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Logan: Newspapers have always focused on ephemeral matters while ignoring important societal changes. For this and other reasons, old newspapers are useless to both amateur and professional historians. Mendez: But news stories, along with popular art, provide a wealth of information about what the people of an era thought and felt. | 200306_3-LR2_16_16 | [
"newspapers accurately report the most important changes taking place in a society",
"the study of previous eras should include investigations of the conventions of newspaper reporting",
"popular art is an important source of information about what the people of previous eras thought and felt",
"newspapers ought to focus more on the types of stories they have glossed over in the past",
"newspaper reports from former eras are useful sources of material for understanding the past"
]
| 4 | On the basis of their statements, Logan and Mendez are committed to disagreeing over whether |
People who have never been asked to do more than they can easily do are people who never do all they can. Alex is someone who has clearly not done all that he is capable of doing, so obviously no one has ever pushed him to do more than what comes to him easily. | 200306_3-LR2_17_17 | [
"Anybody who has a dog knows the true value of companionship, and Alicia has demonstrated that she knows the true value of companionship; thus we can safely conclude that Alicia has a dog.",
"Anyone who discovers something new is someone who has examined all the possible solutions to a problem. Fran has surely never discovered something new. Therefore, Fran has never explored all the possible solutions to a problem.",
"Any person who does not face sufficient challenges is a person who does not accomplish everything he or she can. Jill is a person who accomplishes everything she can, so Jill is a person who faces sufficient challenges.",
"By definition, a polygon is any closed plane figure bounded by straight lines. That object pictured on the chalkboard is certainly a closed plane figure bounded by a large number of straight lines, so that object pictured on the chalkboard must be a polygon.",
"People who have never lost something that they cannot afford to lose will be lax about keeping their property secure. Jon is lax about keeping property secure when it is something he can afford to lose, so Jon must never have lost anything."
]
| 0 | The flawed reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to the flawed reasoning in the argument above? |
It has been a staple of drama to feature an innocent young protagonist, eager to make a mark on the world, who is stymied by an indifferent or hostile society. Since the playwrights of such works wished the audience to empathize with the protagonist, historians do not regard these plays as serious revelations of what the societies presented in the plays were really like. | 200306_3-LR2_18_18 | [
"The historians believe that playwrights tend to be more critical of their own societies than of other societies.",
"The historians believe that playwrights tend to exaggerate the weaknesses of a society for the sake of dramatic effect.",
"The historians believe that plays tend to provide useful information about the time and society in which they were written.",
"The historians believe that plays often contain serious revelations of what the societies presented in those plays were like.",
"The historians believe that only the most popular plays within a society accurately portray that society."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the viewpoint of the historians described above? |
Fishing columnist: When an independent research firm compared the five best-selling baits, it found that Benton baits work best for catching trout. It asked a dozen top anglers to try out the five best-selling baits as they fished for speckled trout in a pristine northern stream, and every angler had the most success with a Benton bait. These results show that Benton is the best bait for anyone who is fishing for trout. | 200306_3-LR2_19_19 | [
"The argument overlooks the possibility that some other bait is more successful than any of the five best-selling baits.",
"The argument overlooks the possibility that what works best for expert anglers will not work best for ordinary anglers.",
"The argument overlooks the possibility that the relative effectiveness of different baits changes when used in different locations.",
"The argument overlooks the possibility that two best-selling brands of bait may be equally effective.",
"The argument overlooks the possibility that baits that work well with a particular variety of fish may not work well with other varieties of that fish."
]
| 3 | Each of the following describes a flaw in the reasoning in the fishing columnist's argument EXCEPT: |
Investment banker: Democracies require free-market capitalist economies, because a more controlled economy is incompatible with complete democracy. But history shows that repressive measures against certain capitalistic developments are required during the transition from a totalitarian regime to a democracy. Thus, people who bemoan the seemingly anticapitalistic measures certain governments are currently taking are being hasty. | 200306_3-LR2_20_20 | [
"No current government has reached as complete a state of democracy as it is possible for a government to reach.",
"The more democratic a country is, the less regulated its economy must be.",
"The need for economic stability makes the existence of partially democratic governments more probable than the existence of fully democratic governments.",
"A free-market economy is incompatible with a nondemocratic regime.",
"The nations whose anticapitalistic measures the people in question bemoan had totalitarian regimes in the recent past."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the investment banker's argument? |
Administrator: Because revenue fell by 15 percent this year, the university needs to reduce next year's budget. This could be accomplished by eliminating faculty positions. It could also be accomplished by reducing faculty salaries. Since we will not eliminate any faculty positions, we must reduce faculty salaries. | 200306_3-LR2_21_21 | [
"presumes, without providing justification, that more money would be saved by reducing faculty salaries than would be saved by eliminating faculty positions",
"presumes, without providing justification, that the budget cannot be reduced unless faculty positions are eliminated or faculty salaries are reduced",
"ignores the possibility that, though budget cuts will be needed, they will not need to be as high as 15 percent",
"presumes, without providing justification, that some faculty members will leave their jobs rather than accept a reduced salary",
"ignores the possibility that the budget could be reduced by eliminating some faculty positions and reducing the remaining faculty members' salaries"
]
| 1 | The administrator's reasoning is flawed because the administrator |
Repressors—people who unconsciously inhibit their display of emotion—exhibit significant increases in heart rate when they encounter emotion-provoking situations. Nonrepressors have similar physiological responses when they encounter such situations and consciously inhibit their display of emotion. Thus the very act of inhibiting displays of emotion, whether done consciously or unconsciously, causes a sharp rise in heart rate. | 200306_3-LR2_22_22 | [
"Encountering an emotion-provoking situation is not sufficient to cause nonrepressors' heart rates to rise sharply.",
"Nonrepressors can inhibit facial and bodily displays of emotion as well as repressors do.",
"Despite their outward calm, repressors normally feel even more excited than do nonrepressors in an emotion-provoking situation.",
"People who are ordinarily very emotional can refrain from feeling strong emotions when experimenters ask them to do so.",
"In situations that do not tend to provoke emotions, the average heart rate of repressors is the same as that of nonrepressors."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
A television manufacturing plant has a total of 1,000 workers, though an average of 10 are absent on any given day for various reasons. On days when exactly 10 workers are absent, the plant produces televisions at its normal rate. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the plant could fire 10 workers without any loss in production. | 200306_3-LR2_23_23 | [
"ignores the possibility that if 10 workers were fired, each of the remaining workers would produce more televisions than previously",
"fails to show that the absentee rate would drop if 10 workers were fired",
"takes for granted that the normal rate of production can be attained only when no more than the average number of workers are absent",
"overlooks the possibility that certain workers are crucial to the production of televisions",
"takes for granted that the rate of production is not affected by the number of workers employed at the plant"
]
| 1 | The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
New evidence suggests that the collapse of Egypt's old kingdom some 4,000 years ago was caused by environmental catastrophe rather than internal social upheaval. Ocean sediments reveal a period of global cooling at the time, a condition generally associated with extended droughts. There were, no doubt, serious social problems in Egypt at the time, but they resulted from a severe dry spell. | 200306_3-LR2_24_24 | [
"Historically, most civilizations have succumbed to internal strife rather than external factors.",
"The social problems in Egypt's old kingdom at the time of its collapse were serious enough to have caused the collapse.",
"At the time of the collapse of the old kingdom, several isolated but well-established civilizations near Egypt underwent sudden declines.",
"Egyptian records recovered from the time of the collapse explicitly refer to the deteriorating conditions of the society.",
"Shortly after the collapse of the old kingdom, Egypt was thrust into a civil war that lasted most of the next two centuries."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument? |
Inflation rates will not stabilize unless the rate of economic growth decreases. Yet in order to slow the economy, the full cooperation of world leaders will be required. Thus, it would be overly optimistic to expect stable inflation rates in the near future. | 200306_3-LR2_25_25 | [
"If factory safety is a serious concern, each employee must report potentially hazardous situations. Only with full employee participation in the safety program will these hazards be corrected and accidents be prevented. Thus, without everyone's cooperation we cannot expect improved factory safety.",
"If the board is serious about improving management efficiency, it must eliminate organizational redundancy. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to eliminate wasteful redundancy without dismissing a number of senior employees. Thus, no option is available but to dismiss some senior employees.",
"Only if we thoroughly examine all options will we be able to arrive at the optimal decision. Such a thorough examination, however, will necessitate a delay in the presentation of our proposal. Therefore, we will be able to arrive at an optimal decision only if we delay the presentation of our proposal.",
"If we are to produce the safest vehicles possible, we must conduct objective structural tests. However, the performance of such objective tests will inevitably result in huge cost overruns. It is therefore unavoidable that the level of vehicle safety will not be optimal.",
"If honesty is the best policy, we should report our company's poor performance in the last year. But if we do so, we will put our jobs at risk and our stockholders will complain. Therefore, we must not report our poor performance."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is most closely parallel in its reasoning to the reasoning in the argument above? |
The number of applications for admission reported by North American Ph.D. programs in art history has declined in each of the last four years. We can conclude from this that interest among recent North American college and university graduates in choosing art history as a career has declined in the last four years. | 200306_3-LR2_26_26 | [
"The number of North American Ph.D. programs in art history that opted to report data about applications for admission has declined in each of the last four years.",
"The average age of applicants for admission to North American Ph.D. programs in art history has increased in each of the last four years.",
"The number of errors in data about applications for admission to North American Ph.D. programs in art history has increased substantially during the last four years.",
"The number of North American employers willing to hire individuals without a Ph.D. for jobs in art history has increased in each of the last four years.",
"The percentage of applications for admission received from outside North America by North American Ph.D. programs in art history has declined substantially in the last four years."
