context
stringlengths 79
829
| id_string
stringlengths 16
18
| answers
listlengths 5
5
| label
int64 0
4
| question
stringlengths 23
302
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Educator: Only those students who are genuinely curious about a topic can successfully learn about that topic. They find the satisfaction of their curiosity intrinsically gratifying, and appreciate the inherent rewards of the learning process itself. However, almost no child enters the classroom with sufficient curiosity to learn successfully all that the teacher must instill. A teacher's job, therefore, ____. | 200712_3-LR2_7_7 | [
"requires for the fulfillment of its goals the stimulation as well as the satisfaction of curiosity",
"necessitates the creative use of rewards that are not inherent in the learning process itself",
"is to focus primarily on those topics that do not initially interest the students",
"is facilitated by students' taking responsibility for their own learning",
"becomes easier if students realize that some learning is not necessarily enjoyable"
]
| 0 | Which one of the following most logically completes the educator's argument? |
Environmentalist: When bacteria degrade household cleaning products, vapors that are toxic to humans are produced. Unfortunately, household cleaning products are often found in landfills. Thus, the common practice of converting landfills into public parks is damaging human health. | 200712_3-LR2_8_8 | [
"In at least some landfills that have been converted into public parks there are bacteria that degrade household cleaning products.",
"Converting a landfill into a public park will cause no damage to human health unless toxic vapors are produced in that landfill and humans are exposed to them.",
"If a practice involves the exposure of humans to vapors from household cleaning products, then it causes at least some damage to human health.",
"When landfills are converted to public parks, measures could be taken that would prevent people using the parks from being exposed to toxic vapors.",
"If vapors toxic to humans are produced by the degradation of household cleaning products by bacteria in any landfill, then the health of at least some humans will suffer."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption the environmentalist's argument requires? |
Tea made from camellia leaves is a popular beverage. However, studies show that regular drinkers of camellia tea usually suffer withdrawal symptoms if they discontinue drinking the tea. Furthermore, regular drinkers of camellia tea are more likely than people in general to develop kidney damage. Regular consumption of this tea, therefore, can result in a heightened risk of kidney damage. | 200712_3-LR2_9_9 | [
"Several other popular beverages contain the same addictive chemical that is found in camellia tea.",
"Addictive chemicals are unlikely to cause kidney damage solely by virtue of their addictive qualities.",
"Some people claim that regular consumption of camellia tea helps alleviate their stress.",
"Most people who regularly drink camellia tea do not develop kidney damage.",
"Many people who regularly consume camellia tea also regularly consume other beverages suspected of causing kidney damage."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
Artist: Avant-garde artists intend their work to challenge a society's mainstream beliefs and initiate change. And some art collectors claim that an avant-garde work that becomes popular in its own time is successful. However, a society's mainstream beliefs do not generally show any significant changes over a short period of time. Therefore, when an avant-garde work becomes popular it is a sign that the work is not successful, since it does not fulfil the intentions of its creator. | 200712_3-LR2_10_10 | [
"It serves to bolster the argument's main conclusion.",
"It identifies a view that is ultimately disputed by the argument.",
"It identifies a position supported by the initial premise in the argument.",
"It provides support for the initial premise in the argument.",
"It provides support for a counterargument to the initial premise."
]
| 1 | The reference to the claim of certain art collectors plays which one of the following roles in the artist's argument? |
A recent epidemiological study found that businesspeople who travel internationally on business are much more likely to suffer from chronic insomnia than are businesspeople who do not travel on business. International travelers experience the stresses of dramatic changes in climate, frequent disruption of daily routines, and immersion in cultures other than their own, stresses not commonly felt by those who do not travel. Thus, it is likely that these stresses cause the insomnia. | 200712_3-LR2_11_11 | [
"Most international travel for the sake of business occurs between countries with contiguous borders.",
"Some businesspeople who travel internationally greatly enjoy the changes in climate and immersion in another culture.",
"Businesspeople who already suffer from chronic insomnia are no more likely than businesspeople who do not to accept assignments from their employers that require international travel.",
"Experiencing dramatic changes in climate and disruption of daily routines through international travel can be beneficial to some people who suffer from chronic insomnia.",
"Some businesspeople who once traveled internationally but no longer do so complain of various sleep-related ailments."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following would, if true, most strengthen the reasoning above? |
Many mountain climbers regard climbing Mount Everest as the ultimate achievement. But climbers should not attempt this climb since the risk of death or serious injury in an Everest expedition is very high. Moreover, the romantic notion of gaining "spiritual discovery" atop Everest is dispelled by climbers' reports that the only profound experiences they had at the top were of exhaustion and fear. | 200712_3-LR2_12_12 | [
"Projects undertaken primarily for spiritual reasons ought to be abandoned if the risks are great.",
"Dangerous activities that are unlikely to result in significant spiritual benefits for those undertaking them should be avoided.",
"Activities that are extremely dangerous ought to be legally prohibited unless they are necessary to produce spiritual enlightenment.",
"Profound spiritual experiences can be achieved without undergoing the serious danger involved in mountain climbing.",
"Mountain climbers and other athletes should carefully examine the underlying reasons they have for participating in their sports."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning above? |
Each of the smallest particles in the universe has an elegantly simple structure. Since these particles compose the universe, we can conclude that the universe itself has an elegantly simple structure. | 200712_3-LR2_13_13 | [
"Each part of this car is nearly perfectly engineered. Therefore this car is nearly perfect, from an engineering point of view.",
"Each part of this desk is made of metal. Therefore this desk is made of metal.",
"Each brick in this wall is rectangular. Therefore this wall is rectangular.",
"Each piece of wood in this chair is sturdy. Therefore this chair is sturdy.",
"Each sentence in this novel is well constructed. Therefore this is a well-constructed novel."
]
| 1 | Each of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning similar to that in the argument above EXCEPT: |
Criminologist: A judicial system that tries and punishes criminals without delay is an effective deterrent to violent crime. Long, drawn-out trials and successful legal maneuvering may add to criminals' feelings of invulnerability. But if potential violent criminals know that being caught means prompt punishment, they will hesitate to break the law. | 200712_3-LR2_14_14 | [
"It is in the nature of violent crime that it is not premeditated.",
"About one-fourth of all suspects first arrested for a crime are actually innocent.",
"Many violent crimes are committed by first-time offenders.",
"Everyone accused of a crime has the right to a trial.",
"Countries that promptly punish suspected lawbreakers have lower crime rates than countries that allow long trials."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the criminologist's argument? |
Journalist: Many people object to mandatory retirement at age 65 as being arbitrary, arguing that people over 65 make useful contributions. However, if those who reach 65 are permitted to continue working indefinitely, we will face unacceptable outcomes. First, young people entering the job market will not be able to obtain decent jobs in the professions for which they were trained, resulting in widespread dissatisfaction among the young. Second, it is not fair for those who have worked 40 or more years to deprive others of opportunities. Therefore, mandatory retirement should be retained. | 200712_3-LR2_15_15 | [
"Anyone who has worked 40 years is at least 65 years old.",
"All young people entering the job market are highly trained professionals.",
"It is unfair for a person not to get a job in the profession for which that person was trained.",
"If people are forced to retire at age 65, there will be much dissatisfaction among at least some older people.",
"If retirement ceases to be mandatory at age 65, at least some people will choose to work past age 65."
]
| 4 | The journalist's argument depends on assuming which one of the following? |
Editorial: Contrary to popular belief, teaching preschoolers is not especially difficult, for they develop strict systems (e.g., for sorting toys by shape), which help them to learn, and they are always intensely curious about something new in their world. | 200712_3-LR2_16_16 | [
"Preschoolers have a tendency to imitate adults, and most adults follow strict routines.",
"Children intensely curious about new things have very short attention spans.",
"Some older children also develop strict systems that help them learn.",
"Preschoolers ask as many creative questions as do older children.",
"Preschool teachers generally report lower levels of stress than do other teachers."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the editorial's argument? |
Lawyer: A body of circumstantial evidence is like a rope, and each item of evidence is like a strand of that rope. Just as additional pieces of circumstantial evidence strengthen the body of evidence, adding strands to the rope strengthens the rope. And if one strand breaks, the rope is not broken nor is its strength much diminished. Thus, even if a few items of a body of circumstantial evidence are discredited, the overall body of evidence retains its basic strength. | 200712_3-LR2_17_17 | [
"takes for granted that no items in a body of circumstantial evidence are significantly more critical to the strength of the evidence than other items in that body",
"presumes, without providing justification, that the strength of a body of evidence is less than the sum of the strengths of the parts of that body",
"fails to consider the possibility that if many items in a body of circumstantial evidence were discredited, the overall body of evidence would be discredited",
"offers an analogy in support of a conclusion without indicating whether the two types of things compared share any similarities",
"draws a conclusion that simply restates a claim presented in support of that conclusion"
]
| 0 | The reasoning in the lawyer's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument |
Ethicist: Many environmentalists hold that the natural environment is morally valuable for its own sake, regardless of any benefits it provides us. However, even if nature has no moral value, nature can be regarded as worth preserving simply on the grounds that people find it beautiful. Moreover, because it is philosophically disputable whether nature is morally valuable but undeniable that it is beautiful, an argument for preserving nature that emphasizes nature's beauty will be less vulnerable to logical objections than one that emphasizes its moral value. | 200712_3-LR2_18_18 | [
"An argument in favor of preserving nature will be less open to logical objections if it avoids the issue of what makes nature worth preserving.",
"If an argument for preserving nature emphasizes a specific characteristic of nature and is vulnerable to logical objections, then that characteristic does not provide a sufficient reason for preserving nature.",
"If it is philosophically disputable whether nature has a certain characteristic, then nature would be more clearly worth preserving if it did not have that characteristic.",
"Anything that has moral value is worth preserving regardless of whether people consider it to be beautiful.",
"An argument for preserving nature will be less open to logical objections if it appeals to a characteristic that can be regarded as a basis for preserving nature and that philosophically indisputably belongs to nature."
]
| 4 | The ethicist's reasoning most closely conforms to which one of the following principles? |
An editor is compiling a textbook containing essays by several different authors. The book will contain essays by Lind, Knight, or Jones, but it will not contain essays by all three. If the textbook contains an essay by Knight, then it will also contain an essay by Jones. | 200712_3-LR2_19_19 | [
"If the textbook contains an essay by Lind, then it will not contain an essay by Knight.",
"The textbook will contain an essay by only one of Lind, Knight, and Jones.",
"The textbook will not contain an essay by Knight.",
"If the textbook contains an essay by Lind, then it will also contain an essay by Jones.",
"The textbook will contain an essay by Lind."
