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Many scholars believe that official medieval persecutions of various minority groups were undertaken very reluctantly by medieval authorities and only in order to soothe popular unrest caused by underlying popular hostility to the groups in question. This belief is highly questionable. For one thing, there are few indi... | The argument proceeds by | [
"referring to the large numbers of scholarly adherents of a certain view to support the claim that the view is correct",
"establishing a general principle and using the principle to justify a conclusion about a particular category of cases",
"citing both a lack of evidence supporting a particular explanation an... | 2 | train_400 |
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 w... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the doctor's argument? | [
"Some patients may have allergic reactions to certain medicines that have been tolerated by other patients.",
"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.",
"The vast majority of purveyors o... | 3 | train_401 |
Philosopher: The eighteenth-century thesis that motion is absolute asserts that the change in an object' s position over time could be measured without reference to the position of any other object. A well-respected physicist, however, claims that this thesis is incoherent. Since a thesis that is incoherent cannot be a... | The argument uses which one of the following argumentative techniques? | [
"attempting to persuade by the mere use of technical terminology",
"inferring from what has been observed to be the case under experimental conditions to what is in principle true",
"generalizing from what is true in one region of space to what must be true in all regions of space",
"relying on the authority ... | 3 | train_402 |
In Kravonia, the average salary for jobs requiring a college degree has always been higher than the average salary for jobs that do not require a degree. Over the last few years, the number of Kravonians enrolled in college has been growing steadily. Ttherefore, the number of Kravonians entering the job market who have... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"In recent years, employers have been requiring college degrees for workers in jobs that were previously performed successfully by Kravonians who did not have college degrees.",
"Kravonians with more than one college degree earn little more, on average, than do Kravonians with only one college degree.",
"The av... | 2 | train_403 |
Between 1971 and 1975, the government office that monitors drug companies issued an average of 60 citations a year for serious violations of drug-promotion laws. Between 1976 and 1980, the annual average for issuance of suchs citations was only 5. This decrease indicates that the government office was, on average, cons... | The argument assumes which one of the following? | [
"The government office should not issue more than an average of 5 citations a year to drug companies for serious violations of drug-promotion laws.",
"Before 1971 the government office issued more than 60 citations a year to drug companies for serious violations of drug-promotion laws.",
"A change in enforcemen... | 3 | train_404 |
Lydia: Each year, thousands of seabirds are injured when they become entangled in equipment owned by fishing companies. Ttherefore, the fishing companies should assume responsibility for funding veterinary treatment for the injured birds. Jonathan: Your feelings for the birds are admirable. Your proposal, however, shou... | Jonathan uses which one of the following techniques in his response to Lydia? | [
"He questions the appropriateness of interfering with wildlife in any way, even if the goal of the interference is to help.",
"He attempts to discredit her proposal by discussing its implications for only those birds that it serves least well.",
"He evades discussion of her proposal by raising the issue of whet... | 1 | train_405 |
If there is an election, you can either vote or not. If you vote, you have the satisfaction of knowing you influenced the results of the election; if you do not vote, you have no right to complain about the results. So, following an election, either you will have the satisfaction of knowing you influenced its results o... | The reasoning in which one of the following most closely resembles that in the argument above? | [
"When manufacturers use a natural resource, they are either efficient or inefficient. If they are inefficient, the resource will be depleted quickly. If they are efficient, the resource will last much longer. So either manufacturers are efficient or they should be fined.",
"If you go for a walk, when you are fini... | 2 | train_406 |
A smoker trying to quit is more likely to succeed if his or her doctor greatly exaggerates the dangers of smoking. Similar strategies can be used to break other habits. But since such strategies involve deception, individuals cannot easily adopt them unless a doctor or some other third party provides the warning. | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? | [
"The more the relevant danger is exaggerated, the more likely one is to break one's habit.",
"People generally do not find it easy to deceive themselves.",
"A doctor is justified in deceiving a patient whenever doing so is likely to make the patient healthier.",
"Most of the techniques that help people quit s... | 1 | train_407 |
An undergraduate degree is necessary for appointment to the executive board. Further, no one with a felony conviction can be appointed to the board. Thus, Manu, an accountant with both a bachelor' s and a master' s degree, cannot be accepted for the position of Executive Administrator, since he has a felony conviction. | The argument's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"If Manu did not have a felony conviction, he would be accepted for the position of Executive Administrator.",
"Only candidates eligible for appointment to the executive board can be accepted for the position of Executive Administrator.",
"The felony charge on which Manu was convicted is relevant to the duties ... | 1 | train_408 |
No widget factory is located in the Western Time Zone. Some widget factories are employee owned and operated, and nearly all widget factories are publicly owned. Widget factories are the only businesses with more than one thousand employees. A privately-owned factory employs two thousand people. | If the statements above are correct, which one of the following must be true? | [
"The factory is not a widget factory.",
"The factory is employee-owned and -operated.",
"The factory is located in the Central Time Zone.",
"The factory is a widget factory."
