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The fact that people who run marathons are ill less often than other people does not prove that running marathons prevents illness, for whether one runs marathons or not depends in part on one' s preexisting state of health. | The reasoning in which one of the following arguments is most similar to that in the argument above? | [
"The fact that two diseases have similar symptoms does not establish that they have the same underlying cause, for dissimilar causes can have similar effects.",
"Since what music people tend to listen to often depends on what music their friends listen to, the fact that a person listens to a style of music does n... | 2 | train_1200 |
Retailers that excel in neither convenience nor variety of merchandise tend not to be very successful. Yet many successful retailers excel in just one of the areas and meet competitors' standards for the other. Hence, a retailer' s success need not depend on excellence in both areas. | The structure of the reasoning in the argument above is most parallel to that in which one of the following? | [
"Runners who have only average speed and endurance are unlikely to win long-distance races. Some long-distance champions, however, win by being above average in speed or endurance only; ttherefore, being above average in both speed and endurance is not necessary.",
"Most plants that are neither ornamental nor edi... | 0 | train_1201 |
In a poll of a representative sample of a province' s residents, the provincial capital was the city most often selected as the best place to live in that province. Since the capital is also the largest of that province' s many cities, the poll shows that most residents of that province generally prefer life in large c... | The argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that it | [
"overlooks the possibility that what is true of the residents of the province may not be true of other people",
"overlooks the possibility that most people may have voted for small cities even though a large city received more votes than any other single city",
"takes for granted that when people are polled for... | 1 | train_1202 |
For the United States meat industry, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that over the last three years people in the United States have been eating less meat. The good news, is that during this same time period meat producers' profits have risen steadily. | Which of the following, if true during the last three years, contributes most to a resolution of the apparent discrepancy above? | [
"In the United States many new restaurants that specialize in vegetarian meals have opened.",
"Meat producers have invested large amounts of money in advertising in order to win back consumers who have decreased their meet consumption.",
"Countries that are unable to produce enough meat for their populations ha... | 2 | train_1203 |
Some accountants calculate with simple adding machines, and some use complex computers. One can perform more calculations in less time with a computer than with an adding machine. Ttherefore, assuming the costs of using the two types of machines are equal, an accountant who uses a computer generally can earn more per h... | Which one of the following is an assumption that would make the conclusion in the passage a logical one? | [
"The more hours an accountant spends on the job, the more money he or she will earn.",
"The more calculations an accountant performs, the more money he or she will earn.",
"In general, accountants vary in terms of the number of calculations they make and the amount of money they earn.",
"More accountants use ... | 1 | train_1204 |
The highest mountain ranges are formed by geological forces that raise the earth' s crust: two continent-bearing tectonic plates of comparable density collide and crumple upward, causing a thickening of the crust. The erosive forces of wind and precipitation inexorably wear these mountains down. Yet the highest mountai... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the apparent conflict described above? | [
"Patterns of extreme wind and precipitation often result from the dramatic differences in elevation commonly found in the highest mountain ranges.",
"Some lower mountain ranges are formed by a different collision process, whereby one tectonic plate simply slides beneath another of lesser density.",
"The amount ... | 0 | train_1205 |
A child learning to play the piano will not succeed unless the child has an instrument at home on which to practice. However, good-quality pianos, whether new or secondhand, are costly. Buying one is justified only if the child has the necessary talent and perseverance, which is precisely what one cannot know in advanc... | Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the course of action recommended for parents? | [
"Learners, particularly those with genuine musical talent, are apt to lose interest in the instrument if they have to play on a piano that fails to produce a pleasing sound.",
"Very young beginners often make remarkable progress at playing the piano at first, but then appear to stand still for a considerable peri... | 0 | train_1206 |
Researchers examined 100 people suffering from herniated disks in their backs. Five of them were found to have a defect in a particular gene. The researchers also examined 100 people who had no problems with the disks in their backs; none had the genetic defect. They concluded that the genetic defect increases the like... | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the researchers' reasoning? | [
"Another team of researchers examined a different group of 100 people who suffered from herniated disks, and they found that none of them had the defective gene.",
"The researchers also examined a group of 100 people who did not have the defective gene; 80 were found to have herniated disks in their backs.",
"W... | 3 | train_1207 |
Parents who wish to provide a strong foundation for the musical ability of their children should provide them with a good musical education. Since formal instruction is often a part of a good musical education, parents who wish to provide this strong foundation need to ensure that their children receive formal instruct... | The reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it fails to consider that | [
"some children might not be interested in receiving a strong foundation for their musical ability",
"there are many examples of people with formal instruction whose musical ability is poor",
"parents might not be the only source of a child's musical education",
"formal instruction might not always be a part o... | 3 | train_1208 |
Generations of European-history students have been taught that a political assassination caused the First World War. Without some qualification, however, this teaching is bound to mislead, since the war would not have happened without the treaties and alliances that were already in effect and the military force that wa... | Which one of the following most accurately restates the main point of the passage? | [
"Though the statement that the assassination caused the war is true, the term \"cause\"more fundamentally applies to the conditions that made it possible for that event to start the war.",
"Although the conditions prevailing at the time the war started made war inevitable, if the war had not been triggered by the... | 0 | train_1209 |
Joel: A myth is a narrative told to convey a community' s traditional wisdom. Myths are not generally told in the modern world because there are no longer bodies of generally accepted truths that can be conveyed in this way. Giselle: Of course there are myths in the modern world. For example, there is the myth of the m... | This may not be a narrative, but what medically trained specialist can deny the existence of that myth? Which one of the following most accurately characterizes Giselle's response to Joel's statement? | [
"It assumes that Joel is a medically trained specialist.",
"It is based on an unsupported distinction between traditional societies and the modern world.",
"It offers a scientific explanation to a problem of literary theory.",
"It offers a counterexample that calls into question part of Joel's definition of m... | 3 | train_1210 |
The more worried investors are about losing their money, the more they will demand a high potential return on their investment: great risks must be offset by the chance of great rewards. This principle is the fundamental one in determining interest rates, and it is illustrated by the fact that __ . | Which of the following best completes the passage below? | [
"in times of high inflation, the interest paid to depositors by banks can actually be below the rate of inflation",
"successful investors are distinguished by an ability to make very risky investments without worrying about their money",
"lenders receive higher Interest rates on unsecured loans than on loans ba... | 2 | train_1211 |