]
| 0 | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must be true? |
The ability of mammals to control their internal body temperatures is a factor in the development of their brains and intelligence. This can be seen from the following facts: the brain is a chemical machine, all chemical reactions are temperature dependent, and any organism that can control its body temperature can assure that these reactions occur at the proper temperatures. | 200712_3-LR2_20_20 | [
"Organisms unable to control their body temperatures do not have the capacity to generate internal body heat without relying on external factors.",
"Mammals are the only animals that have the ability to control their internal body temperatures.",
"The brain cannot support intelligence if the chemical reactions within it are subject to uncontrolled temperatures.",
"The development of intelligence in mammals is not independent of the chemical reactions in their brains taking place at the proper temperatures.",
"Organisms incapable of controlling their internal body temperatures are subject to unpredictable chemical processes."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
People who object to the proposed hazardous waste storage site by appealing to extremely implausible scenarios in which the site fails to contain the waste safely are overlooking the significant risks associated with delays in moving the waste from its present unsafe location. If we wait to remove the waste until we find a site certain to contain it safely, the waste will remain in its current location for many years, since it is currently impossible to guarantee that any site can meet that criterion. Yet keeping the waste at the current location for that long clearly poses unacceptable risks. | 200712_3-LR2_21_21 | [
"The waste should never have been stored in its current location.",
"The waste should be placed in the most secure location that can ever be found.",
"Moving the waste to the proposed site would reduce the threat posed by the waste.",
"Whenever waste must be moved, one should limit the amount of time allotted to locating alternative waste storage sites.",
"Any site to which the waste could be moved will be safer than its present site."
]
| 2 | The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? |
A recent survey indicates that the average number of books read annually per capita has declined in each of the last three years. However, it also found that most bookstores reported increased profits during the same period. | 200712_3-LR2_22_22 | [
"Recent cutbacks in government spending have forced public libraries to purchase fewer popular contemporary novels.",
"Due to the installation of sophisticated new antitheft equipment, the recent increase in shoplifting that has hit most retail businesses has left bookstores largely unaffected.",
"Over the past few years many bookstores have capitalized on the lucrative coffee industry by installing coffee bars.",
"Bookstore owners reported a general shift away from the sale of inexpensive paperback novels and toward the sale of lucrative hardback books.",
"Citing a lack of free time, many survey respondents indicated that they had canceled magazine subscriptions in favor of purchasing individual issues at bookstores when time permits."
]
| 1 | Each of the following, if true, helps to resolve the survey's apparently paradoxical results EXCEPT: |
Naturalist: A species can survive a change in environment, as long as the change is not too rapid. Therefore, the threats we are creating to woodland species arise not from the fact that we are cutting down trees, but rather from the rate at which we are doing so. | 200712_3-LR2_23_23 | [
"The problem with burning fossil fuels is that the supply is limited; so, the faster we expend these resources, the sooner we will be left without an energy source.",
"Many people gain more satisfaction from performing a job well—regardless of whether they like the job—than from doing merely adequately a job they like; thus, people who want to be happy should choose jobs they can do well.",
"Some students who study thoroughly do well in school. Thus, what is most important for success in school is not how much time a student puts into studying, but rather how thoroughly the student studies.",
"People do not fear change if they know what the change will bring; so, our employees' fear stems not from our company's undergoing change, but from our failing to inform them of what the changes entail.",
"Until ten years ago, we had good soil and our agriculture flourished. Therefore, the recent decline of our agriculture is a result of our soil rapidly eroding and there being nothing that can replace the good soil we lost."
]
| 3 | The reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to that in the naturalist's argument? |
Professor: A person who can select a beverage from among 50 varieties of cola is less free than one who has only these 5 choices: wine, coffee, apple juice, milk, and water. It is clear, then, that meaningful freedom cannot be measured simply by the number of alternatives available; the extent of the differences among the alternatives is also a relevant factor. | 200712_3-LR2_24_24 | [
"supporting a general principle by means of an example",
"drawing a conclusion about a particular case on the basis of a general principle",
"supporting its conclusion by means of an analogy",
"claiming that whatever holds for each member of a group must hold for the whole group",
"inferring one general principle from another, more general, principle"
]
| 0 | The professor's argument proceeds by |
Principle: Meetings should be kept short, addressing only those issues relevant to a majority of those attending. A person should not be required to attend a meeting if none of the issues to be addressed at the meeting are relevant to that person. Application: Terry should not be required to attend today's two o'clock meeting. | 200712_3-LR2_25_25 | [
"The only issues on which Terry could make a presentation at the meeting are issues irrelevant to at least a majority of those who could attend.",
"If Terry makes a presentation at the meeting, the meeting will not be kept short.",
"No issue relevant to Terry could be relevant to a majority of those attending the meeting.",
"If Terry attends the meeting a different set of issues will be relevant to a majority of those attending than if Terry does not attend.",
"The majority of the issues to be addressed at the meeting are not relevant to Terry."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most justifies the stated application of the principle? |
Executive: Our company is proud of its long history of good relations with its employees. In fact, a recent survey of our retirees proves that we treat our employees fairly, since 95 percent of the respondents reported that they had always been treated fairly during the course of their careers with us. | 200806_2-LR1_1_1 | [
"presents as its sole premise a claim that one would accept as true only if one already accepted the truth of the conclusion",
"relies on evidence that cannot be verified",
"equivocates on the word \"fairly\"",
"bases a generalization on a sample that may not be representative",
"presumes, without providing justification, that older methods of managing employees are superior to newer ones"
]
| 3 | The executive's argument is flawed in that it |
Many of those who are most opposed to cruelty to animals in the laboratory, in the slaughterhouse, or on the farm are people who truly love animals and who keep pets. The vast majority of domestic pets, however, are dogs and cats, and both of these species are usually fed meat. Therefore, many of those who are most opposed to cruelty to animals do, in fact, contribute to such cruelty. | 200806_2-LR1_2_2 | [
"Loving pets requires loving all forms of animal life.",
"Many of those who are opposed to keeping dogs and cats as pets are also opposed to cruelty to animals.",
"Some people who work in laboratories, in slaughterhouses, or on farms are opposed to cruelty to animals.",
"Many popular pets are not usually fed meat.",
"Feeding meat to pets contributes to cruelty to animals."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument? |
Statistics from the National Booksellers Association indicate that during the last five years most bookstores have started to experience declining revenues from the sale of fiction, despite national campaigns to encourage people to read more fiction. Therefore, these reading campaigns have been largely unsuccessful. | 200806_2-LR1_3_3 | [
"Mail order book clubs have enjoyed substantial growth in fiction sales throughout the last five years.",
"During the last five years the most profitable items in bookstores have been newspapers and periodicals rather than novels.",
"Fierce competition has forced booksellers to make drastic markdowns on the cover price of best-selling biographies.",
"Due to the poor economic conditions that have prevailed during the last five years, most libraries report substantial increases in the number of patrons seeking books on changing careers and starting new businesses.",
"The National Booksellers Association statistics do not include profits from selling novels by mail to overseas customers."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
People who consume a lot of honey tend to have fewer cavities than others have. Yet, honey is high in sugar, and sugar is one of the leading causes of tooth decay. | 200806_2-LR1_4_4 | [
"People who eat a lot of honey tend to consume very little sugar from other sources.",
"Many people who consume a lot of honey consume much of it dissolved in drinks.",
"People's dental hygiene habits vary greatly.",
"Refined sugars have been linked to more health problems than have unrefined sugars.",
"Honey contains bacteria that inhibit the growth of the bacteria that cause tooth decay."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent paradox described above? |
Byrne: One of our club's bylaws specifies that any officer who fails to appear on time for any one of the quarterly board meetings, or who misses two of our monthly general meetings, must be suspended. Thibodeaux, an officer, was recently suspended. But Thibodeaux has never missed a monthly general meeting. Therefore, Thibodeaux must have failed to appear on time for a quarterly board meeting. | 200806_2-LR1_5_5 | [
"fails to consider the possibility that Thibodeaux has arrived late for two or more monthly general meetings",
"presumes, without providing justification, that if certain events each produce a particular result, then no other event is sufficient to produce that result",
"takes for granted that an assumption required to establish the argument's conclusion is sufficient to establish that conclusion",
"fails to specify at what point someone arriving at a club meeting is officially deemed late",
"does not specify how long Thibodeaux has been an officer"
]
| 1 | The reasoning in Byrne's argument is flawed in that the argument |
Manufacturers of writing paper need to add mineral "filler" to paper pulp if the paper made from the pulp is to look white. Without such filler, paper products look grayish. To make writing paper that looks white from recycled paper requires more filler than is required to make such paper from other sources. Therefore, barring the more efficient use of fillers in paper manufacturing or the development of paper-whitening technologies that do not require mineral fillers, if writing paper made from recycled paper comes to replace other types of writing paper, paper manufacturers will have to use more filler than they now use. | 200806_2-LR1_6_6 | [
"Certain kinds of paper cannot be manufactured from recycled paper.",
"The fillers that are used to make paper white are harmful to the environment.",
"Grayish writing paper will not be a universally acceptable alternative to white writing paper.",
"Beyond a certain limit, increasing the amount of filler added to paper pulp does not increase the whiteness of the paper made from the pulp.",
"The total amount of writing paper manufactured worldwide will increase significantly in the future."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
Environmentalist: The excessive atmospheric buildup of carbon dioxide, which threatens the welfare of everyone in the world, can be stopped only by reducing the burning of fossil fuels. Any country imposing the strict emission standards on the industrial burning of such fuels that this reduction requires, however, would thereby reduce its gross national product. No nation will be willing to bear singlehandedly the costs of an action that will benefit everyone. It is obvious, then, that the catastrophic consequences of excessive atmospheric carbon dioxide are unavoidable unless ____. | 200806_2-LR1_7_7 | [
"all nations become less concerned with pollution than with the economic burdens of preventing it",
"multinational corporations agree to voluntary strict emission standards",
"international agreements produce industrial emission standards",
"distrust among nations is eliminated",
"a world government is established"
]
| 2 | Which one of the following most logically completes the argument? |
A clear advantage of digital technology over traditional printing is that digital documents, being patterns of electronic signals rather than patterns of ink on paper, do not generate waste in the course of their production and use. However, because patterns of electronic signals are necessarily ephemeral, a digital document can easily be destroyed and lost forever. | 200806_2-LR1_8_8 | [
"A property of a technology may constitute an advantage in one set of circumstances and a disadvantage in others.",
"What at first appears to be an advantage of a technology may create more problems than it solves.",
"It is more important to be able to preserve information than it is for information to be easily accessible.",
"Innovations in document storage technologies sometimes decrease, but never eliminate, the risk of destroying documents.",
"Advances in technology can lead to increases in both convenience and environmental soundness."
