
Choices:
A.) generalized too readily from the fruits it tested to fruits it did not test
B.) neglected to offer any explanation for the results it discovered
C.) too readily extrapolated from a narrow range of temperatures to the entire range of temperatures
D.) ignored the effects of other factors such as humidity and sunlight on the rate of spoilage
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Though Earth's human population is increasing, it currently uses only a relatively small fraction of the supply of fresh water. Thus, claims that water shortages will plague humankind in the near future unless population growth trends change are simply mistaken.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
Choices:
A.) If Earth's population continues to increase, it will eventually outstrip all available resources.
B.) The amount of fresh water available to meet the needs of Earth's population varies significantly from region to region.
C.) The percentage of fresh water used for agriculture is likely to grow more quickly than is the percentage used for industry.
D.) Not all of Earth's population will adopt water conservation methods in the near future.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Consultant: The dramatic improvements in productivity achieved during the Industrial Revolution resulted in large part from standardization of processes and procedures coupled with centralization of planning and decision making. Yet, in recent years, many already productive companies have further improved their productivity by giving individual employees greater influence in decision making and in how they do their work.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent paradox in the consultant's statements?
Choices:
A.) Most of the increases in industrial productivity that have occurred in recent years have been due to the introduction of advanced technology like industrial robots.
B.) Increased productivity is not the only benefit of giving individual employees greater control over their work; job satisfaction increases as well.
C.) Increases in productivity in highly productive companies depend on management's broad application of innovative ideas solicited from individual employees about their work.
D.) The innovations of the Industrial Revolution are only now being applied in those companies in which individual employees have traditionally been entirely in control of how they do their work.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Professor: The most important function of epic poetry is to transmit the values by which a group of people is to live. This transmission is accomplished not by an explicit discussion of those values, but rather by their embodiment in heroic figures, who are presented as role models. Imitating those role models gives meaning and direction to the lives of those who hear the poems.
Q: If the professor's statements are true, which one of the following must also be true?
Choices:
A.) An important function of poetry is to give meaning and direction to the lives of those who hear or read it.
B.) Epic poems accomplish their most important function by presenting heroic figures as role models.
C.) For many groups of people, heroic figures serve as role models embodying the values by which those people are to live.
D.) When values are represented in poetry, they are rarely if ever set forth explicitly.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Letter to the editor: You say that if the government were to confiscate a portion of the wages of convicted burglars when they reenter the workforce, it would be a form of stealing, hence an abuse of power. Yet under the proposal now being considered, the government would confiscate such wages in order to fund an account to compensate burglary victims. So even if confiscating a portion of burglars' wages were a form of stealing, it would still be justified.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to support the argument in the letter to the editor?
Choices:
A.) Money stolen from a burglar should be given to that burglar's victims.
B.) The motive prompting an action determines whether or not that action is justified.
C.) A crime is justified only if it is a means of compensating people who deserve compensation.
D.) Burglars are obligated to provide compensation to the same individuals they victimized.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Some heartburn-medication advertisements imply that unrelieved heartburn is likely to cause esophageal cancer. This is simply false. The fact is that only about 5 percent of people with severe heartburn have a condition called Barrett's esophagus, in which cells similar to those in the stomach's lining develop in the lower esophagus. Only these people have an increased risk of developing cancer because of heartburn.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the overall conclusion drawn in the argument?
Choices:
A.) Only those people with Barrett's esophagus can suffer an increased risk of developing cancer from heartburn.
B.) An increase in the risk of esophageal cancer arises from cells similar to those in the stomach's lining developing in the lower esophagus.
C.) Some heartburn-medication advertisements imply that unrelieved heartburn is likely to cause esophageal cancer.
D.) Unrelieved heartburn is not likely to cause esophageal cancer.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: We can be sure that at least some halogen lamps are well crafted, because halogen lamps from most major manufacturers are on display at Furniture Labyrinth. Any item on display at Furniture Labyrinth is well crafted.
Q: Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to the argument above?
Choices:
A.) We can be confident that the temperature will drop abruptly on at least one day this week, for there is a chance of storms most days this week; whenever there are storms, the temperature drops suddenly.
B.) We can be positive that there are at least a few disturbing sonnets, given that Melinda has written several different kinds of sonnets; everything Melinda writes is disturbing.
C.) We can be sure that Gianna will get at least some good mechanical work done to her car, because she can have her car worked on at any of several shops in the city, and every shop is capable of doing good mechanical work.
D.) We can be confident that the cornmeal used at Matteo's Trattoria is healthful and organic, since cornmeal is among the ingredients used in preparing meals there; whenever a meal is prepared at Matteo's Trattoria, only healthful, organic ingredients are used.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Psychologists have found that the implementation of policies allowing work schedules to be tailored to individuals' needs does not typically increase managers' job satisfaction or their efficiency—although this may be because most managers already have the autonomy to adjust their own schedules. But these flexible-schedule policies do increase job satisfaction, productivity, and attendance among nonmanagerial employees. The benefits dissipate somewhat over time, however, and they are reduced even further if schedules are too elastic.
Q: Which one of the following statements is most supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) Flexible schedules should be expected to substantially improve a company's productivity and employee satisfaction in the long run.
B.) Flexible-schedule policies should be expected to improve the morale of some individual employees but not the overall morale of a company's workforce.
C.) The typical benefits of flexible-schedule policies cannot be reliably inferred from observations of the effects of such policies on managers.
D.) There is little correlation between managers' job satisfaction and their ability to set their own work schedules.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Viewers surveyed immediately after the televised political debate last year between Lopez and Tanner tended to think that Lopez had made the better arguments, but the survey respondents who reported that Lopez's arguments were better may have been biased in favor of Lopez. After all, Lopez eventually did win the election.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument?
Choices:
A.) Lopez won the election over Tanner by a very narrow margin.
B.) Most of the viewers surveyed immediately prior to the debate said that they would probably vote for Tanner.
C.) Most people who voted in the election that Lopez won did not watch the debate.
D.) The people who watched the televised debate were more likely to vote for Tanner than were the people who did not watch the debate.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Recent medical and anthropological data show that prohibitions on the use of certain foods served important social, economic, and medical functions in ancient cultures. But these data cannot explain the origin of the prohibitions involved, since those who originally adopted and enforced them did not have access to the same data as modern researchers.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Choices:
A.) The social, economic, and medical problems of a society may lead to the adoption of contradictory food prohibitions.
B.) The origin of a food prohibition must be explained with reference to the understanding that the people who adopted and enforced the prohibition had.
C.) The social importance of the origin of a food prohibition is independent of the nutritional value of the food prohibited.
D.) The people who originally adopted and enforced food prohibitions in ancient cultures generally had a nontechnical understanding of the medical functions of those prohibitions.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editor: Most of the books of fiction we have published were submitted by literary agents for writers they represented; the rest were received directly from fiction writers from whom we requested submissions. No nonfiction manuscript has been given serious attention, let alone been published, unless it was from a renowned figure or we had requested the manuscript after careful review of the writer's book proposal.
Q: Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the editor's statements?
Choices:
A.) Any unrequested manuscripts not submitted by literary agents that the publishing house has published were written by renowned figures.
B.) Most unrequested manuscripts that the publishing house receives are not given serious attention.
C.) The publishing house is less likely to give careful consideration to a manuscript that was submitted directly by a writer than one that was submitted by a writer's literary agent.
D.) If a manuscript has received careful attention at the publishing house, then it is either a work of fiction or the work of a renowned figure.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If the budget does not allow for more dairy inspectors to be hired, most of the large dairies in the central valley will not meet federal standards governing the disposal of natural wastes, which can seep into streams and groundwater. The new district budget, however, does not allow for the hiring of more dairy inspectors. Consequently, most of the district's drinking water is likely to become polluted.