]
| 1 | Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument EXCEPT: |
Pettengill: Bebop jazz musicians showed their distaste for jazz classics by taking great liberties with them, as though the songs could be made interesting only through radical reshaping. Romney: Only compelling, versatile songs can stand such radical reshaping. Bebop musicians recognized this, and their revolutionary approach to the jazz classics enabled them to discover previously unknown depths in the music. | 200406_2-LR1_1_1 | [
"bebop jazz was radically different from the jazz music that preceded it",
"bebop jazz was an improvement on the jazz classics that preceded it",
"bebop musicians showed appreciation for jazz classics in radically reshaping them",
"jazz music requires musicians to adhere closely to the original version in order to be widely popular",
"bebop musicians were influenced by the more conservative styles of their predecessors"
]
| 2 | Pettengill and Romney disagree over whether |
Essayist: Earth is a living organism, composed of other organisms much as animals are composed of cells, not merely a thing upon which creatures live. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that, like all organisms, Earth can be said to have a metabolism and to regulate its temperature, humidity, and other characteristics, divorced from the influences of its surroundings. Of course, Earth does not literally breathe, but neither do insects (they have no lungs), though they respire successfully. | 200406_2-LR1_2_2 | [
"a reason for not rejecting Earth's status as an organism on the basis of its not breathing",
"a reason for rejecting as false the belief that Earth is a living organism",
"an illustration of the general claim that to be an organism, a creature must have a metabolism",
"an example of a type of organism whose status, like Earth's, is unclear",
"an illustration of a type of organism out of which Earth is composed"
]
| 0 | The assertion that insects do not literally breathe plays which one of the following roles in the essayist's argument? |
Cognitive psychologist: In a recent survey, citizens of Country F were asked to state which one of the following two scenarios they would prefer: (1) Country F is the world economic leader, with a gross national product (GNP) of $100 billion, and Country G is second, with a GNP of $90 billion; or (2) Country G is the economic leader, with a GNP of $120 billion, and Country F is second, with a GNP of $110 billion. Despite the fact that, under scenario 2, Country F would have a higher GNP than under scenario 1, the majority of respondents stated that they preferred scenario 1. | 200406_2-LR1_3_3 | [
"Most citizens of Country F believe their country has a higher economic growth rate than Country G.",
"Most citizens of Country F want their country to have a GNP higher than $120 billion.",
"Most citizens of Country F believe that their personal welfare is unconnected to GNP.",
"Most citizens of Country F believe GNP is a poor measure of a nation's economic health.",
"Most citizens of Country F want their country to be more economically powerful than Country G."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, would most help to explain the survey results described by the cognitive psychologist? |
A study claims that the average temperature on Earth has permanently increased, because the average temperature each year for the last five years has been higher than any previous yearly average on record. However, periods of up to ten years of average temperatures that have consistently been record highs are often merely part of the random fluctuations in temperature that are always occurring. | 200406_2-LR1_4_4 | [
"All large increases in average temperature on record have occurred in ten-year periods.",
"Five successive years of increasing annual average temperature does not always signify a permanent increase in temperature.",
"Record high temperatures can be expected on Earth for another five years.",
"Random fluctuations in Earth's average temperature typically last less than ten years.",
"The average temperature on Earth never increases except in cases of random temperature fluctuation."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? |
Shipping Coordinator: If we send your shipment by air express, it will arrive tomorrow morning. If we send your shipment via ground carrier, it will arrive either tomorrow or the next day. Ground carrier is less expensive than air express, so which do you prefer? Customer: If I don't choose air express, then I will not receive my shipment tomorrow, so I clearly have no choice but to spend the extra money and have it sent via air express. | 200406_2-LR1_5_5 | [
"Ground carrier is as reliable a shipping method as air express.",
"If the shipment is sent by air express, it will arrive tomorrow.",
"Ground carrier is not more expensive than air express.",
"Unless the shipment is sent by air express, it will not arrive tomorrow.",
"The greater the shipping cost, the faster the shipment will arrive."
]
| 3 | The customer's response can best be explained on the assumption that she has misinterpreted the shipping coordinator to mean which one of the following? |
Therapists who treat violent criminals cannot both respect their clients' right to confidentiality and be sincerely concerned for the welfare of victims of future violent crimes. Reporting a client's unreported crimes violates the client's trust, but remaining silent leaves the dangerous client out of prison, free to commit more crimes. | 200406_2-LR1_6_6 | [
"Most therapists who treat violent criminals are assigned this task by a judicial body.",
"Criminals are no more likely to receive therapy in prison than they are out of prison.",
"Victims of future violent crimes also have a right to confidentiality should they need therapy.",
"The right of victims of violent crimes to compensation is as important as the right of criminals in therapy to confidentiality.",
"A therapist who has gained a violent criminal's trust can persuade that criminal not to commit repeat offenses."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument? |
Failure to rotate crops depletes the soil's nutrients gradually unless other preventive measures are taken. If the soil's nutrients are completely depleted, additional crops cannot be grown unless fertilizer is applied to the soil. All other things being equal, if vegetables are grown in soil that has had fertilizer applied rather than being grown in non-fertilized soil, they are more vulnerable to pests and, as a consequence, must be treated with larger amounts of pesticides. The more pesticides used on vegetables, the greater the health risks to humans from eating those vegetables. Suppose there were some vegetables that were grown in soil to which fertilizer had never been applied. | 200406_2-LR1_7_7 | [
"The soil in which the vegetables were grown may have been completely depleted of nutrients because of an earlier failure to rotate crops.",
"It is not possible that the vegetables were grown in soil in which crops had been rotated.",
"The vegetables were grown in soil that had not been completely depleted of nutrients but not necessarily soil in which crops had been rotated.",
"Whatever the health risks to humans from eating the vegetables, these risks would not be attributable to the use of pesticides on them.",
"The health risks to humans from eating the vegetables were no less than the health risks to humans from eating the same kinds of vegetables treated with pesticides."
]
| 2 | On the basis of the passage, which one of the following would have to be true regarding those vegetables? |
Criminologist: Increasing the current prison term for robbery will result in no significant effect in discouraging people from committing robbery. | 200406_2-LR1_8_8 | [
"Many people who rob are motivated primarily by thrill-seeking and risk-taking.",
"An increase in the prison term for embezzlement did not change the rate at which that crime was committed.",
"Prison terms for robbery have generally decreased in length recently.",
"Most people committing robbery believe that they will not get caught.",
"Most people committing robbery have no idea what the average sentence for robbery is."
]
| 2 | Each of the following, if true, supports the criminologist's claim EXCEPT: |
Activist: As electronic monitoring of employees grows more commonplace and invasive, we hear more and more attempted justifications of this practice by employers. Surveillance, they explain, keeps employees honest, efficient, and polite to customers. Such explanations are obviously self-serving, and so should not be taken to justify these unwarranted invasions of privacy. | 200406_2-LR1_9_9 | [
"attack an argument different from that actually offered by the employers",
"presume that employees are never dishonest, inefficient, or rude",
"insist that modern business practices meet moral standards far higher than those accepted in the past",
"attack employers' motives instead of addressing their arguments",
"make a generalization based on a sample that there is reason to believe is biased"
]
| 3 | A questionable technique used in the activist's argument is to |
When students receive negative criticism generated by computer programs, they are less likely to respond positively than when the critic is a human. Since the acceptance of criticism requires that one respond positively to it, students are more likely to learn from criticism by humans than from criticism by computers. | 200406_2-LR1_10_10 | [
"Students are more likely to learn from criticism that they accept than from criticism they do not accept.",
"Unlike human critics, computers are incapable of showing compassion.",
"Students always know whether their critics are computers or humans.",
"Criticism generated by computers is likely to be less favorable than that produced by human critics in response to the same work.",
"Criticism generated by computers is likely to be no more or less favorable than that produced by human critics in response to the same work."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
After examining the options, the budget committee discovered that QI's office-phone system would be inexpensive enough to be within the cost limit that had been set for the committee. However, Corelink's system must also be inexpensive enough to be within the limit, since it is even less expensive than QI's system. | 200406_2-LR1_11_11 | [
"Marissa is just tall enough that she can touch the ceiling when she jumps as high as she can, and since Jeff is taller than Marissa, he too must be able to touch the ceiling when he jumps.",
"By reducing the number of cigarettes she smoked per day, Kate was able to run five miles, and since Lana smokes fewer cigarettes per day than Kate now does, she too must be able to run five miles.",
"John's blood-alcohol level was far above the legal limit for driving, so even if it turns out that Paul's blood-alcohol level was lower than John's, it too must have been above the legal limit.",
"This chocolate is not quite dark enough for it to be the kind that Luis really likes, but that chocolate over there is darker, so it might be just right.",
"Health Dairy's sharp cheddar cheese is low enough in fat to meet the labeling standard for \"low fat\" cheddar cheese, and since its mild cheddar cheese is even lower in fat, it too must meet the labeling standard."
]
| 4 | The reasoning in the argument above is most closely paralleled by that in which one of the following? |
Essayist: People once believed that Earth was at the center of the universe, and that, therefore, Earth and its inhabitants were important. We now know that Earth revolves around a star at the outskirts of a spiral arm of one of countless galaxies. Therefore, people's old belief that Earth and its inhabitants were important was false. | 200406_2-LR1_12_12 | [
"presumes, without providing justification, that only true statements can have good reasons to be believed",
"neglects to consider that a statement that was believed for questionable reasons may nevertheless have been true",
"fails to consider that there can be no reason for disbelieving a true statement",
"overlooks the fact that people's perception of their importance changed from century to century",
"neglects the fact that people's perception of their importance varies from culture to culture"
]
| 1 | A flaw in the essayist's argument is that the argument |
Davis: The only relevant factor in determining appropriate compensation for property damage or theft is the value the property loses due to damage or the value of the property stolen; the harm to the victim is directly proportional to the pertinent value. Higuchi: I disagree. More than one factor must be considered: A victim who recovers the use of personal property after two years is owed more than a victim who recovers its use after only one year. | 200406_2-LR1_13_13 | [
"It is possible to consistently and reliably determine the amount of compensation owed to someone whose property was damaged or stolen.",
"Some victims are owed increased compensation because of the greater dollar value of the damage done to their property.",
"Victims who are deprived of their property are owed compensation in proportion to the harm they have suffered.",
"Some victims are owed increased compensation because of the greater amount of time they are deprived of the use of their property.",
"The compensation owed to victims should be determined on a case-by-case basis rather than by some general rule."