]
| 0 | The statements above best illustrate which one of the following generalizations? |
Museum visitor: The national government has mandated a 5 percent increase in the minimum wage paid to all workers. This mandate will adversely affect the museum going public. The museum's revenue does not currently exceed its expenses, and since the mandate will significantly increase the museum's operating expenses, the museum will be forced either to raise admission fees or to decrease services. | 200806_2-LR1_9_9 | [
"Some of the museum's employees are not paid significantly more than the minimum wage.",
"The museum's revenue from admission fees has remained constant over the past five years.",
"Some of the museum's employees are paid more than the current minimum wage.",
"The annual number of visitors to the museum has increased steadily.",
"Not all visitors to the museum are required to pay an admission fee."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the museum visitor's argument? |
Helen: Reading a book is the intellectual equivalent of investing money: you're investing time, thereby foregoing other ways of spending that time, in the hope that what you learn will later afford you more opportunities than you'd get by spending the time doing something other than reading that book. Randi: But that applies only to vocational books. Reading fiction is like watching a sitcom: it's just wasted time. | 200806_2-LR1_10_10 | [
"questioning how the evidence Helen uses for a claim was gathered",
"disputing the scope of Helen's analogy by presenting another analogy",
"arguing that Helen's reasoning ultimately leads to an absurd conclusion",
"drawing an analogy to an example presented by Helen",
"denying the relevance of an example presented by Helen"
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately describes the technique Randi uses in responding to Helen's claims? |
Contrary to recent speculations, no hardware store will be opening in the shopping plaza. If somebody were going to open a store there, they would already have started publicizing it. But there has been no such publicity. | 200806_2-LR1_11_11 | [
"Some people have surmised that a hardware store will be opening in the shopping plaza.",
"A hardware store will not be opening in the shopping plaza.",
"If somebody were going to open a hardware store in the shopping plaza, that person would already have started publicizing it.",
"It would be unwise to open a hardware store in the shopping plaza.",
"There has been no publicity concerning the opening of a hardware store in the shopping plaza."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion drawn in the argument? |
Ethicist: Although science is frequently said to be morally neutral, it has a traditional value system of its own. For example, scientists sometimes foresee that a line of theoretical research they are pursuing will yield applications that could seriously harm people, animals, or the environment. Yet, according to science's traditional value system, such consequences do not have to be considered in deciding whether to pursue that research. Ordinary morality, in contrast, requires that we take the foreseeable consequences of our actions into account whenever we are deciding what to do. | 200806_2-LR1_12_12 | [
"Scientists should not be held responsible for the consequences of their research.",
"According to the dictates of ordinary morality, scientists doing research that ultimately turns out to yield harmful applications are acting immorally.",
"Science is morally neutral because it assigns no value to the consequences of theoretical research.",
"It is possible for scientists to both adhere to the traditional values of their field and violate a principle of ordinary morality.",
"The uses and effects of scientifically acquired knowledge can never be adequately foreseen."
]
| 3 | The ethicist's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? |
Consumers seek to purchase the highest quality at the lowest prices. Companies that do not offer products that attract consumers eventually go bankrupt. Therefore, companies that offer neither the best quality nor the lowest price will eventually go bankrupt. | 200806_2-LR1_13_13 | [
"No company succeeds in producing a product that is both highest in quality and lowest in price.",
"Products that are neither highest in quality nor lowest in price do not attract consumers.",
"Any company that offers either the highest quality or the lowest price will avoid bankruptcy.",
"Some consumers will not continue to patronize a company purely out of brand loyalty.",
"No company is driven from the market for reasons other than failing to meet consumer demands."
]
| 1 | The conclusion above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
The number of serious traffic accidents (accidents resulting in hospitalization or death) that occurred on Park Road from 1986 to 1990 was 35 percent lower than the number of serious accidents from 1981 to 1985. The speed limit on Park Road was lowered in 1986. Hence, the reduction of the speed limit led to the decrease in serious accidents. | 200806_2-LR1_14_14 | [
"The number of speeding tickets issued annually on Park Road remained roughly constant from 1981 to 1990.",
"Beginning in 1986, police patrolled Park Road much less frequently than in 1985 and previous years.",
"The annual number of vehicles using Park Road decreased significantly and steadily from 1981 to 1990.",
"The annual number of accidents on Park Road that did not result in hospitalization remained roughly constant from 1981 to 1990.",
"Until 1986 accidents were classified as \"serious\" only if they resulted in an extended hospital stay."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the argument? |
Humans are supposedly rational: in other words, they have a capacity for well-considered thinking and behavior. This is supposedly the difference that makes them superior to other animals. But humans knowingly pollute the world's precious air and water and, through bad farming practices, deplete the soil that feeds them. Thus, humans are not rational after all, so it is absurd to regard them as superior to other animals. | 200806_2-LR1_15_15 | [
"relies crucially on an internally contradictory definition of rationality",
"takes for granted that humans are aware that their acts are irrational",
"neglects to show that the irrational acts perpetrated by humans are not also perpetrated by other animals",
"presumes, without offering justification, that humans are no worse than other animals",
"fails to recognize that humans may possess a capacity without displaying it in a given activity"
]
| 4 | The reasoning above is flawed in that it |
"Good hunter" and "bad hunter" are standard terms in the study of cats. Good hunters can kill prey that weigh up to half their body weight. All good hunters have a high muscle-to-fat ratio. Most wild cats are good hunters, but some domestic cats are good hunters as well. | 200806_2-LR1_16_16 | [
"Some cats that have a high muscle-to-fat ratio are not good hunters.",
"A smaller number of domestic cats than wild cats have a high muscle-to-fat ratio.",
"All cats that are bad hunters have a low muscle-to-fat ratio.",
"Some cats that have a high muscle-to-fat ratio are domestic.",
"All cats that have a high muscle-to-fat ratio can kill prey that weigh up to half their body weight."
]
| 3 | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true? |
Ethicist: The penalties for drunk driving are far more severe when the drunk driver accidentally injures people than when no one is injured. Moral responsibility for an action depends solely on the intentions underlying the action and not on the action's results. Therefore, legal responsibility, depending as it does in at least some cases on factors other than the agent's intentions, is different than moral responsibility. | 200806_2-LR1_17_17 | [
"It is a premise offered in support of the claim that legal responsibility for an action is based solely upon features of the action that are generally unintended by the agent.",
"It is offered as an illustration of the claim that the criteria of legal responsibility for an action include but are not the same as those for moral responsibility.",
"It is offered as an illustration of the claim that people may be held morally responsible for an action for which they are not legally responsible.",
"It is a premise offered in support of the claim that legal responsibility depends in at least some cases on factors other than the agent's intentions.",
"It is a premise offered in support of the claim that moral responsibility depends solely on the intentions underlying the action and not on the action's result."
]
| 3 | The claim that the penalties for drunk driving are far more severe when the drunk driver accidentally injures people than when no one is injured plays which one of the following roles in the ethicist's argument? |
Columnist: Taking a strong position on an issue makes one likely to misinterpret or ignore additional evidence that conflicts with one's stand. But in order to understand an issue fully, it is essential to consider such evidence impartially. Thus, it is best not to take a strong position on an issue unless one has already considered all important evidence conflicting with that position. | 200806_2-LR1_18_18 | [
"It is reasonable to take a strong position on an issue if one fully understands the issue and has considered the evidence regarding that issue impartially.",
"To ensure that one has impartially considered the evidence regarding an issue on which one has taken a strong position, one should avoid misinterpreting or ignoring evidence regarding that issue.",
"Anyone who does not understand an issue fully should avoid taking a strong position on it.",
"One should try to understand an issue fully if doing so will help one to avoid misinterpreting or ignoring evidence regarding that issue.",
"It is reasonable to take a strong position on an issue only if there is important evidence conflicting with that position."
]
| 2 | The columnist's reasoning most closely conforms to which one of the following principles? |
The coach of the Eagles used a computer analysis to determine the best combinations of players for games. The analysis revealed that the team has lost only when Jennifer was not playing. Although no computer was needed to discover this information, this sort of information is valuable, and in this case it confirms that Jennifer's presence in the game will ensure that the Eagles will win. | 200806_2-LR1_19_19 | [
"infers from the fact that a certain factor is sufficient for a result that the absence of that factor is necessary for the opposite result",
"presumes, without providing justification, that a player's contribution to a team's win or loss can be reliably quantified and analyzed by computer",
"draws conclusions about applications of computer analyses to sports from the evidence of a single case",
"presumes, without providing justification, that occurrences that have coincided in the past must continue to coincide",
"draws a conclusion about the value of computer analyses from a case in which computer analysis provided no facts beyond what was already known"
]
| 3 | The argument above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
Of the various food containers made of recycled Styrofoam, egg cartons are among the easiest to make. Because egg shells keep the actual food to be consumed from touching the Styrofoam, used Styrofoam need not be as thoroughly cleaned when made into egg cartons as when made into other food containers. | 200806_2-LR1_20_20 | [
"No food containers other than egg cartons can safely be made of recycled Styrofoam that has not been thoroughly cleaned.",
"There are some foods that cannot be packaged in recycled Styrofoam no matter how the Styrofoam is recycled.",
"The main reason Styrofoam must be thoroughly cleaned when recycled is to remove any residual food that has come into contact with the Styrofoam.",
"Because they are among the easiest food containers to make from recycled Styrofoam, most egg cartons are made from recycled Styrofoam.",
"Not every type of food container made of recycled Styrofoam is effectively prevented from coming into contact with the food it contains."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? |
Most people who become migraine sufferers as adults were prone to bouts of depression as children. Hence it stands to reason that a child who is prone to bouts of depression is likely to suffer migraines during adulthood. | 200806_2-LR1_21_21 | [
"Most good-tempered dogs were vaccinated against rabies as puppies. Therefore, a puppy that is vaccinated against rabies is likely to become a good-tempered dog.",
"Most vicious dogs were ill-treated when young. Hence it can be concluded that a pet owner whose dog is vicious is likely to have treated the dog badly when it was young.",
"Most well-behaved dogs have undergone obedience training. Thus, if a dog has not undergone obedience training, it will not be well behaved.",
"Most of the pets taken to veterinarians are dogs. Therefore, it stands to reason that dogs are more prone to illness or accident than are other pets.",
"Most puppies are taken from their mothers at the age of eight weeks. Thus, a puppy that is older than eight weeks is likely to have been taken from its mother."