Q: The conclusion above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) To keep all the drinking water in the district clean requires more dairy inspectors to monitor the dairies' disposal of natural wastes.
B.) If none of the large dairies in the central valley meets federal standards for the disposal of natural wastes, most of the district's drinking water is likely to become polluted.
C.) Most of the district's drinking water is likely to become polluted if most of the large dairies in the central valley do not meet federal standards for the disposal of natural wastes.
D.) If most of the dairies in the central valley meet federal standards for the disposal of natural wastes, it is unlikely that most of the district's drinking water will become polluted.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Company president: Almost every really successful product introduced in the last ten years has been launched by a massive television advertising campaign. We are using a massive television advertising campaign to introduce the Vegetaste Burger. So the Vegetaste Burger will probably be very successful.
Q: The flawed nature of the company president's argument can most effectively be demonstrated by noting that, by parallel reasoning, we could conclude that
Choices:
A.) almost all of Acme's employees oppose the pending merger with Barrington Corporation, since almost all of Acme's employees are factory workers, and almost all of the factory workers at Acme oppose the merger
B.) Donna has at least ten years of experience as a computer programmer, since almost every programmer who works for Coderight Software has at least ten years experience, and Donna will probably be hired as a programmer by Coderight
C.) Robinson will probably be appointed as president of Sifton University, since almost every one of Sifton's previous presidents had a Ph.D., and Robinson has a Ph.D.
D.) the novel Safekeeping will probably earn a profit
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Biologist: Scientists have discovered fossilized bacteria in rocks 3.5 billion years old. The fossils indicate that these bacteria were quite complex and so must have already had a long evolutionary history when fossilized 3.5 billion years ago. However, Earth is only 4.6 billion years old, so the first life on Earth must have appeared soon after the planet's formation, when conditions were extremely harsh. This suggests that life may be able to arise under many difficult conditions throughout the universe.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the biologist's argument by the claim that the fossilized bacteria discovered in rocks 3.5 billion years old must have had a long evolutionary history?
Choices:
A.) It is a claim for which some support is provided in the argument, and that itself is used to support two distinct conclusions, neither of which is intended to provide support for the other.
B.) It is a claim for which no support is provided in the argument, and that is used to support a claim that in turn lends support to the conclusion of the argument as a whole.
C.) It is a claim for which some support is provided in the argument, and that itself is used to support another claim that in turn lends support to the conclusion of the argument as a whole.
D.) It is a claim for which some support is provided in the argument, and that itself is not used to support any other claim in the argument.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: At one time, many astronomers assumed that Earth remains motionless while the stars revolve around it. They concluded from this that the stars were not more than a few million miles from Earth. They reasoned that if the stars were farther away, they would have to move at tremendously great speeds in order to circle Earth during the day and reappear in roughly the same positions each night.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the reasoning described above?
Choices:
A.) Earth does not remain motionless while the stars revolve around it.
B.) All stars move at exactly the same speed when they are revolving around Earth.
C.) A star that is more than a million miles from Earth could reappear in roughly the same position each night.
D.) Stars do not move at tremendously great speeds.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: People may praise the talent of a painter capable of realistically portraying a scene and dismiss as artistically worthless the efforts of abstract expressionists, but obviously an exact replica of the scene depicted is not the only thing people appreciate in a painting, for otherwise photography would have entirely displaced painting as an art form.
Q: The argument proceeds by
Choices:
A.) explaining a historical fact in terms of the artistic preferences of people
B.) appealing to an aesthetic principle to defend the tastes that people have
C.) using a claim about what most people appreciate to support an aesthetic principle
D.) appealing to a historical fact to support a claim about people's artistic preferences
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Children should be discouraged from reading Jones's books. Reading them is like eating candy, which provides intense, short-term sensory stimulation but leaves one poorly nourished and dulls one's taste for better fare. In other words, the problem with letting children read Jones's books is that .
Q: Which one of the following most logically completes the argument above?
Choices:
A.) their doing so interferes with the development of appreciation for more challenging literature
B.) too many children may become frustrated by their difficulty and stop reading altogether
C.) children may become so enthralled with books that they will want to spend all their time reading
D.) it will lead them to develop a taste for candy and sweets
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Archaeologist: How did the Parthenon's stonemasons manage to carve columns that all bulged outward in the center in precisely the same way? One hypothesis is suggested by the discovery of a scale drawing of a column etched into the stone of a Greek temple at Didyma. The drawing is a profile view of a column surrounded by a grid, which makes it possible to determine the correct width at every height of the column. The stonemasons who carved the Parthenon's columns may have relied on a drawing like the one at Didyma.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, adds the most support for the archaeologist's hypothesis?
Choices:
A.) Modern attempts to recreate columns like those at the Parthenon have only been partially successful.
B.) The construction of the temple at Didyma was begun over a century after the Parthenon was constructed.
C.) The surviving columns at Didyma are almost twice as tall as the columns at the Parthenon.
D.) Scale drawings were commonly used in many types of construction in ancient Greece.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editorial: The government should not fund any part of its health services with lottery revenue. These health services are essential to our community, but lottery revenue could decline at some time in the future, leaving the government scrambling to make up a budget shortfall. The argument in the editorial most closely conforms to
Q: which one of the following principles?
Choices:
A.) Essential government services must be funded from reliable sources of revenue.
B.) At least some lottery revenue must be set aside in case of budget shortfalls in the future.
C.) No government service should be entirely dependent on lottery revenue for its funding.
D.) Governments should consider all health services to be essential to the community.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Scientist: Rattlesnakes prey on young California ground squirrels. Protective adult squirrels harass a threatening rattlesnake by puffing up their tails and wagging them. New results show that the squirrel's tail also heats up when harassing a rattlesnake. Since rattlesnakes have an infrared sensing organ that detects body heat, the heating up of the squirrel's tail probably plays a role in repelling rattlesnakes.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to support the scientist's hypothesis?
Choices:
A.) The rattlesnake is not the only predator of the California ground squirrel that causes it to engage in harassing behavior as a defensive mechanism.
B.) Mammals such as the California ground squirrel have no organ for sensing infrared energy.
C.) Rattlesnakes react much more defensively when confronted with a squirrel whose tail is heated up than when confronted with one whose tail is not.
D.) Squirrels puff up their tails and wag them when they attempt to attract the attention of other squirrels.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Critic: Fillmore, an influential television executive, argues that watching television regularly is not detrimental to very young children. Fillmore bases this on the claim, which I grant, that children can learn much that is beneficial from television. But we should reject Fillmore's argument, because clearly it is to Fillmore's benefit to convince parents that television is not harmful to their children.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the critic's reasoning?
Choices:
A.) It concludes that something is true merely on the grounds that there is no evidence to the contrary.
B.) It bases its conclusion on claims that are inconsistent with one another.
C.) It rejects an argument solely on the grounds that the argument could serve the interests of the person making that argument.
D.) It takes a necessary condition for something's being harmful to be a sufficient condition for being harmful.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: While grapefruit juice is a healthy drink, it has been discovered that a chemical in the juice affects how certain medicines are absorbed, with the result that normal medicinal doses act like higher doses. Getting the wrong dose is dangerous. Since it is always desirable to take the lowest effective dose, the best medical approach would be to take lower doses of these medicines along with prescribed amounts of grapefruit juice.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Choices:
A.) When scientists removed the chemical from grapefruit juice, the juice no longer affected how certain medicines were absorbed.
B.) Long before the chemical in grapefruit juice was identified, doctors were advising patients who took certain medicines to avoid grapefruit juice.
C.) The amount of the chemical in grapefruit juice is highly unpredictable from glass to glass.