The government will purchase and install new severe weather sirens for this area next year if replacement parts for the old sirens are difficult to obtain. The newspaper claims that public safety in the event of severe weather would be enhanced if new sirens were to be installed. The local company from which replacemen... | The argument's conclusion follows logically from its premises if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"Replacement parts for the old sirens will be difficult to obtain if the government cannot obtain them from the company it purchased them from last year.",
"The newspaper was correct in claiming that public safety in the event of severe weather would be enhanced if new sirens were purchased.",
"Because the loca... | 0 | train_1212 |
Field studies, which have long been a staple of anthropological research, involve the researcher living within the community being studied. However, the usefulness of field studies tends to be overrated by anthropologists. Although most anthropologists do realize that living within the community one is studying affects... | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion drawn in the argument? | [
"Field studies have been a central feature of anthropological research for a long time.",
"Anthropologists tend to overestimate the value of field studies.",
"Most anthropologists underestimate how much of an effect the researcher's presence has on a community being studied.",
"Most anthropologists know that ... | 1 | train_1213 |
For years the beautiful Renaissance buildings in Palitito have been damaged by exhaust from the many tour buses that come to the city. There has been little parking space, so most buses have idled at the curb during each stop on their tour, and idling produces as much exhaust as driving. The city has now provided parki... | Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument? | [
"Tour buses typically spend less than one-quarter of the time they are in Palitito transporting passengers from one site to another.",
"Palitito's Renaissance buildings are not threatened by pollution other than engine exhaust.",
"The exhaust from Palitito's few automobiles is not a significant threat to Paliti... | 0 | train_1214 |
Thirty years ago, the percentage of the British people who vacationed in foreign countries was very small compared with the large percentage of the British population who travel abroad for vacations now. Foreign travel is, and always has been, expensive from Britain. Ttherefore, British people must have, on average, mo... | The argument requires assuming which one of the following? | [
"If more of the British people of 30 years ago had had enough money to vacation abroad, more would have done so.",
"If foreign travel had been less expensive 30 years ago, British people would still not have had enough money to take vacations abroad.",
"If the percentage of British people vacationing abroad was... | 0 | train_1215 |
The economy around Lake Paqua depends on fishing of the lake' s landlocked salmon population. In recent years, scarcity of food for salmon there has caused a decline in both the number and the size of the adult salmon in the lake. As a result, the region' s revenues from salmon fishing have declined significantly. To r... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question the plan's chances for success? | [
"Salmon is not a popular food among residents of the Lake Paqua region.",
"The shrimp to be introduced into Lake Paqua are of a variety that is too small to be harvested for human consumption.",
"The primary food for both shrimp and juvenile salmon is plankton, which is not abundant in Lake Paqua.",
"Fishing ... | 2 | train_1216 |
G: The group of works exhibited in this year' s Metropolitan Art Show reveals a bias in favor of photographers. Equal numbers of photographers, sculptors, and painters submitted works that met the traditional criteria for the show, yet more photographs were exhibited than either sculptures or paintings. As you know, ea... | If both G's assertions and H's assertion are true, which one of the following must also be true? | [
"Some of the photographs submitted for the Metropolitan Art Show did not meet the traditional criteria for the show.",
"More photographers than sculptors or painters submitted works to be considered for exhibition in the Metropolitan Art Show.",
"More works that met the traditional criteria for the Metropolitan... | 2 | train_1217 |
Thyrian lawmaker: Thyria's Cheese Importation Board inspects all cheese shipments to Thyria and rejects shipments not meeting specified standards. Yet only 1 percent is ever rejected. Ttherefore, since the health consequences and associated economic costs of not rejecting that 1 percent are negligible, whereas the boar... | The consultant responds to the lawmaker's argument by __. | [
"pointing out a benefi t of maintaining the board, which the lawmaker's argument has failed to consider",
"objecting to the lawmaker's introducing into the discussion factors that are not strictly economic",
"shifting the discussion from the argument at hand to an attack on the integrity of the cheese inspector... | 0 | train_1218 |
Many people believe that in every group of attorneys, there are only a small number of contemptible ones. However, if being antagonistic is a contemptible quality, then all successful attorneys are contemptible. Attorneys must be antagonistic in order to serve their clients well. People who are overly friendly and alwa... | Assuming that the author's statements are accurate, which one of the following statements CANNOT be true? | [
"Most people believe that all attorneys are contemptible.",
"Some people believe that all attorneys should be overly friendly and always seek to be gracious and affable.",
"Some overly friendly attorneys, who always seek to be gracious and affable, are successful.",
"Most attorneys are overly friendly and alw... | 2 | train_1219 |
Two years ago, the human resources department at Harrison' s Technologies had 175 sexual harassment cases open, a number that at that time led all companies in the sector. At that time, a typical claim took six months to process and clear. In response to this high number, the CEO' s Advisory Team published a comprehens... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion above? | [
"The human resources department at Anthony Information Industries, a principal rival of Harrison's with a similar number of employees, opened no new sexual harassment claims in the past year.",
"New paperwork and procedure, also introduced two years ago, has allowed the human resources department at Harrison's Te... | 1 | train_1220 |
A senator, near the end of his first six-year term and running for reelection, made the claim: "Citizens of our state are thriving. While national unemployment levels have remained high, our state unemployment rate has been at astonishingly low levels for eleven years running. Clearly, everyone in our state has benefit... | This argument is most vulnerable to what criticism? | [
"The economical packages introduced by the senator may not have been as beneficial to citizens of other states.",
"It takes a condition to be the effect of something that has happened only after the condition already existed.",
"It introduces several different types of evidence, not all of which are compatible ... | 1 | train_1221 |
Philosopher: Both the consequences and the motives of human actions have bearing on the moral worth of those actions. Nonetheless, to be a moral agent one must have free will, because one cannot be a moral agent without desiring to conform to a principle. | The philosopher's argument requires the assumption that | [
"nobody who acts without taking the consequences of the action into consideration is free",
"desiring to conform to a principle requires free will",
"it is impossible to have desires without also being a moral agent",
"one cannot be a moral agent if one lacks a concern for the consequences of actions"
] | 1 | train_1222 |
Tanco, a leather manufacturer, uses large quantities of common salt to preserve animal hides. New environmental regulations have significantly increased the cost of disposing of salt water that results from this use, and, in consequence, Tanco is considering a plan to use potassium chloride in place of common salt. Res... | In determining the impact on company profits of using potassium chloride in place of common salt, it would be important for Tanco to research all of the following EXCEPT: | [
"What environmental regulations, if any, constrain the disposal of the waste generated in reprocessing the by-product of potassium chloride?",
"Are the chemical properties that make potassium chloride an effective means for preserving animal hides the same as those that make common salt an effective means for doi... | 1 | train_1223 |
Country X contains many rivers that flow down from its high mountains. These rivers have been dammed to harness the hydroelectric power that can be derived from this resource. Enough power is generated to create a reserve that is more than enough to meet the country' s year-round energy needs. Yet, citizens of Country ... | Which of the following, if true, best explains the situation described above? | [
"The flow of the rivers is heavier in the spring than at other times of year.",
"Most of the electricity generated in Country X is sold to other countries.",
"Citizens of Country X rely heavily on electronic appliances in their homes.",
"Some of the most powerful rivers in Country X have yet to be dammed."