]
| 0 | The flawed pattern of reasoning in the argument above is most parallel to that in which one of the following? |
Student: The publications of Professor Vallejo on the origins of glassblowing have reopened the debate among historians over whether glassblowing originated in Egypt or elsewhere. If Professor Vallejo is correct, there is insufficient evidence for claiming, as most historians have done for many years, that glassblowing began in Egypt. So, despite the fact that the traditional view is still maintained by the majority of historians, if Professor Vallejo is correct, we must conclude that glassblowing originated elsewhere. | 200806_2-LR1_22_22 | [
"It draws a conclusion that conflicts with the majority opinion of experts.",
"It presupposes the truth of Professor Vallejo's claims.",
"It fails to provide criteria for determining adequate historical evidence.",
"It mistakes the majority view for the traditional view.",
"It confuses inadequate evidence for truth with evidence for falsity."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an error in the student's reasoning? |
At Southgate Mall, mattresses are sold only at Mattress Madness. Every mattress at Mattress Madness is on sale at a 20 percent discount. So every mattress for sale at Southgate Mall is on sale at a 20 percent discount. | 200806_2-LR1_23_23 | [
"The only food in Diane's apartment is in her refrigerator. All the food she purchased within the past week is in her refrigerator. Therefore, she purchased all the food in her apartment within the past week.",
"Diane's refrigerator, and all the food in it, is in her apartment. Diane purchased all the food in her refrigerator within the past week. Therefore, she purchased all the food in her apartment within the past week.",
"All the food in Diane's apartment is in her refrigerator. Diane purchased all the food in her refrigerator within the past week. Therefore, she purchased all the food in her apartment within the past week.",
"The only food in Diane's apartment is in her refrigerator. Diane purchased all the food in her refrigerator within the past week. Therefore, all the food she purchased within the past week is in her apartment.",
"The only food that Diane has purchased within the past week is in her refrigerator. All the food that she has purchased within the past week is in her apartment. Therefore, all the food in her apartment is in her refrigerator."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to the argument above? |
There are 1.3 billion cows worldwide, and this population is growing to keep pace with the demand for meat and milk. These cows produce trillions of liters of methane gas yearly, and this methane contributes to global warming. The majority of the world's cows are given relatively low-quality diets even though cows produce less methane when they receive better-quality diets. Therefore, methane production from cows could be kept in check if cows were given better-quality diets. | 200806_2-LR1_24_24 | [
"Cows given good-quality diets produce much more meat and milk than they would produce otherwise.",
"Carbon and hydrogen, the elements that make up methane, are found in abundance in the components of all types of cow feed.",
"Most farmers would be willing to give their cows high-quality feed if the cost of that feed were lower.",
"Worldwide, more methane is produced by cows raised for meat production than by those raised for milk production.",
"Per liter, methane contributes more to global warming than does carbon dioxide, a gas that is thought to be the most significant contributor to global warming."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, adds the most support for the conclusion of the argument? |
To face danger solely because doing so affords one a certain pleasure does not constitute courage. Real courage is manifested only when a person, in acting to attain a goal, perseveres in the face of fear prompted by one or more dangers involved. | 200806_2-LR1_25_25 | [
"A person who must face danger in order to avoid future pain cannot properly be called courageous for doing so.",
"A person who experiences fear of some aspects of a dangerous situation cannot be said to act courageously in that situation.",
"A person who happens to derive pleasure from some dangerous activities is not a courageous person.",
"A person who faces danger in order to benefit others is acting courageously only if the person is afraid of the danger.",
"A person who has no fear of the situations that everyone else would fear cannot be said to be courageous in any situation."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following statements can be properly inferred from the statements above? |
The government will purchase and install new severe weather sirens for this area next year if replacement parts for the old sirens are difficult to obtain. The newspaper claims that public safety in the event of severe weather would be enhanced if new sirens were to be installed. The local company from which replacement parts were purchased last year has since gone out of business. So, if the newspaper is correct, the public will be safer during severe weather in the future. | 200806_2-LR1_26_26 | [
"If public safety in the event of severe weather is enhanced next year, it will be because new sirens have been purchased.",
"The newspaper was correct in claiming that public safety in the event of severe weather would be enhanced if new sirens were purchased.",
"The local company from which replacement parts for the old sirens were purchased last year was the only company in the area that sold them.",
"Replacement parts for the old sirens will be difficult to obtain if the government cannot obtain them from the company it purchased them from last year.",
"Because the local company from which replacement parts had been purchased went out of business, the only available parts are of such inferior quality that use of them would make the sirens less reliable."
]
| 3 | The argument's conclusion follows logically from its premises if which one of the following is assumed? |
Editorialist: Advertisers devote millions of dollars to the attempt to instill attitudes and desires that lead people to purchase particular products, and advertisers' techniques have been adopted by political strategists in democratic countries, who are paid to manipulate public opinion in every political campaign. Thus, the results of elections in democratic countries cannot be viewed as representing the unadulterated preferences of the people. | 200806_4-LR2_1_1 | [
"Public opinion can be manipulated more easily by officials of nondemocratic governments than by those of democratic governments.",
"Advertisers' techniques are often apparent to the people to whom the advertisements are directed.",
"Many democratic countries have laws limiting the amount that may be spent on political advertisements in any given election.",
"People who neither watch television nor read any print media are more likely to vote than people who do one or both of these activities.",
"Unlike advertisements for consumer products, most of which only reinforce existing beliefs, political advertisements often change voters' beliefs."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the editorialist's argument? |
Kris: Years ago, the chemical industry claimed that technological progress cannot occur without pollution. Today, in the name of technological progress, the cellular phone industry manufactures and promotes a product that causes environmental pollution in the form of ringing phones and loud conversations in public places. Clearly, the cellular industry must be regulated, just as the chemical industry is now regulated. Terry: That's absurd. Chemical pollution can cause physical harm, but the worst harm that cellular phones can cause is annoyance. | 200806_4-LR2_2_2 | [
"questioning the reliability of the source of crucial information in Kris's argument",
"attacking the accuracy of the evidence about the chemical industry that Kris puts forward",
"arguing that an alleged cause of a problem is actually an effect of that problem",
"questioning the strength of the analogy on which Kris's argument is based",
"rejecting Kris's interpretation of the term \"technological progress\""
]
| 3 | Terry responds to Kris's argument by doing which one of the following? |
Researcher: Any country can determine which type of public school system will work best for it by investigating the public school systems of other countries. Nationwide tests could be given in each country and other countries could adopt the system of the country that has the best scores on these tests. | 200806_4-LR2_3_3 | [
"A type of school system that works well in one country will work well in any other country.",
"A number of children in each country in the research sample are educated in private schools.",
"If two countries performed differently on these nationwide tests, further testing could determine what features of the school systems account for the differences.",
"Most countries in the research sample already administer nationwide tests to their public school students.",
"The nationwide testing in the research sample will target as closely as possible grade levels that are comparable in the different countries in the research sample."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the researcher's argument? |
Ray: Cynthia claims that her car's trunk popped open because the car hit a pothole. Yet, she also acknowledged that the trunk in that car had popped open on several other occasions, and that on none of those other occasions had the car hit a pothole. Therefore, Cynthia mistakenly attributed the trunk's popping open to the car's having hit a pothole. | 200806_4-LR2_4_4 | [
"fails to consider the possibility that the trunks of other cars may pop open when those cars hit potholes",
"fails to consider the possibility that potholes can have negative effects on a car's engine",
"presumes, without providing justification, that if one event causes another, it cannot also cause a third event",
"fails to consider the possibility that one type of event can be caused in many different ways",
"presumes the truth of the claim that it is trying to establish"
]
| 3 | The reasoning in Ray's argument is most vulnerable to criticism in that the argument |
Journalists agree universally that lying is absolutely taboo. Yet, while many reporters claim that spoken words ought to be quoted verbatim, many others believe that tightening a quote from a person who is interviewed is legitimate on grounds that the speaker's remarks would have been more concise if the speaker had written them instead. Also, many reporters believe that, to expose wrongdoing, failing to identify oneself as a reporter is permissible, while others condemn such behavior as a type of lying. | 200806_4-LR2_5_5 | [
"Reporters make little effort to behave ethically.",
"There is no correct answer to the question of whether lying in a given situation is right or wrong.",
"Omission of the truth is the same thing as lying.",
"Since lying is permissible in some situations, reporters are mistaken to think that it is absolutely taboo.",
"Reporters disagree on what sort of behavior qualifies as lying."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is most supported by the information above? |
Wood-frame houses withstand earthquakes far better than masonry houses do, because wooden frames have some flexibility; their walls can better handle lateral forces. In a recent earthquake, however, a wood-frame house was destroyed, while the masonry house next door was undamaged. | 200806_4-LR2_6_6 | [
"In earthquake-prone areas, there are many more wood-frame houses than masonry houses.",
"In earthquake-prone areas, there are many more masonry houses than wood-frame houses.",