D.) The chemical in grapefruit juice works by inhibiting an enzyme in the body that affects how certain medicines are metabolized.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A landlord needed to replace the air-conditioning unit in a small rental home. The salesperson at the appliance store showed the landlord two air-conditioning units with identical prices. She told the landlord that the Sno-Queen was the most powerful unit for the price, but advised him to purchase the less powerful FreezAll unit, saying that the FreezAll was powerful enough for his needs.
Q: The salesperson's advice to the landlord most closely conforms to which one of the following principles?
Choices:
A.) When a consumer is choosing a home appliance, that consumer should choose the least powerful product that meets his or her needs.
B.) When advising customers about a purchase of a home appliance, a salesperson should direct the customer toward the product that yields the highest commission for the salesperson.
C.) When the prices of two different brands of a particular home appliance are identical, either of the products can satisfy the needs of the consumer.
D.) When a consumer is choosing between two different brands of a particular home appliance, the consumer should select the less powerful product only if it is also less expensive.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Editorial: Our political discussions tend to focus largely on the flaws of our nation's leaders, but we need to remind ourselves that these leaders were chosen democratically. The real question that needs answering is how our nation's institutions and procedures enable such people to attain positions of power. Thus, to focus our attention on the flaws of our leaders is to indulge in a pointless distraction.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption that the argument requires?
Choices:
A.) As yet, no one in the nation has made the effort to critically examine the details of the nation's institutions and procedures.
B.) Examining an individual leader's personal flaws does not reveal anything about how the nation's institutions and procedures influence the selection of leaders.
C.) The workings of the nation's current institutions and procedures ensure that only flawed individuals will attain positions of power.
D.) Concentrating on the flaws of the nation's leaders creates greater dissatisfaction with those leaders.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Many calcium supplements contain lead, a potentially dangerous substance even in small amounts. The body can safely store in bones trace amounts of lead from food, but high levels of lead in the blood are a major public health concern, associated with anemia and nerve damage. Despite this, many doctors contend that for some people calcium supplements containing lead are preferable to no calcium supplements at all.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would most help to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above?
Choices:
A.) Lead is only one of the common public health concerns that are associated with anemia and nerve damage.
B.) Some fruits and vegetables contain trace amounts of lead derived from the soil in which they are grown.
C.) It is difficult to ensure that one has completely eliminated trace amounts of lead from one's diet.
D.) When calcium intake is insufficient, the body draws calcium from bones, releasing stored lead into the bloodstream.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Principle: People should buy an expensive antique only if they can be confident of its authenticity and they find the piece desirable for its intrinsic qualities and not just for its value as an investment.Application: Matilde should not buy the expensive antique vase offered for sale on the Internet.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to justify the above application of the principle?
Choices:
A.) While this style of vase is not currently sought after by other collectors, Matilde has acquired quite a few similar pieces and has developed significant expertise in identifying counterfeits.
B.) The seller of the vase has offered documentation of its age and origin, and Matilde is highly attracted to its shape and color; moreover, she suspects that it will be highly desirable to other collectors in the future.
C.) The asking price for the vase is significantly less than the amount Matilde thinks it is worth, and the vase is of a style that Matilde particularly likes.
D.) While Matilde likes the color and features of the vase, its particular style has frequently been reproduced for the mass market, and the vase cannot be examined closely or authenticated over the Internet.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Critic: In her presentation of important works of art in her art history textbook, Waverly claims to have presented only objective accounts: "I have sought neither to advocate nor to denigrate what I included." In writing about art, a pretense of objectivity never succeeds: clearly, Waverly writes much better about art she likes than about art to which she is indifferent.
Q: The critic's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Waverly has only included works of art that she has strong opinions about in her textbook.
B.) Waverly has not succeeded in her intended objectivity about works of art discussed in her textbook.
C.) Waverly believes that a historian of art should not prefer certain works of art to other works of art.
D.) Waverly wrote her textbook with the intention of advocating the works of art that she likes best.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Archaeologists are discovering a great deal about the Sals culture. For example, recent excavations have unearthed smelting furnaces and tools of smelted copper and bronze. There were distinct Sals words for copper and for bronze, but none for iron. Thus, the Sals did not smelt iron.
Q: The conclusion drawn above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) If a culture was unfamiliar with a metal, then it did not have a distinct word for that metal.
B.) If a culture smelted copper and bronze, then it had distinct words for copper and bronze.
C.) If a culture had a distinct word for a metal, then it smelted that metal.
D.) If a culture smelted a metal, then it had a distinct word for that metal.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Community organizations wanting to enhance support for higher education programs need to convince the public that such programs benefit society as a whole. Taking this approach makes the public more receptive. It is much easier, for example, to get the public to support road building, which is seen as benefiting everyone, than it is to get them to support programs that are seen as benefiting only a relatively small segment of society.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the overall conclusion drawn in the argument?
Choices:
A.) It is easy to get the public to support road building, because road building is seen as benefiting society as a whole.
B.) Convincing the public that higher education programs will benefit society as a whole makes the public more receptive to those programs.
C.) Community organizations seeking to encourage higher education programs must persuade the public that these programs benefit society as a whole.
D.) It is easier to get the public to support programs that are seen as benefiting everyone than it is to get them to support programs that are seen as benefiting only a small segment of society.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Currently, no satellite orbiting Earth is at significant risk of colliding with other satellites or satellite fragments, but the risk of such a collision is likely to increase dramatically in the future. After all, once such a collision occurs, it will probably produce thousands of satellite fragments, each large enough to shatter other satellites. The resulting collisions will produce many more fragments, and so on, causing the space around Earth to become quite heavily cluttered with dangerous debris.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the claim that the risk of a satellite orbiting Earth colliding with other satellites or satellite fragments is likely to increase dramatically in the future?
Choices:
A.) It is a claim that provides nonessential background information for the argument's conclusion.
B.) It is a claim that serves as the argument's conclusion.
C.) It is an unsupported claim that is used to support another claim that in turn supports the argument's conclusion.
D.) It is a claim for which the argument provides some support, and which in turn is used to support the argument's conclusion.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Researcher: Sal-monella bacteria are a major cause of illness in humans who consume poultry. Young chicks that underwent a new treatment exhibited a lower incidence of Salmonella infection than did untreated chicks, although one week after the treatment was administered the treated chicks had higher concentrations of a variety of bacteria than did untreated chicks.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the concentrations of bacteria one week after the treatment?
Choices:
A.) The bacteria found in the treated chicks were nonvirulent types whose growth is inhibited by Salmonella bacteria.
B.) The untreated chicks experienced a higher incidence of illness from infection by bacteria other than Salmonella than did treated chicks.
C.) Most chicks develop resistance to many harmful bacteria by the time they reach adulthood.
D.) The new treatment takes several weeks to administer.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Debater: As a pedagogical practice, lecturing embodies hierarchy, since the lecturer is superior to the student in mastery of the subject. But people learn best from peer interaction. Thus, the hierarchy in lecturing is a great weakness.Respondent: By definition, all teaching and learning are hierarchical, for all teaching and learning must proceed from simple to complex. In teaching mathematics, for example, arithmetic must precede calculus. Thus, the hierarchy in lecturing is a strength.
Q: The respondent's reply to the debater's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the respondent
Choices:
A.) concedes one of the major assumptions on which the debater's argument depends
B.) applies a key concept to a different aspect of education than the aspect to which the debater applied it
C.) takes for granted that the conceptual structure of mathematics is sufficiently representative of the conceptual structure of at least some other academic disciplines
D.) fails to consider the possibility that some characteristics of lecturing other than hierarchy are weaknesses
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: How the pigment known as Han purple was synthesized by the ancient Chinese of the Qin and Han dynasties has puzzled scientists. The Chinese chemists employed the same chemical ingredients used for Han purple in the production of a common type of white glass during that period. Both were produced in processes that involved subjecting the mixtures to high heat and mixing in lead to decrease the melting temperature. Thus, Han purple was probably discovered by fortuitous accident during glass production.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument?