] | 1 | train_1224 |
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... | Which one of the following statements, if true, would most strengthen the argument? | [
"No known natural cause would likely account for eight meteorite craters of different ages forming a straight line.",
"A similar but shorter line of craters that are all the same age is known to have been caused by volcanic activity.",
"No known single meteor shower has created exactly eight impact craters that... | 0 | train_1225 |
Although this bottle is labeled "vinegar, " no fizzing occurred when some of the liquid in it was added to powder from this box labeled "baking soda. " But when an acidic liquid such as vinegar is added to baking soda the resulting mixture fizzes, so this bottle clearly has been mislabeled. | A flaw in the reasoning in the argument above is that this argument | [
"depends on the use of the imprecise term \"fizz\"",
"assumes that the fact of a labeling error is proof of an intention to deceive",
"fails to exclude an alternative explanation for the observed effect",
"does not take into account the fact that scientific principles can be definitively tested only under con... | 2 | train_1226 |
By examining fossilized beetles, a research team has produced the most detailed description yet of temperatures in Britain over the past 22, 000 years. Fossils of species that still exist were selected and dated. When individuals of several species found in the same place were found to date to the same period, the know... | The procedure of the researchers assumes which one of the following? | [
"The temperature tolerances of the beetle species did not change significantly during the 22, 000-year period.",
"Beetles can tolerate warm weather better than cold weather.",
"The process of dating is more accurate for beetles than for other organisms.",
"Fossils of different species found in the same place ... | 0 | train_1227 |
Loggerhead turtles live and breed in distinct groups, of which some are in the Pacific Ocean and some are in the Atlantic. New evidence suggests that juvenile Pacific loggerheads that feed near the Baja peninsula hatch in Japanese waters 10, 000 kilometers away. Ninety-five percent of the DNA samples taken from the Baj... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the reasoning above? | [
"The distance between nesting sites and feeding sites of Atlantic loggerhead turtles is less than 5, 000 kilometers.",
"Commercial aquariums have been successfully breeding Atlantic loggerheads with Pacific loggerheads for the last five years.",
"Ninety-five percent of the DNA samples taken from the Baja turtle... | 2 | train_1228 |
Along the mudflats of Garantia exist two types of annelids: earthworms and lugworms. Earthworms tend to emerge from the mud early in the morning when there is more moisture and nutrients. As a result, earthworms have access to more nutrients and thus reproduce far faster than the lugworm, which spends much of the day s... | Which of the following, if true, helps LEAST to resolve the apparent discrepancy noted above? | [
"Lugworms have specialized taste receivers, which allow them to access nutrients below ground far more easily than earthworms can.",
"The whooping crane, the earthworm's chief predator, hunts along the mudflats during the time the earthworms are feeding at the surface.",
"Compared to the lugworm, earthworms are... | 2 | train_1229 |
On average, corporations that encourage frequent social events in the workplace show higher profits than those that rarely do. This suggests that the EZ Corporation could boost its profits by having more staff parties during business hours. | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above? | [
"Frequent social events in a corporate workplace leave employees with less time to perform their assigned duties than they would otherwise have.",
"The great majority of corporations that encourage frequent social events in the workplace do so at least in part because they are already earning above-average profit... | 1 | train_1230 |
Commentator: The quality of health care is declining. Medical schools have been graduating fewer people than are needed to replace retiring physicians. Furthermore, on average, a physician now spends only 15 minutes with a patient on the patient' s first visit. | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the commentator's argument? | [
"Most patients visiting a physician are suffering from ailments that are not life threatening. Questions 16-17",
"The average length of all patient-physician visits is 20 minutes.",
"Most patients do not like to spend an inordinate amount of time in physicians' offices.",
"Five years ago, the average first pa... | 3 | train_1231 |
Lawyer: One is justified in accessing information in computer files without securing authorization from the computer' s owner only if the computer is typically used in the operation of a business. If, in addition, there exist reasonable grounds for believing that such a computer contains data usable as evidence in a le... | The principles stated by the lawyer most strongly support which one of the following judgments? | [
"Against the company owner's wishes, a police officer accessed some of the files on one of the company's computers. Although the computer was typically used in the operation of the company's business, the particular files accessed by the police officer were personal letters written by one of the company's employees... | 1 | train_1232 |
Half a dozen Q40 airliners have crashed in the past two years. The manufacturer has countered claims that the Q40' s design is faulty by pointing out that, in each of the accidents, investigations indicated pilot error as the cause. | Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the manufacturer's position? | [
"One of the crashes occurred in very poor visibility when the pilot was attempting to land.",
"In four of the crashes, the pilot's error involved disregarding instructions or information supplied by air-traffic control",
"Each of the investigations identified several factors other than pilot error as subsidiary... | 1 | train_1233 |
A clothing manufacturer reports that unsalable garments, those found to be defective by inspectors plus those returned by retailers, total 7 percent of the garments produced. Further, it reports that all of its unsalable garments are recycled as scrap, but the percentage of garments reported as recycled scrap is 9 perc... | Which one of the following, if true, could contribute most to explaining the discrepancy between the reported percentages? | [
"The total number of garments produced by the manufacturer has increased slightly over the past year.",
"Some inspectors, in order to appear more efficient, tend to overreport defects.",
"Garments with minor blemishes are sent to wholesale outlets for sale at discounted prices and are not returned for recycling... | 3 | train_1234 |
People who object to the proposed hazardous waste storage site by appealing to extremely implausible scenarios in which the site fails to contain the waste safely are overlooking the significant risks associated with delays in moving the waste from its present unsafe location. If we wait to remove the waste until we fi... | The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? | [
"The waste should be placed in the most secure location that can ever be found.",
"Moving the waste to the proposed site would reduce the threat posed by the waste.",
"Any site to which the waste could be moved will be safer than its present site.",
"Whenever waste must be moved, one should limit the amount o... | 1 | train_1235 |
Charlene: Environmental cleanup increasingly relies on microorganisms to metabolize pollutants. This has its limitations, though, since microbes become less active when a region' s temperature drops below normal. Olaf: I don' t think that' s right. Researchers studying oil spills in the Arctic and subtropical regions m... | Olaf's reply suggests that he misinterprets Charlene's use of the term | [
"cleanup",
"active",
"limitations",
"normal"
] | 3 | train_1236 |
