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Hernandez: I recommend that staff cars be replaced every four years instead of every three years. Three-year-old cars are still in good condition and this would result in big savings. Green: I disagree. Some of our salespeople with big territories wear out their cars in three years. Hernandez: I meant three-year-old cars subjected to normal use. | 200906_3-LR2_5_5 | [
"by explicitly qualifying a premise used earlier",
"by criticizing salespeople who wear out their cars in three years",
"by disputing the accuracy of Green's evidence",
"by changing the subject to the size of sales territories",
"by indicating that Green used a phrase ambiguously"
]
| 0 | In the conversation, Hernandez responds to Green's objection in which one of the following ways? |
Economist: As should be obvious, raising the minimum wage significantly would make it more expensive for businesses to pay workers for minimum-wage jobs. Therefore, businesses could not afford to continue to employ as many workers for such jobs. So raising the minimum wage significantly will cause an increase in unemployment. | 200906_3-LR2_6_6 | [
"Businesses typically pass the cost of increased wages on to consumers without adversely affecting profits.",
"When the difference between minimum wage and a skilled worker's wage is small, a greater percentage of a business's employees will be skilled workers.",
"A modest increase in unemployment is acceptable because the current minimum wage is not a livable wage.",
"Most workers are earning more than the current minimum wage.",
"The unemployment rate has been declining steadily in recent years."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the economist's argument? |
Scientists removed all viruses from a seawater sample and then measured the growth rate of the plankton population in the water. They expected the rate to increase dramatically, but the population actually got smaller. | 200906_3-LR2_7_7 | [
"Viruses in seawater help to keep the plankton population below the maximum level that the resources in the water will support.",
"Plankton and viruses in seawater compete for some of the same nutrients.",
"Plankton utilize the nutrients released by the death of organisms killed by viruses.",
"The absence of viruses can facilitate the flourishing of bacteria that sometimes damage other organisms.",
"At any given time, a considerable portion of the plankton in seawater are already infected by viruses."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the unexpected result described above? |
City council member: The Senior Guild has asked for a temporary exception to the ordinance prohibiting automobiles in municipal parks. Their case does appear to deserve the exception. However, if we grant this exception, we will find ourselves granting many other exceptions to this ordinance, some of which will be undeserved. Before long, we will be granting exceptions to all manner of other city ordinances. If we are to prevent anarchy in our city, we must deny the Senior Guild's request. | 200906_3-LR2_8_8 | [
"distorts an argument and then attacks this distorted argument",
"dismisses a claim because of its source rather than because of its content",
"presumes, without sufficient warrant, that one event will lead to a particular causal sequence of events",
"contains premises that contradict one another",
"fails to make a needed distinction between deserved exceptions and undeserved ones"
]
| 2 | The city council member's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
Physician: In comparing our country with two other countries of roughly the same population size, I found that even though we face the same dietary, bacterial, and stress-related causes of ulcers as they do, prescriptions for ulcer medicines in all socioeconomic strata are much rarer here than in those two countries. It's clear that we suffer significantly fewer ulcers, per capita, than they do. | 200906_3-LR2_9_9 | [
"The two countries that were compared with the physician's country had approximately the same ulcer rates as each other.",
"The people of the physician's country have a cultural tradition of stoicism that encourages them to ignore physical ailments rather than to seek remedies for them.",
"Several other countries not covered in the physician's comparisons have more prescriptions for ulcer medication than does the physician's country.",
"A person in the physician's country who is suffering from ulcers is just as likely to obtain a prescription for the ailment as is a person suffering from ulcers in one of the other two countries.",
"The physician's country has a much better system for reporting the number of prescriptions of a given type that are obtained each year than is present in either of the other two countries."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the physician's argument? |
Columnist: The failure of bicyclists to obey traffic regulations is a causal factor in more than one quarter of the traffic accidents involving bicycles. Since inadequate bicycle safety equipment is also a factor in more than a quarter of such accidents, bicyclists are at least partially responsible for more than half of the traffic accidents involving bicycles. | 200906_3-LR2_10_10 | [
"presumes, without providing justification, that motorists are a factor in less than half of the traffic accidents involving bicycles",
"improperly infers the presence of a causal connection on the basis of a correlation",
"fails to consider the possibility that more than one factor may contribute to a given accident",
"fails to provide the source of the figures it cites",
"fails to consider that the severity of injuries to bicyclists from traffic accidents can vary widely"
]
| 2 | The columnist's reasoning is flawed in that it |
Many vaccines create immunity to viral diseases by introducing a certain portion of the disease-causing virus's outer coating into the body. Exposure to that part of a virus is as effective as exposure to the whole virus in stimulating production of antibodies that will subsequently recognize and kill the whole virus. To create a successful vaccine of this type, doctors must first isolate in the disease-causing virus a portion that stimulates antibody production. Now that a suitable portion of the virus that causes hepatitis E has been isolated, doctors claim they can produce a vaccine that will produce permanent immunity to that disease. | 200906_3-LR2_11_11 | [
"Most of the people who contract hepatitis E are young adults who were probably exposed to the virus in childhood also.",
"Some laboratory animals exposed to one strain of the hepatitis virus developed immunity to all strains of the virus.",
"Researchers developed a successful vaccine for another strain of hepatitis, hepatitis B, after first isolating the virus that causes it.",
"The virus that causes hepatitis E is very common in some areas, so the number of people exposed to that virus is likely to be quite high in those areas.",
"Many children who are exposed to viruses that cause childhood diseases such as chicken pox never develop those diseases."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most strongly counters the doctors' claim? |
Editorial: To qualify as an effective law, as opposed to merely an impressive declaration, a command must be backed up by an effective enforcement mechanism. That is why societies have police. The power of the police to enforce a society's laws makes those laws effective. But there is currently no international police force. Hence, what is called "international law" is not effective law. | 200906_3-LR2_12_12 | [
"No one obeys a command unless mechanisms exist to compel obedience.",
"If an international police force were established, then so-called international law would become effective law.",
"The only difference between international law and the law of an individual society is the former's lack of an effective enforcement mechanism.",
"The primary purpose of a police force is to enforce the laws of the society.",
"Only an international police force could effectively enforce international law."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the editorial's argument? |
Art historian: More than any other genre of representational painting, still-life painting lends itself naturally to art whose goal is the artist's self-expression, rather than merely the reflection of a preexisting external reality. This is because in still-life painting, the artist invariably chooses, modifies, and arranges the objects to be painted. Thus, the artist has considerably more control over the composition and subject of a still-life painting than over those of a landscape painting or portrait, for example. | 200906_3-LR2_13_13 | [
"Landscape painting and portraiture are the artistic genres that lend themselves most naturally to the mere reflection of a preexisting external reality.",
"The only way in which artists control the composition and subject of a painting is by choosing, modifying, and arranging the objects to be represented in that painting.",
"Nonrepresentational painting does not lend itself as naturally as still-life painting does to the goal of the artist's self-expression.",
"In genres of representational painting other than still-life painting, the artist does not always choose, modify, and arrange the objects to be painted.",
"When painting a portrait, artists rarely attempt to express themselves through the choice, modification, or arrangement of the background elements against which the subject of the portrait is painted."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the art historian's statements? |
Food labeling regulation: Food of a type that does not ordinarily contain fat cannot be labeled "nonfat" unless most people mistakenly believe the food ordinarily contains fat. If most people mistakenly believe that a food ordinarily contains fat, the food may be labeled "nonfat" if the label also states that the food ordinarily contains no fat. | 200906_3-LR2_14_14 | [
"Although most people know that bran flakes do not normally contain fat, Lester's Bran Flakes are not labeled \"nonfat.\"",
"Although most people are aware that lasagna ordinarily contains fat, Lester's Lasagna, which contains no fat, is not labeled \"nonfat.\"",
"Although most garlic baguettes contain fat, Lester's Garlic Baguettes are labeled \"nonfat.\"",
"Although most people are aware that applesauce does not ordinarily contain fat, Lester's Applesauce is labeled \"nonfat.\"",
"Although most people mistakenly believe that salsa ordinarily contains fat, the label on Lester's Zesty Salsa says \"This product, like all salsas, is nonfat.\""
]
| 3 | Which one of the following situations violates the food labeling regulation? |
Medical ethicist: Assuming there is a reasonable chance for a cure, it is acceptable to offer experimental treatments for a disease to patients who suffer from extreme symptoms of that disease. Such patients are best able to weigh a treatment's risks against the benefits of a cure. Therefore, it is never acceptable to offer experimental treatments to patients who experience no extreme symptoms of the relevant disease. | 200906_3-LR2_15_15 | [
"Even a geological engineer with a background in economics can lose money investing in mineral extraction. So, those who are less knowledgeable about geology or economics should not expect to make money in every investment in mineral extraction.",
"One is always in a better position to judge whether an automobile would be worth its cost if one has test-driven that automobile. Therefore, if an automobile proves to be not worth its cost, it is likely that it was not test-driven.",
"Someone born and raised in a country, who has lived abroad and then returned, is exceptionally qualified to judge the merits of living in that country. That is why someone who has not lived in that country should not form judgments about the merits of living there.",
"One can never eliminate all of the risks of daily life, and even trying to avoid every risk in life is costly. Therefore, anyone who is reasonable will accept some of the risks of daily life.",
"Almost any industrial development will have unwelcome environmental side effects. Therefore, it is not worthwhile to weigh the costs of potential environmental side effects since such side effects are unavoidable."
]
| 2 | The flawed reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to the flawed reasoning in the medical ethicist's argument? |
Critic: As modern methods of communication and transportation have continued to improve, the pace of life today has become faster than ever before. This speed has created feelings of impermanence and instability, making us feel as if we never have enough time to achieve what we want—or at least what we think we want. | 200906_3-LR2_16_16 | [
"The fast pace of modern life has made it difficult for people to achieve their goals.",
"The disadvantages of technological progress often outweigh the advantages.",
"Changes in people's feelings about life can result from technological changes.",
"The perception of impermanence in contemporary life makes it more difficult for people to know what they want.",
"Changes in people's feelings fuel the need for technological advancement."