Choices:
A.) The white glass is found in more surviving artifacts from the Qin and Han dynasties than Han purple is.
B.) The ingredients used in producing both Han purple and the white glass were easily obtainable during the Qin and Han dynasties.
C.) Chemical analysis shows that most of the known fragments of both Han purple and the white glass were produced within a small geographical radius.
D.) The technique used for producing Han purple was known to very few people during the Qin and Han dynasties.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Medical researcher: A survey of more than 1 million adults found that there was a greater frequency of illness among people who regularly slept at least 8 hours a night than among people who slept significantly less. This shows that mild sleep deprivation is not unhealthy and, in fact, probably bolsters the body's defenses against illness.
Q: The reasoning in the medical researcher's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Choices:
A.) fails to consider that even if a given factor causally contributes to the occurrence of a given phenomenon, it may not be the only factor affecting the occurrence of that phenomenon
B.) fails to address the possibility that an observed correlation between two phenomena is due to another factor that causally contributes to both phenomena
C.) fails to consider that even if a specific negative consequence is not associated with a given phenomenon, that phenomenon may have other negative consequences
D.) concludes, from the claim that a certain phenomenon occurs and the claim that a certain condition is sufficient for that phenomenon to occur, that the condition also exists
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If temperatures had dropped below freezing when I was gone last week, the impatiens in my garden would have died. If the impatiens had died, they obviously could not continue to bloom. However, since the impatiens in my garden are still in bloom today, temperatures did not drop below freezing last week.
Q: The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following arguments most closely parallels that in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) If a species is introduced into a new environment, it adversely affects some species already existing in that environment, but only if it adapts well to it. Therefore, if a species does not adapt well to a new environment, it will not adversely affect any species already existing in it.
B.) If the introduction of a new species would adversely affect some species already existing in an environment, that species should not be introduced into it. Therefore, since the introduction of species into new environments will result in some species in those environments being adversely affected, species should probably not be introduced into new environments.
C.) If a species is highly adaptable, it will thrive when introduced into a new environment. If a species thrives in its new environment, it will have an adverse effect on species already existing in that environment. But, since this species has not had an adverse effect on any species already existing in its new environment, it is not highly adaptable.
D.) If a species thrives in a new environment, that species is adaptable. Species that adapt to new environments adversely affect some species already existing in those environments. So, if a species does not adversely affect any species already existing in its new environment, it has not adapted to it.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: If the city builds the proposed convention center, several national professional organizations will hold conventions there. And if several large conventions are held in the city, the total number of visitors will of course increase. Tax revenues will certainly increase if the number of visitors increases. Thus, building the convention center will increase the city's tax revenues.
Q: The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) People who are now regular visitors to the city will continue to visit the city if the new convention center is built.
B.) The city's tax revenues will not increase unless the convention center is built.
C.) If the number of visitors to the city increases, then the amount of money spent by visitors will increase.
D.) If several national professional organizations hold their conventions in the convention center, those conventions will be large.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In a study, pairs of trained dogs were placed side by side and given a command such as "sit." After both obeyed the command, one dog was given a treat while its partner was given no reward at all. Over time, the dogs who went unrewarded began to disobey the command. This shows that dogs have an aversion to being treated unfairly.
Q: Which one of the following would be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?
Choices:
A.) Were dogs who received treats in one trial ever used as dogs that did not receive treats in other trials?
B.) Were there any cases in which the dog who was given a reward became more inclined to obey the command?
C.) Is there a decline in obedience if rewards are withheld from both dogs in the pair?
D.) Were dogs who were accustomed to receiving regular rewards prior to the study more inclined to obey the command?
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A study of 20,000 20- to 64-year-olds found that people's satisfaction with their incomes is not strongly correlated with the amount they make. People tend to live in neighborhoods of people from their same economic class, and the study shows that people's satisfaction with their incomes depends largely on how favorably their incomes compare with those of their neighbors.
Q: The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following hypotheses?
Choices:
A.) People with high incomes are consistently more satisfied with their incomes than are people in the middle class.
B.) An increase in everyone's incomes is not likely to greatly increase people's levels of satisfaction with their own incomes.
C.) In general, people's income levels have little effect on their level of satisfaction with life as a whole.
D.) Older people are generally more satisfied with their incomes than are younger people.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Geologist: The dominant view that petroleum formed from the fossilized remains of plants and animals deep in the earth's crust has been challenged by scientists who hold that it formed, not from living material, but from deep carbon deposits dating from the formation of the earth. But their theory is refuted by the presence in petroleum of biomarkers, molecules indicating the past or present existence of a living organism.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the geologist's argument?
Choices:
A.) Fossils have been discovered that are devoid of biomarkers.
B.) Certain strains of bacteria thrive deep inside the earth's crust.
C.) Some carbon deposits were formed from the fossilized remains of plants.
D.) Living organisms only emerged long after the earth's formation.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Any driver involved in an accident leading to personal injury or property damage exceeding $500 is legally required to report the accident to the department of motor vehicles, unless the driver is incapable of doing so. Ted is not required to report the accident in which he was involved as a driver.
Q: Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the statements above?
Choices:
A.) If Ted is incapable of reporting the accident, then the accident did not lead to property damage exceeding $500.
B.) If Ted's car was damaged in excess of $500 in the accident, then he is incapable of reporting the accident to the department of motor vehicles.
C.) If Ted is incapable of reporting the accident to the department of motor vehicles, then he was injured in the accident.
D.) Either no one was injured in the accident or the accident did not lead to property damage exceeding $500.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Student: If a person has an immunity to infection by a microorganism, then that microorganism does not cause them to develop harmful symptoms. Since many people are exposed to staphylococcus without developing any harmful symptoms, it follows that they have an immunity to infection by this microorganism.
Q: The student's argument is most similar in its flawed pattern of reasoning to which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Advertisers try to persuade people that certain claims are true. Since writers of fiction are not advertisers, they probably never try to persuade people that certain claims are true.
B.) Isabel said that she would take the medication. Obviously, though, she did not do so, because medication either cures disease or alleviates its symptoms, and Isabel is still quite ill.
C.) Everything morally right is just, but some actions that best serve the interests of everyone are not just. Thus, some morally right actions do not serve the interests of everyone.
D.) When business owners are subjected to excessive taxation, they become less willing to expand their businesses. The recent decline in business expansions thus shows that their taxes are too high.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Ming: Since trans fat is particularly unhealthy, ifs fortunate for the consumer that so many cookie manufacturers have completely eliminated it from their products. Carol: Why do you say that? Even without trans fat, desserts do not make for healthy eating.
Q: Carol's response indicates that she interpreted Ming's remarks to mean that
Choices:
A.) if a food is not healthy, then it is unhealthy
B.) consumers should purchase cookies only if they do not contain trans fat
C.) food that doesn't contain trans fat is healthy food
D.) a cookie containing any amount of trans fat is unhealthy
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Historian: During the Industrial Revolution, for the first time in history, the productivity of the economy grew at a faster rate than the population and thus dramatically improved living standards. An economist theorizes that this growth was made possible by the spread of values such as hard work and thrift. But successful explanations need to be based on facts, so no one should accept this explanation until historical evidence demonstrates that a change in values occurred prior to the Industrial Revolution.