"The walls of the wood-frame house had once been damaged in a flood.",
"The masonry house was far more expensive than the wood-frame house.",
"No structure is completely impervious to the destructive lateral forces exerted by earthquakes."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the results of the earthquake described above? |
In an experiment, biologists repeatedly shone a bright light into a tank containing a sea snail and simultaneously shook the tank. The snail invariably responded by tensing its muscular "foot," a typical reaction in sea snails to ocean turbulence. After several repetitions of this procedure, the snail tensed its "foot" whenever the biologists shone the light into its tank, even when the tank was not simultaneously shaken. Therefore, the snail must have learned to associate the shining of the bright light with the shaking of the tank. | 200806_4-LR2_7_7 | [
"All sea snails react to ocean turbulence in the same way as the sea snail in the experiment did.",
"Sea snails are not ordinarily exposed to bright lights such as the one used in the biologists' experiment.",
"The sea snail used in the experiment did not differ significantly from other members of its species in its reaction to external stimuli.",
"The appearance of a bright light alone would ordinarily not result in the sea snail's tensing its \"foot.\"",
"Tensing of the muscular \"foot\" in sea snails is an instinctual rather than a learned response to ocean turbulence."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
The university's purchasing department is highly efficient overall. We must conclude that each of its twelve staff members is highly efficient. | 200806_4-LR2_8_8 | [
"The employees at this fast-food restaurant are the youngest and most inexperienced of any fast-food workers in the city. Given this, it seems obvious that customers will have to wait longer for their food at this restaurant than at others.",
"The outside audit of our public relations department has exposed serious deficiencies in the competence of each member of that department. We must conclude that the department is inadequate for our needs.",
"This supercomputer is the most sophisticated—and the most expensive—ever built. It must be that each of its components is the most sophisticated and expensive available.",
"Literature critics have lavished praise on every chapter of this book. In light of their reviews, one must conclude that the book is excellent.",
"Passing a driving test is a condition of employment at the city's transportation department. It follows that each of the department's employees has passed the test."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning most similar to that exhibited by the argument above? |
The Jacksons regularly receive wrong-number calls for Sara, whose phone number was misprinted in a directory. Sara contacted the Jacksons, informing them of the misprint and her correct number. The Jacksons did not lead Sara to believe that they would pass along the correct number, but it would be helpful to Sara and of no difficulty for them to do so. Thus, although it would not be wrong for the Jacksons to tell callers trying to reach Sara merely that they have dialed the wrong number, it would be laudable if the Jacksons passed along Sara's correct number. | 200806_4-LR2_9_9 | [
"It is always laudable to do something helpful to someone, but not doing so would be wrong only if one has led that person to believe one would do it.",
"Being helpful to someone is laudable whenever it is not wrong to do so.",
"If one can do something that would be helpful to someone else and it would be easy to do, then it is laudable and not wrong to do so.",
"Doing something for someone is laudable only if it is difficult for one to do so and it is wrong for one not to do so.",
"The only actions that are laudable are those that it would not be wrong to refrain from doing, whether or not it is difficult to do so."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning in the argument? |
Albert: The government has proposed new automobile emissions regulations designed to decrease the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released into the atmosphere by automobile exhaust. I don't see the need for such regulations; although PAHs are suspected of causing cancer, a causal link has never been proven. Erin: Scientists also blame PAHs for 10,000 premature deaths in this country each year from lung and heart disease. So the proposed regulations would save thousands of lives. | 200806_4-LR2_10_10 | [
"Most automobile manufacturers are strongly opposed to additional automobile emissions regulations.",
"It is not known whether PAHs are a causal factor in any diseases other than heart and lung disease and cancer.",
"Even if no new automobile emissions regulations are enacted, the amount of PAHs released into the atmosphere will decrease if automobile usage declines.",
"Most of the PAHs released into the atmosphere are the result of wear and tear on automobile tires.",
"PAHs are one of several components of automobile exhaust that scientists suspect of causing cancer."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, is the logically strongest counter that Albert can make to Erin's argument? |
Australia has considerably fewer species of carnivorous mammals than any other continent does but about as many carnivorous reptile species as other continents do. This is probably a consequence of the unusual sparseness of Australia's ecosystems. To survive, carnivorous mammals must eat much more than carnivorous reptiles need to; thus carnivorous mammals are at a disadvantage in ecosystems in which there is relatively little food. | 200806_4-LR2_11_11 | [
"Australia has considerably fewer species of carnivorous mammals than any other continent does but about as many carnivorous reptile species as other continents do.",
"In ecosystems in which there is relatively little food carnivorous mammals are at a disadvantage relative to carnivorous reptiles.",
"The unusual sparseness of Australia's ecosystems is probably the reason Australia has considerably fewer carnivorous mammal species than other continents do but about as many carnivorous reptile species.",
"The reason that carnivorous mammals are at a disadvantage in ecosystems in which there is relatively little food is that they must eat much more in order to survive than carnivorous reptiles need to.",
"Because Australia's ecosystems are unusually sparse, carnivorous mammals there are at a disadvantage relative to carnivorous reptiles."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument? |
Linguist: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that a society's world view is influenced by the language or languages its members speak. But this hypothesis does not have the verifiability of hypotheses of physical science, since it is not clear that the hypothesis could be tested. | 200806_4-LR2_12_12 | [
"The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is probably false.",
"Only the hypotheses of physical science are verifiable.",
"Only verifiable hypotheses should be seriously considered.",
"We do not know whether the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is true or false.",
"Only the hypotheses of physical science should be taken seriously."
]
| 3 | If the linguist's statements are accurate, which one of the following is most supported by them? |
The highest mountain ranges are formed by geological forces that raise the earth's crust: two continent-bearing tectonic plates of comparable density collide and crumple upward, causing a thickening of the crust. The erosive forces of wind and precipitation inexorably wear these mountains down. Yet the highest mountain ranges tend to be found in places where these erosive forces are most prevalent. | 200806_4-LR2_13_13 | [
"Patterns of extreme wind and precipitation often result from the dramatic differences in elevation commonly found in the highest mountain ranges.",
"The highest mountain ranges have less erosion-reducing vegetation near their peaks than do other mountain ranges.",
"Some lower mountain ranges are formed by a different collision process, whereby one tectonic plate simply slides beneath another of lesser density.",
"The amount of precipitation that a given region of the earth receives may vary considerably over the lifetime of an average mountain range.",
"The thickening of the earth's crust associated with the formation of the highest mountain ranges tends to cause the thickened portion of the crust to sink over time."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the apparent conflict described above? |
Expert: A group of researchers claims to have shown that for an antenna to work equally well at all frequencies, it must be symmetrical in shape and have what is known as a fractal structure. Yet the new antenna developed by these researchers, which satisfies both of these criteria, in fact works better at frequencies below 250 megahertz than at frequencies above 250 megahertz. Hence, their claim is incorrect. | 200806_4-LR2_14_14 | [
"fails to provide a definition of the technical term \"fractal\"",
"contradicts itself by denying in its conclusion the claim of scientific authorities that it relies on in its premises",
"concludes that a claim is false merely on the grounds that there is insufficient evidence that it is true",
"interprets an assertion that certain conditions are necessary as asserting that those conditions are sufficient",
"takes for granted that there are only two possible alternatives, either below or above 250 megahertz"
]
| 3 | The reasoning in the expert's argument is flawed because the argument |
Singletary: We of Citizens for Cycling Freedom object to the city's new ordinance requiring bicyclists to wear helmets. If the city wanted to become a safer place for cyclists, it would not require helmets. Instead, it would construct more bicycle lanes and educate drivers about bicycle safety. Thus, passage of the ordinance reveals that the city is more concerned with the appearance of safety than with bicyclists' actual safety. | 200806_4-LR2_15_15 | [
"It is cited as evidence for the claim that the city misunderstands the steps necessary for ensuring bicyclists' safety.",
"It is used as partial support for a claim about the motivation of the city.",
"It is offered as evidence of the total ineffectiveness of the helmet ordinance.",
"It is offered as an example of further measures the city will take to ensure bicyclists' safety.",
"It is presented as an illustration of the city's overriding interest in its public image."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in Singletary's argument by the statement that mentions driver education? |
Max: Although doing so would be very costly, humans already possess the technology to build colonies on the Moon. As the human population increases and the amount of unoccupied space available for constructing housing on Earth diminishes, there will be a growing economic incentive to construct such colonies to house some of the population. Thus, such colonies will almost certainly be built and severe overcrowding on Earth relieved. | 200806_4-LR2_16_16 | [
"It takes for granted that the economic incentive to construct colonies on the Moon will grow sufficiently to cause such a costly project to be undertaken.",
"It takes for granted that the only way of relieving severe overcrowding on Earth is the construction of colonies on the Moon.",
"It overlooks the possibility that colonies will be built on the Moon regardless of any economic incentive to construct such colonies to house some of the population.",
"It overlooks the possibility that colonies on the Moon might themselves quickly become overcrowded.",
"It takes for granted that none of the human population would prefer to live on the Moon unless Earth were seriously overcrowded."