]
| 2 | The critic's statements most closely conform to which one of the following assessments? |
Consumer: If you buy a watch at a department store and use it only in the way it was intended to be used, but the watch stops working the next day, then the department store will refund your money. So by this very reasonable standard, Bingham's Jewelry Store should give me a refund even though they themselves are not a department store, since the watch I bought from them stopped working the very next day. | 200906_3-LR2_17_17 | [
"one should not sell something unless one expects that it will function in the way it was originally designed to function",
"a watch bought at a department store and a watch bought at Bingham's Jewelry Store can both be expected to keep working for about the same length of time if each is used only as it was intended to be used",
"a seller should refund the money that was paid for a product if the product does not perform as the purchaser expected it to perform",
"the consumer did not use the watch in a way contrary to the way it was intended to be used",
"the watch that was purchased from Bingham's Jewelry Store was not a new watch"
]
| 3 | The consumer's argument relies on the assumption that |
A study found that patients referred by their doctors to psychotherapists practicing a new experimental form of therapy made more progress with respect to their problems than those referred to psychotherapists practicing traditional forms of therapy. Therapists practicing the new form of therapy, therefore, are more effective than therapists practicing traditional forms. | 200906_3-LR2_18_18 | [
"It ignores the possibility that therapists trained in traditional forms of therapy use the same techniques in treating their patients as therapists trained in the new form of therapy do.",
"It ignores the possibility that the patients referred to therapists practicing the new form of therapy had problems more amenable to treatment than did those referred to therapists practicing traditional forms.",
"It presumes, without providing justification, that any psychotherapist trained in traditional forms of therapy is untrained in the new form of therapy.",
"It ignores the possibility that therapists practicing the new form of therapy systematically differ from therapists practicing traditional forms of therapy with regard to some personality attribute relevant to effective treatment.",
"It presumes, without providing justification, that the personal rapport between therapist and patient has no influence on the effectiveness of the treatment the patient receives."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument? |
Essayist: One of the drawbacks of extreme personal and political freedom is that free choices are often made for the worst. To expect people to thrive when they are given the freedom to make unwise decisions is frequently unrealistic. Once people see the destructive consequences of extreme freedom, they may prefer to establish totalitarian political regimes that allow virtually no freedom. Thus, one should not support political systems that allow extreme freedom. | 200906_3-LR2_19_19 | [
"One should not support any political system that will inevitably lead to the establishment of a totalitarian political regime.",
"One should not expect everyone to thrive even in a political system that maximizes people's freedom in the long run.",
"One should support only those political systems that give people the freedom to make wise choices.",
"One should not support any political system whose destructive consequences could lead people to prefer totalitarian political regimes.",
"One should not support any political system that is based on unrealistic expectations about people's behavior under that system."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the essayist's reasoning? |
Ethicist: Every moral action is the keeping of an agreement, and keeping an agreement is nothing more than an act of securing mutual benefit. Clearly, however, not all instances of agreement-keeping are moral actions. Therefore, some acts of securing mutual benefit are not moral actions. | 200906_3-LR2_20_20 | [
"All calculators are kinds of computers, and all computers are devices for automated reasoning. However, not all devices for automated reasoning are calculators. Therefore, some devices for automated reasoning are not computers.",
"All exercise is beneficial, and all things that are beneficial promote health. However, not all things that are beneficial are forms of exercise. Therefore, some exercise does not promote health.",
"All metaphors are comparisons, and not all comparisons are surprising. However, all metaphors are surprising. Therefore, some comparisons are not metaphors.",
"All architecture is design and all design is art. However, not all design is architecture. Therefore, some art is not design.",
"All books are texts, and all texts are documents. However, not all texts are books. Therefore, some documents are not books."
]
| 4 | The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following arguments is most similar to that in the ethicist's argument? |
Sociologist: The more technologically advanced a society is, the more marked its members' resistance to technological innovations. This is not surprising, because the more technologically advanced a society is, the more aware its members are of technology's drawbacks. Specifically, people realize that sophisticated technologies deeply affect the quality of human relations. | 200906_3-LR2_21_21 | [
"It is a conclusion supported by the claim that people realize that sophisticated technologies deeply affect the quality of human relations.",
"It is offered as an explanation of why people's resistance to technological innovations is more marked the more technologically advanced the society in which they live is.",
"It is a premise in support of the claim that the quality of human relations in technologically advanced societies is extremely poor.",
"It is a generalization based on the claim that the more people resist technological innovations, the more difficult it is for them to adjust to those innovations.",
"It is an example presented to illustrate the claim that resistance to technological innovations deeply affects the quality of human relations."
]
| 1 | The claim that the more technologically advanced a society is, the more aware its members are of technology's drawbacks plays which one of the following roles in the sociologist's argument? |
To win democratic elections that are not fully subsidized by the government, nonwealthy candidates must be supported by wealthy patrons. This makes plausible the belief that these candidates will compromise their views to win that support. But since the wealthy are dispersed among the various political parties in roughly equal proportion to their percentage in the overall population, this belief is false. | 200906_3-LR2_22_22 | [
"the primary function of political parties in democracies whose governments do not subsidize elections might not be to provide a means of negating the influence of wealth on elections",
"in democracies in which elections are not fully subsidized by the government, positions endorsed by political parties might be much less varied than the positions taken by candidates",
"in democracies, government-subsidized elections ensure that the views expressed by the people who run for office might not be overly influenced by the opinions of the wealthiest people in those countries",
"in democracies in which elections are not fully subsidized by the government, it might be no easier for a wealthy person to win an election than it is for a nonwealthy person to win an election",
"a democracy in which candidates do not compromise their views in order to be elected to office might have other flaws"
]
| 1 | The argument is vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it fails to consider that |
In modern "brushless" car washes, cloth strips called mitters have replaced brushes. Mitters are easier on most cars' finishes than brushes are. This is especially important with the new clear-coat finishes found on many cars today, which are more easily scratched than older finishes are. | 200906_3-LR2_23_23 | [
"When car washes all used brushes rather than mitters, there were more cars on the road with scratched finishes than there are today.",
"Modern \"brushless\" car washes were introduced as a direct response to the use of clear-coat finishes on cars.",
"Modern \"brushless\" car washes usually do not produce visible scratches on cars with older finishes.",
"Brushes are more effective than mitters and are preferred for cleaning cars with older finishes.",
"More cars in use today have clear-coat finishes rather than older finishes."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the statements above, if those statements are true? |
It is widely believed that lancelets—small, primitive sea animals—do not have hearts. Each lancelet has a contracting vessel, but this vessel is considered an artery rather than a heart. However, this vessel is indeed a heart. After all, it strongly resembles the structure of the heart of certain other sea animals. Moreover, the muscular contractions in the lancelet's vessel closely resemble the muscular contractions of other animals' hearts. | 200906_3-LR2_24_24 | [
"Only animals that have contracting vessels have hearts.",
"Some primitive animals other than lancelets have what is widely held to be a heart.",
"A vessel whose structure and actions closely resemble those of other animal hearts is a heart.",
"For a vessel in an animal to be properly considered a heart, that vessel must undergo muscular contractions.",
"No animal that has a heart lacks an artery."
]
| 2 | The argument's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
Manager: I recommend that our company reconsider the decision to completely abandon our allegedly difficult-to-use computer software and replace it companywide with a new software package advertised as more flexible and easier to use. Several other companies in our region officially replaced the software we currently use with the new package, and while their employees can all use the new software, unofficially many continue to use their former software as much as possible. | 200906_3-LR2_25_25 | [
"The current company software is as flexible as the proposed new software package.",
"The familiarity that employees have with a computer software package is a more important consideration in selecting software than flexibility or initial ease of use.",
"The employees of the manager's company would find that the new software package lacks some of the capabilities of the present software.",
"Adopting the new software package would create two classes of employees, those who can use it and those who cannot.",
"Many of the employees in the manager's company would not prefer the new software package to the software currently in use."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the manager's statements? |
Commentator: Although the present freshwater supply is adequate for today's patterns of water use, the human population will increase substantially over the next few decades, drastically increasing the need for freshwater. Hence, restrictions on water use will be necessary to meet the freshwater needs of humankind in the not-too-distant future. | 200909_1-LR1_1_1 | [
"Humans will adapt to restrictions on the use of water without resorting to wasteful use of other natural resources.",
"The total supply of freshwater has not diminished in recent years.",
"The freshwater supply will not increase sufficiently to meet the increased needs of humankind.",
"No attempt to synthesize water will have an appreciable effect on the quantity of freshwater available.",
"No water conservation measure previously attempted yielded an increase in the supply of freshwater available for human use."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
Psychologist: The best way to recall a certain word or name that one is having trouble remembering is to occupy one's mind with other things, since often the more we strive to remember a certain word or name that we can't think of, the less likely it becomes that the word will come to mind. | 200909_1-LR1_2_2 | [
"Often, the best way to achieve happiness is to pursue other things besides wealth and fame, for there are wealthy and famous people who are not particularly happy, which suggests that true happiness does not consist in wealth and fame.",
"The best way to succeed in writing a long document is not to think about how much is left to write but only about the current paragraph, since on many occasions thinking about what remains to be done will be so discouraging that the writer will be tempted to abandon the project.",
"The best way to overcome a serious mistake is to continue on confidently as though all is well. After all, one can overcome a serious mistake by succeeding in new challenges, and dwelling on one's errors usually distracts one's mind from new challenges.",
"The best way to fall asleep quickly is to engage in some mental diversion like counting sheep, because frequently the more one concentrates on falling asleep the lower the chance of falling asleep quickly.",
"The best way to cope with sorrow or grief is to turn one's attention to those who are experiencing even greater hardship, for in many circumstances this will make our own troubles seem bearable by comparison."