]
| 3 | Davis's and Higuchi's statements most strongly support the view that they would disagree with each other about which one of the following? |
Resident: Residents of this locale should not consider their loss of farming as a way of life to be a tragedy. When this area was a rural area it was economically depressed, but it is now a growing bastion of high-tech industry with high-wage jobs, and supports over 20 times the number of jobs it did then. | 200406_2-LR1_14_14 | [
"Farming is becoming increasingly efficient, with the result that fewer farms are required to produce the same amount of food.",
"The development of high-tech industry is more valuable to national security than is farming.",
"Residents of this locale do not value a rural way of life more than they value economic prosperity.",
"Many residents of this locale have annual incomes that are twice what they were when the locale was primarily agricultural.",
"The loss of a family farm is often perceived as tragic even when no financial hardship results."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, does the most to justify the conclusion of the resident's argument? |
Kendrick: Governments that try to prevent cigarettes from being advertised are justified in doing so, since such advertisements encourage people to engage in an unhealthy practice. But cigarette advertisements should remain legal since advertisements for fatty foods are legal, even though those advertisements also encourage people to engage in unhealthy practices. | 200406_2-LR1_15_15 | [
"Any advertisement that encourages people to engage in an unhealthy practice should be made illegal, even though the legality of some such advertisements is currently uncontroversial.",
"The advertisement of fattening foods, unlike that of cigarettes, should not be prevented, because fattening foods, unlike cigarettes, are not addictive.",
"Most advertisements should be legal, although advertisers are always morally responsible for ensuring that their advertisements do not encourage people to engage in unhealthy practices.",
"Governments should try to prevent the advertisement of cigarettes by means of financial disincentives rather than by legal prohibition.",
"Governments should place restrictions on cigarette advertisements so as to keep them from encouraging people to engage in unhealthy practices, but should not try to prevent such advertisements."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict between Kendrick's statements? |
Environmentalist: Many people prefer to live in regions of natural beauty. Such regions often experience an influx of new residents, and a growing population encourages businesses to relocate to those regions. Thus, governmentally mandated environmental protection in regions of natural beauty can help those regions' economies overall, even if such protection harms some older local industries. | 200406_2-LR1_16_16 | [
"Regions of natural beauty typically are beautiful enough to attract new residents only until governmentally mandated environmental protection that damages local industries is imposed.",
"The economies of most regions of natural beauty are not based primarily on local industries that would be harmed by governmentally mandated environmental protection.",
"If governmentally mandated environmental protection helps a region's economy, it does so primarily by encouraging people to move into that region.",
"Voluntary environmental protection usually does not help a region's economy to the degree that governmentally mandated protection does.",
"A factor harmful to some older local industries in a region need not discourage other businesses from relocating to that region."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the environmentalist's argument depends? |
No small countries and no countries in the southern hemisphere have permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Each of the five countries with a permanent seat on the Security Council is in favor of increased international peacekeeping efforts and a greater role for the United Nations in moderating regional disputes. However, some countries that are in favor of increased international peacekeeping efforts are firmly against increased spending on refugees by the United Nations. | 200406_2-LR1_17_17 | [
"Some small countries do not want the United Nations to increase its spending on refugees.",
"Some countries in the southern hemisphere are not in favor of increased international peacekeeping efforts.",
"Some countries that have permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council are against increased spending on refugees by the United Nations.",
"Some small countries are in favor of a greater role for the United Nations in moderating regional disputes.",
"Some countries that are in favor of a greater role for the United Nations in moderating regional disputes are not located in the southern hemisphere."
]
| 4 | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true? |
Editorial: It is clear that what is called "health education" is usually propaganda rather than education. Propaganda and education are never the same thing. The former is nothing but an attempt to influence behavior through the repetition of simplistic slogans, whereas the latter never involves such a method. Though education does attempt to influence behavior, it does so by offering information in all its complexity, leaving it up to the individual to decide how to act on that information. Sadly, however, propaganda is much more successful than education. | 200406_2-LR1_18_18 | [
"does not leave it up to the individual to decide how to act on information",
"does not offer information in all its complexity",
"does not involve the repetition of simplistic slogans",
"attempts to influence behavior solely by repeating simplistic slogans",
"is very successful in influencing people's behavior"
]
| 3 | The conclusion drawn by the editorial follows logically if it is assumed that what is called "health education" usually |
Marc: The fact that the people of our country look back on the past with a great deal of nostalgia demonstrates that they regret the recent revolution. Robert: They are not nostalgic for the recent past, but for the distant past, which the prerevolutionary regime despised; this indicates that although they are troubled, they do not regret the revolution. | 200406_2-LR1_19_19 | [
"tend to underrate past problems when the country faces troubling times",
"are looking to the past for solutions to the country's current problems",
"are likely to repeat former mistakes if they look to the country's past for solutions to current problems",
"are concerned about the country's current situation and this is evidenced by their nostalgia",
"tend to be most nostalgic for the things that are the farthest in their past"
]
| 3 | Their dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Marc and Robert agree that the people of their country |
Social critic: One of the most important ways in which a society socializes children is by making them feel ashamed of their immoral behavior. But in many people this shame results in deep feelings of guilt and self-loathing that can be a severe hardship. Thus, moral socialization has had a net effect of increasing the total amount of suffering. | 200406_2-LR1_20_20 | [
"overlooks the possibility that the purported source of a problem could be modified to avoid that problem without being eliminated altogether",
"fails to address adequately the possibility that one phenomenon may causally contribute to the occurrence of another, even though the two phenomena do not always occur together",
"presumes, without providing justification, that a phenomenon that supposedly increases the total amount of suffering in a society should therefore be changed or eliminated, regardless of its beneficial consequences",
"takes for granted that a behavior that sometimes leads to a certain phenomenon cannot also significantly reduce the overall occurrence of that phenomenon",
"presumes, without providing justification, that if many people have a negative psychological reaction to a phenomenon, then no one can have a positive reaction to that phenomenon"
]
| 3 | The social critic's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
Curator: A magazine recently ran a very misleading story on the reaction of local residents to our controversial art exhibit. They quoted the responses of three residents, all of whom expressed a sense of moral outrage. These quotations were intended to suggest that most local residents oppose the exhibit; the story failed to mention, however, the fact that the three residents are all close friends. | 200406_2-LR1_21_21 | [
"It is misleading to present the opinions of people with no special expertise on a subject as though they were experts.",
"It is misleading to present the opinions of people on only one side of an issue when the population is likely to be evenly divided on that issue.",
"It is misleading to present the opinions of a few people as evidence of what the majority thinks unless the opinions they express are widely held.",
"It is misleading to present testimony from close friends and thereby imply that they must agree with each other.",
"It is misleading to present the opinions of a potentially nonrepresentative sample of people as if they represent public opinion."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following principles most helps to justify the curator's argumentation? |
All parrots can learn to speak a few words and phrases. Not all parrots have equally pleasant dispositions, though some of those native to Australia can be counted on for a sweet temper. Almost any parrot, however, will show tremendous affection for an owner who raised the bird from a chick by hand-feeding it. | 200406_2-LR1_22_22 | [
"Some parrots that can learn to speak are sweet tempered.",
"If a parrot is not native to Australia, then it will be sweet tempered only if it is hand-fed as a chick.",
"The sweetest-tempered parrots are those native to Australia.",
"Australia is the only place where one can find birds that can both learn to speak and be relied on for a sweet temper.",
"All species of pet birds that are native to Australia can be counted on for a sweet temper."
]
| 0 | If the statements above are true, then which one of the following must be true? |
Toxicologist: Recent research has shown that dioxin causes cancer in rats. Although similar research has never been done on humans, and probably never will be, the use of dioxin should be completely banned. | 200406_2-LR1_23_23 | [
"It is presented as the hazard that the researcher is concerned with preventing.",
"It is presented as a benefit of not acting on the recommendation in the conclusion.",
"It is presented as evidence for the claim that similar research will never be done on humans.",
"It is presented as a finding that motivates the course of action advocated in the conclusion.",
"It is presented as evidence for the claim that similar research has never been done on humans."
]
| 3 | That dioxin causes cancer in rats figures in the argument in which one of the following ways? |
Politician: The law should not require people to wear seat belts in cars. People are allowed to ride motorcycles without seat belts, and riding a motorcycle even while wearing a seat belt would be more dangerous than riding in a car without wearing one. | 200406_2-LR1_24_24 | [
"Marielle and Pat should allow their children to have snacks between meals. They currently allow their children to have a large dessert after dinner, and allowing them to have snacks between meals instead would improve their nutrition.",
"Any corporation should allow its employees to take time off when they are under too much stress to concentrate on their work. Some corporations allow any employee with a bad cold to take time off, and even a healthy employee under stress may be less productive than an unstressed employee with a bad cold.",
"Amusement parks should allow people to stand while riding roller coasters. It is legal for people to stand at the edges of high cliffs, and even sitting at the edge of a high cliff is more likely to result in a fatal fall than standing while riding a roller coaster.",
"It should be illegal for anyone to smoke in a public place, for it certainly should be illegal to pollute public drinking water, and smoking even in the privacy of one's home can be more harmful to the health of others than polluting their water would be.",
"Vanessa should be allowed to let her dog run around in the park without a leash. She already lets the dog roam around her yard without a leash, and the park differs from her yard only in size."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its flawed reasoning to the politician's argument? |
Burying beetles do whatever they can to minimize the size of their competitors' broods without adversely affecting their own. This is why they routinely destroy each other's eggs when two or more beetles inhabit the same breeding location. Yet, after the eggs hatch, the adults treat all of the larvae equally, sharing in the care of the entire population. | 200406_2-LR1_25_25 | [
"Burying beetles whose eggs hatch before their competitors' are more likely to have large broods than are burying beetles whose eggs hatch later.",
"The cooperation among adult burying beetles ensures that the greatest possible number of larvae survive.",
"Burying beetles are unable to discriminate between their own larvae and the larvae of other burying beetles.",
"Many of the natural enemies of burying beetles can be repelled only if burying beetles cooperate in defending the breeding site.",
"Most breeding sites for burying beetles can accommodate only a limited number of larvae."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain burying beetles' apparently contradictory behavior? |
The development of new inventions is promoted by the granting of patent rights, which restrict the right of anyone but the patent holders to profit from these inventions for a specified period. Without patent rights, anyone could simply copy another's invention; consequently, inventors would have no financial incentive for investing the time and energy required to develop new products. Thus, it is important to continue to grant patent rights, or else no one will engage in original development and consequently no new inventions will be forthcoming. | 200406_3-LR2_1_1 | [
"Financial reward is the only incentive that will be effective in motivating people to develop new inventions.",
"When an inventor sells patent rights to a manufacturer, the manufacturer makes less total profit on the invention than the inventor does.",
"Any costs incurred by a typical inventor in applying for patent rights are insignificant in comparison to the financial benefit of holding the patent rights.",
"Patent rights should be granted only if an inventor's product is not similar to another invention already covered by patent rights.",
"The length of a patent right is usually proportional to the costs involved in inventing the product."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
The Fenwicks returned home from a trip to find two broken bottles on their kitchen floor. There was no sign of forced entry and nothing in the house appeared to have been taken. Although the Fenwicks have a pet cat that had free run of the house while they were away, the Fenwicks hypothesized that they had left a back door unlocked and that neighborhood children had entered through it, attempted to raid the kitchen, and left after breaking the bottles. | 200406_3-LR2_2_2 | [
"A neighbor thought he had seen the Fenwicks' back door closing while the Fenwicks were away.",
"When the Fenwicks returned home, they found children's footprints on the back porch that had not been there before their trip.",
"The two bottles that the Fenwicks found broken on their kitchen floor had been in the refrigerator when the Fenwicks left on vacation.",
"There have been several recent burglaries in the Fenwicks' neighborhood in which neighborhood children were suspected.",
"The Fenwicks returned home from their trip later than they had planned."