Critics: Not so. The farms the academy selected to study were the ones that seemed most likely to be successful in using natural methods. What about the farmers who have tried such methods and failed? Which one of the following is the most adequate evaluation of the logical force of the critics' response? | Science Academy study: It has been demonstrated that with natural methods, some well-managed farms are able to reduce the amounts of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide and also of antibiotics they use without necessarily decreasing yields; in some cases yields can be increased. | [
"The critics demonstrate that natural methods are not suitable for the majority of farmers.",
"The critics show that the result of the study would have been different if twice as many farms had been studied.",
"The issue is only to show that something is possible, so it is not relevant whether the instances stu... | 2 | train_1237 |
The faster a car is traveling, the less time the driver has to avoid a potential accident, and if a car does crash, higher speeds increase the risk of a fatality. Between 1995 and 2000, average highway speeds increased significantly in the United States, yet, over that time, there was a drop in the number of car-crash ... | Which of the following, if true about the United States between 1995 and 2000, most helps to explain why the fatality rate decreased in spite of the increase in average highway speeds? | [
"The increase in average highway speeds occurred as legal speed limits were raised on one highway after another.",
"The average number of passengers per car on highways increased.",
"There were increases in both the proportion of people who wore seat belts and the proportion of cars that were equipped with airb... | 2 | train_1238 |
In the past, most children who went sledding in the winter snow in Verland used wooden sleds with runners and steering bars. Ten years ago, smooth plastic sleds became popular; they go faster than wooden sleds but are harder to steer and slow. The concern that plastic sleds are more dangerous is clearly borne out by th... | Which of the following, if true in Verland, most seriously undermines the force of the evidence cited? | [
"A few children still use traditional wooden sleds.",
"Plastic sleds can be used in a much wider variety of snow conditions than wooden sleds can.",
"Most sledding injuries occur when a sled collides with a tree, a rock, or, another sled.",
"Very few children wear any kind of protective gear, such as helmets,... | 1 | train_1239 |
Besides laying eggs in her own nest, any female wood duck will lay an egg in the nest of another female wood duck if she sees the other duck leaving her nest. Under natural nesting conditions, this parasitic behavior is relatively rare because the ducks' nests are well hidden. However, when people put up nesting boxes ... | The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? | [
"The nesting boxes for wood ducks have less space for eggs than do natural nesting sites.",
"Female wood ducks will establish nests in nest boxes only when natural nesting sites are not available.",
"Nesting female wood ducks who often see other female wood ducks are the most successful in their breeding effort... | 3 | train_1240 |
The habit many students on today' s campuses have of scribbling in their textbooks is inexcusable. It is harmful to books, aesthetically displeasing, and distracting to readers who buy the textbooks used. | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"Many students do not scribble in their textbooks.",
"In most areas, scribbling in textbooks is not illegal.",
"Many recent surveys show that books in public libraries are abused more than textbooks.",
"Most students who buy used textbooks say they are aesthetically indifferent to the scribbling and sometimes... | 3 | train_1241 |
Leptin, a protein occurring naturally in the blood, appears to regulate how much fat the body carries by speeding up the metabolism and decreasing the appetite when the body has too much fat. Mice that do not naturally produce leptin have more fat than other mice, but lose fat rapidly when they are given leptin injecti... | Which of the following most logically completes the passage? | [
"mice whose bodies did produce leptin also lost some of their body fat when given leptin injections",
"the mice that do not naturally produce leptin were from a specially bred strain of mice",
"the digestive system breaks down proteins before they can enter the bloodstream",
"people with unusually low levels ... | 2 | train_1242 |
Principle: If you sell an item that you know to be defective, telling the buyer that the item is sound, you thereby commit fraud. Application: Wilton sold a used bicycle to Harris, knowing very little about its condition. Wilton told Harris that the bicycle was in good working condition, but Harris soon learned that th... | The application of the principle is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that | [
"the application fails to establish whether Wilton was given the opportunity to repair the brakes",
"asserting something without justification is not the same as asserting something one knows to be false",
"Harris might not have believed Wilton's statement about the bicycle's condition",
"the application uses... | 1 | train_1243 |
<b> Two investigative journalists have raised the question whether the new blood pressure drug, Transerythropaxil, has sensitized patients to develop fish allergies. </b> The study was published last month in a major newspaper, and has been picked up by media throughout the country. <b> Lab data has long shown that Tra... | In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? | [
"The first provides support for conclusion of the argument; the second calls that conclusion into question.",
"The first states the conclusion of the argument; the second calls that conclusion into question.",
"Each provides support for the conclusion of the argument",
"The first identifies the content of the... | 3 | train_1244 |
X-ray examination of a recently discovered painting -- judged by some authorities to be a self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh -- revealed an underimage of a woman' s face. Either van Gogh or another painter covered the first painting with the portrait now seen on the surface of the canvas. Because the face of the woman i... | The conclusion above is properly drawn if which of the following is assumed? | [
"A painted canvas cannot be reliably attributed to an artist unless the authenticity of any underimage that painting might contain can be reliably attributed to the artist.",
"If a canvas already bears a painted image produced by an artist. a second artist who uses the canvas to produce a new painting tends to be... | 3 | train_1245 |
It is highly likely that Claudette is a classical pianist. Like most classical pianists, Claudette recognizes many of Clara Schumann' s works. The vast majority of people who are not classical pianists do not. In fact, many people who are not classical pianists have not even heard of Clara Schumann. | The reasoning in the argument above is flawed in that it | [
"presumes, without providing justification, that people who have not heard of Clara Schumann do not recognize her works",
"presumes, without providing justification, that classical pianists cannot also play other musical instruments",
"relies for its plausibility on the vagueness of the term \"classical\"",
"... | 3 | train_1246 |
FilmPro sells millions of videocassettes directly to consumers at $25 apiece for a $10 profit on each. However, FilmPro is losing money because people are buying illegally copied versions of its $25 videocassettes at far cheaper prices. So far, one million illegally copied cassettes have been sold for $5 each. Illegal ... | Which of the following is an assumption that, if true, would allow the conclusion above to be properly drawn? | [
"The illegally copied tapes are of such high quality that it is virtually impossible to differentiate between them and the originals.",
"FilmPro never sells discontinued videocassettes at less than $25 apiece.",
"At least one million more cassettes would have been purchased from FilmPro for $25 apiece if the il... | 2 | train_1247 |
Educator: Some experimental educational programs, based on the principle that children' s first education should take place at home, instruct parents in how to be their child' s "first teacher. " The school performance of the children in these programs is better than average. This shows that these programs are successf... | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the educator's argument? | [