]
| 3 | The principle that underlies the psychologist's argument underlies which one of the following arguments? |
Letter to the editor: The Planning Department budget increased from $100,000 in 2001 to $524,000 for this year. However, this does not justify your conclusion in yesterday's editorial that the department now spends five times as much money as it did in 2001 to perform the same duties. | 200909_1-LR1_3_3 | [
"Departments other than the Planning Department have had much larger budget increases since 2001.",
"Since 2001, the Planning Department has dramatically reduced its spending on overtime pay.",
"In some years between 2001 and this year, the Planning Department budget did not increase.",
"The budget figures used in the original editorial were adjusted for inflation.",
"A restructuring act, passed in 2003, broadened the duties of the Planning Department."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to support the claim made in the letter regarding the justification of the editorial's conclusion? |
At mock trials in which jury instructions were given in technical legal jargon, jury verdicts tended to mirror the judge's own opinions. Jurors had become aware of the judge's nonverbal behavior: facial expressions, body movements, tone of voice. Jurors who viewed the same case but were given instruction in clear, nontechnical language, however, were comparatively more likely to return verdicts at odds with the judge's opinion. | 200909_1-LR1_4_4 | [
"Technical language tends to be more precise than nontechnical language.",
"A person's influence is proportional to that person's perceived status.",
"Nonverbal behavior is not an effective means of communication.",
"Real trials are better suited for experimentation than are mock trials.",
"The way in which a judge instructs a jury can influence the jury's verdict."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is best illustrated by the example described above? |
Doctor: While a few alternative medicines have dangerous side effects, some, such as many herbs, have been proven safe to consume. Thus, though there is little firm evidence of medicinal effect, advocates of these herbs as remedies for serious illnesses should always be allowed to prescribe them, since their patients will not be harmed, and might be helped, by the use of these products. | 200909_1-LR1_5_5 | [
"Many practitioners and patients neglect more effective conventional medicines in favor of herbal remedies.",
"Many herbal remedies are marketed with claims of proven effectiveness when in fact their effectiveness is unproven.",
"Some patients may have allergic reactions to certain medicines that have been tolerated by other patients.",
"The vast majority of purveyors of alternative medicines are driven as much by the profit motive as by a regard for their patients' health.",
"Any pain relief or other benefits of many herbs have been proven to derive entirely from patients' belief in the remedy, rather than from its biochemical properties."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the doctor's argument? |
When a nation is on the brink of financial crisis, its government does not violate free-market principles if, in order to prevent economic collapse, it limits the extent to which foreign investors and lenders can withdraw their money. After all, the right to free speech does not include the right to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theatre, and the harm done as investors and lenders rush madly to get their money out before everyone else does can be just as real as the harm resulting from a stampede in a theatre. | 200909_1-LR1_6_6 | [
"tries to show that a set of principles is limited in a specific way by using an analogy to a similar principle that is limited in a similar way",
"infers a claim by arguing that the truth of that claim would best explain observed facts",
"presents numerous experimental results as evidence for a general principle",
"attempts to demonstrate that an explanation of a phenomenon is flawed by showing that it fails to explain a particular instance of that phenomenon",
"applies an empirical generalization to reach a conclusion about a particular case"
]
| 0 | The argument does which one of the following? |
Although many political candidates object to being made the target of advertising designed to cast them in an adverse light, such advertising actually benefits its targets because most elections have been won by candidates who were the targets of that kind of advertising. | 200909_1-LR1_7_7 | [
"Although many people dislike physical exercise, they should exercise because it is a good way to improve their overall health.",
"Although many actors dislike harsh reviews of their work, such reviews actually help their careers because most of the really prestigious acting awards have gone to actors who have had performances of theirs reviewed harshly.",
"Although many students dislike studying, it must be a good way to achieve academic success because most students who study pass their courses.",
"Although many film critics dislike horror films, such films are bound to be successful because a large number of people are eager to attend them.",
"Although many people dislike feeling sleepy as a result of staying up late the previous night, such sleepiness must be acceptable to those who experience it because most people who stay up late enjoy doing so."
]
| 1 | The pattern of flawed reasoning in the argument most closely parallels that in which one of the following? |
Working residents of Springfield live, on average, farther from their workplaces than do working residents of Rorchester. Thus, one would expect that the demand for public transportation would be greater in Springfield than in Rorchester. However, Springfield has only half as many bus routes as Rorchester. | 200909_1-LR1_8_8 | [
"Three-fourths of the Springfield workforce is employed at the same factory outside the city limits.",
"The average number of cars per household is higher in Springfield than in Rorchester.",
"Rorchester has fewer railway lines than Springfield.",
"Buses in Springfield run more frequently and on longer routes than in Rorchester.",
"Springfield has a larger population than Rorchester does."
]
| 4 | Each of the following, if true, contributes to a resolution of the apparent discrepancy described above EXCEPT: |
People who need to reduce their intake of fat and to consume fewer calories often turn to fat substitutes, especially those with zero calories such as N5. But studies indicate that N5 is of no use to such people. Subjects who ate foods prepared with N5 almost invariably reported feeling hungrier afterwards than after eating foods prepared with real fat and consequently they ate more, quickly making up for the calories initially saved by using N5. | 200909_1-LR1_9_9 | [
"many foods cannot be prepared with N5",
"N5 has mild but unpleasant side effects",
"not everyone who eats foods prepared with N5 pays attention to caloric intake",
"people who know N5 contains zero calories tend to eat more foods prepared with N5 than do people who are unaware that N5 is calorie-free",
"the total fat intake of people who eat foods prepared with N5 tends to decrease even if their caloric intake does not"
]
| 4 | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument fails to consider the possibility that |
Music historian: Some critics lament the fact that impoverished postwar recording studios forced early bebop musicians to record extremely short solos, thus leaving a misleading record of their music. But these musicians' beautifully concise playing makes the recordings superb artistic works instead of mere representations of their live solos. Furthermore, the conciseness characteristic of early bebop musicians' recordings fostered a compactness in their subsequent live playing, which the playing of the next generation lacks. | 200909_1-LR1_10_10 | [
"Representations of live solos generally are not valuable artistic works.",
"The difficult postwar recording conditions had some beneficial consequences for bebop.",
"Short bebop recordings are always superior to longer ones.",
"The music of the generation immediately following early bebop is of lower overall quality than early bebop.",
"Musicians will not record extremely short solos unless difficult recording conditions force them to do so."
]
| 1 | The music historian's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? |
Recent studies indicate a correlation between damage to human chromosome number six and adult schizophrenia. We know, however, that there are people without damage to this chromosome who develop adult schizophrenia and that some people with damage to chromosome number six do not develop adult schizophrenia. So there is no causal connection between damage to human chromosome number six and adult schizophrenia. | 200909_1-LR1_11_11 | [
"The argument ignores the possibility that some but not all types of damage to chromosome number six lead to schizophrenia.",
"The argument presumes, without providing evidence, that schizophrenia is caused solely by chromosomal damage.",
"The argument makes a generalization based on an unrepresentative sample population.",
"The argument mistakes a cause for an effect.",
"The argument presumes, without providing warrant, that correlation implies causation."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following most accurately describes a reasoning flaw in the argument above? |
City councilperson: Many city residents oppose the city art commission's proposed purchase of an unusual stone edifice, on the grounds that art critics are divided over whether the edifice really qualifies as art. But I argue that the purpose of art is to cause experts to debate ideas, including ideas about what constitutes art itself. Since the edifice has caused experts to debate what constitutes art itself, it does qualify as art. | 200909_1-LR1_12_12 | [
"Nothing qualifies as art unless it causes debate among experts.",
"If an object causes debate among experts, no expert can be certain whether that object qualifies as art.",
"The purchase of an object that fulfills the purpose of art should not be opposed.",
"Any object that fulfills the purpose of art qualifies as art.",
"The city art commission should purchase the edifice if it qualifies as art."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the conclusion of the city councilperson's argument to be properly inferred? |
It is a given that to be an intriguing person, one must be able to inspire the perpetual curiosity of others. Constantly broadening one's abilities and extending one's intellectual reach will enable one to inspire that curiosity. For such a perpetual expansion of one's mind makes it impossible to be fully comprehended, making one a constant mystery to others. | 200909_1-LR1_13_13 | [
"To be an intriguing person, one must be able to inspire the perpetual curiosity of others.",
"If one constantly broadens one's abilities and extends one's intellectual reach, one will be able to inspire the perpetual curiosity of others.",
"If one's mind becomes impossible to fully comprehend, one will always be a mystery to others.",
"To inspire the perpetual curiosity of others, one must constantly broaden one's abilities and extend one's intellectual reach.",
"If one constantly broadens one's abilities and extends one's intellectual reach, one will always have curiosity."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion drawn in the argument above? |
Theater managers will not rent a film if they do not believe it will generate enough total revenue— including food-and-beverage concession revenue—to yield a profit. Therefore, since film producers want their films to be shown as widely as possible, they tend to make films that theater managers consider attractive to younger audiences. | 200909_1-LR1_14_14 | [
"Adults consume less of the sort of foods and beverages sold at movie concession stands than do either children or adolescents.",
"Movies of the kinds that appeal to younger audiences almost never also appeal to older audiences.",
"Food-and-beverage concession stands in movie theaters are usually more profitable than the movies that are shown.",
"Theater managers generally believe that a film that is attractive to younger audiences is more likely to be profitable than other films.",
"Films that have an appeal to older audiences almost never generate a profit for theaters that show them."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
Almost all advances in genetic research give rise to ethical dilemmas. Government is the exclusive source of funding for most genetic research; those projects not funded by government are funded solely by corporations. One or the other of these sources of funding is necessary for any genetic research. | 200909_1-LR1_15_15 | [
"Most advances in genetic research occur in projects funded by government rather than by corporations.",
"Most genetic research funded by government results in advances that give rise to ethical dilemmas.",
"At least some advances in genetic research occur in projects funded by corporations.",
"No ethical dilemmas resulting from advances in genetic research arise without government or corporate funding.",
"As long as government continues to fund genetic research, that research will give rise to ethical dilemmas."