]
| 4 | Each of the following, if true, helps to support the Fenwicks' hypothesis EXCEPT: |
In an experiment, tennis players who were told that their performance would be used to assess only the quality of their rackets performed much better than an equally skilled group of tennis players who were told that their tennis-playing talent would be measured. | 200406_3-LR2_3_3 | [
"People do less well on a task if they have been told that they will be closely watched while doing it.",
"People execute a task more proficiently when they do not believe their abilities are being judged.",
"People perform a task more proficiently when they have confidence in their abilities.",
"People who assess their talents accurately generally perform near their actual level of proficiency.",
"People who think that a superior performance will please those who are testing them generally try harder."
]
| 1 | The situation described above most closely conforms to which one of the following propositions? |
Sydonie: Parents differ in their beliefs about the rules to which their children should be subject. So any disciplinary structure in schools is bound to create resentment because it will contradict some parental approaches to raising children. Stephanie: Your conclusion is incorrect; educational research shows that when parents list the things that they most want their children's schools to provide, good discipline is always high on the list. | 200406_3-LR2_4_4 | [
"it focuses on educational research rather than educational practice",
"it addresses a more general issue than that addressed in Sydonie's argument",
"it does not counter Sydonie's suggestion that parents have diverse ideas of what constitutes good discipline",
"the phrase \"high on the list\" is not specific enough to give useful information about what parents desire from a school",
"it fails to discuss educators' attitudes toward discipline in schools"
]
| 2 | Stephanie's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that |
Art critic: The aesthetic value of a work of art lies in its ability to impart a stimulating character to the audience's experience of the work. | 200406_3-LR2_5_5 | [
"This painting is aesthetically deficient because it is an exact copy of a painting done 30 years ago.",
"This symphony is beautiful because, even though it does not excite the audience, it is competently performed.",
"This sculpted four-inch cube is beautiful because it is carved from material which, although much like marble, is very rare.",
"This painting is aesthetically valuable because it was painted by a highly controversial artist.",
"This poem is aesthetically deficient because it has little impact on its audience."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms with the principle cited above? |
Antonia: The stock market is the best place to invest your money these days; although it is often volatile, it provides the opportunity to make a large profit quickly. Maria: I agree that the stock market provides the opportunity to make large profits quickly, but one is just as likely to take a huge loss. I think it is better to invest in savings bonds, which provide a constant, reliable income over many years. | 200406_3-LR2_6_6 | [
"the stock market is often volatile but provides the opportunity to make a large profit quickly",
"savings bonds can provide a large return on one's investment",
"the stock market provides the opportunity for an investor to make a constant, reliable income over many years",
"it is safer to invest in savings bonds than to invest in the stock market",
"it is preferable to pick an investment offering a reliable income over a riskier opportunity to make a large profit quickly"
]
| 4 | Antonia's and Maria's statements provide the most support for holding that they disagree about whether |
Very little is known about prehistoric hominid cave dwellers. However, a recent study of skeletons of these hominids has revealed an important clue about their daily activities: skeletal fractures present are most like the type and distribution of fractures sustained by rodeo riders. Therefore, it is likely that these cave dwellers engaged in activities similar to rodeo riders—chasing and tackling animals. | 200406_3-LR2_7_7 | [
"The primary source of clues about the lives of prehistoric hominids is their skeletal remains.",
"The most important aspect of prehistoric life to be studied is how food was obtained.",
"If direct evidence as to the cause of a phenomenon is available, then indirect evidence should not be sought.",
"If there is a similarity between two effects, then there is probably a similarity between their causes.",
"The frequency with which a hazardous activity is performed is proportional to the frequency of injuries resulting from that activity."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the argumentation above? |
Studies suggest that, for the vast majority of people who have normal blood pressure, any amount of sodium greater than that required by the body is simply excreted and does not significantly raise blood pressure. So only persons who have high blood pressure and whose bodies are incapable of safely processing excess sodium need to restrict their sodium intake. | 200406_3-LR2_8_8 | [
"High blood pressure is more harmful than was previously believed.",
"High blood pressure is sometimes exacerbated by intake of more sodium than the body requires.",
"Excess sodium intake over time often destroys the body's ability to process excess sodium.",
"Every human being has a physiological need for at least some sodium.",
"Any sodium not used by the body will increase blood pressure unless it is excreted."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument? |
Most lecturers who are effective teachers are eccentric, but some noneccentric lecturers are very effective teachers. In addition, every effective teacher is a good communicator. | 200406_3-LR2_9_9 | [
"Some good communicators are eccentric.",
"All good communicators are effective teachers.",
"Some lecturers who are not effective teachers are not eccentric.",
"Most lecturers who are good communicators are eccentric.",
"Some noneccentric lecturers are effective teachers but are not good communicators."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following statements follows logically from the statements above? |
Recently, photons and neutrinos emitted by a distant supernova, an explosion of a star, reached Earth at virtually the same time. This finding supports Einstein's claim that gravity is a property of space itself, in the sense that a body exerts gravitational pull by curving the space around it. The simultaneous arrival of the photons and neutrinos is evidence that the space through which they traveled was curved. | 200406_3-LR2_10_10 | [
"Einstein predicted that photons and neutrinos emitted by any one supernova would reach Earth simultaneously.",
"If gravity is not a property of space itself, then photons and neutrinos emitted simultaneously by a distant event will reach Earth at different times.",
"Photons and neutrinos emitted by distant events would be undetectable on Earth if Einstein's claim that gravity is a property of space itself were correct.",
"Photons and neutrinos were the only kinds of particles that reached Earth from the supernova.",
"Prior to the simultaneous arrival of photons and neutrinos from the supernova, there was no empirical evidence for Einstein's claim that gravity is a property of space itself."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the reasoning above? |
Geneticist: Billions of dollars are spent each year on high-profile experiments that attempt to link particular human genes with particular personality traits. Though such experiments seem to promise a new understanding of human nature, they have few practical consequences. Meanwhile, more mundane and practical genetic projects—for example, those that look for natural ways to make edible plants hardier or more nutritious—are grossly underfunded. Thus, funding for human gene research should be reduced while funding for other genetic research should be increased. | 200406_3-LR2_11_11 | [
"Experiments that have the potential to help the whole human race are more worthwhile than those that help only a small number of people.",
"Experiments that focus on the genetics of plants are more practical than those that focus on the genetics of human nature.",
"Experiments that help prevent malnutrition are more worthwhile than those that help prevent merely undesirable personality traits.",
"Experiments that have modest but practical goals are more worthwhile than those that have impressive goals but few practical consequences.",
"Experiments that get little media attention and are not widely supported by the public are more valuable than are those that get much media coverage and have wide public support."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the geneticist's reasoning? |
Some argue that because attaining governmental power in democracies requires building majority coalitions, it is a necessary evil that policymakers do not adhere rigorously to principle when dealing with important issues, but rather shift policies as they try to please different constituents at different times. But it is precisely this behavior that allows a democracy to adapt more easily to serve public interests, and thus it is more a benefit than an evil. | 200406_3-LR2_12_12 | [
"Government policymakers cannot retain power if they ignore any of the various factions of their original winning coalition.",
"Democracies are more likely than nondemocratic forms of government to have policymakers who understand the complexity of governmental issues.",
"In the formulation of government policy, the advantage conferred by adaptability to diverse or fluctuating public interests outweighs the detriment associated with a lack of strict fidelity to principle.",
"In dealing with an important issue, policymakers in a democracy appeal to a principle in dealing with an issue only when that principle has majority support.",
"Democracies appear to be more flexible than nondemocratic forms of government, but are not actually so."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
Up until about 2 billion years ago, the sun was 30 percent dimmer than it is now. If the sun were that dim now, our oceans would be completely frozen. According to fossil evidence, however, life and liquid water were both present as early as 3.8 billion years ago. | 200406_3-LR2_13_13 | [
"Our atmosphere currently holds in significantly less heat than it did 3.8 billion years ago.",
"The liquid water present 3.8 billion years ago later froze, only to melt again about 2 billion years ago.",
"A significant source of heat other than the sun contributed to the melting of ice sheets approximately 2 billion years ago.",
"Evidence suggests that certain regions of ocean remained frozen until much more recently than 2 billion years ago.",
"When large portions of the globe are ice-covered, more of the sun's heat is reflected and not absorbed by the earth than when only the poles are ice-covered."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above? |
Social critic: The operas composed by Bizet and Verdi are nineteenth-century European creations, reflecting the attitudes and values in France and Italy at the end of that century. Several recent studies impugn these operas on the grounds that they reinforce in our society many stereotypes about women. But only a small minority of contemporary North Americans, namely opera lovers, have had any significant exposure to these works. | 200406_3-LR2_14_14 | [
"Bizet and Verdi constructed images of women that have significantly influenced contemporary stereotypes.",
"Nineteenth-century French and Italian images of women are quite different from contemporary North American images of women.",
"The operas of Bizet and Verdi have not significantly contributed to stereotypical images of women in contemporary North America.",
"Opera is not an important factor shaping social attitudes in contemporary North America.",
"People cannot be influenced by things they are not directly exposed to."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion that the social critic's argument, as it is stated above, is structured to establish? |
In 1975, a province reduced its personal income tax rate by 2 percent for most taxpayers. In 1976, the personal income tax rate for those taxpayers was again reduced by 2 percent. Despite the decreases in the personal income tax rate, the total amount of money collected from personal income taxes remained constant from 1974 to 1975 and rose substantially in 1976. | 200406_3-LR2_15_15 | [
"The years 1975 and 1976 were ones in which the province's economy was especially prosperous.",
"The definition of \"personal income\" used by the province was widened during 1975 to include income received from personal investments.",
"The personal income tax rate for the wealthiest individuals in the province rose during 1975 and 1976.",
"The province's total revenue from all taxes increased during both 1975 and 1976.",
"A large number of people from other provinces moved to the province during 1975 and 1976."