"The cost of expanding the programs has not been precisely determined.",
"Some children who did not participate in the programs performed exceptionally well in school.",
"Not all small children enjoy being taught by their parents.",
"Most of the parents participating in the programs have prior experience as e... | 3 | train_1248 |
This boulder is volcanic in origin and yet the rest of the rock in this area is sedimentary. Since this area was covered by southward-moving glaciers during the last ice age, this boulder was probably deposited here, hundreds of miles from its geological birthplace, by a glacier. | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the conclusion drawn in the argument above? | [
"Most boulders that have been moved by glaciers have not been moved more than 100 miles.",
"The closest geological source of volcanic rock is 50 miles north of this boulder.",
"The closest geological source of volcanic rock is 50 miles south of this boulder.",
"There are no geological sources of volcanic rock... | 3 | train_1249 |
Therapist: In a recent study, researchers measured how quickly 60 different psychological problems waned as a large, diverse sample of people underwent weekly behavioral therapy sessions. About 75 percent of the 60 problems consistently cleared up within 50 weeks of therapy. This shows that 50 weekly behavioral therapy... | The therapist's argument is logically most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it | [
"takes for granted that no one suffers from more than one of the 60 psychological problems studied",
"takes for granted that there are no psychological problems that usually take significantly longer to clear up than the 60 psychological problems studied",
"fails to address the possibility that some forms of th... | 3 | train_1250 |
The level of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere is slightly higher than it was ten years ago. This increase is troubling because ten years ago the Interior Ministry imposed new, stricter regulations on emissions from coal-burning power plants. If these regulations had been followed, then the level of sulfur dioxide in th... | Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the statements above? | [
"If current regulations on emissions from coal-burning power plants are not followed from now on, then the level of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere will continue to increase.",
"There have been violations of the regulations on emissions from coal-burning power plants that were imposed ten years ago.",
"Governm... | 1 | train_1251 |
Philosopher: We should not disapprove of the unearthing of truths that we would rather not acknowledge or that, by their dissemination, might influence society in pernicious ways. | Which one of the following conforms most closely to the principle stated by the philosopher? | [
"A poem need not adhere too strictly to the truth. Art is exempt from such requirements -- it matters only that the poem provoke a response in the reader.",
"A physician should never withhold the truth from a patient, except in cases where depression induced by bad news might significantly affect the patient's re... | 3 | train_1252 |
Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are, because of their weight, extremely expensive to operate but, for the same reason, in an accident they are safer for their occupants than smaller vehicles are. Nonetheless, an analysis of recent traffic fatality statistics has led auto safety experts to conclude that the increasing pop... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to account for the response of auto safety experts to the popularity of SUVs? | [
"Recent statistics suggest that SUVs are as likely to be involved in collisions as smaller vehicles are.",
"Vehicles with a reputation for being safer than others tend to be driven more carefully than other vehicles.",
"Recent statistics suggest that large vehicles such as SUVs tend to carry more passengers tha... | 3 | train_1253 |
Environmentalist: The commissioner of the Fish and Game Authority would have the public believe that increases in the number of marine fish caught demonstrate that this resource is no longer endangered. This is a specious argument, as unsound as it would be to assert that the ever-increasing rate at which rain forests ... | The environmentalist's statements, if true, best support which of the following as a conclusion? | [
"It is possible to determine how many fish are in the sea in some way other than by catching fish.",
"Marine fish continue to be an endangered resource.",
"Modern technologies waste resources by catching inedible fish.",
"The proportion of marine fish that are caught is as high as the proportion of rain fores... | 1 | train_1254 |
Zoologist: In the Lake Champlain area, as the North American snowshoe hare population grows, so do the populations of its predators. As predator numbers increase, the hares seek food in more heavily forested areas, which contain less food, and so the hare population declines. Predator populations thus decline, the hare... | Each of the following, if true, supports the zoologist's reasoning EXCEPT: | [
"Reproduction in predator populations increases when sunspot activity indirectly affects hormonal processes associated with reproduction.",
"The variation from cycle to cycle in the magnitude of the highs and lows in snowshoe hare populations is highly correlated with variations from cycle to cycle in the intensi... | 3 | train_1255 |
Community activist: If Morganville wants to keep its central shopping district healthy, it should prevent the opening of a huge SaveAll discount department store on the outskirts of Morganville. Records from other small towns show that whenever SaveAll has opened a store outside the central shopping district of a small... | The answer to which of the following would be most useful for evaluating the community activist's reasoning? | [
"In towns with healthy central shopping districts, what proportion of the stores in those districts suffer bankruptcy during a typical five-year period?",
"Have community activists in other towns successfully campaigned against the opening of a SaveAll store on the outskirts of their towns?",
"Do newly opened S... | 0 | train_1256 |
It is clear that humans during the Upper Paleolithic period used lamps for light in caves. Though lamps can be dated to the entire Upper Paleolithic, the distribution of known lamps from the period is skewed, with the greatest number being associated with the late Upper Paleolithic period, when the Magdalenian culture ... | Each of the following, if true, contributes to an explanation of the skewed distribution of lamps EXCEPT: | [
"Artifacts from early in the Upper Paleolithic period are harder to identify than those that originated later in the period.",
"More efficient lamp-making techniques were developed by the Magdalenian culture than by earlier cultures.",
"More kinds of lamps were produced by the Magdalenian culture than by earlie... | 2 | train_1257 |
Editorial: A proposed new law would limit elementary school class sizes to a maximum of 20 students. Most parents support this measure and argue that making classes smaller allows teachers to devote more time to each student, with the result that students become more engaged in the learning process. However, researcher... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the researchers' argument? | [
"The only schools appropriate for study are large elementary schools.",
"Teachers generally devote the same amount of individualized attention to each student in a class.",
"Parental support for the proposed law rests solely on expectations of increased student engagement in the learning process.",
"Degree of... | 3 | train_1258 |
Carol: The best choice for investment is real estate because the payout is huge. Even though the market can be a little unpredictable, it' s the quickest way to turn a sizable profit. Kenny: Real estate is way too risky and people get huge sums of money tied up into one house that sometimes they can' t sell or the valu... | Based on the text above, which of the following can be assumed about Carol and Kenny's investment strategies? | [
"Kenny is willing to take risks only if the potential payout is huge.",
"Kenny would invest in stocks before he would invest in real estate.",
"Carol is very risk averse.",
"Carol is more willing to take risks than Kenny."