]
| 3 | If all the statements above are true, then which one of the following must be true? |
Corporate businesses, like species, must adapt to survive. Businesses that are no longer efficient will become extinct. But sometimes a business cannot adapt without changing its core corporate philosophy. Hence, sometimes a business can survive only by becoming a different corporation. | 200909_1-LR1_16_16 | [
"No business can survive without changing its core corporate philosophy.",
"As a business becomes less efficient, it invariably surrenders its core corporate philosophy.",
"Different corporations have different core corporate philosophies.",
"If a business keeps its core corporate philosophy intact, it will continue to exist.",
"A business cannot change its core corporate philosophy without becoming a different corporation."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? |
A survey taken ten years ago of residents of area L showed that although living conditions were slightly below their country's average, most residents of L reported general satisfaction with their living conditions. However, this year the same survey found that while living conditions are now about the same as the national average, most residents of L report general dissatisfaction with their living conditions. | 200909_1-LR1_17_17 | [
"Residents of area L typically value aspects of living conditions different from the aspects of living conditions that are valued by residents of adjacent areas.",
"Between the times that the two surveys were conducted, the average living conditions in L's country had substantially declined.",
"Optimal living conditions were established in the survey by taking into account governmental policies and public demands on three continents.",
"Living conditions in an area generally improve only if residents perceive their situation as somehow in need of improvement.",
"Ten years ago the residents of area L were not aware that their living conditions were below the national average."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, would most help to resolve the apparent conflict between the results of the surveys described above? |
Travel agent: Although most low-fare airlines have had few, if any, accidents, very few such airlines have been in existence long enough for their safety records to be reliably established. Major airlines, on the other hand, usually have long-standing records reliably indicating their degree of safety. Hence, passengers are safer on a major airline than on one of the newer low-fare airlines. | 200909_1-LR1_18_18 | [
"The argument fails to address adequately the possibility that the average major airline has had a total number of accidents as great as the average low-fare airline has had.",
"The argument draws a general conclusion about how safe passengers are on different airlines on the basis of safety records that are each from too brief a period to adequately justify such a conclusion.",
"The argument fails to consider the possibility that long-standing and reliable records documenting an airline's degree of safety may indicate that the airline is unsafe.",
"The argument takes for granted that airlines that are the safest are also the most reliable in documenting their safety.",
"The argument fails to address adequately the possibility that even airlines with long-standing, reliable records indicating their degree of safety are still likely to have one or more accidents."
]
| 2 | Of the following, which one is the criticism to which the reasoning in the travel agent's argument is most vulnerable? |
Economist: Our economy's weakness is the direct result of consumers' continued reluctance to spend, which in turn is caused by factors such as high-priced goods and services. This reluctance is exacerbated by the fact that the average income is significantly lower than it was five years ago. Thus, even though it is not a perfect solution, if the government were to lower income taxes, the economy would improve. | 200909_1-LR1_19_19 | [
"Increasing consumer spending will cause prices for goods and services to decrease.",
"If consumer spending increases, the average income will increase.",
"If income taxes are not lowered, consumers' wages will decline even further.",
"Consumers will be less reluctant to spend money if income taxes are lowered.",
"Lowering income taxes will have no effect on government spending."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the economist's argument? |
A person with a type B lipid profile is at much greater risk of heart disease than a person with a type A lipid profile. In an experiment, both type A volunteers and type B volunteers were put on a low-fat diet. The cholesterol levels of the type B volunteers soon dropped substantially, although their lipid profiles were unchanged. The type A volunteers, however, showed no benefit from the diet, and 40 percent of them actually shifted to type B profiles. | 200909_1-LR1_20_20 | [
"In the experiment, most of the volunteers had their risk of heart disease reduced at least marginally as a result of having been put on the diet.",
"People with type B lipid profiles have higher cholesterol levels, on average, than do people with type A lipid profiles.",
"Apart from adopting the low-fat diet, most of the volunteers did not substantially change any aspect of their lifestyle that would have affected their cholesterol levels or lipid profiles.",
"The reduction in cholesterol levels in the volunteers is solely responsible for the change in their lipid profiles.",
"For at least some of the volunteers in the experiment, the risk of heart disease increased after having been put on the low-fat diet."
]
| 4 | If the information above is true, which one of the following must also be true? |
Columnist: Although there is and should be complete freedom of thought and expression, that does not mean that there is nothing wrong with exploiting depraved popular tastes for the sake of financial gain. | 200909_1-LR1_21_21 | [
"The government should grant artists the right to create whatever works of art they want to create so long as no one considers those works to be depraved.",
"People who produce depraved movies have the freedom to do so, but that means that they also have the freedom to refrain from doing so.",
"There should be no laws restricting what books are published, but publishing books that pander to people with depraved tastes is not thereby morally acceptable.",
"The public has the freedom to purchase whatever recordings are produced, but that does not mean that the government may not limit the production of recordings deemed to be depraved.",
"One who advocates complete freedom of speech should not criticize others for saying things that he or she believes to exhibit depraved tastes."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following judgments conforms most closely to the principle cited by the columnist? |
When a society undergoes slow change, its younger members find great value in the advice of its older members. But when a society undergoes rapid change, young people think that little in the experience of their elders is relevant to them, and so do not value their advice. Thus, we may measure the rate at which a society is changing by measuring the amount of deference its younger members show to their elders. | 200909_1-LR1_22_22 | [
"A society's younger members can often accurately discern whether that society is changing rapidly.",
"How much deference young people show to their elders depends on how much of the elders' experience is practically useful to them.",
"The deference young people show to their elders varies according to how much the young value their elders' advice.",
"The faster a society changes, the less relevant the experience of older members of the society is to younger members.",
"Young people value their elders' advice just insofar as the elders' experience is practically useful to them."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
Politician: We should impose a tariff on imported fruit to make it cost consumers more than domestic fruit. Otherwise, growers from other countries who can grow better fruit more cheaply will put domestic fruit growers out of business. This will result in farmland's being converted to more lucrative industrial uses and the consequent vanishing of a unique way of life. | 200909_1-LR1_23_23 | [
"A country should put its own economic interest over that of other countries.",
"The interests of producers should always take precedence over those of consumers.",
"Social concerns should sometimes take precedence over economic efficiency.",
"A country should put the interests of its own citizens ahead of those of citizens of other countries.",
"Government intervention sometimes creates more economic efficiency than free markets."
]
| 2 | The politician's recommendation most closely conforms to which one of the following principles? |
The Kiffer Forest Preserve, in the northernmost part of the Abbimac Valley, is where most of the bears in the valley reside. During the eight years that the main road through the preserve has been closed the preserve's bear population has nearly doubled. Thus, the valley's bear population will increase if the road is kept closed. | 200909_1-LR1_24_24 | [
"Most of the increase in the preserve's bear population over the past eight years is due to migration.",
"Only some of the increase in the preserve's bear population over the past eight years is due to migration of bears from other parts of the Abbimac Valley.",
"Only some of the increase in the preserve's bear population over the past eight years is due to migration of bears from outside the Abbimac Valley.",
"The bear population in areas of the Abbimac Valley outside the Kiffer Forest Preserve has decreased over the past eight years.",
"The bear population in the Abbimac Valley has remained about the same over the past eight years."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the argument? |
If a wig has any handmade components, it is more expensive than one with none. Similarly, a made-to-measure wig ranges from medium-priced to expensive. Handmade foundations are never found on wigs that do not use human hair. Furthermore, any wig that contains human hair should be dry-cleaned. So all made-to-measure wigs should be dry-cleaned. | 200909_1-LR1_25_25 | [
"Any wig whose price falls in the medium-priced to expensive range has a handmade foundation.",
"If a wig's foundation is handmade, then it is more expensive than one whose foundation is not handmade.",
"A wig that has any handmade components should be dry-cleaned.",
"If a wig's foundation is handmade, then its price is at least in the medium range.",
"Any wig that should be dry-cleaned has a foundation that is handmade."
]
| 0 | The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
Philosopher: Wolves do not tolerate an attack by one wolf on another if the latter wolf demonstrates submission by baring its throat. The same is true of foxes and domesticated dogs. So it would be erroneous to deny that animals have rights on the grounds that only human beings are capable of obeying moral rules. | 200909_1-LR1_26_26 | [
"provide counterexamples to refute a premise on which a particular conclusion is based",
"establish inductively that all animals possess some form of morality",
"cast doubt on the principle that being capable of obeying moral rules is a necessary condition for having rights",
"establish a claim by showing that the denial of that claim entails a logical contradiction",
"provide evidence suggesting that the concept of morality is often applied too broadly"
]
| 0 | The philosopher's argument proceeds by attempting to |
Automated flight technology can guide an aircraft very reliably, from navigation to landing. Yet this technology, even when functioning correctly, is not a perfect safeguard against human error. | 200909_4-LR2_1_1 | [
"Automated flight technology does not always function correctly.",
"Smaller aircraft do not always have their automated flight technology updated regularly.",
"If a plane's automated flight technology malfunctions, crew members have to operate the plane manually.",
"Some airplane crashes are due neither to human error nor to malfunction of automated flight technology.",
"Automated flight technology invariably executes exactly the commands that humans give it."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the situation described above? |
To keep one's hands warm during the winter, one never needs gloves or mittens. One can always keep one's hands warm simply by putting on an extra layer of clothing, such as a thermal undershirt or a sweater. After all, keeping one's vital organs warm can keep one's hands warm as well. | 200909_4-LR2_2_2 | [
"Maintaining the temperature of your hands is far less important, physiologically, than maintaining the temperature of your torso.",
"Several layers of light garments will keep one's vital organs warmer than will one or two heavy garments.",
"Wearing an extra layer of clothing will not keep one's hands warm at temperatures low enough to cause frostbite.",
"Keeping one's hands warm by putting on an extra layer of clothing is less effective than turning up the heat.",
"The physical effort required to put on an extra layer of clothing does not stimulate circulation enough to warm your hands."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument? |
The reason music with a simple recurring rhythm exerts a strong primordial appeal is that it reminds us of the womb environment. After all, the first sound heard within the womb is the comforting sound of the mother's regular heartbeat. So in taking away from us the warmth and security of the womb, birth also takes away a primal and constant source of comfort. Thus it is extremely natural that in seeking sensations of warmth and security throughout life, people would be strongly drawn toward simple recurring rhythmic sounds. | 200909_4-LR2_3_3 | [