]
| 3 | Each of the following, if true, could help to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above EXCEPT: |
Everything that is commonplace and ordinary fails to catch our attention, so there are things that fail to catch our attention but that are miracles of nature. | 200406_3-LR2_16_16 | [
"Only miracles of nature fail to be ordinary and commonplace.",
"Some things that are ordinary and commonplace are miracles of nature.",
"Some things that are commonplace and ordinary fail to catch our attention.",
"Everything that fails to catch our attention is commonplace and ordinary.",
"Only extraordinary or unusual things catch our attention."
]
| 1 | The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
If one of the effects of a genetic mutation makes a substantial contribution to the survival of the species, then, and only then, will that mutation be favored in natural selection. This process is subject to one proviso, namely that the traits that were not favored, yet were carried along by a trait that was favored, must not be so negative as to annul the benefits of having the new, favored trait. | 200406_3-LR2_17_17 | [
"A species possesses a trait whose effects are all neutral for the survival of that species.",
"All the effects of some genetic mutations contribute substantially to the survival of a species.",
"A species possesses a trait that reduces the species' survival potential.",
"A genetic mutation that carries along several negative traits is favored in natural selection.",
"A genetic mutation whose effects are all neutral to a species is favored in natural selection."
]
| 4 | If the statements above are true, each of the following could be true EXCEPT: |
In a highly publicized kidnapping case in Ontario, the judge barred all media and spectators from the courtroom. Her decision was based on the judgment that the public interest would not be served by allowing spectators. A local citizen argued, "They pleaded with the public to help find the victim; they pleaded with the public to provide tips; they aroused the public interest, then they claimed that allowing us to attend would not serve the public interest. These actions are inconsistent." | 200406_3-LR2_18_18 | [
"generalizes from an atypical case",
"trades on an ambiguity with respect to the term \"public interest\"",
"overlooks the fact that the judge might not be the one who made the plea to the public for help",
"attempts to support its conclusion by making sensationalistic appeals",
"presumes that the public's right to know is obviously more important than the defendant's right to a fair trial"
]
| 1 | The reasoning in the local citizen's argument is flawed because this argument |
Today's farmers plant only a handful of different strains of a given crop. Crops lack the diversity that they had only a few generations ago. Hence, a disease that strikes only a few strains of crops, and that would have had only minor impact on the food supply in the past, would devastate it today. | 200406_3-LR2_19_19 | [
"In the past, crop diseases would often devastate food supplies throughout entire regions.",
"Affected crops can quickly be replaced from seed banks that store many strains of those crops.",
"Some of the less popular seed strains that were used in the past were more resistant to many diseases than are the strains popular today.",
"Humans today have more variety in their diets than in the past, but still rely heavily on cereal crops like rice and wheat.",
"Today's crops are much less vulnerable to damage from insects or encroachment by weeds than were crops of a few generations ago."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument? |
Interviewer: A certain company released a model of computer whose microprocessor design was flawed, making that computer liable to process information incorrectly. How did this happen? Industry spokesperson: Given the huge number of circuits in the microprocessor of any modern computer, not every circuit can be manually checked before a computer model that contains the microprocessor is released. Interviewer: Then what guarantee do we have that new microprocessors will not be similarly flawed? Industry spokesperson: There is no chance of further microprocessor design flaws, since all microprocessors are now entirely computer-designed. | 200406_3-LR2_20_20 | [
"presumes, without providing justification, that the microprocessor quality-control procedures of the company mentioned are not representative of those followed throughout the industry",
"ignores the possibility that a microprocessor can have a flaw other than a design flaw",
"overlooks the possibility that a new computer model is liable to malfunction for reasons other than a microprocessor flaw",
"treats a single instance of a microprocessor design flaw as evidence that there will be many such flaws",
"takes for granted, despite evidence to the contrary, that some computers are not liable to error"
]
| 4 | The industry spokesperson's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
Each of the many people who participated in the town's annual spring cleanup received a community recognition certificate. Because the spring cleanup took place at the same time as the downtown arts fair, we know that there are at least some spring cleanup participants who are not active in the town's artistic circles. | 200406_3-LR2_21_21 | [
"Some of the persons who are active in the town's artistic circles received community recognition certificates.",
"Not all of those who received community recognition certificates are active in the town's artistic circles.",
"No participants in the downtown arts fair received community recognition certificates.",
"No person who received a community recognition certificate has not participated in the spring cleanup.",
"Persons who are active in the town's artistic circles are not concerned with the town's environment."
]
| 1 | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must be true? |
Taking advanced mathematics courses should increase a student's grade point average, for, as numerous studies have shown, students who have taken one or more advanced mathematics courses are far more likely to have high grade point averages than students who have not taken such courses. | 200406_3-LR2_22_22 | [
"Fur color is in large measure hereditary, for, as many studies have shown, black cats are more likely than others to have black kittens, and orange cats are more likely to have orange kittens.",
"Water can cause intoxication. After all, imbibing scotch and water, whiskey and water, bourbon and water, gin and water, and vodka and water all cause intoxication.",
"Eating a diet consisting primarily of fats and carbohydrates may cause weight gain in some people. Studies have shown that many overweight people eat such diets.",
"Buying running shoes should increase the frequency with which a person exercises, since those who buy two or more pairs of running shoes each year tend to exercise more often than those who buy at most one pair.",
"Reading to children at an early age should inspire them to read on their own later, since studies have shown that children who have not been read to are less likely to develop an interest in reading than children who have been read to."
]
| 3 | The flawed pattern of reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following? |
Each of many different human hormones can by itself raise the concentration of glucose in the blood. The reason for this is probably a metabolic quirk of the brain. To see this, consider that although most human cells can produce energy from fats and proteins, brain cells can use only glucose. Thus, if blood glucose levels fall too low, brain cells will rapidly starve, leading to unconsciousness and death. | 200406_3-LR2_23_23 | [
"Each of many different human hormones can by itself raise blood glucose levels.",
"The reason that many different hormones can each independently raise blood glucose levels is probably a metabolic quirk of the brain.",
"Although most human cells can produce energy from fats and proteins, brain cells can produce energy only from glucose.",
"If blood glucose levels fall too low, then brain cells starve, resulting in loss of consciousness and death.",
"The reason brain cells starve if deprived of glucose is that they can produce energy only from glucose."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument above? |
Human resources director: While only some recent university graduates consider work environment an important factor in choosing a job, they all consider salary an important factor. Further, whereas the only workers who consider stress level an important factor in choosing a job are a few veteran employees, every recent university graduate considers vacation policy an important factor. | 200406_3-LR2_24_24 | [
"All people who consider work environment an important factor in choosing a job also consider salary an important factor.",
"At least some people who consider work environment an important factor in choosing a job consider vacation policy an important factor as well.",
"At least some veteran employees do not consider work environment an important factor in choosing a job.",
"All people who consider vacation policy an important factor in choosing a job also consider salary an important factor.",
"No one for whom salary is an important factor in choosing a job also considers stress level an important factor."
]
| 1 | If all of the statements of the human resources director are true, then which one of the following must be true? |
Wealth is not a good thing, for good things cause no harm at all, yet wealth is often harmful to people. | 200406_3-LR2_25_25 | [
"Alex loves to golf, and no one in the chess club loves to golf. It follows that Alex is not in the chess club.",
"Isabella must be a contented baby. She smiles a great deal and hardly ever cries, like all happy people.",
"Growth in industry is not a good thing for our town. Although the economy might improve, the pollution would be unbearable.",
"Sarah's dog is not a dachshund, for he hunts very well, and most dachshunds hunt poorly.",
"There is usually more traffic at this time of day, unless it is a holiday. But since today is not a holiday, it is surprising that there is so little traffic."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its pattern of reasoning to the argument above? |
In the aftermath of the Cold War, international relations between Cold War allies became more difficult. Leaders of previously allied nations were required to conduct tactful economic negotiations in order not to arouse tensions that had previously been overlooked. | 200406_3-LR2_26_26 | [
"International economic competition is a greater cause of tension than is international military competition.",
"Bonds between allies are stronger when they derive from fear of a common enemy than when they derive from common economic goals.",
"When there is a military commitment between countries, fundamental agreement between them on economic matters is more easily reached.",
"Economic matters are considered unimportant during periods of actual or threatened war.",
"A common enemy contributes to a strengthened bond between nations, enabling them to ignore economic tensions that would otherwise be problematic."