] | 3 | train_1259 |
Since empathy is essential for people to be willing to follow moral codes that sometimes require them to ignore their own welfare to help others, civilized society could not exist without empathy. | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? | [
"If everyone in a society is sometimes willing to ignore his or her own welfare to help others, that society will be civilized.",
"People who feel empathy tend to ignore their own welfare for the sake of others.",
"Civilized society can exist only if there are people who are willing to at least sometimes ignore... | 2 | train_1260 |
The obsession of economists with consumption as a measure of economic well-being has prevented us from understanding the true nature of economic well-being. We get very little satisfaction out of the fact that our clothing wears out, our automobiles depreciate, and the gasoline in our tanks burns up and must be replace... | The author is arguing that | [
"modern products are designed for early obsolescence",
"economic well-being cannot be defined solely in terms of consumption",
"valid measures of consumption cannot be devised",
"satisfaction is possible without consumption"
] | 1 | train_1261 |
Terry: Months ago, I submitted a claim for my stolen bicycle to my insurance company. After hearing nothing for several weeks, I contacted the firm and found they had no record of my claim. Since then, I have resubmitted the claim twice and called the firm repeatedly, but I have yet to receive a settlement. Anyone can ... | Which one of the following principles is violated by Terry's reasoning? | [
"In judging the quality of service of a corporation, a consumer should rely primarily on the consumer's own experience with the corporation.",
"Consumers should attempt to keep themselves informed of corporate behavior that directly affects their interests.",
"In judging the morality of a corporation's behavior... | 3 | train_1262 |
PhishCo runs a number of farms in the arid province of Nufa, depending largely on irrigation. Now, as part of a plan to efficiently increase the farms' total production, it plans to drill down to an aquifer containing warm, slightly salty water that will be used to raise fish in ponds. The water from the ponds will lat... | Which of the following would, if true, most strongly suggest that the plan, if implemented, would increase the overall efficiency of PhishCo's farms? | [
"Organic waste from fish in the pond water will help to fertilize fields where it is used for irrigation.",
"Fish raised on PhishCo's farms are likely to be saleable in the nearest urban areas.",
"Ponds will be located on low-lying land now partially occupied by grain crops.",
"The government of Nufa will hel... | 0 | train_1263 |
Advertising tends to have a greater influence on consumer preferences regarding brands of yogurt than it does on consumer preferences regarding brands of milk. Yet, since the LargeCo supermarket chain began advertising its store-brand products, sales of its storebrand milk increased more than sales of its store-brand y... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above? | [
"Shoppers at LargeCo tend to purchase the chain's own brand of dairy products more frequently than other brands of dairy products.",
"Consumers tend to purchase store brands of yogurt, but purchase whichever brand of milk is least expensive.",
"Supermarkets throughout the entire nation have experienced a sharp ... | 2 | train_1264 |
Salesperson: If your vacuuming needs are limited to cleaning small areas of uncarpeted floors, an inexpensive handheld vacuum cleaner is likely to be sufficient. After all, most are easy to use and will likely satisfy all your vacuuming needs on wood and tile floors. | The conclusion of the salesperson's argument is most strongly supported if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"If your household cleaning needs include cleaning small areas of uncarpeted floors, it is likely that you will need a vacuum cleaner.",
"Inexpensive handheld vacuum cleaners are sufficient for cleaning small areas of carpeted floors.",
"The only types of floor surfaces that most consumers encounter arc carpet,... | 2 | train_1265 |
Pharmacist: A large study of people aged 65 -- 81 and suffering from insomnia showed that most of insomnia' s symptoms are substantially alleviated by ingesting melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which plays a role in the regulation of the body' s biological clock. Thus, the recent claims made by manufa... | The pharmacist's argument is flawed in that it | [
"infers from the effect of an action that the action is intended to produce that effect",
"depends on using two different meanings for the same term to draw its conclusion",
"confuses an effect of a phenomenon with its cause",
"relies on a sample that is unrepresentative"
] | 3 | train_1266 |
Aaron: A prominent judge, criticizing "famous lawyers who come before courts ill-prepared to argue their cases, " recently said, "This sort of cavalier attitude offends the court and can do nothing but harm to the client' s cause. " I find the judge' s remarks irresponsible. Belinda: I find it natural and an admirable ... | The point at issue between Aaron and Belinda is whether | [
"it is to be expected that ill-prepared lawyers would offend the court in which they appear",
"famous lawyers have a greater responsibility to be well prepared than do lawyers who are not famous",
"the judge's criticism of lawyers is irresponsible",
"ill-prepared lawyers damage their clients' causes"
] | 2 | train_1267 |
Recent trends in the clothing industry have suggested that more clothing is being produced more quickly and cheaply than in the past; styles can go from the runway to stores in as little as three weeks. While most experts have focused on minimizing the time this process takes, True Clothing has in fact made efforts to ... | Which of the following would, if true, most help to explain the strategy of True Clothing referred to above? | [
"Some items of clothing can be worn in different ways to create different styles, depending on the individual consumers.",
"The sales of well-made clothing, which takes longer to produce, are less likely to fluctuate in different market conditions.",
"Companies with large market shares in the clothing industry ... | 1 | train_1268 |
Journalist: Well-known businessman Arnold Bergeron has long been popular in the state, and he has often talked about running for governor, but he has never run. However, we have just learned that Bergeron has fulfilled the financial disclosure requirement for candidacy by submitting a detailed list of his current finan... | The answer to which of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating the journalist's argument? | [
"Is submitting a list of holdings the only way to fulfill the election commission's financial disclosure requirements?",
"Did the information recently obtained by the journalists come directly from the election commission?",
"Had Bergeron also fulfilled the financial disclosure requirements for candidacy before... | 2 | train_1269 |
The Yorgorian people, many of whom still live in the jungle in traditional conditions, eat many meats of jungle mammals, resulting in a cuisine that is high in the protein RX7G, much higher than the cuisine of the industrial nation of Transpraxia. Medical research has shown a high correlation between the protein RX7G a... | Which of the following, if true, helps to explain the Yorgorian Paradox? | [
"Citizens of Transpraxia, per capita, consume almost the same amount of the protein RX7G as do the Yorgorian people.",
"The protein RX7G is in higher concentration in the meat of some jungle mammals than in the meat of some domesticated farm mammals.",
"Some upscale restaurants in Transpraxia serve the meat of ... | 3 | train_1270 |
Last winter was mild enough to allow most bird species to forage naturally, which explains why the proportion of birds visiting feeders was much lower than usual. The mild winter also allowed many species to stay in their summer range all winter without migrating south, thereby limiting the usual attrition accompanying... | Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the reasoning in the argument? | [
"Birds sometimes visit feeders even when they are able to find sufficient food for survival by foraging naturally.",
"Increases in bird populations sometimes occur following unusual weather patterns.",
"Birds that remain in their summer range all winter often exhaust that range's food supply before spring.",
... | 3 | train_1271 |
Hollywood restaurant is replacing some of its standard tables with tall tables and stools. The restaurant already fills every available seat during its operating hours, and the change in seating arrangements will not result in an increase in the restaurant' s seating capacity. Nonetheless, the restaurant' s management ... | Which of the following, if true, provides the best reason for the expectation? | [
"The standard tables being replaced by tall tables would otherwise have to be replaced with new standard tables at a greater expense.",
"Few diners are likely to avoid the restaurant because of the new seating arrangement.",
"Diners seated on stools typically do not linger over dinner as long as diners seated a... | 2 | train_1272 |
The Ixazyiquo tribe are believed to be one of the few remaining tribes in the country of Malugiato to have never had any contact with the Lamandians, settlers who arrived in Malugiain during the last hundred years. Using satellite imagery, a team of anthropologists determined that the Ixazyiquo land is covered with thr... | Which of the following, if true, would best support the anthropologists' conclusion? | [
"There is no standard shape to the Ixazyiquobanana plantations, which have taken on a form that best fits the soil conditions.",