"The explanation of the strong primordial appeal of music with a simple recurring rhythm is that it reminds us of the womb environment.",
"The comforting sound of the mother's regular heartbeat is the first sound that is heard inside the womb.",
"Birth deprives us of a primal and constant source of comfort when it takes away the warmth and security of the womb.",
"People seek sensations of warmth and security throughout life because birth takes away the warmth and security of the womb.",
"The comforting sound of the mother's regular heartbeat is a simple recurring rhythmic sound."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion drawn in the reasoning above? |
Linguist: Most people can tell whether a sequence of words in their own dialect is grammatical. Yet few people who can do so are able to specify the relevant grammatical rules. | 200909_4-LR2_4_4 | [
"Some people are able to write cogent and accurate narrative descriptions of events. But these people are not necessarily also capable of composing emotionally moving and satisfying poems.",
"Engineers who apply the principles of physics to design buildings and bridges must know a great deal more than do the physicists who discover these principles.",
"Some people are able to tell whether any given piece of music is a waltz. But the majority of these people cannot state the defining characteristics of a waltz.",
"Those travelers who most enjoy their journeys are not always those most capable of vividly describing the details of those journeys to others.",
"Quite a few people know the rules of chess, but only a small number of them can play chess very well."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following best illustrates the principle underlying the linguist's statements? |
Company president: For the management consultant position, we shall interview only those applicants who have worked for management consulting firms generally recognized as in the top 1 percent of firms worldwide. When we finally select somebody, then, we can be sure to have selected one of the best management consultants available. | 200909_4-LR2_5_5 | [
"takes for granted that only the best management consultants have worked for the top management consulting firms",
"generalizes from too small a sample of management consulting firms worldwide",
"takes for granted that if something is true of each member of a collection, then it is also true of the collection as a whole",
"presumes, without providing warrant, that persons who have worked for the top companies will accept a job offer",
"presumes, without providing justification, that highly competent management consultants are highly competent at every task"
]
| 0 | The company president's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
Beginners typically decide each chess move by considering the consequences. Expert players, in contrast, primarily use pattern-recognition techniques. That is, such a player recognizes having been in a similar position before and makes a decision based on information recalled about the consequences of moves chosen on that prior occasion. | 200909_4-LR2_6_6 | [
"Beginning chess players are better at thinking through the consequences of chess moves than experts are.",
"A beginning chess player should use pattern-recognition techniques when deciding what move to make.",
"One's chess skills will improve only if one learns to use pattern-recognition techniques.",
"In playing chess, an expert player relies crucially on his or her memory.",
"Any chess player who played other games that require pattern-recognition skills would thereby improve his or her chess skills."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? |
Farmer: Because water content is what makes popcorn pop, the kernels must dry at just the right speed to trap the correct amount of water. The best way to achieve this effect is to have the sun dry the corn while the corn is still in the field, but I always dry the ears on a screen in a warm, dry room. | 200909_4-LR2_7_7 | [
"The region in which the farmer grows popcorn experiences a long, cloudy season that begins shortly before the popcorn in fields would begin to dry.",
"Leaving popcorn to dry on its stalks in the field is the least expensive method of drying it.",
"Drying popcorn on its stalks in the field is only one of several methods that allow the kernels' water content to reach acceptable levels.",
"When popcorn does not dry sufficiently, it will still pop, but it will take several minutes to do so, even under optimal popping conditions.",
"If popcorn is allowed to dry too much, it will not pop."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy between the farmer's theory and practice? |
Factory manager: One reason the automobile parts this factory produces are expensive is that our manufacturing equipment is outdated and inefficient. Our products would be more competitively priced if we were to refurbish the factory completely with new, more efficient equipment. Therefore, since to survive in today's market we have to make our products more competitively priced, we must completely refurbish the factory in order to survive. | 200909_4-LR2_8_8 | [
"fails to recognize that the price of a particular commodity can change over time",
"shifts without justification from treating something as one way of achieving a goal to treating it as the only way of achieving that goal",
"argues that one thing is the cause of another when the evidence given indicates that the second thing may in fact be the cause of the first",
"recommends a solution to a problem without first considering any possible causes of that problem",
"fails to make a definite recommendation and instead merely suggests that some possible course of action might be effective"
]
| 1 | The reasoning in the factory manager's argument is flawed because this argument |
Two months ago a major shipment of pythons arrived from Africa, resulting in a great number of inexpensive pythons in pet stores. Anyone interested in buying a however, should beware: many pythons hatched in Africa are afflicted with a deadly liver disease. Although a few pythons recently hatched in North America have this disease, a much greater proportion of African-hatched pythons have it. The disease is difficult to detect in its early stages, and all pythons die within six months of contracting the disease. | 200909_4-LR2_9_9 | [
"Some pythons hatched in North America may appear fine but will die within six months as a result of the liver disease.",
"Pythons that hatch in Africa are more susceptible to the liver disease than are pythons that hatch in North America.",
"Any python that has not died by the age of six months does not have the liver disease.",
"The pythons are inexpensively priced because many of them suffer from the liver disease.",
"Pythons hatched in neither Africa nor North America are not afflicted with the liver disease."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following statements can be properly inferred from the statements above? |
Nutritionists believe that a person's daily requirement for vitamins can readily be met by eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. However, most people eat far less than this. Thus, most people need to take vitamin pills. | 200909_4-LR2_10_10 | [
"Even five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is insufficient unless the intake is varied to ensure that different vitamins are consumed.",
"Certain commonly available fruits and vegetables contain considerably more nutrients than others.",
"Nutritionists sometimes disagree on how much of a fruit or vegetable constitutes a complete serving.",
"Many commonly consumed foods that are neither fruits nor vegetables are fortified by manufacturers with the vitamins found in fruits and vegetables.",
"Fruits and vegetables are also important sources of fiber, in forms not found in vitamin pills."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
Researcher: This fall I returned to a research site to recover the armadillos I had tagged there the previous spring. Since a large majority of the armadillos I recaptured were found within a few hundred yards of the location of their tagging last spring, I concluded that armadillos do not move rapidly into new territories. | 200909_4-LR2_11_11 | [
"Of the armadillos living in the area of the tagging site last spring, few were able to avoid being tagged by the researcher.",
"Most of the armadillos tagged the previous spring were not recaptured during the subsequent fall.",
"Predators did not kill any of the armadillos that had been tagged the previous spring.",
"The tags identifying the armadillos cannot be removed by the armadillos, either by accident or deliberately.",
"A large majority of the recaptured armadillos did not move to a new territory in the intervening summer and then move back to the old territory by the fall."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the researcher's argument? |
Sahira: To make a living from their art, artists of great potential would have to produce work that would gain widespread popular acclaim, instead of their best work. That is why governments are justified in subsidizing artists. Rahima: Your argument for subsidizing art depends on claiming that to gain widespread popular acclaim, artists must produce something other than their best work; but this need not be true. | 200909_4-LR2_12_12 | [
"disputes an implicit assumption of Sahira's",
"presents independent support for Sahira's argument",
"accepts Sahira's conclusion, but for reasons different from those given by Sahira",
"uses Sahira's premises to reach a conclusion different from that reached by Sahira",
"argues that a standard that she claims Sahira uses is self-contradictory"
]
| 0 | In her argument, Rahima |
Adult frogs are vulnerable to dehydration because of their highly permeable skins. Unlike large adult frogs, small adult frogs have such a low ratio of body weight to skin surface area that they cannot survive in arid climates. The animals' moisture requirements constitute the most important factor determining where frogs can live in the Yucatán peninsula, which has an arid climate in the north and a wet climate in the south. | 200909_4-LR2_13_13 | [
"Large adult frogs cannot coexist with small adult frogs in the wet areas.",
"Frogs living in wet areas weigh more on average than frogs in the arid areas.",
"Large adult frogs can live in more of the area than small adult frogs can.",
"Fewer small adult frogs live in the south than do large adult frogs.",
"Small adult frogs in the south have less permeable skins than small adult frogs in the north."
]
| 2 | The information above most strongly supports which one of the following conclusions about frogs in the Yucatán peninsula? |
Editorial: A recent survey shows that 77 percent of people feel that crime is increasing and that 87 percent feel the judicial system should be handing out tougher sentences. Therefore, the government must firmly address the rising crime rate. | 200909_4-LR2_14_14 | [
"appeals to survey results that are inconsistent because they suggest that more people are concerned about the sentencing of criminals than are concerned about crime itself",
"presumes, without providing justification, that there is a correlation between criminal offenders being treated leniently and a high crime rate",
"fails to consider whether other surveys showing different results have been conducted over the years",
"fails to distinguish between the crime rate's actually rising and people's believing that the crime rate is rising",
"presumes, without providing justification, that tougher sentences are the most effective means of alleviating the crime problem"
]
| 3 | The reasoning in the editorial's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument |
Proofs relying crucially on computers provide less certainty than do proofs not requiring computers. Human cognition alone cannot verify computer-dependent proofs; such proofs can never provide the degree of certainty that attends our judgments concerning, for instance, simple arithmetical facts, which can be verified by human calculation. Of course, in these cases one often uses electronic calculators, but here the computer is a convenience rather than a supplement to human cognition. | 200909_4-LR2_15_15 | [
"Only if a proof's result is arrived at without the help of a computer can one judge with any degree of certainty that the proof is correct.",
"We can never be completely sure that proofs relying crucially on computers do not contain errors that humans do not detect.",
"Whenever a computer replaces human calculation in a proof, the degree of certainty provided by the proof is reduced.",
"If one can corroborate something by human calculation, one can be completely certain of it.",
"It is impossible to supplement the cognitive abilities of humans by means of artificial devices such as computers."
]
| 1 | The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? |
Madden: Industrialists address problems by simplifying them, but in farming that strategy usually leads to oversimplification. For example, industrialists see water retention and drainage as different and opposite functions— that good topsoil both drains and retains water is a fact alien to industrial logic. To facilitate water retention, they use a terrace or a dam; to facilitate drainage, they use drain tile, a ditch, or a subsoiler. More farming problems are created than solved when agriculture is the domain of the industrialist, not of the farmer. | 200909_4-LR2_16_16 | [
"The handling of water drainage and retention is the most important part of good farming.",
"The problems of farming should be viewed in all their complexity.",
"Farmers are better than anyone else at solving farming problems.",
"Industrial solutions for problems in farming should never be sought.",
"The approach to problem solving typical of industrialists is fundamentally flawed."