]
| 4 | The situation described above conforms most closely to which one of the following propositions? |
The tidal range at a particular location is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tidal studies have shown that one of the greatest tidal ranges in the world is found in the Bay of Fundy and reaches more than seventeen meters. Since the only forces involved in inducing the tides are the sun's and moon's gravity, the magnitudes of tidal ranges also must be explained entirely by gravitational forces. | 200410_2-LR1_1_1 | [
"It gives only one example of a tidal range.",
"It fails to consider that the size of a tidal range could be affected by the conditions in which gravitational forces act.",
"It does not consider the possibility that low tides are measured in a different way than are high tides.",
"It presumes, without providing warrant, that most activity within the world's oceans is a result of an interplay of gravitational forces.",
"It does not differentiate between the tidal effect of the sun and the tidal effect of the moon."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the reasoning above? |
Cardiologist: Coronary bypass surgery is commonly performed on patients suffering from coronary artery disease when certain other therapies would be as effective. Besides being relatively inexpensive, these other therapies pose less risk to the patient since they are less intrusive. Bypass surgery is especially debatable for single-vessel disease. | 200410_2-LR1_2_2 | [
"Bypass surgery is riskier than all alternative therapies.",
"Needless bypass surgery is more common today than previously.",
"Bypass surgery should be performed when more than one vessel is diseased.",
"Bypass surgery is an especially expensive therapy when used to treat single-vessel disease.",
"Sometimes there are equally effective alternatives to bypass surgery that involve less risk."
]
| 4 | The cardiologist's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? |
In the past, combining children of different ages in one classroom was usually a failure; it resulted in confused younger children, who were given inadequate attention and instruction, and bored older ones, who had to sit through previously learned lessons. Recently, however, the practice has been revived with excellent results. Mixed-age classrooms today are stimulating to older children and enable younger children to learn much more efficiently than in standard classrooms. | 200410_2-LR1_3_3 | [
"On average, mixed-age classrooms today are somewhat larger in enrollment than were the ones of the past.",
"Mixed-age classrooms of the past were better equipped than are those of today.",
"Today's mixed-age classrooms, unlike those of the past, emphasize group projects that are engaging to students of different ages.",
"Today's mixed-age classrooms have students of a greater range of ages than did those of the past.",
"Few of the teachers who are reviving mixed-age classrooms today were students in mixed-age classrooms when they were young."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the passage? |
The top 50 centimeters of soil on Tiliga Island contain bones from the native birds eaten by the islanders since the first human immigration to the island 3,000 years ago. A comparison of this top layer with the underlying 150 centimeters of soil— accumulated over 80,000 years—reveals that before humans arrived on Tiliga, a much larger and more diverse population of birds lived there. Thus, the arrival of humans dramatically decreased the population and diversity of birds on Tiliga. | 200410_2-LR1_4_4 | [
"The bird species known to have been eaten by the islanders had few natural predators on Tiliga.",
"Many of the bird species that disappeared from Tiliga did not disappear from other, similar, uninhabited islands until much later.",
"The arrival of a species of microbe, carried by some birds but deadly to many others, immediately preceded the first human immigration to Tiliga.",
"Bones from bird species known to have been eaten by the islanders were found in the underlying 150 centimeters of soil.",
"The birds that lived on Tiliga prior to the first human immigration generally did not fly well."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
The corpus callosum—the thick band of nerve fibers connecting the brain's two hemispheres—of a musician is on average larger than that of a nonmusician. The differences in the size of corpora callosa are particularly striking when adult musicians who began training around the age of seven are compared to adult nonmusicians. Therefore, musical training, particularly when it begins at a young age, causes certain anatomic brain changes. | 200410_2-LR1_5_5 | [
"The corpora callosa of musicians, before they started training, do not tend to be larger than those of nonmusicians of the same age.",
"Musical training late in life does not cause anatomic changes to the brain.",
"For any two musicians whose training began around the age of seven, their corpora callosa are approximately the same size.",
"All musicians have larger corpora callosa than do any nonmusicians.",
"Adult nonmusicians did not participate in activities when they were children that would have stimulated any growth of the corpus callosum."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
Chai: The use of the word "tree" to denote both deciduous and coniferous plant forms, while acceptable as a lay term, is scientifically inadequate; it masks the fact that the two plant types have utterly different lineages. Dodd: But the common name highlights the crucial fact that both are composed of the same material and have very similar structures; so it is acceptable as a scientific term. | 200410_2-LR1_6_6 | [
"it is advisable to use ordinary terms as names for biological forms in scientific discourse",
"using the same term for two biological forms with different lineages can be scientifically acceptable",
"both deciduous and coniferous plant forms evolved from simpler biological forms",
"it is important that the lay terms for plant forms reflect the current scientific theories about them",
"biological forms with similar structures can have different lineages"
]
| 1 | The conversation provides the strongest grounds for holding that Chai and Dodd disagree over whether |
Increases in the occurrence of hearing loss among teenagers are due in part to their listening to loud music through stereo headphones. So a group of concerned parents is recommending that headphone manufacturers include in their product lines stereo headphones that automatically turn off when a dangerous level of loudness is reached. It is clear that adoption of this recommendation would not significantly reduce the occurrence of hearing loss in teenagers, however, since almost all stereo headphones that teenagers use are bought by the teenagers themselves. | 200410_2-LR1_7_7 | [
"Loud music is most dangerous to hearing when it is played through stereo headphones.",
"No other cause of hearing loss in teenagers is as damaging as their listening to loud music through stereo headphones.",
"Parents of teenagers generally do not themselves listen to loud music through stereo headphones.",
"Teenagers who now listen to music at dangerously loud levels choose to do so despite their awareness of the risks involved.",
"A few headphone manufacturers already plan to market stereo headphones that automatically turn off when a dangerous level of loudness is reached."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for the argument? |
Most plants have developed chemical defenses against parasites. The average plant contains about 40 natural pesticides—chemical compounds toxic to bacteria, fungi, and other parasites. Humans ingest these natural pesticides without harm every day. Therefore, the additional threat posed by synthetic pesticides sprayed on crop plants by humans is minimal. | 200410_2-LR1_8_8 | [
"Humans have been consuming natural plant pesticides for millennia and have had time to adapt to them.",
"The concentrations of natural pesticides in plants are typically much lower than the concentrations of synthetic pesticides in sprayed crop plants.",
"Natural plant pesticides are typically less potent than synthetic pesticides, whose toxicity is highly concentrated.",
"Natural plant pesticides generally serve only as defenses against specific parasites, whereas synthetic pesticides are often harmful to a wide variety of organisms.",
"The synthetic pesticides sprayed on crop plants by humans usually have chemical structures similar to those of the natural pesticides produced by the plants."
]
| 4 | Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument EXCEPT: |
In addition to the labor and materials used to make wine, the reputation of the vineyard where the grapes originate plays a role in determining the price of the finished wine. Therefore, an expensive wine is not always a good wine. | 200410_2-LR1_9_9 | [
"The price of a bottle of wine should be a reflection of the wine's quality.",
"Price is never an accurate indication of the quality of a bottle of wine.",
"The reputation of a vineyard does not always indicate the quality of its wines.",
"The reputation of a vineyard generally plays a greater role than the quality of its grapes in determining its wines' prices.",
"Wines produced by lesser-known vineyards generally are priced to reflect accurately the wines' quality."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
Before their larvae hatch, each parental pair of Nicrophorus beetles buries the carcass of a small vertebrate nearby. For several days after the larvae hatch, both beetles feed their voracious larvae from the carcass, which is entirely consumed within a week. Since both parents help with feeding, larvae should benefit from both parents' presence; however, removing one parent before the hatching results in larvae that grow both larger and heavier than they otherwise would be. | 200410_2-LR1_10_10 | [
"Two beetles can find and bury a larger carcass than can a single beetle.",
"Both parents use the carcass as their own food supply for as long as they stay with the larvae.",
"Beetle parents usually take turns feeding their larvae, so that there is always one provider available and one at rest.",
"After a week, the larvae are capable of finding other sources of food and feeding themselves.",
"Two parents can defend the carcass from attack by other insects better than a single parent can."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, best helps to explain why removing one parent resulted in larger, heavier larvae? |
For many centuries it was believed that only classical Euclidean geometry could provide a correct way of mathematically representing the universe. Nevertheless, scientists have come to believe that a representation of the universe employing non-Euclidean geometry is much more useful in developing certain areas of scientific theory. In fact, such a representation underlies the cosmological theory that is now most widely accepted by scientists as accurate. | 200410_2-LR1_11_11 | [
"Scientists who use Euclidean geometry are likely to believe that progress in mathematical theory results in progress in natural science.",
"Scientists generally do not now believe that classical Euclidean geometry is uniquely capable of giving a correct mathematical representation of the universe.",
"Non-Euclidean geometry is a more complete way of representing the universe than is Euclidean geometry.",
"An accurate scientific theory cannot be developed without the discovery of a uniquely correct way of mathematically representing the universe.",
"The usefulness of a mathematical theory is now considered by scientists to be more important than its mathematical correctness."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the statements above? |
Experts hired to testify in court need to know how to make convincing presentations. Such experts are evaluated by juries in terms of their ability to present the steps by which they arrived at their conclusions clearly and confidently. As a result, some less expert authorities who are skilled at producing convincing testimony are asked to testify rather than highly knowledgeable but less persuasive experts. | 200410_2-LR1_12_12 | [
"Successful politicians are not always the ones who best understand how to help their country. Some lack insight into important political issues but are highly skilled at conducting an election campaign.",
"Trial lawyers often use the techniques employed by actors to influence the emotions of jurors. Many lawyers have studied drama expressly for the purpose of improving their courtroom skills.",
"The opera singer with the best voice is the appropriate choice even for minor roles, despite the fact that an audience may be more affected by a singer with greater dramatic ability but a lesser voice.",
"It is often best to try to train children with gentle reinforcement of desired behavior, rather than by simply telling them what to do and what not to do. This results in children who behave because they want to, not because they feel compelled.",
"Job applicants are usually hired because their skills and training best meet a recognized set of qualifications. Only rarely is a prospective employer convinced to tailor a position to suit the skills of a particular applicant."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following most closely conforms to the principle illustrated by the passage above? |
The solution to any environmental problem that is not the result of government mismanagement can only lie in major changes in consumer habits. But major changes in consumer habits will occur only if such changes are economically enticing. As a result, few serious ecological problems will be solved unless the solutions are made economically enticing. | 200410_2-LR1_13_13 | [
"Few serious ecological problems are the result of government mismanagement.",
"No environmental problems that stem from government mismanagement have solutions that are economically feasible.",
"Major changes in consumer habits can be made economically enticing.",
"Most environmental problems that are not the result of government mismanagement are major ecological problems.",
"Few serious ecological problems can be solved by major changes in consumer habits."