Q: The overall conclusion of the historian's argument is that
Choices:
A.) no one should accept the economist's explanation until historical evidence demonstrates that a change in values occurred prior to the Industrial Revolution
B.) the improvement in living standards that occurred during the Industrial Revolution was not due to the spread of a change in values
C.) values such as hard work and thrift did not become widespread prior to the Industrial Revolution
D.) during the Industrial Revolution the productivity of the economy grew at a faster rate than the population
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The master plan for the new park calls for the planting of trees of any species native to this area, except for those native trees that grow to be very large, such as the cottonwood. The trees that the community group donated were purchased at Three Rivers Nursery, which sells mostly native trees and shrubs. Thus, the donated trees are probably consistent with the master plan.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Choices:
A.) Three Rivers Nursery sells cottonwood trees.
B.) Tree species that are not native to this area and that are consistent with the master plan are rare and hard to find.
C.) Many of the native species that Three Rivers Nursery sells are shrubs, not trees.
D.) Three Rivers Nursery does not sell any tree species that grow to be very large.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Paleontologists had long supposed that the dinosaur Diplodocus browsed for high-growing vegetation such as treetop leaves by raising its very long neck. But now computer models have shown that the structure of Diplodocus's neck bones would have prevented such movement. The neck could, however, bend downward and even extend below ground level, allowing Diplodocus to access underwater vegetation from dry land. Thus, Diplodocus must have fed on plants on or near the ground, or underwater.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Choices:
A.) Diplodocus was not able to browse for underwater vegetation by kneeling beside bodies of water or by walking into them.
B.) It would be impossible for a large animal such as Diplodocus to supply blood to an elevated brain.
C.) Diplodocus was not able to see in front of itself unless its head was angled steeply downward.
D.) Diplodocus had no other way of accessing high-growing vegetation, such as by rising up on its hind legs.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Government official: Although the determination of local residents to rebuild hiking trails recently devastated by a landslide indicates that they are strongly committed to their community, the government should not assist them in rebuilding. The reason is clear: there is a strong likelihood of future landslides in that location that could cause serious injury or worse.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning in the government official's argument?
Choices:
A.) The determination of residents to rebuild hiking trails devastated by landslides should be what determines government support for the project.
B.) Government agencies should not assist people with projects unless those people are strongly committed to their community.
C.) Residents should be discouraged from rebuilding in any area that has had an extensive history of landslides.
D.) The government should not assist in projects that are very likely to result in circumstances that could lead to serious injury.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Scientist: There is a lot of concern that human behavior may be responsible for large-scale climate change. But this should be seen as more of an opportunity than a problem. If human behavior is responsible for climate change, then we can control future climate change to make it less extreme than previous climate shifts.
Q: The scientist's argument requires assuming which one of the following?
Choices:
A.) Human beings can control the aspects of their behavior that have an impact on climate change.
B.) It is easier to identify the human behaviors that cause climate change than it is to change those behaviors.
C.) The same degree of climate change produces less damage if it is caused by human behavior than if it has a purely natural cause.
D.) At least some previous large-scale climate changes have been caused by human behavior.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In a study of heart patients awaiting treatment for reduced blood flow to the heart, those still waiting to find out whether they would need surgery were less likely to experience pain from the condition than were those who knew what type of treatment they would receive. Assuming that this uncertainty is more stressful than knowing what one's future holds, then it is reasonable to conclude that .
Q: Which one of the following most logically completes the argument?
Choices:
A.) the pain experienced by heart patients is to some extent beneficial
B.) the severity of a heart patient's condition is usually worsened by withholding information from the patient about the treatment that that patient will receive
C.) stress sometimes reduces the amount of pain a heart patient experiences
D.) stress is probably an effect rather than a cause of reduced blood flow to the heart
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Given the shape of the hip and foot bones of the Kodiak bear, it has been determined that standing and walking upright is completely natural behavior for these bears. Thus, walking on hind legs is instinctive and not a learned behavior of the Kodiak.
Q: To which one of the following criticisms is the argument most vulnerable?
Choices:
A.) The argument incorrectly appeals to the authority of science in order to support its conclusion.
B.) The argument fails to consider the possibility that walking on hind legs is the result of both learning and an innate capacity.
C.) The argument presumes, without giving justification, that all behavior can be explained in one or both of only two ways.
D.) The word "behavior" illicitly changes meaning during the course of the argument.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: People are usually interested in, and often even moved by, anecdotes about individuals, whereas they rarely even pay attention to statistical information, much less change their beliefs in response to it. However, although anecdotes are generally misleading in that they are about unrepresentative cases, people tend to have fairly accurate beliefs about society.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would most help to explain why people tend to have accurate beliefs about society despite the facts described above?
Choices:
A.) Statistical information tends to obscure the characteristics of individuals.
B.) Most people recognize that anecdotes tend to be about unrepresentative cases.
C.) The more emotionally compelling an anecdote is, the more likely it is to change a person's beliefs.
D.) Statistical information is made more comprehensible when illustrated by anecdotes.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In 2005, paleontologist Mary Schweitzer made headlines when she reported finding preserved soft tissue in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur. Analysis of the collagen proteins from the T. rex showed them to be similar to the collagen proteins in modern-day chickens. Schweitzer's discovery therefore adds to the mountain of evidence that dinosaurs are closely related to birds.
Q: The answer to which one of the following questions would be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?
Choices:
A.) How likely is it for animals that are not closely related to each other to have similar collagen proteins?
B.) Is it possible that T. rex is more closely related to modern-day chickens than to certain other types of dinosaurs?
C.) How rare is it to find preserved soft tissue in the bones of a dinosaur?
D.) Is there any evidence at all against the claim that dinosaurs are closely related to birds?
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A university professor researching sleep disorders occasionally taught class after spending whole nights working in a laboratory. She found lecturing after such nights difficult: she reported that she felt worn out and humorless, and she had difficulty concentrating and finding the appropriate words. After several weeks of lectures, she asked her students to guess which lectures had been given after nights without sleep. Interestingly, very few students were able to correctly identify them.
Q: Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by the information above?
Choices:
A.) University students in a lecture audience tend to be astute observers of human behavior.
B.) The subjective effects of occasional sleep deprivation are more pronounced than are its effects on overt behavior.
C.) Sleep deprivation has less effect on professors' job performance than it does on the job performance of others.
D.) Occasional sleep deprivation is not as debilitating as extended sleep deprivation.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Prime minister: Our nation's government should give priority to satisfying the needs of our nation's people over satisfying the needs of people of any other nation. This is despite the fact that the people of other nations are equal in worth to the people of our nation, which means that it is objectively no more important to satisfy the needs of our nation's people than to satisfy those of other nations' people.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to reconcile the apparent conflict among the prime minister's claims?
Choices:
A.) A nation's government should not attempt to satisfy the needs of a group of people unless the satisfaction of those people's needs is objectively more important than that of any other group's needs.
B.) When the people of two nations are equally worthy, the needs of the people of each of those nations should be satisfied primarily by the people's own governments.
C.) A nation's government should give priority to the satisfaction of the needs of a group of people if, but only if, there is no other way for that group's needs to be satisfied.
D.) The priority a nation's government should place on satisfying the needs of a group of people depends mainly on how objectively important it is for the needs of those people to be satisfied.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Mayor: To keep our neighborhoods clean, every street in town will be swept at least once a month. If a neighborhood needs more frequent sweepings, due to excessive dirt from major construction for example, that neighborhood will be qualified for interim sweepings. All requests for interim sweepings from qualified neighborhoods will be satisfied immediately.
Q: If all of the mayor's statements are true, then which one of the following must also be true?
Choices:
A.) No street will be swept more than once a month unless it is located in a qualified neighborhood.
B.) No street in an unqualified neighborhood will be swept more than once a month even if the neighborhood requests it.
C.) A qualified neighborhood that requests an interim sweeping will have its streets swept more than once a month.
D.) All qualified neighborhoods will get their streets swept more than once a month.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Journalist: It is unethical for journalists to lie—to say something untrue with the purpose of deceiving the listener—to get a story. However, journalists commonly withhold relevant information in interviews in order to elicit new information. Some argue that this, like lying, is intentional deception and therefore unethical. However, this argument fails to recognize the distinction between failing to prevent a false belief and actively encouraging one. Lying is unethical because it actively encourages a false belief.