]
| 1 | The situation as Madden describes it best illustrates which one of the following propositions? |
Critic: Works of modern literature cannot be tragedies as those of ancient playwrights and storytellers were unless their protagonists are seen as possessing nobility, which endures through the calamities that befall one. In an age that no longer takes seriously the belief that human endeavors are governed by fate, it is therefore impossible for a contemporary work of literature to be a tragedy. | 200909_4-LR2_17_17 | [
"Whether or not a work of literature is a tragedy should not depend on characteristics of its audience.",
"The belief that human endeavors are governed by fate is false.",
"Most plays that were once classified as tragedies were misclassified.",
"Those whose endeavors are not regarded as governed by fate will not be seen as possessing nobility.",
"If an ignoble character in a work of literature endures through a series of misfortunes, that work of literature is not a tragedy."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the critic's argument? |
Despite the efforts of a small minority of graduate students at one university to unionize, the majority of graduate students there remain unaware of the attempt. Most of those who are aware believe that a union would not represent their interests or that, if it did, it would not effectively pursue them. Thus, the graduate students at the university should not unionize, since the majority of them obviously disapprove of the attempt. | 200909_4-LR2_18_18 | [
"tries to establish a conclusion simply on the premise that the conclusion agrees with a long-standing practice",
"fails to exclude alternative explanations for why some graduate students disapprove of unionizing",
"presumes that simply because a majority of a population is unaware of something, it must not be a good idea",
"ignores the possibility that although a union might not effectively pursue graduate student interests, there are other reasons for unionizing",
"blurs the distinction between active disapproval and mere lack of approval"
]
| 4 | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument |
Anyone who believes in democracy has a high regard for the wisdom of the masses. Griley, however, is an elitist who believes that any artwork that is popular is unlikely to be good. Thus, Griley does not believe in democracy. | 200909_4-LR2_19_19 | [
"Anyone who believes that an artwork is unlikely to be good if it is popular is an elitist.",
"Anyone who believes that if an artwork is popular it is unlikely to be good does not have a high regard for the wisdom of the masses.",
"If Griley is not an elitist, then he has a high regard for the wisdom of the masses.",
"Anyone who does not have a high regard for the wisdom of the masses is an elitist who believes that if an artwork is popular it is unlikely to be good.",
"Unless Griley believes in democracy, Griley does not have a high regard for the wisdom of the masses."
]
| 1 | The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
A recent study confirmed that salt intake tends to increase blood pressure and found that, as a result, people with high blood pressure who significantly cut their salt intake during the study had lower blood pressure by the end of the study. However, it was also found that some people who had very high salt intake both before and throughout the study maintained very low blood pressure. | 200909_4-LR2_20_20 | [
"Study participants with high blood pressure who cut their salt intake only slightly during the study did not have significantly lower blood pressure by the end of the study.",
"Salt intake is only one of several dietary factors associated with high blood pressure.",
"For most people who have high blood pressure, reducing salt intake is not the most effective dietary change they can make to reduce their blood pressure.",
"At the beginning of the study, some people who had very low salt intake also had very high blood pressure.",
"Persons suffering from abnormally low blood pressure have heightened salt cravings, which ensure that their blood pressure does not drop too low."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, contributes the most to an explanation of the results of the study? |
The odds of winning any major lottery jackpot are extremely slight. However, the very few people who do win major jackpots receive a great deal of attention from the media. Thus, since most people come to have at least some awareness of events that receive extensive media coverage, it is likely that many people greatly overestimate the odds of their winning a major jackpot. | 200909_4-LR2_21_21 | [
"Most people who overestimate the likelihood of winning a major jackpot do so at least in part because media coverage of other people who have won major jackpots downplays the odds against winning such a jackpot.",
"Very few people other than those who win major jackpots receive a great deal of attention from the media.",
"If it were not for media attention, most people who purchase lottery tickets would not overestimate their chances of winning a jackpot.",
"Becoming aware of individuals who have won a major jackpot leads at least some people to incorrectly estimate their own chances of winning such a jackpot.",
"At least some people who are heavily influenced by the media do not believe that the odds of their winning a major jackpot are significant."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? |
A book tour will be successful if it is well publicized and the author is an established writer. Julia is an established writer, and her book tour was successful. So her book tour must have been well publicized. | 200909_4-LR2_22_22 | [
"This recipe will turn out only if one follows it exactly and uses high-quality ingredients. Arthur followed the recipe exactly and it turned out. Thus, Arthur must have used high-quality ingredients.",
"If a computer has the fastest microprocessor and the most memory available, it will meet Aletha's needs this year. This computer met Aletha's needs last year. So it must have had the fastest microprocessor and the most memory available last year.",
"If cacti are kept in the shade and watered more than twice weekly, they will die. This cactus was kept in the shade, and it is now dead. Therefore, it must have been watered more than twice weekly.",
"A house will suffer from dry rot and poor drainage only if it is built near a high water table. This house suffers from dry rot and has poor drainage. Thus, it must have been built near a high water table.",
"If one wears a suit that has double vents and narrow lapels, one will be fashionably dressed. The suit that Joseph wore to dinner last night had double vents and narrow lapels, so Joseph must have been fashionably dressed."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following exhibits a pattern of flawed reasoning most closely parallel to the pattern of flawed reasoning exhibited by the argument above? |
Eight large craters run in a long straight line across a geographical region. Although some of the craters contain rocks that have undergone high-pressure shocks characteristic of meteorites slamming into Earth, these shocks could also have been caused by extreme volcanic events. Because of the linearity of the craters, it is very unlikely that some of them were caused by volcanoes and others were caused by meteorites. Thus, since the craters are all different ages, they were probably caused by volcanic events rather than meteorites. | 200909_4-LR2_23_23 | [
"A similar but shorter line of craters that are all the same age is known to have been caused by volcanic activity.",
"No known natural cause would likely account for eight meteorite craters of different ages forming a straight line.",
"There is no independent evidence of either meteorites or volcanic activity in the region where the craters are located.",
"There is no independent evidence of a volcanic event strong enough to have created the high-pressure shocks that are characteristic of meteorites slamming into Earth.",
"No known single meteor shower has created exactly eight impact craters that form a straight line."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following statements, if true, would most strengthen the argument? |
The genuine creative genius is someone who is dissatisfied with merely habitual assent to widely held beliefs; thus these rare innovators tend to anger the majority. Those who are dissatisfied with merely habitual assent to widely held beliefs tend to seek out controversy, and controversy seekers enjoy demonstrating the falsehood of popular viewpoints. | 200909_4-LR2_24_24 | [
"People become angry when they are dissatisfied with merely habitual assent to widely held beliefs.",
"People who enjoy demonstrating the falsehood of popular viewpoints anger the majority.",
"People tend to get angry with individuals who hold beliefs not held by a majority of people.",
"People who anger the majority enjoy demonstrating the falsehood of popular viewpoints.",
"People who anger the majority are dissatisfied with merely habitual assent to widely held beliefs."
]
| 1 | The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
Claude: When I'm having lunch with job candidates, I watch to see if they salt their food without first tasting it. If they do, I count that against them, because they're making decisions based on inadequate information. Larissa: That's silly. It's perfectly reasonable for me to wear a sweater whenever I go into a supermarket, because I already know supermarkets are always too cool inside to suit me. And I never open a credit card offer that comes in the mail, because I already know that no matter how low its interest rate may be, it will never be worthwhile for me. | 200909_4-LR2_25_25 | [
"In matters involving personal preference, performing an action without first ascertaining whether it is appropriate in the specific circumstances should not be taken as good evidence of faulty decision making, because the action may be based on a reasoned policy relating to knowledge of a general fact about the circumstances.",
"In professional decision-making contexts, those who have the responsibility of judging other people's suitability for a job should not use observations of job-related behavior as a basis for inferring general conclusions about those people's character.",
"General conclusions regarding a job candidate's suitability for a position should not be based exclusively on observations of the candidate's behavior in situations that are neither directly job related nor likely to be indicative of a pattern of behavior that the candidate engages in.",
"Individuals whose behavior in specific circumstances does not conform to generally expected norms should not automatically be considered unconcerned with meeting social expectations, because such individuals may be acting in accordance with reasoned policies that they believe should be generally adopted by people in similar circumstances.",
"Evidence that a particular individual uses bad decision-making strategies in matters of personal taste should not be considered sufficient to warrant a negative assessment of his or her suitability for a job, because any good decision maker can have occasional lapses of rationality with regard to such matters."