]
| 0 | The conclusion drawn in the argument above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
The economy is doing badly. First, the real estate slump has been with us for some time. Second, car sales are at their lowest in years. Of course, had either one or the other phenomenon failed to occur, this would be consistent with the economy as a whole being healthy. But, their occurrence together makes it quite probable that my conclusion is correct. | 200410_2-LR1_14_14 | [
"If car sales are at their lowest in years, then it is likely that the economy is doing badly.",
"If the economy is doing badly, then either the real estate market or the car sales market is not healthy.",
"If the real estate market is healthy, then it is likely that the economy as a whole is healthy.",
"If the economy is in a healthy state, then it is unlikely that the real estate and car sales markets are both in a slump.",
"The bad condition of the economy implies that both the real estate and the car sales markets are doing badly."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following inferences is most strongly supported by the information above? |
According to current geological theory, the melting of ice at the end of the Ice Age significantly reduced the weight pressing on parts of the earth's crust. As a result, lasting cracks in the earth's crust appeared in some of those parts under the stress of pressure from below. At the end of the Ice Age Sweden was racked by severe earthquakes. Therefore, it is likely that the melting of the ice contributed to these earthquakes. | 200410_2-LR1_15_15 | [
"The earth's crust tends to crack whenever there is a sudden change in the pressures affecting it.",
"There are various areas in Northern Europe that show cracks in the earth's crust.",
"Evidence of severe earthquakes around the time of the end of the Ice Age can be found in parts of northern Canada.",
"Severe earthquakes are generally caused by cracking of the earth's crust near the earthquake site.",
"Asteroid impacts, which did occur at the end of the Ice Age, generally cause severe earthquakes."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above? |
Sociologist: Some economists hold that unregulated markets should accompany democratic sovereignty because they let people vote with their money. But this view ignores the crucial distinction between the private consumer and the public citizen. In the marketplace the question is, "What do I want?" At the voting booth the question is always, "What do we want?" Hence, supporters of political democracy can also support marketplace regulation. | 200410_2-LR1_16_16 | [
"Voters think of themselves as members of a community, rather than as isolated individuals.",
"Unregulated markets are incompatible with democratic sovereignty.",
"Where there is democratic sovereignty there should be unregulated markets.",
"Private consumers are primarily concerned with their own self-interest.",
"Opposition to unregulated markets is consistent with support for democracy."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion drawn by the sociologist? |
The tiny hummingbird weighs little, but its egg is 15 percent of the adult hummingbird's weight. The volume and weight of an adult goose are much greater than those of a hummingbird, but a goose's egg is only about 4 percent of its own weight. An adult ostrich, much larger and heavier than a goose, lays an egg that is only 1.6 percent of its own weight. | 200410_2-LR1_17_17 | [
"The eggs of different bird species vary widely in their ratio of volume to weight.",
"The smaller and lighter the average adult members of a bird species are, the larger and heavier the eggs of that species are.",
"The ratio of egg weight of a species to body weight of an adult member of that species is smaller for larger birds than for smaller ones.",
"The size of birds' eggs varies greatly from species to species but has little effect on the volume and weight of the adult bird.",
"Bird species vary more in egg size than they do in average body size and weight."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following propositions is best illustrated by the statements above? |
Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula portrayed vampires—the "undead" who roam at night to suck the blood of living people—as able to turn into bats. As a result of the pervasive influence of this novel, many people now assume that a vampire's being able to turn into a bat is an essential part of vampire myths. However, this assumption is false, for vampire myths existed in Europe long before Stoker's book. | 200410_2-LR1_18_18 | [
"At least one of the European vampire myths that predated Stoker's book did not portray vampires as strictly nocturnal.",
"Vampire myths in Central and South America, where real vampire bats are found, portray vampires as able to turn into bats.",
"Vampire myths did not exist outside Europe before the publication of Stoker's Dracula.",
"At least one of the European vampire myths that predated Stoker's book did not portray vampires as able to turn into bats.",
"At the time he wrote Dracula, Stoker was familiar with earlier European vampire myths."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
It is unlikely that the world will ever be free of disease. Most diseases are caused by very prolific microorganisms whose response to the pressures medicines exert on them is predictable: they quickly evolve immunities to those medicines while maintaining their power to infect and even kill humans. | 200410_2-LR1_19_19 | [
"It is a conclusion that is claimed to follow from the premise that microorganisms are too numerous for medicines to eliminate entirely.",
"It is a conclusion for which a description of the responses of microorganisms to the medicines designed to cure the diseases they cause is offered as support.",
"It is a premise offered in support of the claim that most disease-causing microorganisms are able to evolve immunities to medicines while retaining their ability to infect humans.",
"It is a generalization used to predict the response of microorganisms to the medicines humans use to kill them.",
"It is a conclusion that is claimed to follow from the premise that most microorganisms are immune to medicines designed to kill them."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the claim that it is unlikely that the world will ever be free of disease? |
Scientist: My research indicates that children who engage in impulsive behavior similar to adult thrill-seeking behavior are twice as likely as other children to have a gene variant that increases sensitivity to dopamine. From this, I conclude that there is a causal relationship between this gene variant and an inclination toward thrill-seeking behavior. | 200410_2-LR1_20_20 | [
"Many impulsive adults are not unusually sensitive to dopamine.",
"It is not possible to reliably distinguish impulsive behavior from other behavior.",
"Children are often described by adults as engaging in thrill-seeking behavior simply because they act impulsively.",
"Many people exhibit behavioral tendencies as adults that they did not exhibit as children.",
"The gene variant studied by the scientist is correlated with other types of behavior in addition to thrill-seeking behavior."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, most calls into question the scientist's argument? |
It is highly likely that Claudette is a classical pianist. Like most classical pianists, Claudette recognizes many of Clara Schumann's works. The vast majority of people who are not classical pianists do not. In fact, many people who are not classical pianists have not even heard of Clara Schumann. | 200410_2-LR1_21_21 | [
"ignores the possibility that Claudette is more familiar with the works of other composers of music for piano",
"presumes, without providing justification, that people who have not heard of Clara Schumann do not recognize her works",
"presumes, without providing justification, that classical pianists cannot also play other musical instruments",
"relies for its plausibility on the vagueness of the term \"classical\"",
"ignores the possibility that the majority of people who recognize many of Clara Schumann's works are not classical pianists"
]
| 4 | The reasoning in the argument above is flawed in that it |
All the evidence so far gathered fits both Dr. Grippen's theory and Professor Heissmann's. However, the predictions that these theories make about the result of the planned experiment cannot both be true. Therefore, the result of this experiment will confirm one of these theories at the expense of the other. | 200410_2-LR1_22_22 | [
"David and Jane both think they know how to distinguish beech trees from elms, but when they look at trees together they often disagree. Therefore, at least one of them must have an erroneous method.",
"Although David thinks the tree they saw was a beech, Jane thinks it was an elm. Jane's description of the tree's features is consistent with her opinion, so this description must be inconsistent with David's view.",
"David and Jane have been equally good at identifying trees so far. But David says this one is an elm, whereas Jane is unsure. Therefore, if this tree turns out to be an elm, we'll know David is better.",
"David thinks that there are more beeches than elms in this forest. Jane thinks he is wrong. The section of forest we examined was small, but examination of the whole forest would either confirm David's view or disprove it.",
"David thinks this tree is a beech. Jane thinks it is an elm. Maria, unlike David or Jane, is expert at tree identification, so when Maria gives her opinion it will verify either David's or Jane's opinion."
]
| 4 | The argument above exhibits an erroneous pattern of reasoning most similar to that exhibited by which one of the following? |
Columnist: The relief from the drudgery of physical labor that much modern technology affords its users renders them dependent on this technology, and, more importantly, on the elaborate energy systems required to run it. This leads to a loss of self-sufficiency. Clearly, then, in addition to undermining life's charm, much modern technology diminishes the overall well-being of its users. | 200410_2-LR1_23_23 | [
"Physical labor is essential to a fulfilling life.",
"Self-sufficiency contributes to a person's well-being.",
"People are not free if they must depend on anything other than their own capacities.",
"Anything causing a loss in life's charm is unjustifiable unless this loss is compensated by some gain.",
"Technology inherently limits the well-being of its users."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the columnist's argument? |
Psychologist: Some psychologists mistakenly argue that because dreams result from electrical discharges in the brain, they must be understood purely in terms of their physiological function. They conclude, against Freud, that dreams reveal nothing about the character of the dreamer. But since dream content varies enormously, then even if electrical discharges provide the terms of the physiological explanation of dreams, they cannot completely explain the phenomenon of dreaming. | 200410_2-LR1_24_24 | [
"It is used to support the anti-Freudian conclusion that some psychologists draw concerning dreams.",
"It is used to support the explicitly stated conclusion that a fully satisfactory account of dreams must allow for the possibility of their revealing significant information about the dreamer.",
"It is used to suggest that neither Freud's theory nor the theory of anti-Freudian psychologists can completely explain the phenomenon of dreaming.",
"It is used to illustrate the difficulty of providing a complete explanation of the phenomenon of dreaming.",
"It is used to undermine a claim that some psychologists use to argue against a view of Freud's."