Q: The journalist argues by
Choices:
A.) appealing to a counterexample to undermine an ethical principle that supports an argument the journalist is trying to refute
B.) pointing out a difference between the two cases being compared in order to show that a conclusion based on their similarities should not be drawn
C.) defending what the journalist considers a controversial distinction by offering an example of a clear instance of it
D.) defining a concept and then showing that under this definition the concept applies to all of the cases under discussion
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Economist: Many of my colleagues are arguing that interest rates should be further lowered in order to stimulate economic growth. However, no such stimulation is needed: the economy is already growing at a sustainable rate. So, currently there is no reason to lower interest rates further.
Q: The reasoning in the economist's argument is questionable in that the argument
Choices:
A.) concludes that a further reduction of interest rates would lead to unsustainable economic growth merely from the fact that the economy is already growing at a sustainable rate
B.) presumes that a need to stimulate economic growth is the only possible reason to lower interest rates now
C.) confuses economic growth with what stimulates it
D.) takes what is merely one way of stimulating economic growth to be the only way of stimulating economic growth
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Most commentators on Baroque painting consider Caravaggio an early practitioner of that style, believing that his realism and novel use of the interplay of light and shadow broke sharply with current styles of Caravaggio's time and significantly influenced seventeenth-century Baroque painting. One must therefore either abandon the opinion of this majority of commentators or reject Mather's definition of Baroque painting, which says that for any painting to be considered Baroque, it must display opulence, heroic sweep, and extravagance.
Q: The conclusion of the argument can be properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) Opulence, heroic sweep, and extravagance are not present in Caravaggio's paintings.
B.) Realism was not widely used by painters prior to the seventeenth century.
C.) Paintings that belong to a single historical period typically share many of the same stylistic features.
D.) A realistic painting usually does not depict the world as opulent, heroic, or extravagant.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Under the legal doctrine of jury nullification, a jury may legitimately acquit a defendant it believes violated a law if the jury believes that law to be unjust. Proponents argue that this practice is legitimate because it helps shield against injustice. But the doctrine relies excessively on jurors' objectivity. When juries are empowered to acquit on grounds of their perceptions of unfairness, they too often make serious mistakes.
Q: The argument uses which one of the following techniques in its attempt to undermine the position that it attributes to the proponents of jury nullification?
Choices:
A.) attacking the motives of the proponents of the doctrine
B.) attempting to show that a premise put forward in support of the position is false
C.) presenting a purported counterexample to a general claim made by the doctrine's proponents
D.) arguing that the application of the doctrine has undesirable consequences
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Pharmacist: A large study of people aged 65-81 and suffering from insomnia showed that most of insomnia's symptoms are substantially alleviated by ingesting melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which plays a role in the regulation of the body's biological clock. Thus, the recent claims made by manufacturers of melatonin supplements that the pineal gland produces less melatonin as it ages are evidently correct.
Q: The pharmacist's argument is flawed in that it
Choices:
A.) infers from the effect of an action that the action is intended to produce that effect
B.) relies on a sample that is unrepresentative
C.) confuses an effect of a phenomenon with its cause
D.) depends on using two different meanings for the same term to draw its conclusion
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The recent concert was probably not properly promoted. Wells, who is quite knowledgeable about the concert business, was certain that it would sell out unless it was poorly promoted. But the concert did not sell out.
Q: The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to that in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) My neighbor, who is an experienced home renovator, said the damage to the wall would not be noticeable if it were properly repaired. Thus, the repair to the wall probably was not properly done, since one can still notice the damage.
B.) The builder said that the school's roof would not require repairs for years, unless it is damaged in a storm. The roof is already leaking. Thus, since there have been no major storms, the builder was probably wrong.
C.) Professor Willis, who is quite knowledgeable about organic chemistry, said that the sample probably did not contain any organic compounds. So, the sample probably is not labeled correctly, for if it were, it would contain organic compounds.
D.) Professor Yanakita, who is an expert on the subject, said that the tests would find lead in the soil if they were properly conducted. So, since the tests did find lead in the soil, they probably were properly conducted.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Economist: Global recessions can never be prevented, for they could be prevented only if they were predictable. Yet economists, using the best techniques at their disposal, consistently fail to accurately predict global recessions.
Q: The economist's argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that it
Choices:
A.) treats the predictability of an event, which is required for the event to be preventable, as a characteristic that assures its prevention
B.) implicitly bases an inference that something will not occur solely on the information that its occurrence is not predictable
C.) fails to address the possibility that the techniques available to economists for the prediction of global recessions will significantly improve
D.) fails to establish that economists claim to be able to accurately predict global recessions
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Letter to the editor: When your newspaper reported the (admittedly extraordinary) claim by Mr. Hanlon that he saw an alien spaceship, the tone of your article was very skeptical despite the fact that Hanlon has over the years proved to be a trusted member of the community. If Hanlon claimed to have observed a rare natural phenomenon like a large meteor, your article would not have been skeptical. So your newspaper exhibits an unjustified bias.
Q: The argument in the letter conflicts with which one of the following principles?
Choices:
A.) People who think they observe supernatural phenomena should not publicize that fact unless they can present corroborating evidence.
B.) A newspaper should not publish a report unless it is confirmed by an independent source.
C.) One should be skeptical of claims that are based upon testimonial evidence that is acquired only through an intermediary source.
D.) If a claim is extraordinary, it should not be presented uncritically unless it is backed by evidence of an extraordinarily high standard.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Fish with teeth specialized for scraping algae occur in both Flower Lake and Blue Lake. Some biologists argue that because such specialized characteristics are rare, fish species that have them should be expected to be closely related. If they are closely related, then the algae-scraping specialization evolved only once. But genetic tests show that the two algae-scraping species, although possibly related, are not closely related. Thus, the algae-scraping specialization evolved more than once.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that it
Choices:
A.) appeals to the authority of biologists who may not be representative of all biologists with expertise in the relevant area
B.) infers merely because something was likely to occur that it did occur
C.) takes a sufficient condition as a necessary one
D.) infers a cause merely from a correlation
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The constitution of Country F requires that whenever the government sells a state-owned entity, it must sell that entity for the highest price it can command on the open market. The constitution also requires that whenever the government sells a state-owned entity, it must ensure that citizens of Country F will have majority ownership of the resulting company for at least one year after the sale.
Q: The government of Country F must violate at least one of the constitutional requirements described above if it is faced with which one of the following situations?
Choices:
A.) The government will sell StateRail, a state-owned railway. The government must place significant restrictions on who can purchase StateRail to ensure that citizens of Country F will gain majority ownership. However, any such restrictions will reduce the price the government receives for StateRail.
B.) The government has agreed to sell National Silver, a state-owned mine, to a corporation. Although citizens of Country F have majority ownership of the corporation, most of the corporation's operations and sales take place in other countries.
C.) The government will sell PetroNat, a state-owned oil company. World Oil Company has made one of the highest offers for PetroNat, but World Oil's ownership structure is so complex that the government cannot determine whether citizens of Country F have majority ownership.
D.) The government will sell StateAir, a state-owned airline. The highest bid received was from a corporation that was owned entirely by citizens of Country F when the bid was received. Shortly after the bid was received, however, noncitizens purchased a minority share in the corporation.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The makers of Activite, a natural dietary supplement, claim that it promotes energy and mental alertness. To back up their claim, they offer a month's supply of Activite free to new customers. Clearly, Activite must be effective, since otherwise it would not be in the company's interest to make such an offer.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
Choices:
A.) A month is not a sufficient length of time for most dietary supplements to be fully effective.