]
| 0 | Max's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds? |
Ethicist: An action is wrong if it violates a rule of the society in which the action is performed and that rule promotes the general welfare of people in the society. An action is right if it is required by a rule of the society in which the action is performed and the rule promotes the general welfare of the people in that society. | 200806_4-LR2_17_17 | [
"Amelia's society has a rule against lying. However, she lies anyway in order to protect an innocent person from being harmed. While the rule against lying promotes the general welfare of people in the society, Amelia's lie is not wrong because she is preventing harm.",
"Jordan lives in a society that requires its members to eat certain ceremonial foods during festivals. Jordan disobeys this rule. Because the rule is not detrimental to the general welfare of people in her society, Jordan's disobedience is wrong.",
"Elgin obeys a certain rule of his society. Because Elgin knows that this particular rule is detrimental to the general welfare of the people in his society, his obedience is wrong.",
"Dahlia always has a cup of coffee before getting dressed in the morning. Dahlia's action is right because it does not violate any rule of the society in which she lives.",
"Edward's society requires children to take care of their aged parents. Edward's taking care of his aged parents is the right thing for him to do because the rule requiring this action promotes the general welfare of people in the society."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms to the principle cited by the ethicist? |
Teresa: If their goal is to maximize profits, film studios should concentrate on producing big-budget films rather than small-budget ones. For, unlike big-budget films, small-budget films never attract mass audiences. While small-budget films are less expensive to produce and, hence, involve less risk of unprofitability than big-budget films, low production costs do not guarantee the highest possible profits. | 200806_4-LR2_18_18 | [
"Each big-budget film is guaranteed to attract a mass audience.",
"A film studio cannot make both big-budget films and small-budget films.",
"A film studio will not maximize its profits unless at least some of its films attract mass audiences.",
"It is impossible to produce a big-budget film in a financially efficient manner.",
"A film studio's primary goal should be to maximize profits."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by Teresa's argument? |
Cyclists in the Tour de France are extremely physically fit: all of the winners of this race have had abnormal physiological constitutions. Typical of the abnormal physiology of these athletes are exceptional lung capacity and exceptionally powerful hearts. Tests conducted on last year's winner did not reveal an exceptionally powerful heart. That cyclist must, therefore, have exceptional lung capacity. | 200806_4-LR2_19_19 | [
"having exceptional lung capacity and an exceptionally powerful heart is an advantage in cycling",
"some winners of the Tour de France have neither exceptional lung capacity nor exceptionally powerful hearts",
"cyclists with normal lung capacity rarely have exceptionally powerful hearts",
"the exceptional lung capacity and exceptionally powerful hearts of Tour de France winners are due to training",
"the notions of exceptional lung capacity and exceptional heart function are relative to the physiology of most cyclists"
]
| 1 | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it overlooks the possibility that |
TV meteorologist: Our station's weather forecasts are more useful and reliable than those of the most popular news station in the area. After all, the most important question for viewers in this area is whether it will rain, and on most of the occasions when we have forecast rain for the next day, we have been right. The same cannot be said for either of our competitors. | 200806_4-LR2_20_20 | [
"The meteorologist's station forecast rain more often than did the most popular news station in the area.",
"The less popular of the competing stations does not employ any full-time meteorologists.",
"The most popular news station in the area is popular because of its investigative news reports.",
"The meteorologist's station has a policy of not making weather forecasts more than three days in advance.",
"On most of the occasions when the meteorologist's station forecast that it would not rain, at least one of its competitors also forecast that it would not rain."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the meteorologist's argument? |
In an experiment, volunteers witnessed a simulated crime. After they witnessed the simulation the volunteers were first questioned by a lawyer whose goal was to get them to testify inaccurately about the event. They were then cross-examined by another lawyer whose goal was to cause them to correct the inaccuracies in their testimony. The witnesses who gave testimony containing fewer inaccurate details than most of the other witnesses during the first lawyer's questioning also gave testimony containing a greater number of inaccurate details than most of the other witnesses during cross-examination. | 200806_4-LR2_21_21 | [
"These witnesses were more observant about details than were most of the other witnesses.",
"These witnesses had better memories than did most of the other witnesses.",
"These witnesses were less inclined than most of the other witnesses to be influenced in their testimony by the nature of the questioning.",
"These witnesses were unclear about the details at first but then began to remember more accurately as they answered questions.",
"These witnesses tended to give testimony containing more details than most of the other witnesses."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict in the results concerning the witnesses who gave testimony containing fewer inaccurate details during the first lawyer's questioning? |
The short-term and long-term interests of a business often conflict; when they do, the morally preferable act is usually the one that serves the long-term interest. Because of this, businesses often have compelling reasons to execute the morally preferable act. | 200806_4-LR2_22_22 | [
"A business's moral interests do not always provide compelling reasons for executing an act.",
"A business's long-term interests often provide compelling reasons for executing an act.",
"The morally preferable act for a business to execute and the long-term interests of the business seldom conflict.",
"The morally preferable act for a business to execute and the short-term interests of the business usually conflict.",
"When a business's short-term and long-term interests conflict, morality alone is rarely the overriding consideration."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the conclusion of the argument to be properly drawn? |
Politician: The current crisis in mathematics education must be overcome if we are to remain competitive in the global economy. Alleviating this crisis requires the employment of successful teaching methods. No method of teaching a subject can succeed that does not get students to spend a significant amount of time outside of class studying that subject. | 200806_4-LR2_23_23 | [
"If students spend a significant amount of time outside of class studying mathematics, the current crisis in mathematics education will be overcome.",
"The current crisis in mathematics education will not be overcome unless students spend a significant amount of time outside of class studying mathematics.",
"Few subjects are as important as mathematics to the effort to remain competitive in the global economy.",
"Only if we succeed in remaining competitive in the global economy will students spend a significant amount of time outside of class studying mathematics.",
"Students' spending a significant amount of time outside of class studying mathematics would help us to remain competitive in the global economy."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following statements follows logically from the statements above? |
Downtown Petropolis boasted over 100 large buildings 5 years ago. Since then, 60 of those buildings have been demolished. Since the number of large buildings in a downtown is an indicator of the economic health of that downtown, it is clear that downtown Petropolis is in a serious state of economic decline. | 200806_4-LR2_24_24 | [
"The demolitions that have taken place during the past 5 years have been evenly spread over that period.",
"There have never been significantly more than 100 large buildings in downtown Petropolis.",
"Most of the buildings demolished during the past 5 years were torn down because they were structurally unsound.",
"The large buildings demolished over the past 5 years have been replaced with small buildings built on the same sites.",
"Significantly fewer than 60 new large buildings have been built in downtown Petropolis during the past 5 years."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
To get the free dessert, one must order an entree and a salad. But anyone who orders either an entree or a salad can receive a free soft drink. Thus, anyone who is not eligible for a free soft drink is not eligible for a free dessert. | 200806_4-LR2_25_25 | [
"To get an executive position at Teltech, one needs a university diploma and sales experience. But anyone who has worked at Teltech for more than six months who does not have sales experience has a university diploma. Thus, one cannot get an executive position at Teltech unless one has worked there for six months.",
"To be elected class president, one must be well liked and well known. Anyone who is well liked or well known has something better to do than run for class president. Therefore, no one who has something better to do will be elected class president.",
"To grow good azaleas, one needs soil that is both rich in humus and low in acidity. Anyone who has soil that is rich in humus or low in acidity can grow blueberries. So, anyone who cannot grow blueberries cannot grow good azaleas.",
"To drive to Weller, one must take the highway or take Old Mill Road. Anyone who drives to Weller on the highway will miss the beautiful scenery. Thus, one cannot see the beautiful scenery without taking Old Mill Road to Weller.",
"To get a discount on ice cream, one must buy frozen raspberries and ice cream together. Anyone who buys ice cream or raspberries will get a coupon for a later purchase. So, anyone who does not get the discount on ice cream will not get a coupon for a later purchase."
]
| 2 | The reasoning in the argument above is most similar to the reasoning in which one of the following arguments? |
The editor of a magazine has pointed out several errors of spelling and grammar committed on a recent TV program. But she can hardly be trusted to pass judgment on such matters: similar errors have been found in her own magazine. | 200810_1-LR1_1_1 | [
"Your newspaper cannot be trusted with the prerogative to criticize the ethics of our company: you misspelled our president's name.",
"Your news program cannot be trusted to judge our hiring practices as unfair: you yourselves unfairly discriminate in hiring and promotion decisions.",
"Your regulatory agency cannot condemn our product as unsafe: selling it is allowed under an existing-product clause.",
"Your coach cannot be trusted to judge our swimming practices: he accepted a lucrative promotional deal from a soft-drink company.",
"Your teen magazine should not run this feature on problems afflicting modern high schools: your revenue depends on not alienating the high school audience."
]
| 1 | The flawed reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following? |
Soaking dried beans overnight before cooking them reduces cooking time. However, cooking without presoaking yields plumper beans. Therefore, when a bean dish's quality is more important than the need to cook that dish quickly, beans should not be presoaked. | 200810_1-LR1_2_2 | [
"Plumper beans enhance the quality of a dish.",
"There are no dishes whose quality improves with faster cooking.",
"A dish's appearance is as important as its taste.",
"None of the other ingredients in the dish need to be presoaked.",
"The plumper the bean, the better it tastes."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
Durth: Increasingly, businesses use direct mail advertising instead of paying for advertising space in newspapers, in magazines, or on billboards. This practice is annoying and also immoral. Most direct mail advertisements are thrown out without ever being read, and the paper on which they are printed is wasted. If anyone else wasted this much paper, it would be considered unconscionable. | 200810_1-LR1_3_3 | [
"presenting a specific counterexample to the contention that direct mail advertising is not immoral",
"asserting that there would be very undesirable consequences if direct mail advertising became a more widespread practice than it is now",
"claiming that direct mail advertising is immoral because one of its results would be deemed immoral in other contexts",
"basing a conclusion on the claim that direct mail advertising is annoying to those who receive it",
"asserting that other advertising methods do not have the negative effects of direct mail advertising"
]
| 2 | Which one of the following most accurately describes Durth's method of reasoning? |
Among the various models of Delta vacuum cleaners, one cannot accurately predict how effectively a particular model cleans simply by determining how powerful its motor is. The efficiency of dust filtration systems varies significantly, even between models of Delta vacuum cleaners equipped with identically powerful motors. | 200810_1-LR1_4_4 | [
"For each Delta vacuum cleaner, the efficiency of its dust filtration system has a significant impact on how effectively it cleans.",
"One can accurately infer how powerful a Delta vacuum cleaner's motor is from the efficiency of the vacuum cleaner's dust filtration system.",
"All Delta vacuum cleaners that clean equally effectively have identically powerful motors.",
"For any two Delta vacuum cleaners with equally efficient dust filtration systems, the one with the more powerful motor cleans more effectively.",
"One cannot accurately assess how effectively any Delta vacuum cleaner cleans without knowing how powerful that vacuum cleaner's motor is."