]
| 4 | The claim that dream content varies enormously plays which one of the following roles in the argument? |
The first bicycle, the Draisienne, was invented in 1817. A brief fad ensued, after which bicycles practically disappeared until the 1860s. Why was this? New technology is accepted only when it coheres with the values of a society. Hence some change in values must have occurred between 1817 and the 1860s. | 200410_2-LR1_25_25 | [
"presumes, without giving justification, that fads are never indicative of genuine acceptance",
"fails to recognize that the reappearance of bicycles in the 1860s may have indicated genuine acceptance of them",
"offers no support for the claim that the Draisienne was the first true bicycle",
"poses a question that has little relevance to the argument's conclusion",
"ignores, without giving justification, alternative possible explanations of the initial failure of bicycles"
]
| 4 | The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument |
Jones fell unconscious on the job and it was suspected that he had swallowed a certain chemical, so he was rushed to the local hospital's emergency room. In making her diagnosis, the emergency-room physician knew that if Jones had swallowed the chemical, a deficiency in the content of a mineral in his blood would result. She also knew that deficiency in the mineral causes inflammation of the skin. Since Jones's skin was not inflamed when he was admitted to the emergency room, the physician concluded that Jones had not swallowed the chemical. | 200410_4-LR2_1_1 | [
"Jones did not know that the chemical was dangerous.",
"Jones had suffered inflammation of the skin in the past.",
"It takes 48 hours for the chemical to bring about deficiency of the mineral in the blood.",
"Jones often worked with the chemical.",
"Deficiency in minerals other than the mineral in question can cause inflammation of the skin."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, would undermine the physician's conclusion? |
Pacifist: It is immoral to do anything that causes harm to another person. But, since using force causes harm to another person, it is also immoral to threaten to use force, even when such a threat is made in self-defense. | 200410_4-LR2_2_2 | [
"Given the potential harm caused by the use of force, the line between use of force in self-defense and the aggressive use of force is always vague.",
"It is immoral to threaten to do what it is immoral to do.",
"It is immoral to do anything that causes more harm than good.",
"Whether a threat made in self-defense is immoral depends on the circumstances.",
"It is immoral to carry out a threat if making the threat is itself immoral."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, would most help to justify the pacifist's reasoning? |
Beginning in the 1950s, popular music was revolutionized by the electrification of musical instruments, which has enabled musicians to play with increased volume. Because individual musicians can play with increased volume, the average number of musicians per band has decreased. Nevertheless, electrification has increased rather than decreased the overall number of musicians who play popular music professionally. | 200410_4-LR2_3_3 | [
"The number of amateur musicians who play popular music has decreased.",
"Most professional musicians are able to play both electric and nonelectric instruments.",
"The number of professional musicians in some bands has increased.",
"The total number of professional bands has increased as a result of electrification.",
"Many professional musicians play in more than one band."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the statements above, if those statements are true? |
Statistics indicating a sudden increase in the incidence of a problem often merely reflect a heightened awareness of the problem or a greater ability to record its occurrence. Hence we should be wary of proposals for radical solutions to problems when those proposals are a reaction to new statistical data. | 200410_4-LR2_4_4 | [
"A better cognizance of a problem does not warrant the undertaking of a radical solution to the problem.",
"Attempts to stop the occurrence of a problem should be preceded by a determination that the problem actually exists.",
"Proposals for radical solutions to problems should be based on statistical data alone.",
"Statistical data should not be manipulated to make a radical solution to a problem seem more justified than it actually is.",
"Radical solutions to problems can cause other problems and end up doing more harm than good."
]
| 0 | The argumentation conforms most closely to which one of the following principles? |
Barr: The National Tea Association cites tea's recent visibility in advertising and magazine articles as evidence of tea's increasing popularity. However, a neutral polling company, the Survey Group, has tracked tea sales at numerous stores for the last 20 years and has found no change in the amount of tea sold. We can thus conclude that tea is no more popular now than it ever was. | 200410_4-LR2_5_5 | [
"The National Tea Association has announced that it plans to carry out its own retail survey in the next year.",
"A survey by an unrelated polling organization shows that the public is generally receptive to the idea of trying new types of tea.",
"The Survey Group is funded by a consortium of consumer advocacy groups.",
"The stores from which the Survey Group collected information about tea sales are all located in the same small region of the country.",
"Tea has been the subject of an expensive and efficient advertising campaign funded, in part, by the National Tea Association."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens Barr's argument? |
Doctors urge people to reduce their cholesterol levels through dietary changes. But moderate dietary changes often do not work to lower cholesterol levels. One may need, therefore, to make more dramatic changes, such as switching to a vegetarian diet. | 200410_4-LR2_6_6 | [
"It is presented to counter doctors' suggestions that cholesterol levels can be reduced through dietary changes.",
"It is a premise offered in support of the claim that vegetarian diets are more healthful than any diets containing meat.",
"It is a premise offered in support of the claim that reducing cholesterol levels may require greater than moderate dietary changes.",
"It is offered as an explanation of the success of vegetarian diets in reducing cholesterol levels.",
"It is a conclusion for which the claim that dramatic changes in one's diet are sometimes required to reduce cholesterol levels is offered as support."
]
| 2 | The statement that moderate dietary changes often do not work to lower cholesterol levels plays which one of the following roles in the argument? |
Since empathy is essential for people to be willing to follow moral codes that sometimes require them to ignore their own welfare to help others, civilized society could not exist without empathy. | 200410_4-LR2_7_7 | [
"Civilized society can exist only if there are people who are willing to at least sometimes ignore their own welfare to help others.",
"Failure to empathize with other people usually leads to actions detrimental to civilized society.",
"If everyone in a society is sometimes willing to ignore his or her own welfare to help others, that society will be civilized.",
"Moral codes that include the requirement that people disregard their own welfare in order to help others have arisen within some civilized societies.",
"People who feel empathy tend to ignore their own welfare for the sake of others."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
Insurgent political parties that are profoundly dissatisfied with the dominant party's reign and justificatory ideology always produce factions whose views and aims differ as greatly from each other's as they do from the dominant party's. Although these factions ignore their own disagreements for the sake of defeating the dominant party, their disagreements inevitably come forward upon victory. Therefore, ____. | 200410_4-LR2_8_8 | [
"no victorious insurgent party ever manages to stay in power for as long as the party it displaces did",
"a victorious insurgent party must address the disagreements between its factions if it is to stay in power",
"the heretofore insurgent party will not always promulgate a new ideology to justify its own policies, once it is victorious",
"a victorious insurgent party always faces opposition from the party it recently ousted",
"it is impossible for the different factions of a victorious insurgent party to effect the compromises necessary to keep the new party in power"
]
| 1 | Which one of the following is the most logical completion of the argument? |
Manager: When Sullivan was passed over for promotion, people said that the deciding factor was his being much older than the competition. But this is clearly not the case. Several recent promotions have been given to people older than Sullivan. | 200410_4-LR2_9_9 | [
"Sullivan was well qualified for the promotion",
"age is only one of a number of factors that kept Sullivan from being promoted",
"people often associate age with experience and good judgment",
"the people older than Sullivan who were promoted had no younger competitors",
"Sullivan's employer tries to keep deliberations involving promotion decisions confidential"
]
| 3 | The manager's argument is most vulnerable to criticism because it fails to consider the possibility that |
Council member P: Alarmists are those who see an instance of pollution and exaggerate its significance into a major character fault of society. Such alarmists fail to distinguish the incident and the behavior that caused it from the disposition of people not to pollute. Council member Q: To think that there is a lot of pollution based on the discovery of a serious single instance of pollution is simply an application of the widely accepted principle that actions tend to follow the path of least resistance, and it is surely easier to pollute than not to pollute. | 200410_4-LR2_10_10 | [
"pollution should be considered a problem",
"actions tend to follow the path of least resistance",
"people are responsible for pollution",
"people can change their behavior and not pollute",
"people are inclined to pollute"
]
| 4 | Council members P and Q disagree over whether |
It is easy to see that the board of directors of the construction company is full of corruption and should be replaced. There are many instances of bribery by various persons on the staff of board member Wagston that are a matter of public record. These bribes perniciously influenced the awarding of government contracts. | 200410_4-LR2_11_11 | [
"the argument fails to show that corruption is not limited to Wagston's staff",
"the argument fails to show that Wagston's staff engaged in any bribery other than bribery of government officials",
"the argument fails to specify the relation between bribery and corruption",
"the argument presumes without giving justification that all of Wagston's staff have engaged in corruption",
"the argument attempts to deflect attention away from substantive issues by attacking the character of the board"
]
| 0 | The argument's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that |
Coffee and tea contain methylxanthines, which cause temporary increases in the natural production of vasopressin, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. Vasopressin causes clumping of blood cells, and the clumping is more pronounced in women than in men. This is probably the explanation of the fact that women face as much as a tenfold higher risk than men do of complications following angioplasty, a technique used to clear clogged arteries. | 200410_4-LR2_12_12 | [
"Men, but not women, should be given methylxanthines prior to undergoing angioplasty.",
"In spite of the risks, angioplasty is the only effective treatment for clogged arteries.",
"Women probably drink more coffee and tea, on average, than do men.",
"Prior to undergoing angioplasty, women should avoid coffee and tea.",
"Angioplasty should not be used to treat clogged arteries."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by the information above? |
Whether a machine performs its intended function is plain for all to see, but recognition of excellence in art requires a rare subtlety of perception. So whereas engineers usually maintain their composure when their work is being evaluated, artists tend to become anxious under such circumstances. | 200410_4-LR2_13_13 | [
"People who have an interest in working as artists are no more likely to have especially anxious personalities than are people who have an interest in working as engineers.",
"The value of a machine is independent of the feelings of those who create it, while the value of an artwork is not.",
"Evaluation of the work of engineers should be based on a different set of standards than is evaluation of the work of artists.",
"People who create things whose success can be easily ascertained worry less about others' opinions of their work than do people who create things whose value cannot be easily ascertained.",
"Someone who creates a work that cannot be easily evaluated tends to be less confident about its value than are those who evaluate it."
]
| 3 | The reasoning above conforms most closely to which one of the following propositions? |
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