B.) There are less expensive dietary supplements on the market that are just as effective as Activite.
C.) The mere fact that a dietary supplement contains only natural ingredients does not insure that it has no harmful side effects.
D.) The makers of Activite charge a handling fee that is considerably more than what it costs them to pack and ship their product.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Of the citizens who disapprove of the prime minister's overall job performance, most disapprove because of the prime minister's support for increasing the income tax. However, Theresa believes that the income tax should be increased. So Theresa probably approves of the prime minister's overall job performance.
Q: Which one of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning that is most parallel to that in the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Of the people who believe that the overall economy has improved, most believe it because they believe that their own financial situation has improved. Chung believes that the economy has worsened, so he probably believes that his own financial situation has worsened.
B.) Of the people who oppose funding a study to determine the feasibility of building a light rail line in the Loffoch Valley, most also believe that the Valley Freeway should be built. Donna opposes increasing funding for a study, so she probably supports building the Valley Freeway.
C.) Of the people who expect the population in the area to increase over the next ten years, most think that an expected population increase is a good reason to build a new school. Bonita does not expect the population to increase over the next ten years, so she probably does not favor building a new school.
D.) Of the people who support allowing limited logging in the Grizzly National Forest, most support it because they think it will reduce the risk of fire in the forest. Andy thinks that limited logging will not reduce the risk of fire in the forest, so he probably opposes allowing limited logging there.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Bird watcher: The decrease in the mourning-dove population in this area is probably a result of the loss of nesting habitat. Many mourning doves had formerly nested in the nearby orchards, but after overhead sprinklers were installed in the orchards last year, the doves ceased building nests there.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Choices:
A.) Mourning doves often nest in fruit trees.
B.) Blue jays that had nested in the orchards also ceased doing so after the sprinklers were installed.
C.) Many residents of the area fill their bird feeders with canola or wheat, which are appropriate seeds for attracting mourning doves.
D.) The trees in the nearby orchards were the only type of trees in the area attractive to nesting mourning doves.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In the bodies of reptiles, some industrial by-products cause elevated hormonal activity. Hormones govern the development of certain body parts, and in reptiles abnormal development of these parts occurs only with elevated hormonal activity. Recently, several alligators with the telltale developmental abnormalities were discovered in a swamp. So, apparently, industrial by-products have entered the swamp's ecosystem.
Q: The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Choices:
A.) fails to consider whether elevated hormonalactivity can result from factors other than the presence of industrial by-products
B.) uses evidence drawn from a sample of alligators that is unlikely to be representative of alligators in general
C.) provides no explanation for developmental abnormalities that do not result from elevated hormonal activity
D.) fails to say whether reptiles other than alligators were examined for the same developmental abnormalities that were discovered in the alligators
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Government official: Residents who are foreign citizens can serve as public servants at most levels, but not as cabinet secretaries. This is wise, since cabinet secretaries perform some duties that should be performed only by citizens, and no one should be appointed to a position if it involves duties that person should not perform. Moreover, a cabinet undersecretary is expected to serve as cabinet secretary when the actual secretary is unavailable. So, ____.
Q: Which one of the following most logically completes the government official's statement?
Choices:
A.) cabinet undersecretaries should not be expected to stand in for cabinet secretaries
B.) foreign citizens should not be appointed as cabinet undersecretaries
C.) only former cabinet undersecretaries should be appointed as cabinet secretaries
D.) foreign citizens should be eligible to serve as cabinet secretaries
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Doris: I've noticed that everyone involved in student government is outspoken. So if we want students to be more outspoken, we should encourage them to become involved in student government. Zack: Those who are in student government became involved precisely because they are outspoken in the first place. Encouraging others to become involved will do nothing to make them more outspoken.
Q: Doris and Zack disagree over whether
Choices:
A.) all students who are involved in student government are outspoken
B.) students should be encouraged to become involved in student government
C.) becoming involved in student government makes students more outspoken
D.) students will not become more outspoken unless they become involved in student government
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Biologist: A careful study of the behavior of six individual chameleons concluded that lizards such as chameleons bask in the sun not only for warmth but also to regulate their production of vitamin D. Critics of the study—although correct in observing that its sample size was very small—are wrong to doubt its results. After all, the study's author is well regarded professionally and has been doing excellent work for years.
Q: The reasoning in the biologist's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Choices:
A.) fails to demonstrate that the study's critics have elevant expertise
B.) takes the behavior of chameleons to be generalizable to lizards as a whole
C.) fails to explain how chameleons regulate their vitamin D production by basking in the sun
D.) focuses its attention on the study's author rather than on the study itself
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Political scientist: Some analysts point to the government's acceptance of the recent protest rally as proof that the government supports freedom of popular expression. But the government supports no such thing. Supporting freedom of popular expression means accepting the expression of ideas that the government opposes as well as the expression of ideas that the government supports. The message of the protest rally was one that the government entirely supports.
Q: Which one of the following is an assumption that is required by the political scientist's argument?
Choices:
A.) There are groups that are inhibited from staging a protest rally out of a fear of government response.
B.) The government helped to organize the recent protest rally.
C.) The government would not have accepted aprotest rally whose message it opposed.
D.) The message of the recent protest rally did not concern any function of the government.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Lawyer: In addition to any other penalties, convicted criminals must now pay a "victim surcharge" of S30. The surcharge is used to fund services for victims of violent crimes, but this penalty is unfair to nonviolent criminals since the surcharge applies to all crimes, even nonviolent ones like petty theft.
Q: Which one of the following principles, if valid, would most help to justify the reasoning in the lawyer's argument?
Choices:
A.) The penalties for a crime should be severe enough to deter most people who would commit the crime if there were no penalties.
B.) Convicted thieves should be fined an amount at least as great as the value of the property stolen.
C.) A surcharge intended to provide services to victims is justified only if all proceeds of the surcharge are used to provide services.
D.) A criminal should not be required to pay for services provided to victims of crimes that are more serious than the type of crime the criminal has been convicted of.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Economist—Owing to global economic forces since 1945, our country's economy is increasingly a service economy, in which manufacturing employs an ever smaller fraction of the workforce. Hence, we have engaged in less and less international trade.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would most help to explain the decreasing engagement in international trade by the economist's country?
Choices:
A.) International trade agreements have usually covered both trade in manufactured goods and trade in services.
B.) Some services can be procured less expensively from providers in other countries than from providers in the economist's country.
C.) Many manufacturing jobs have been rendered obsolete by advances in factory automation.
D.) Because services are usually delivered in person, markets for services tend to be local.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Merton: A study showed that people who live on very busy streets have higher rates of heart disease than average. I conclude that this elevated rate of heart disease is caused by air pollution from automobile exhaust. Ortiz: Are you sure? Do we know whether people living on busy streets have other lifestyle factors that are especially conducive to heart disease?
Q: Ortiz criticizes Merton's argument by
Choices:
A.) raising* a counterexample to the general conclusion that Merton draws
B.) contending that Merton needs to take into account other effects of air pollution
C.) suggesting that alternative explanations for the study's findings need to be ruled out
D.) claiming that Merton misunderstands a crucial aspect of the study's findings
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Two lakes in the Pawpaw mountains, Quapaw and Highwater, were suffering from serious declines in their fish populations ten years ago. Since that time, there has been a moratorium on fishing at Quapaw Lake, and the fish population there has recovered. At Highwater Lake, no such moratorium has been imposed, and the fish population has continued to decline. Thus, the ban on fishing is probably responsible for the rebound in the fish population at Quapaw Lake.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
Choices:
A.) Several other lakes in the Pawpaw mountains have recently had increases in their fish populations.
B.) Prior to the ban, there was practically no fishing at Quapaw Lake.