]
| 0 | The two analogies that Larissa offers can most reasonably be interpreted as invoking which one of the following principles to criticize Claude's policy? |
On the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, a researcher examined 35 patients with atypical Parkinson's disease and compared their eating habits to those of 65 healthy adults. She found that all of the patients with atypical Parkinson's regularly ate the tropical fruits soursop, custard apple, and pomme cannelle, whereas only 10 of the healthy adults regularly ate these fruits. From this, she concluded that eating these fruits causes atypical Parkinson's. | 200912_2-LR1_1_1 | [
"For many of the atypical Parkinson's patients, their symptoms stopped getting worse, and in some cases actually abated, when they stopped eating soursop, custard apple, and pomme cannelle.",
"Of the healthy adults who did not regularly eat soursop, custard apple, and pomme cannelle, most had eaten each of these fruits on at least one occasion.",
"In areas other than Guadeloupe, many people who have never eaten soursop, custard apple, and pomme cannelle have contracted atypical Parkinson's.",
"The 10 healthy adults who regularly ate soursop, custard apple, and pomme cannelle ate significantly greater quantities of these fruits, on average, than did the 35 atypical Parkinson's patients.",
"Soursop, custard apple, and pomme cannelle contain essential vitamins not contained in any other food that is commonly eaten by residents of Guadeloupe."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the researcher's reasoning? |
Price: A corporation's primary responsibility is to its shareholders. They are its most important constituency because they take the greatest risks. If the corporation goes bankrupt, they lose their investment. Albrecht: Shareholders typically have diversified investment portfolios. For employees, however, the well-being of the corporation for which they have chosen to work represents their very livelihood. The corporation's primary responsibility should be to them. | 200912_2-LR1_2_2 | [
"corporations have a responsibility to their shareholders",
"corporations are responsible for the welfare of their employees",
"means should be provided for a corporation's investors to recoup their losses if the corporation goes bankrupt",
"a corporation's shareholders have more at stake than anyone else does in the corporation's success or failure",
"the livelihood of some of the shareholders depends on the corporation's success"
]
| 3 | On the basis of their statements, Price and Albrecht are committed to disagreeing about whether |
Despite the enormous number of transactions processed daily by banks nowadays, if a customer's bank account is accidentally credited with a large sum of money, it is extremely unlikely that the error will not be detected by the bank's internal audit procedures. | 200912_2-LR1_3_3 | [
"Banks initially process all transactions using one set of computer programs, but then use a different set of programs to double-check large transactions.",
"Recent changes in banking standards require that customers present identification both when making deposits into their accounts and when making withdrawals from their accounts.",
"Banks are required by law to send each customer a monthly statement detailing every transaction of the previous month.",
"The average ratio of bank auditors to customer accounts has slowly increased over the past 100 years.",
"The development of sophisticated security software has rendered bank computers nearly impervious to tampering by computer hackers."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim above? |
Scientist: While studying centuries-old Antarctic ice deposits, I found that several years of relatively severe atmospheric pollution in the 1500s coincided with a period of relatively high global temperatures. So it is clear in this case that atmospheric pollution did cause global temperatures to rise. | 200912_2-LR1_4_4 | [
"presumes, without providing justification, that a rise in global temperatures is harmful",
"draws a general conclusion based on a sample that is likely to be unrepresentative",
"inappropriately generalizes from facts about a specific period of time to a universal claim",
"takes for granted that the method used for gathering data was reliable",
"infers, merely from a claim that two phenomena are associated, that one phenomenon causes the other"
]
| 4 | The reasoning in the scientist's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument |
Gilbert: This food label is mistaken. It says that these cookies contain only natural ingredients, but they contain alphahydroxy acids that are chemically synthesized by the cookie company at their plant. Sabina: The label is not mistaken. After all, alphahydroxy acids also are found occurring naturally in sugarcane. | 200912_2-LR1_5_5 | [
"The cookie company has recently dropped alphahydroxy acids from its cookie ingredients.",
"Not all chemicals that are part of the manufacturing process are ingredients of the cookies.",
"The label was printed before the cookie company decided to switch from sugarcane alphahydroxy acids to synthesized ones.",
"Many other foods advertising all natural ingredients also contain some ingredients that are chemically synthesized.",
"All substances except those that do not occur naturally in any source are considered natural."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen Sabina's argument? |
Although Jaaks is a respected historian, her negative review of Yancey's new book on the history of coastal fisheries in the region rests on a mistake. Jaaks's review argues that the book inaccurately portrays the lives of fishery workers. However, Yancey used the same research methods in this book as in her other histories, which have been very popular. This book is also very popular in local bookstores. | 200912_2-LR1_6_6 | [
"relies on the word of a scholar who is unqualified in the area in question",
"attacks the person making the claim at issue rather than addressing the claim",
"takes for granted that the popularity of a book is evidence of its accuracy",
"bases a general conclusion on a sample that is likely to be unrepresentative",
"presumes, without providing justification, that the methods used by Yancey are the only methods that would produce accurate results"
]
| 2 | The reasoning above is flawed in that it |
Columnist: It has been noted that attending a live musical performance is a richer experience than is listening to recorded music. Some say that this is merely because we do not see the performers when we listen to recorded music. However, there must be some other reason, for there is relatively little difference between listening to someone read a story over the radio and listening to someone in the same room read a story. | 200912_2-LR1_7_7 | [
"It is what the columnist's argument purports to show.",
"It is the reason given for the claim that the columnist's argument is attempting to undermine.",
"It is what the columnist's argument purports to explain.",
"It is what the columnist's argument purports to refute.",
"It is what the position that the columnist tries to undermine is purported to explain."
]
| 4 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the role played in the argument by the observation that attending a live musical performance is a richer experience than is listening to recorded music? |
Though ice cream is an excellent source of calcium, dairy farmers report that during the past ten years there has been a sharp decline in ice cream sales. And during the same period, sales of cheddar cheese have nearly doubled. Therefore, more and more people must be choosing to increase their intake of calcium by eating cheddar cheese rather than ice cream. | 200912_2-LR1_8_8 | [
"fails to produce statistical evidence supporting the dairy farmers' claims",
"fails to consider alternative explanations of the decline in sales of ice cream",
"relies solely on the testimony of individuals who are likely to be biased",
"presumes, without providing justification, that ice cream is a better source of calcium than is cheddar cheese",
"presumes, without providing justification, that people who eat cheddar cheese never eat ice cream"
]
| 1 | The reasoning above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
No member of the Richardson Theater Group is both a performer and an administrator. Since Leon and Marta are both members of the Richardson Theater Group but neither is an administrator, it follows that both are performers. | 200912_2-LR1_9_9 | [
"Not all of the employees of the Tedenco Company are salaried employees of that company. Since Mr. López and Ms. Allen are both salaried employees of the Tedenco Company, it follows that they are not the only employees of the Tedenco Company.",
"No employee of the Tedenco Company is both an accountant and a corporate attorney. Since Ms. Walsh is both an accountant and a corporate attorney, it follows that she is not an employee of the Tedenco Company.",
"No company can have its headquarters in both Canada and Mexico. Since neither the Dumone Company nor the Tedenco Company has its headquarters in Mexico, it follows that both have their headquarters in Canada.",
"No corporate attorney represents both the Dumone Company and the Tedenco Company. Since Ms. Tseung is a corporate attorney who represents the Dumone Company, it follows that she does not also represent the Tedenco Company.",
"No member of the board of directors of the Dumone Company is also a member of the board of directors of the Tedenco Company. Since neither company has fewer than five board members, it follows that both boards together include at least ten members."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following arguments displays a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to that in the argument above? |
Chemical fertilizers not only create potential health hazards, they also destroy earthworms, which are highly beneficial to soil. For this reason alone the use of chemical fertilizers should be avoided. The castings earthworms leave behind are much richer than the soil they ingest, thus making a garden rich in earthworms much more fertile than a garden without them. | 200912_2-LR1_10_10 | [
"Earthworms are highly beneficial to soil.",
"Chemical fertilizers destroy earthworms.",
"The castings that earthworms leave behind are much richer than the soil they ingest.",
"The use of chemical fertilizers should be avoided.",
"A garden rich in earthworms is much more fertile than a garden that is devoid of earthworms."
]
| 3 | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument? |
Medical research has established that the Beta Diet is healthier than a more conventional diet. But on average, people who have followed the Beta Diet for several decades are much more likely to be in poor health than are people whose diet is more conventional. | 200912_2-LR1_11_11 | [
"On average, people who have followed the Beta Diet for their entire lives are much more likely to have a variety of healthful habits than are people whose diet is more conventional.",
"The Beta Diet is used primarily as a treatment for a condition that adversely affects overall health.",
"People of average health who switch from a conventional diet to the Beta Diet generally find that their health improves substantially as a result.",
"The Beta Diet provides dramatic health benefits for some people but only minor benefits for others.",
"Recent research has shown that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and skim milk is even healthier than the Beta Diet."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict between the two statements above? |
A theoretical framework facilitates conceptual organization of material and fruitful expansions of research. Many historians argue that historical analysis is therefore done best within a theoretical framework. But the past is too complex for all of its main trends to be captured within a theoretical framework. Therefore, ____. | 200912_2-LR1_12_12 | [
"there is no benefit ever to be gained in recommending to historians that they place their work within a theoretical framework",
"theoretical frameworks are less useful in history than they are in any other discipline",
"even the best historical analysis done within a theoretical framework fails to capture all of history's main trends",
"the value of theoretical work in extending research has been emphasized by historians who recommend doing historical analysis within a theoretical framework",
"there is no difference between historical analysis that is placed within a theoretical framework and historical analysis that is not"
]
| 2 | Which one of the following most logically completes the argument? |
Bethany: Psychologists have discovered a technique for replacing one's nightmares with pleasant dreams, and have successfully taught it to adults suffering from chronic nightmares. Studies have found that nightmare-prone children are especially likely to suffer from nightmares as adults. Thus, psychologists should direct efforts toward identifying nightmare-prone children so that these children can be taught the technique for replacing their nightmares with pleasant dreams. | 200912_2-LR1_13_13 | [
"Psychologists should make an effort to determine why certain children are especially prone to nightmares while other children are not.",
"Any psychological technique that can be successfully taught to a child can also be successfully taught to an adult.",
"Psychologists should do everything they can to minimize the number of adults troubled by chronic nightmares.",
"Identifying nightmare-prone children is generally more difficult than teaching adults the technique for replacing nightmares with pleasant dreams.",
"Psychologists should not teach the technique for replacing nightmares with pleasant dreams to children who are unlikely to suffer from nightmares as adults."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify drawing the conclusion in Bethany's argument? |
At one sitting, a typical doughnut eater consumes 4 doughnuts containing a total of 680 calories and 40 grams of fat. The typical bagel eater consumes exactly one bagel, at 500 calories and one or two grams of fat per sitting, though the addition of spreads can raise calorie and fat content to the four-doughnut range. Thus, as far as total calorie content is concerned, there is very little difference between what a typical doughnut eater and a typical bagel eater each consumes at one sitting. | 200912_2-LR1_14_14 | [
"The calories and fat in bagels have the same health impact on bagel eaters as the calories and fat in doughnuts have on doughnut eaters.",
"Most bagel eaters are not fully aware of the calorie and fat content of a bagel.",
"Eating bagels instead of eating doughnuts provides no real health benefit.",
"The typical doughnut eater does not add to doughnuts any substances that increase the total caloric intake.",
"Most typical doughnut eaters are not also bagel eaters."
]
| 3 | The argument depends on assuming which one of the following? |
Bowers: A few theorists hold the extreme view that society could flourish in a condition of anarchy, the absence of government. Some of these theorists have even produced interesting arguments to support that position. One writer, for example, contends that anarchy is laissez-faire capitalism taken to its logical extreme. But these theorists' views ignore the fundamental principle of social philosophy—that an acceptable social philosophy must promote peace and order. Any social philosophy that countenances chaos, i.e., anarchy, accordingly deserves no further attention. | 200912_2-LR1_15_15 | [
"the meaning of a key term shifts illicitly during the course of the argument",
"the argument fails to show that laissez-faire capitalism deserves to be rejected as a social philosophy",
"the truth or falsity of a view is not determined by the number of people who accept it as true",
"the argument presumes, without providing justification, that any peaceful society will flourish",
"it is unreasonable to reject a view merely because it can be described as extreme"
]
| 0 | The reasoning in Bowers's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that |
All poets, aside from those who write only epigrams, have wit. All lyrical composers are poets. Azriel does not write epigrams, though he is a lyrical composer. So Azriel has wit. | 200912_2-LR1_16_16 | [
"All squeeze toys, except those designed for cats, are safe for infants. All squeeze toys are sold prewrapped. This item is not designed for cats, and it is sold prewrapped. So it must be safe for infants.",
"Aside from the dogcatcher and the police chief, all of the politicians in town are lawyers. All of the politicians in town have websites. Sal is a politician in town, but is neither the dogcatcher nor the police chief. Since Sal is a politician in town he must have a website.",
"All visas are assigned by this office, except for those that are issued through diplomatic channels. All visit permits are visas. Thus, the visit permit in Will's passport was assigned through diplomatic channels.",
"All of this store's winter garments are on sale, except for the designer clothes. None of the shirts in this store are designer clothes. This shirt, therefore, since it is on sale, is a winter garment.",
"All residential buildings are subject to the original fire code, except for those built last year. All townhouses are residential buildings. Bloom House was not built last year, and it is a townhouse, so it is subject to the original fire code."