"The Ixazyiquo are a hunter-gather society, which travel over vast areas of land to hunt.",
"Maintaining banana plantations requires sophisticated knowledge that only the Lamadians po... | 2 | train_1273 |
Unlike other primroses, self-pollinating primroses do not need to rely on insects for pollination. In many years insect pollinators are scarce, and in those years a typical non-self-pollinating primrose produces fewer seeds than does a typical self-pollinating primrose. In other years, seed production is approximately ... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above? | [
"Self-pollinating primroses that are located in areas with few insects produce no fewer seeds than do self-pollinating primroses that are located in areas with many insects.",
"When insect pollinators are scarce, non-self- pollinating primroses produce larger seeds that are more likely to germinate than are seeds... | 1 | train_1274 |
There are circumstances in which it is not immoral to make certain threats, and there are circumstances in which it is not immoral to ask for money or some other favor. Ttherefore, there are circumstances in which it is not immoral to ask for money or a favor while making a threat. | Which one of the following exhibits a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to that in the argument above? | [
"The mountain roads are treacherous after it rains, and the mountain streams are full after a rain. So, if the roads in the mountains are treacherous, and the mountain streams are full, it surely has rained recently.",
"Heavy trucks are generally operated in a safe manner, but the ability to drive a truck safely ... | 2 | train_1275 |
Leatherbacks, the largest of the sea turtles, when subjected to the conditions of captivity, are susceptible to a wide variety of fatal diseases with which they would never come in contact if they lived in the wild. It is surprising, ttherefore, that the likelihood that a leatherback will reach its theoretical maximum ... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy? | [
"The size of a leatherback is an untrustworthy indicator of its age.",
"Most leatherbacks that perish in the wild are killed by predators.",
"Fewer diseases attach leatherbacks than attack other large aquatic reptiles.",
"The average life expectancy of sea turtles in general is longer than that of almost all ... | 1 | train_1276 |
Rolanda: The house on Oak Avenue has a larger yard than any other house we' ve looked at in Prairieview, so that' s the best one to rent. Tom: No, it isn' t. Its yard isn' t really as big as it looks. Property lines in Prairieview actually start 20 feet from the street. So what looks like part of the yard is really cit... | Rolanda's response to Tom suggests that Tom commits which one of the following reasoning errors? | [
"He presumes, without providing justification, that property that belongs to the city is available for private use.",
"He improperly applies a generalization to an instance that it was not intended to cover.",
"He presumes, without providing justification, that whatever is true of a part of a thing is also true... | 3 | train_1277 |
Some planning committee members -- those representing the construction industry -- have significant financial interests in the committee' s decisions. No one who is on the planning committee lives in the suburbs, although many of them work there. | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true? | [
"No person who has significant financial interest in the planning committee's decisions lives in the suburbs.",
"No persons with significant financial interests in the planning committee's decisions are not in the construction industry.",
"Some persons with significant financial interests in the planning commit... | 2 | train_1278 |
Patel: It is often thought that direct experience, unlike language and culture, can always serve as common ground for communication among human beings. But people from different cultures inhabit different sensory worlds. Because selective screening of sensory data admits some perceptions while filtering out others, one... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by Patel's argument? | [
"The experience of one person is quite different from the experience of any other person.",
"No two people from different cultures ever encounter the same sensory data.",
"Two people from the same culture sometimes have different sensory screens.",
"No two people from different cultures have the same sensory ... | 3 | train_1279 |
A certain medication that is frequently prescribed to lower a patient' s cholesterol level is generally effective. A recent study of 1, 000 subjects ranging widely in age indicates, however, that the cholesterol level of someone taking the medication is typically 12 to 15 percent higher than the average for that person... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain how both of the claims made above could be true? | [
"The medication described above is usually prescribed only for people whose cholesterol level is at least 30 percent above the average for their age group.",
"Another medication is prescribed to treat high cholesterol just as often as the medication described above is.",
"Within the population as a whole, appro... | 0 | train_1280 |
Ms. Smith: I am upset that my son' s entire class lost two days of recess because some of the children were throwing raisins in the cafeteria. He was not throwing raisins, and it was clear to everyone just who the culprits were. Principal: I' m sorry you' re upset, Ms. Smith, but your son' s situation is like being cau... | The principal's response to Ms. Smith's complaint is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds? | [
"It does not acknowledge the fact that a traffic jam following an accident is unavoidable while the mass punishment was avoidable.",
"It makes a generalization about all the children in the class which is not justified by the facts.",
"It assumes that Ms. Smith's son is guilty when there is evidence to the cont... | 0 | train_1281 |
Statistical analysis is a common tool for explanation in the physical sciences. It can only be used, however, to explain events that can be replicated to the last detail. Since human mental events never precisely recur, statistical analysis cannot be employed to explain these events. Ttherefore, they cannot be explaine... | Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its flawed reasoning to the argument above? | [
"Computer modeling is used to try to explain the way in which wind resistance affects the movement of bicycles. To use computer modeling, the phenomenon being modeled must be predictable. But wind resistance is not predictable. Ttherefore, the way in which wind resistance affects the movement of bicycles cannot be ... | 1 | train_1282 |
Environmentalist: The complex ecosystem of the North American prairie has largely been destroyed to produce cattle feed. But the prairie ecosystem once supported 30 to 70 million bison, whereas North American agriculture now supports about 50 million cattle. Since bison yield as much meat as cattle, and the natural pra... | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the environmentalist's main conclusion? | [
"If earlier North American agricultural techniques were reintroduced, meat production would decrease only slightly.",
"Protecting the habitat of wild animals so that we can utilize these animals as a food source is more cost effective than raising domesticated animals.",
"The devastation of the North American p... | 2 | train_1283 |
Commentator: Many social critics claim that contemporary journalists' cynical tendency to look for selfish motives behind the seemingly altruistic actions of powerful people undermines our society' s well-being by convincing people that success is invariably associated with greed and mendacity. But the critics' claim i... | The reasoning in the commentator's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it overlooks the possibility that | [
"the work of contemporary journalists reflects a cynicism that is not really genuine",
"widespread cynicism is beneficial to the well-being of society",
"cynicism of this type on the part of journalists has always had a negative effect on the well-being of society",
"cynicism about the motives of powerful peo... | 2 | train_1284 |
Birds need so much food energy to maintain their body temperatures that some of them spend most of their time eating. But a comparison of a bird of a seed-eating species to a bird of a nectar-eating species that has the same overall energy requirement would surely show that the seed-eating bird spends more time eating ... | The argument relies on which one of the following questionable assumptions? | [
"The time it takes for the nectar-eating bird to eat a given amount of nectar is not longer than the time it takes the seed-eating bird to eat the same amount of seeds.",
"Birds of different species do not generally have the same overall energy requirements as each other.",
"The nectar-eating bird does not some... | 0 | train_1285 |
In Berinia, the age at which people could begin to drink alcohol legally used to be 18. In 1990, in an attempt to reduce alcohol consumption and thereby to reduce alcohol-related traffic deaths among Berinians under 21, the legal drinking age was raised to 21. Alcohol-related traffic deaths among people under 21 have d... | Which of the following, if true of Berinia, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy? | [
"Alcohol-related traffic deaths among people over 21 have increased slightly since 1990.",
"For the population as a whole, annual alcohol consumption is no lower now than it was in 1990.",
"The proportion of people under 21 who own a car is higher now than it was in 1990.",