]
| 0 | The argument's conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed? |
Many scientists believe that bipedal locomotion (walking on two feet) evolved in early hominids in response to the move from life in dense forests to life in open grasslands. Bipedalism would have allowed early hominids to see over tall grasses, helping them to locate food and to detect and avoid predators. However, because bipedalism also would have conferred substantial advantages upon early hominids who never left the forest—in gathering food found within standing reach of the forest floor, for example—debate continues concerning its origins. It may even have evolved, like the upright threat displays of many large apes, because it bettered an individual's odds of finding a mate. | 200810_1-LR1_5_5 | [
"For early hominids, forest environments were generally more hospitable than grassland environments.",
"Bipedal locomotion would have helped early hominids gather food.",
"Bipedal locomotion actually would not be advantageous to hominids living in open grassland environments.",
"Bipedal locomotion probably evolved among early hominids who exclusively inhabited forest environments.",
"For early hominids, gathering food was more relevant to survival than was detecting and avoiding predators."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following statements is most supported by the information above? |
Mathematics teacher: Teaching students calculus before they attend university may significantly benefit them. Yet if students are taught calculus before they are ready for the level of abstraction involved, they may abandon the study of mathematics altogether. So if we are going to teach pre-university students calculus, we must make sure they can handle the level of abstraction involved. | 200810_1-LR1_6_6 | [
"Only those who, without losing motivation, can meet the cognitive challenges that new intellectual work involves should be introduced to it.",
"Only those parts of university-level mathematics that are the most concrete should be taught to pre-university students.",
"Cognitive tasks that require exceptional effort tend to undermine the motivation of those who attempt them.",
"Teachers who teach university-level mathematics to pre-university students should be aware that students are likely to learn effectively only when the application of mathematics to concrete problems is shown.",
"The level of abstraction involved in a topic should not be considered in determining whether that topic is appropriate for pre-university students."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following principles most helps to justify the mathematics teacher's argument? |
In 1955, legislation in a certain country gave the government increased control over industrial workplace safety conditions. Among the high-risk industries in that country, the likelihood that a worker will suffer a serious injury has decreased since 1955. The legislation, therefore, has increased overall worker safety within high-risk industries. | 200810_1-LR1_7_7 | [
"Because of technological innovation, most workplaces in the high-risk industries do not require as much unprotected interaction between workers and heavy machinery as they did in 1955.",
"Most of the work-related injuries that occurred before 1955 were the result of worker carelessness.",
"The annual number of work-related injuries has increased since the legislation took effect.",
"The number of work-related injuries occurring within industries not considered high-risk has increased annually since 1955.",
"Workplace safety conditions in all industries have improved steadily since 1955."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above? |
Economist: Historically, sunflower seed was one of the largest production crops in Kalotopia, and it continues to be a major source of income for several countries. The renewed growing of sunflowers would provide relief to Kalotopia's farming industry, which is quite unstable. Further, sunflower oil can provide a variety of products, both industrial and consumer, at little cost to Kalotopia's already fragile environment. | 200810_1-LR1_8_8 | [
"Kalotopia's farming industry will deteriorate if sunflowers are not grown there.",
"Stabilizing Kalotopia's farming industry would improve the economy without damaging the environment.",
"Kalotopia's farming industry would be better off now if it had never ceased to grow any of the crops that historically were large production crops.",
"A crop that was once a large production crop in Kalotopia would, if it were grown there again, benefit that country's farmers and general economy.",
"Sunflower seed is a better crop for Kalotopia from both the environmental and the economic viewpoints than are most crops that could be grown there."
]
| 3 | The economist's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? |
Several major earthquakes have occurred in a certain region over the last ten years. But a new earthquake prediction method promises to aid local civil defense officials in deciding exactly when to evacuate various towns. Detected before each of these major quakes were certain changes in the electric current in the earth's crust. | 200810_1-LR1_9_9 | [
"Scientists do not fully understand what brought about the changes in the electric current in the earth's crust that preceded each of the major quakes in the region over the last ten years.",
"Most other earthquake prediction methods have been based on a weaker correlation than that found between the changes in the electric current in the earth's crust and the subsequent earthquakes.",
"The frequency of major earthquakes in the region has increased over the last ten years.",
"There is considerable variation in the length of time between the changes in the electric current and the subsequent earthquakes.",
"There is presently only one station in the region that is capable of detecting the electric current in the earth's crust."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument? |
Unlike many machines that are perfectly useful in isolation from others, fax machines must work with other fax machines. Thus, in the fax industry, the proliferation of incompatible formats, which resulted from the large number of competing manufacturers, severely limited the usefulness—and hence the commercial viability—of fax technology until the manufacturers agreed to adopt a common format for their machines. | 200810_1-LR1_10_10 | [
"Whenever machines are dependent on other machines of the same type, competition among manufacturers is damaging to the industry.",
"In some industries it is in the interest of competitors to cooperate to some extent with one another.",
"The more competitors there are in a high-tech industry, the more they will have to cooperate in determining the basic design of their product.",
"Some cooperation among manufacturers in the same industry is more beneficial than is pure competition.",
"Cooperation is beneficial only in industries whose products depend on other products of the same type."
]
| 1 | The information above provides the most support for which one of the following propositions? |
In comparing different methods by which a teacher's performance can be evaluated and educational outcomes improved, researchers found that a critique of teacher performance leads to enhanced educational outcomes if the critique is accompanied by the information that teacher performance is merely one of several factors that, in concert with other factors, determines the educational outcomes. | 200810_1-LR1_11_11 | [
"Children can usually be taught to master subject matter in which they have no interest if they believe that successfully mastering it will earn the respect of their peers.",
"People are generally more willing to accept a negative characterization of a small group of people if they do not see themselves as members of the group being so characterized.",
"An actor can more effectively evaluate the merits of her own performance if she can successfully convince herself that she is really evaluating the performance of another actor.",
"The opinions reached by a social scientist in the study of a society can be considered as more reliable and objective if that social scientist is not a member of that society.",
"It is easier to correct the mistakes of an athlete if it is made clear to him that the criticism is part of an overarching effort to rectify the shortcomings of the entire team on which he plays."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following best illustrates the principle illustrated by the finding of the researchers? |
Critic: A novel cannot be of the highest quality unless most readers become emotionally engaged with the imaginary world it describes. Thus shifts of narrative point of view within a novel, either between first and third person or of some other sort, detract from the merit of the work, since such shifts tend to make most readers focus on the author. | 200810_1-LR1_12_12 | [
"Most readers become emotionally engaged with the imaginary world described by a novel only if the novel is of the highest quality.",
"A novel is generally not considered to be of high quality unless it successfully engages the imagination of most readers.",
"Most readers cannot become emotionally involved with a novel's imaginary world if they focus on the author.",
"Most readers regard a novel's narrative point of view as representing the perspective of the novel's author.",
"Shifts in narrative point of view serve no literary purpose."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is an assumption necessary for the critic's conclusion to be properly drawn? |
People aged 46 to 55 spend more money per capita than people of any other age group. So it is puzzling that when companies advertise consumer products on television, they focus almost exclusively on people aged 25 and under. Indeed, those who make decisions about television advertising think that the value of a television advertising slot depends entirely on the number of people aged 25 and under who can be expected to be watching at that time. | 200810_1-LR1_13_13 | [
"The expense of television advertising slots makes it crucial for companies to target people who are most likely to purchase their products.",
"Advertising slots during news programs almost always cost far less than advertising slots during popular sitcoms whose leading characters are young adults.",
"When television executives decide which shows to renew, they do so primarily in terms of the shows' ratings among people aged 25 and under.",
"Those who make decisions about television advertising believe that people older than 25 almost never change their buying habits.",
"When companies advertise consumer products in print media, they focus primarily on people aged 26 and over."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the puzzling facts stated above? |
Eighteenth-century moralist: You should never make an effort to acquire expensive new tastes, since they are a drain on your purse and in the course of acquiring them you may expose yourself to sensations that are obnoxious to you. Furthermore, the very effort that must be expended in their acquisition attests their superfluity. | 200810_1-LR1_14_14 | [
"draws a conclusion that simply restates a claim presented in support of that conclusion",
"takes for granted that the acquisition of expensive tastes will lead to financial irresponsibility",
"uses the inherently vague term \"sensations\" without providing a definition of that term",
"mistakes a cause of acquisition of expensive tastes for an effect of acquisition of such tastes",
"rejects trying to achieve a goal because of the cost of achieving it, without considering the benefits of achieving it"
]
| 4 | The moralist's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the moralist |
Zack's Coffeehouse schedules free poetry readings almost every Wednesday. Zack's offers half-priced coffee all day on every day that a poetry reading is scheduled. | 200810_1-LR1_15_15 | [
"Wednesday is the most common day on which Zack's offers half-priced coffee all day.",
"Most free poetry readings given at Zack's are scheduled for Wednesdays.",
"Free poetry readings are scheduled on almost every day that Zack's offers half-priced coffee all day.",
"Zack's offers half-priced coffee all day on most if not all Wednesdays.",
"On some Wednesdays Zack's does not offer half-priced coffee all day."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the information above? |
Philosopher: An event is intentional if it is a human action performed on the basis of a specific motivation. An event is random if it is not performed on the basis of a specific motivation and it is not explainable by normal physical processes. | 200810_1-LR1_16_16 | [
"Tarik left the keys untouched on the kitchen counter, but he did not do so on the basis of a specific motivation. Therefore, the keys' remaining on the kitchen counter was a random event.",
"Ellis tore the envelope open in order to read its contents, but the envelope was empty. Nevertheless, because Ellis acted on the basis of a specific motivation, tearing the envelope open was an intentional event.",
"Judith's hailing a cab distracted a driver in the left lane. She performed the action of hailing the cab on the basis of a specific motivation, so the driver's becoming distracted was an intentional event.",
"Yasuko continued to breathe regularly throughout the time that she was asleep. This was a human action, but it was not performed on the basis of a specific motivation. Therefore, her breathing was a random event.",
"Henry lost his hold on the wrench and dropped it because the handle was slippery. This was a human action and is explainable by normal physical processes, so it was an intentional event."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following inferences conforms most closely to the philosopher's position? |
It is a mistake to conclude, as some have, that ancient people did not know what moral rights were simply because no known ancient language has an expression correctly translatable as "a moral right." This would be like saying that a person who discovers a wild fruit tree and returns repeatedly to harvest from it and study it has no idea what the fruit is until naming it or learning its name. | 200810_1-LR1_17_17 | [
"To know the name of something is to know what that thing is.",
"People who first discover what something is know it better than do people who merely know the name of the thing.",
"The name or expression that is used to identify something cannot provide any information about the nature of the thing that is identified.",
"A person who repeatedly harvests from a wild fruit tree and studies it has some idea of what the fruit is even before knowing a name for the fruit.",
"One need not know what something is before one can name it."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
There is little plausibility to the claim that it is absurd to criticize anyone for being critical. Obviously, people must assess one another and not all assessments will be positive. However, there is wisdom behind the injunction against being judgmental. To be judgmental is not merely to assess someone negatively, but to do so prior to a serious effort at understanding. | 200810_1-LR1_18_18 | [
"To be judgmental is to assess someone negatively prior to making a serious effort at understanding.",
"It is absurd to criticize anyone for being critical.",
"There is some plausibility to the claim that it is absurd to criticize anyone for being critical.",
"Not all assessments people make of one another will be positive.",
"There is wisdom behind the injunction against being judgmental."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion drawn in the argument? |
Even those who believe that the art of each age and culture has its own standards of beauty must admit that some painters are simply superior to others in the execution of their artistic visions. But this superiority must be measured in light of the artist's purposes, since the high merits, for example, of Jose Rey Toledo's work and his extraordinary artistic skills are not in doubt, despite the fact that his paintings do not literally resemble what they represent. | 200810_1-LR1_19_19 | [
"It is a hypothesis that the argument attempts to refute.",
"It is a generalization, one sort of objection to which the argument illustrates by giving an example.",
"It is a claim that, according to the argument, is to be understood in a manner specified by the conclusion.",
"It is a claim that the argument derives from another claim and that it uses to support its conclusion.",
"It is a generalization that the argument uses to justify the relevance of the specific example it cites."