C.) There used to be a greater variety of fish species in Highwater Lake than in Quapaw Lake, but there no longer is.
D.) Highwater Lake is in an area of the mountains that is highly susceptible to acid rain.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: The Asian elephant walks with at least two, and sometimes three, feet on the ground at all times. Even though it can accelerate, it does so merely by taking quicker and longer steps. So the Asian elephant does not actually run.
Q: The conclusion drawn above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
Choices:
A.) To run, an animal must have all of its feet off the ground at once.
B.) It is unusual for a four-legged animal to keep three feet on the ground while walking.
C.) All four-legged animals walk with at least two feet on the ground at all times.
D.) If an animal cannot accelerate, then it cannot run.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: A hardware store generally sells roughly equal numbers of Maxlast brand hammers and Styron brand hammers. Last week, all of the Maxlast hammers were put on sale and placed in a display case just inside the store entrance while the Styron hammers retained their usual price and location. Surprisingly, the Styron hammers slightly outsold the Maxlast hammers.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, does most to explain the surprising result?
Choices:
A.) The hardware store circulated flyers that publicized the sale prices on Maxlast hammers.
B.) For the first several seconds after shoppers entera store, they do not take detailed notice of the store's merchandise.
C.) Customers who bought the Maxlast hammers last week commonly mentioned the sale as their reason for buying a hammer at that time.
D.) In general, a single item that is on sale will not motivate shoppers to make a special trip to a store.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: In an experiment, two groups of mice—one whose diet included ginkgo extract and one that had a normal diet—were taught to navigate a maze. The mice whose diet included ginkgo were more likely to remember how to navigate the maze the next day than were the other mice. However, the ginkgo may not have directly enhanced memory. Other studies have found that ginkgo reduces stress in mice, and lowering very high stress levels is known to improve recall.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument?
Choices:
A.) The mice who received the ginkgo took just as long as the other mice to learn to navigate the maze.
B.) Scientists have not yet determined which substances in ginkgo are responsible for reducing stress in mice.
C.) Neither the mice who received the ginkgo nor the other mice in the experiment exhibited physiological signs of higher-than-normal stress.
D.) The doses of ginkgo in the diet of the mice in the experiment were significantly higher than the doses that have been shown to reduce stress in mice.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Some of the politicians who strongly supported free trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico are now refusing to support publicly the idea that free trade should be extended to other Latin American countries.
Q: If the statement above is true, which one of the following must also be true?
Choices:
A.) Some of the politicians who strongly supported free trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico have changed their position on free trade.
B.) Not all politicians who strongly supported free trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico now publicly support extending free trade to other Latin American countries.
C.) Some of the politicians who strongly supported free trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico now publicly oppose extending free trade to other Latin American countries.
D.) Not all politicians who now publicly support extending free trade to other Latin American countries strongly supported free trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Principle: Any person or business knowingly aiding someone's infringement on a copyright is also guilty of copyright infringement. Application: Grandview Department Store, which features a self-service photo-printing kiosk, is guilty of copyright infringement since a customer using the kiosk infringed on a wedding photographer's copyright by printing photographs whose copyright is held by the photographer.
Q: Which one of the following, if assumed, most helps to justify the application of the principle?
Choices:
A.) Owners of self-service facilities should monitor those facilities in order to ensure that they are not used for illegal or unethical purposes.
B.) The operator of a business has the same legal obligations to customers who use self-service facilities as it has to customers who use full-service facilities.
C.) A person or business providing a service that can be expected to be used to infringe on a copyright should be considered to knowingly aid any copyright infringer using the service. 15
D.) The management of a business that is open to the public is obligated to report to the authorities any illegal activity that it witnesses on its property.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Journalism's purpose is to inform people about matters relevant to the choices they must make. Yet, clearly, people often buy newspapers or watch television news programs precisely because they contain sensationalistic gossip about people whom they will never meet and whose business is of little relevance to their lives. Obviously, then, the sensationalistic gossip contained in newspapers and television news programs ____.
Q: Which one of the following most logically completes the arguments?
Choices:
A.) is of no value to people who are interested in journalism
B.) is more relevant to people's lives now than it used to be
C.) is at least sometimes included for nonjournalistic reasons
D.) prevents those news media from achieving their purpose
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: When surveyed about which party they would like to see in the legislature, 40 percent of respondents said Conservative, 20 percent said Moderate, and 40 percent said Liberal. If the survey results are reliable, we can conclude that most citizens would like to see a legislature that is roughly 40 percent Conservative, 20 percent Moderate, and 40 percent Liberal.
Q: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the reasoning of the argument?
Choices:
A.) The argument uses premises about the actual state of affairs to draw a conclusion about how matters should be.
B.) The argument uses evidence that supports only rough estimates to draw a precisely quantified conclusion.
C.) The argument draws a conclusion that merely restates a premise presented in favor of it.
D.) The argument takes for granted that the preferences of a group as a whole are the preferences of most individual members of the group.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: City leader: If our city adopts the new tourism plan, the amount of money that tourists spend here annually will increase by at least $2 billion, creating as many jobs as a new automobile manufacturing plant would. It would be reasonable for the city to spend the amount of money necessary to convince an automobile manufacturer to build a plant here, but adopting the tourism plan would cost less.
Q: The city leader's statements, if true, provide the most support for which one of the following
Choices:
A.) In general, it is reasonable for the city to spend money to try to convince manufacturing companies to build plants in the city.
B.) It would be reasonable for the city to adopt the new tourism plan.
C.) The city cannot afford both to spend money to convince an automobile manufacturer to build a plant in the city and to adopt the new tourism plan.
D.) The only way the city can create jobs is by increasing tourism.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: An article claims that many medical patients have an instinctual ability to predict sudden changes in their medical status. But the evidence given is anecdotal and should not be trusted. The case is analogous to empirically disproven reports that babies are born in disproportionately high numbers during full moons. Once that rumor became popular, maternity room staff were more likely to remember busy nights with full moons than busy nights without them.
Q: The argument requires the assumption that
Choices:
A.) babies are less likely to be born during a night with a full moon than during a night without a full moon
B.) patients' predictions of sudden changes in their medical status are less likely to be remembered by medical staff if no such change actually occurs
C.) the patients in the article were not being serious when they predicted sudden changes in their medical status
D.) the article claiming that medical patients can instinctually predict sudden changes in their medical status will soon be empirically disproven
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Politician: Union leaders argue that increases in multinational control of manufacturing have shifted labor to nations without strong worker protections, resulting in a corresponding global decrease in workers' average wages. Given that these leaders have a vested interest in seeing wages remain high, they would naturally want to convince legislators to oppose multinational control. Thus, legislators should reject this argument.
Q: The reasoning in the politician's argument is flawed in that the argument
Choices:
A.) treats circumstances potentially affecting the union leaders' argument as sufficient to discredit those leaders' argument
B.) presumes, without providing justification, that the argument it cites is the union leaders' only argument for their view
C.) presumes, without providing evidence, that leaders of all unions argue against increases in multinational control of manufacturing
D.) presumes, without providing justification, that anyone whose political motivations are clearly discernible is an unreliable source of information to legislators
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D


Question:
Passage: Professor: The number of new university students who enter as chemistry majors has not changed in the last ten years, and job prospects for graduates with chemistry degrees are better than ever. Despite this, there has been a significant decline over the past decade in the number of people earning chemistry degrees.
Q: Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the decline?
Choices:
A.) There has been a significant decline in the number of undergraduate degrees earned in the natural sciences as a whole.
B.) Many students are very unsure of their choice when they pick a major upon entering universities.
C.) Many students enter universities without the academic background that is necessary for majoring in chemistry.
D.) Over the years, first-year chemistry has come to be taught in a more routinely methodical fashion, which dampens its intellectual appeal.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D