]
| 4 | The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to that in the argument above? |
Teachers should not do anything to cause their students to lose respect for them. And students can sense when someone is trying to hide his or her ignorance. Therefore, a teacher who does not know the answer to a question a student has asked should not pretend to know the answer. | 200912_2-LR1_17_17 | [
"A teacher cannot be effective unless he or she retains the respect of students.",
"Students respect honesty above all else.",
"Students' respect for a teacher is independent of the amount of knowledge they attribute to that teacher.",
"Teachers are able to tell when students respect them.",
"Students lose respect for teachers whenever they sense that the teachers are trying to hide their ignorance."
]
| 4 | The conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed? |
Contrary to Malthus's arguments, human food-producing capacity has increased more rapidly than human population. Yet, agricultural advances often compromise biological diversity. Therefore, Malthus's prediction that insufficient food will doom humanity to war, pestilence, and famine will likely be proven correct in the future, because a lack of biodiversity will eventually erode our capacity to produce food. | 200912_2-LR1_18_18 | [
"It is a hypothesis the argument provides reasons for believing to be presently false.",
"It is a part of the evidence used in the argument to support the conclusion that a well-known view is misguided.",
"It is an observation that the argument suggests actually supports Malthus's position.",
"It is a general fact that the argument offers reason to believe will eventually change.",
"It is a hypothesis that, according to the argument, is accepted on the basis of inadequate evidence."
]
| 3 | The statement that human food-producing capacity has increased more rapidly than human population plays which one of the following roles in the argument? |
At a gathering at which bankers, athletes, and lawyers are present, all of the bankers are athletes and none of the lawyers are bankers. | 200912_2-LR1_19_19 | [
"All of the athletes are bankers.",
"Some of the lawyers are not athletes.",
"Some of the athletes are not lawyers.",
"All of the bankers are lawyers.",
"None of the lawyers are athletes."
]
| 2 | If the statements above are true, which one of the following statements must also be true? |
Quality control investigator: Upon testing samples of products from our supplier that were sent by our field inspectors from various manufacturing locations, our laboratory discovered that over 20 percent of the samples were defective. Since our supplier is contractually required to limit the rate of defects among items it manufactures for us to below 5 percent, it has violated its contract with us. | 200912_2-LR1_20_20 | [
"bases its conclusion on too small a sample of items tested by the laboratory",
"presumes, without providing justification, that the field inspectors were just as likely to choose a defective item for testing as they were to choose a nondefective item",
"overlooks the possibility that a few of the manufacturing sites are responsible for most of the defective items",
"overlooks the possibility that the field inspectors tend to choose items for testing that they suspect are defective",
"presumes, without providing justification, that the field inspectors made an equal number of visits to each of the various manufacturing sites of the supplier"
]
| 3 | The reasoning in the quality control investigator's argument is flawed in that the argument |
Essayist: When the first prehistoric migrations of humans from Asia to North America took place, the small bands of new arrivals encountered many species of animals that would be extinct only 2,000 years later. Since it is implausible that hunting by these small bands of humans could have had such an effect, and since disease-causing microorganisms not native to North America were undoubtedly borne by the new arrivals as well as by the animals that followed them, these microorganisms were probably the crucial factor that accounts for the extinctions. | 200912_2-LR1_21_21 | [
"Animals weakened by disease are not only less able to avoid hunters but are also less able to avoid their other predators.",
"Human beings generally have a substantial degree of biological immunity to the diseases carried by other species.",
"Very few species of North American animals not hunted by the new arrivals from Asia were extinct 2,000 years after the first migrations.",
"Individual humans and animals can carry a disease-causing microorganism without themselves suffering from the disease.",
"Some species of North American animals became extinct more than 2,000 years after the arrival in North America of the first prehistoric human migrants from Asia."
]
| 2 | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the essayist's argument? |
A recent study confirms that nutritious breakfasts make workers more productive. For one month, workers at Plant A received free nutritious breakfasts every day before work, while workers in Plant B did not. The productivity of Plant A's workers increased, while that of Plant B's workers did not. | 200912_2-LR1_22_22 | [
"Few workers in Plant B consumed nutritious breakfasts during the month of the study.",
"Workers in the study from Plant A and Plant B started work at the same time of day.",
"During the month before the study, workers at Plant A and Plant B were equally productive.",
"Workers from Plant A took fewer vacation days per capita during the month than did workers from Plant B.",
"Workers in Plant B were more productive during the month of the study than were workers from Plant A."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? |
This year a flood devastated a small river town. Hollyville, also a river town, responded with an outpouring of aid in which a majority of its residents participated, a proportion that far surpassed that of a few years ago when Hollyville sent aid to victims of a highly publicized earthquake. This year's circumstances were a reversal of last year's, when Hollyville itself was the scene of a deadly tornado and so the recipient rather than the supplier of emergency aid. | 200912_2-LR1_23_23 | [
"People are more likely to aid people they know than they are to aid strangers.",
"Those who have received aid are more likely to be in favor of government relief programs than are those who have not.",
"The amount of aid that victims of a disaster receive is unrelated to the extent to which the disaster is publicized.",
"Once a disaster has struck them, people are more likely to aid others in need than they were before the disaster.",
"People are more likely to aid those who have experienced a hardship similar to one they themselves have experienced than to aid those who have experienced a dissimilar hardship."
]
| 3 | The situation described above most closely conforms to which one of the following generalizations? |
Market analyst: According to my research, 59 percent of consumers anticipate paying off their credit card balances in full before interest charges start to accrue, intending to use the cards only to avoid carrying cash and writing checks. This research also suggests that in trying to win business from their competitors, credit card companies tend to concentrate on improving the services their customers are the most interested in. Therefore, my research would lead us to expect that ____. | 200912_2-LR1_24_24 | [
"most consumers would be indifferent about which company's credit card they use",
"credit card companies would not make the interest rates they charge on cards the main selling point",
"most consumers would prefer paying interest on credit card debts over borrowing money from banks",
"most consumers would ignore the length of time a credit card company allows to pay the balance due before interest accrues",
"the most intense competition among credit card companies would be over the number of places that they can get to accept their credit card"
]
| 1 | Which one of the following most logically completes the market analyst's argument? |
About 3 billion years ago, the Sun was only 80 percent as luminous as it is currently. Such conditions today would result in the freezing of Earth's oceans, but geological evidence shows that water rather than ice filled the oceans at that time. Heat is trapped within Earth's atmosphere through the presence of carbon dioxide, which, like methane, is a "greenhouse gas." Only if the level of greenhouse gases were higher 3 billion years ago than it is today would Earth have retained enough heat to keep the oceans from freezing. It is likely, therefore, that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was significantly higher then than it is today. | 200912_2-LR1_25_25 | [
"Sufficient heat to keep the oceans liquid 3 billion years ago could not have been generated through geological processes such as volcanic activity.",
"Geological studies indicate that there is much less methane in Earth's atmosphere today than there was 3 billion years ago.",
"Geological evidence indicates that the oceans contained greater amounts of dissolved minerals 3 billion years ago, but not enough to alter their freezing points significantly.",
"The increase in the Sun's luminosity over the past 3 billion years roughly coincided with an increasing complexity of life forms on Earth.",
"Because the distance from Earth to the Sun has not changed significantly over the last 3 billion years, the increase in the Sun's luminosity has resulted in more radiation reaching Earth."
]
| 1 | Which one of the following, if true, weakens the argument? |
Commentator: For a free market to function properly, each prospective buyer of an item must be able to contact a large number of independent prospective sellers and compare the prices charged for the item to what the item is worth. Thus, despite advertised prices and written estimates available from many of its individual businesses, the auto repair industry does not constitute a properly functioning free market. | 200912_2-LR1_26_26 | [
"People do not usually shop for auto repairs but instead take their autos to their regular repair shop out of habit.",
"Some persons who are shopping for auto repairs cannot determine what these repairs are worth.",
"Not all auto repair shops give customers written estimates.",
"Many auto repair shops charge more for auto repairs than these repairs are worth.",
"Because it is not regulated, the auto repair industry does not have standardized prices."
]
| 1 | The conclusion of the commentator's argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
New technologies that promise to extend life and decrease pain involve innovations that require extensive scientific research. Therefore, investment in such technologies is very risky, because innovations requiring extensive scientific research also require large amounts of capital but are unlikely to provide any financial return. Nonetheless, some people are willing to invest in these new technologies. | 200912_3-LR2_1_1 | [
"When investments in new technologies that promise to extend life and decrease pain do provide financial return, they generally return many times the original investment, which is much more than the return on safer investments.",
"A large variety of new technologies that promise to extend life and decrease pain have been developed in the last decade.",
"The development of certain new technologies other than those that promise to extend life and decrease pain is also very risky, because these technologies require large amounts of capital but are unlikely to provide any financial return.",
"Some investments that initially seem likely to provide reasonably large financial return ultimately provide no financial return.",
"The scientific research necessary to develop new technologies that promise to extend life and decrease pain sometimes leads to no greater understanding of the natural world."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why some people are willing to invest in new technologies that promise to extend life and decrease pain? |
A university psychology department received a large donation from a textbook company after agreeing to use one of the company's books for a large introductory course. The department chair admitted that the department would not have received the donation if it used another company's textbook, but insisted that the book was chosen solely for academic reasons. As proof, she noted that the department's textbook committee had given that textbook its highest rating. | 200912_3-LR2_2_2 | [
"The members of the textbook committee were favorably influenced toward the textbook by the prospect of their department receiving a large donation.",
"The department has a long-standing policy of using only textbooks that receive the committee's highest rating.",
"In the previous year, a different textbook from the same company was used in the introductory course.",
"The department chair is one of the members of the textbook committee.",
"The textbook company does not routinely make donations to academic departments that use its books."
]
| 0 | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the case for the department chair's position? |
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