]
| 2 | The claim that some painters are superior to others in the execution of their artistic visions plays which one of the following roles in the argument? |
A study of rabbits in the 1940s convinced many biologists that parthenogenesis—reproduction without fertilization of an egg—sometimes occurs in mammals. However, the study's methods have since been shown to be flawed, and no other studies have succeeded in demonstrating mammalian parthenogenesis. Thus, since parthenogenesis is known to occur in a wide variety of nonmammalian vertebrates, there must be something about mammalian chromosomes that precludes the possibility of parthenogenesis. | 200810_1-LR1_20_20 | [
"takes for granted that something that has not been proven to be true is for that reason shown to be false",
"infers that a characteristic is shared by all nonmammalian vertebrate species merely because it is shared by some nonmammalian vertebrate species",
"rules out an explanation of a phenomenon merely on the grounds that there is another explanation that can account for the phenomenon",
"confuses a necessary condition for parthenogenesis with a sufficient condition for it",
"assumes that the methods used in a study of one mammalian species were flawed merely because the study's findings cannot be generalized to all other mammalian species"
]
| 0 | A flaw in the reasoning of the argument is that the argument |
Advertiser: Most TV shows depend on funding from advertisers and would be canceled without such funding. However, advertisers will not pay to have their commercials aired during a TV show unless many people watching the show buy the advertised products as a result. So if people generally fail to buy the products advertised during their favorite shows, these shows will soon be canceled. Thus, anyone who feels that a TV show is worth preserving ought to buy the products advertised during that show. | 200810_1-LR1_21_21 | [
"If a TV show that one feels to be worth preserving would be canceled unless one took certain actions, then one ought to take those actions.",
"If a TV show would be canceled unless many people took certain actions, then everyone who feels that the show is worth preserving ought to take those actions.",
"If a TV show is worth preserving, then everyone should take whatever actions are necessary to prevent that show from being canceled.",
"If one feels that a TV show is worth preserving, then one should take at least some actions to reduce the likelihood that the show will be canceled.",
"If a TV show would be canceled unless many people took certain actions, then those who feel most strongly that it is worth preserving should take those actions."
]
| 1 | The advertiser's reasoning most closely conforms to which one of the following principles? |
Psychologist: It is well known that becoming angry often induces temporary incidents of high blood pressure. A recent study further showed, however, that people who are easily angered are significantly more likely to have permanently high blood pressure than are people who have more tranquil personalities. Coupled with the long-established fact that those with permanently high blood pressure are especially likely to have heart disease, the recent findings indicate that heart disease can result from psychological factors. | 200810_1-LR1_22_22 | [
"Those who are easily angered are less likely to recover fully from episodes of heart disease than are other people.",
"Medication designed to control high blood pressure can greatly affect the moods of those who use it.",
"People with permanently high blood pressure who have tranquil personalities virtually never develop heart disease.",
"Those who discover that they have heart disease tend to become more easily frustrated by small difficulties.",
"The physiological factors that cause permanently high blood pressure generally make people quick to anger."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following would, if true, most weaken the psychologist's argument? |
A professor of business placed a case-study assignment for her class on her university's computer network. She later found out that instead of reading the assignment on the computer screen, 50 out of the 70 students printed it out on paper. Thus, it is not the case that books delivered via computer will make printed books obsolete. | 200810_1-LR1_23_23 | [
"Several colleagues of the professor have found that, in their non-business courses, several of their students behave similarly in relation to assignments placed on the computer network.",
"Studies consistently show that most computer users will print reading material that is more than a few pages in length rather than read it on the computer screen.",
"Some people get impaired vision from long periods of reading printed matter on computer screens, even if they use high quality computer screens.",
"Scanning technology is very poor, causing books delivered via computer to be full of errors unless editors carefully read the scanned versions.",
"Books on cassette tape have only a small fraction of the sales of printed versions of the same books, though sales of videos of books that have been turned into movies remain strong."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? |
Advertisement: Researchers studied a group of people trying to lose weight and discovered that those in the group who lost the most weight got more calories from protein than from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal early in the day. So anyone who follows our diet, which provides more calories from protein than from anything else and which requires that breakfast be the biggest meal of the day, is sure to lose weight. | 200810_1-LR1_24_24 | [
"eating foods that derive a majority of their calories from carbohydrates tends to make one feel fuller than does eating foods that derive a majority of their calories from protein",
"a few of the people in the group studied who lost significant amounts of weight got nearly all of their calories from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal at night",
"the people in the group studied who increased their activity levels lost more weight, on average, than those who did not, regardless of whether they got more calories from protein or from carbohydrates",
"some people in the group studied lost no weight yet got more calories from protein than from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal early in the day",
"people who eat their biggest meal at night tend to snack more during the day and so tend to take in more total calories than do people who eat their biggest meal earlier in the day"
]
| 3 | The reasoning in the advertisement is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the advertisement overlooks the possibility that |
Some twentieth-century art is great art. All great art involves original ideas, and any art that is not influential cannot be great art. | 200810_1-LR1_25_25 | [
"Some influential art involves original ideas.",
"Some twentieth-century art involves original ideas.",
"Only art that involves original ideas is influential.",
"Only art that is influential and involves original ideas is great art.",
"Some twentieth-century art is influential and involves original ideas."
]
| 2 | Each of the following statements follows logically from the set of statements above EXCEPT: |
Aristophanes' play The Clouds, which was written when the philosopher Socrates was in his mid-forties, portrays Socrates as an atheistic philosopher primarily concerned with issues in natural science. The only other surviving portrayals of Socrates were written after Socrates' death at age 70. They portrayed Socrates as having a religious dimension and a strong focus on ethical issues. | 200810_3-LR2_1_1 | [
"Aristophanes' portrayal of Socrates in The Clouds was unflattering, whereas the other portrayals were very flattering.",
"Socrates' philosophical views and interests changed sometime after his mid-forties.",
"Most of the philosophers who lived before Socrates were primarily concerned with natural science.",
"Socrates was a much more controversial figure in the years before his death than he was in his mid-forties.",
"Socrates had an influence on many subsequent philosophers who were primarily concerned with natural science."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, would most help to resolve the apparent discrepancy between Aristophanes' portrayal of Socrates and the other surviving portrayals? |
Board member: The J Foundation, a philanthropic organization, gave you this grant on the condition that your resulting work not contain any material detrimental to the J Foundation's reputation. But your resulting work never mentions any of the laudable achievements of our foundation. Hence your work fails to meet the conditions under which the grant was made. | 200810_3-LR2_2_2 | [
"takes for granted that a work that never mentions any laudable achievements cannot be of high intellectual value",
"confuses a condition necessary for the receipt of a grant with a condition sufficient for the receipt of a grant",
"presumes, without providing justification, that a work that does not mention a foundation's laudable achievements is harmful to that foundation's reputation",
"fails to consider that recipients of a grant usually strive to meet a foundation's conditions",
"fails to consider the possibility that the work that was produced with the aid of the grant may have met all conditions other than avoiding detriment to the J Foundation's reputation"
]
| 2 | The reasoning in the board member's argument is vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument |
Psychiatrist: Breaking any habit is difficult, especially when it involves an addictive substance. People who break a habit are more likely to be motivated by immediate concerns than by long-term ones. Therefore, people who succeed in breaking their addiction to smoking cigarettes are more likely to be motivated by the social pressure against smoking—which is an immediate concern—than by health concerns, since ____. | 200810_3-LR2_3_3 | [
"a habit that involves an addictive substance is likely to pose a greater health threat than a habit that does not involve any addictive substance",
"for most people who successfully quit smoking, smoking does not create an immediate health concern at the time they quit",
"some courses of action that exacerbate health concerns can also relieve social pressure",
"most people who succeed in quitting smoking succeed only after several attempts",
"everyone who succeeds in quitting smoking is motivated either by social pressure or by health concerns"
]
| 1 | The conclusion of the psychiatrist's argument is most strongly supported if which one of the following completes the argument? |
Cassie: In order to improve the quality of customer service provided by our real estate agency, we should reduce client loads—the number of clients each agent is expected to serve at one time. Melvin: Although smaller client loads are desirable, reducing client loads at our agency is simply not feasible. We already find it very difficult to recruit enough qualified agents; recruiting even more agents, which would be necessary in order to reduce client loads, is out of the question. | 200810_3-LR2_4_4 | [
"Since reducing client loads would improve working conditions for agents, reducing client loads would help recruit additional qualified agents to the real estate agency.",
"Many of the real estate agency's current clients have expressed strong support for efforts to reduce client loads.",
"Several recently conducted studies of real estate agencies have shown that small client loads are strongly correlated with high customer satisfaction ratings.",
"Hiring extra support staff for the real estate agency's main office would have many of the same beneficial effects as reducing client loads.",
"Over the last several years, it has become increasingly challenging for the real estate agency to recruit enough qualified agents just to maintain current client loads."
]
| 0 | Of the following, which one, if true, is the logically strongest counter that Cassie can make to Melvin's argument? |
The star-nosed mole has a nose that ends in a pair of several-pointed stars, or tentacles that are crucial for hunting, as moles are poor-sighted. These tentacles contain receptors that detect electric fields produced by other animals, enabling the moles to detect and catch suitable prey such as worms and insects. | 200810_3-LR2_5_5 | [
"Both worms and insects produce electric fields.",
"The star-nosed mole does not rely at all on its eyesight for survival.",
"The star-nosed mole does not rely at all on its sense of smell when hunting.",
"Only animals that hunt have noses with tentacles that detect electric fields.",
"The star-nosed mole does not produce an electric field."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.