"Alcohol consumption away from home... | 3 | train_1286 |
The proposal to hire ten new police officers in Middletown is quite foolish. There is sufficient funding to pay the salaries of the new officers, but not the salaries of additional court and prison employees to process the increased caseload of arrests and convictions that new officers usually generate. | > Which of the following, if true, will most seriously weaken the conclusion drawn above? | [
"If funding for the new police officers' salaries is approved, support for other city services will have to be reduced during the next fiscal year",
"Middletown's ratio of police officers to citizens has reached a level at which an increase in the number of officers will have a deterrent effect on crime",
"In m... | 1 | train_1287 |
A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among adults in the country of East Wendell, however, the proportion receiving disability benefit payments shrinks from 4 percent among 55 to 64 year olds to 2 percent for those aged 65 to 74 and 1 percent for those aged 75 and older. The explanation of th... | Which one of the following, if true about East Wendell, shows that the explanation above is at best incomplete? | [
"The treatment of newly incurred disabilities is more successful now than in the past in restoring partial function in the affected area within six months.",
"Under most employers' plans, disability benefit payments stop when an employee with a disability reaches the usual retirement age of 65.",
"Medical advan... | 1 | train_1288 |
Several companies that make herbal teas containing ginseng assert in their marketing that ginseng counteracts the effects of stress. As a result, many people buy these products hoping to improve their health. Yet no definitive scientific study links ginseng with the relief of stress. Thus, these marketing campaigns mak... | The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that the argument | [
"concludes that a claim is false merely on the grounds that it has not been shown to be true",
"fails to address the possibility that some ingredients other than ginseng in the herbal teas containing ginseng counteract the effects of stress",
"rejects an argument because of its source without evaluating the arg... | 0 | train_1289 |
Most people invest in the stock market without doing any research of their own. Some of these people rely solely on their broker' s advice, whereas some others make decisions based merely on hunches. Other people do some research of their own, but just as often rely only on their broker or on hunches. Only a few always... | If the statements in the passage are true, which one of the following must also be true? | [
"Most people who rely solely on their broker rather than on hunches make a profit in the stock market.",
"Most people who invest in the stock market without doing any research of their own make a profit.",
"Some people who do investment research on their own, while just as often relying on their broker or on hu... | 3 | train_1290 |
The introduction of the new drugs into the market is frequently prevented by a shortage of human subjects for the clinical trials needed to show that the drugs are safe and effective. Since the lives and health of people in future generations may depend on treatments that are currently experimental, practicing physicia... | Which of the following, if true, casts most doubt on the conclusion of the argument? | [
"Physicians have an overriding moral and legal duty to care for the health and safety of their current patients.",
"Many drugs undergoing clinical trials are intended for the treatment of conditions for which there is currently no effective treatment.",
"An experimental drug cannot legally be made available to ... | 0 | train_1291 |
Quasars -- celestial objects so far away that their light takes at least 500 million years to reach Earth -- have been seen since 1963. For anything that far away to appear from Earth the way quasars do, it would have to burn steadily at a rate that produces more light than 90 billion suns would produce. But nothing th... | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true on the basis of them? | [
"Instruments in use before 1963 were not sensitive enough to permit quasars to be seen.",
"Light from quasars first began reaching Earth in 1963.",
"Nothing that is as far from Earth as quasars are can continue to exist for more than about 100 million years.",
"No quasar that has ever been seen from Earth exi... | 3 | train_1292 |
From an analysis of broken pottery and statuary, archaeologists have estimated that an ancient settlement in southwestern Arabia was established around 1000 B. C. However, new evidence suggests that the settlement is considerably older: tests show that a piece of building timber recently uncovered at the site is substa... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the conclusion drawn from the new evidence? | [
"The building timber bore marks suggesting that it had been salvaged from an earlier settlement.",
"The pieces of pottery and fragments of statues that were analyzed come from several parts of the site.",
"The type of pottery found at the site is similar to a type of pottery associated with civilizations that e... | 0 | train_1293 |
Theorist: To be capable of planned locomotion, an organism must be able both to form an internal representation of its environment and to send messages to its muscles to control movements. Such an organism must ttherefore have a central nervous system. Thus, an organism incapable of planned locomotion does not have a c... | The theorist's argument is flawed in that it | [
"takes for granted that adaptations that serve a biologically useful purpose originally came about for that purpose",
"presumes, without providing justification, that an internal representation of its environment can be formed by an organism with even a rudimentary nervous system",
"presumes, without providing ... | 3 | train_1294 |
Alia: Hawthorne admits that he has influence with high government officials. He further admits that he sold that influence to an environmental interest group. There can be no justification for this kind of unethical behavior. Martha: I disagree that he was unethical. The group that retained Hawthorne' s services is ded... | Alia and Martha disagree on whether | [
"the meaning of ethical behavior is the same in a public situation as in a private one",
"the consequences of Hawthorne's behavior can ethically justify that behavior",
"the standards for judging ethical behavior can be imposed on Hawthorne by another",
"the meaning of ethical behavior has changed over time"
... | 1 | train_1295 |
Shanna: Owners of any work of art, simply by virtue of ownership, ethically have the right to destroy that artwork if they find it morally or aesthetically distasteful, or if caring for it becomes inconvenient. Jorge: Ownership of unique artworks, unlike ownership of other kinds of objects, carries the moral right to p... | Which one of the following principles, if accepted, would contribute most to Shanna's defense of her position against that of Jorge? | [
"There are certain entities over which no one would be ethically justified in claiming absolute rights to ownership.",
"The autonomy of individuals to do what they wish with what is theirs must not be compromised in the absence of a threat to anyone's health or safety.",
"Truly great works of art are never mora... | 1 | train_1296 |
Science columnist: It is clear why humans have so many diseases in common with cats. Many human diseases are genetically based, and cats are genetically closer to humans than are any other mammals except nonhuman primates. Each of the genes identified so far in cats has an exact counterpart in humans. | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the science columnist's explanation for the claim that humans have so many diseases in common with cats? | [
"Cats have built up resistance to many of the diseases they have in common with humans.",
"Humans have more genes in common with nonhuman primates than with cats.",
"Cats have more diseases in common with nonhuman primates than with humans.",
"Most diseases that humans have in common with cats have no genetic... | 3 | train_1297 |
Numerous paintings and engravings representing warfare can be found in remains of all civilizations going back to and including the Neolithic period, when agriculture was first developed. However, no paintings or engravings of warfare are found dating from before the Neolithic period. Ttherefore, warfare must have firs... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? | [
"Warfare in the Neolithic period was always motivated by territorial disputes over agricultural land.",
"Paintings and engravings of agricultural life began to be made at the same time as paintings and engravings of warfare.",
"Warfare is the inevitable result of the development of a civilization.",
"There wa... | 3 | train_1298 |
A scientist made three observations: (1) in the world' s temperate zones, food is more plentiful in the ocean than it is in fresh water; (2) migratory fish in temperate zones generally mature in the ocean and spawn in fresh water; and (3) migratory fish need much nourishment as they mature but little or none during the... | Which one of the following would it be most helpful to know in order to judge whether what the scientist subsequently learned calls into question the hypothesis? | [
"whether in the tropics food is less plentiful in the ocean than in fresh water",
"whether any species of fish with populations in temperate zones also have populations that live in the tropics",
"whether in the world's temperate zones, the temperatures of bodies of fresh water tend to be lower than those of th... | 0 | train_1299 |
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