] | 3 | train_409 |
Given that employees of the XYZ Company could, in theory, do their work at home, the company developed a radical plan to increase efficiency: eliminate office-space expenditures by having employees work at home. To evaluate this plan, XYZ' s managers asked volunteers from the company' s staff to try the arrangement for... | Which of the following, if true, would argue most strongly against deciding, on the basis of the trial results, to implement the company's plan? | [
"The employees who agreed to participate in the test of the plan were among the company's most self-motivated and independent workers.",
"The volunteers who worked at home were able to communicate with other employees as necessary for performing the work.",
"The savings that would accrue from reduced office-spa... | 0 | train_410 |
Mathematics teacher: Teaching students calculus before they attend university may significantly benefit them. Yet if students are taught calculus before they are ready for the level of abstraction involved, they may abandon the study of mathematics altogether. So if we are going to teach pre-university students calculu... | Which one of the following principles most helps to justify the mathematics teacher's argument? | [
"Teachers who teach university-level mathematics to pre-university students should be aware that students are likely to learn effectively only when the application of mathematics to concrete problems is shown.",
"Cognitive tasks that require exceptional effort tend to undermine the motivation of those who attempt... | 2 | train_411 |
First-time computer buyers buying PXC home computers typically buy models that cost much less and have a smaller profit margin per computer than do PXC computers bought by people replacing their computers with more powerful models. Last year PXC' s profits from computer sales were substantially higher than the previous... | If the statements above are true, which of the following is most strongly supported by them? | [
"The number of people buying PXC computers who also bought PXC computer-related products, such as printers, was larger last year than the previous year.",
"PXC's production costs for its computers were lower last year than they had been the previous year.",
"The proportion of PXC computers bought by first-time ... | 2 | train_412 |
Inertia affects the flow of water pumped through a closed system of pipes. When the pump is first switched on, the water, which has mass, takes time to reach full speed. When the pump is switched off, inertia causes the decrease in the water flow to be gradual. The effects of inductance in electrical circuits are simil... | The information above provides the most support for which one of the following? | [
"Inertia in the flow of water pumped by an electrically powered pump is caused by inductance in the pump's circuits.",
"The rate at which electrical current flows is affected by inductance.",
"The flow of electrical current in a circuit requires inertia.",
"Electrical engineers try to minimize the effects of ... | 1 | train_413 |
Pettengill: Bebop jazz musicians showed their distaste for jazz classics by taking great liberties with them, as though the songs could be made interesting only through radical reshaping. Romney: Only compelling, versatile songs can stand such radical reshaping. Bebop musicians recognized this, and their revolutionary ... | Pettengill and Romney disagree over whether | [
"bebop musicians showed appreciation for jazz classics in radically reshaping them",
"jazz music requires musicians to adhere closely to the original version in order to be widely popular",
"bebop jazz was an improvement on the jazz classics that preceded it",
"bebop jazz was radically different from the jazz... | 0 | train_414 |
Pulford: Scientists who study the remains of ancient historical figures to learn about their health history need to first ask themselves if their investigation is a legitimate scientific inquiry or is motivated by mere curiosity. An investigation into a private matter such as health history is justified only if it is d... | Varela responds to Pulford's argument by | [
"attempting to draw a distinction between two views that Pulford treats as a single view",
"disputing the validity of a principle that Pulford explicitly states",
"maintaining that Pulford's argument is based on inconsistent premises",
"contending that Pulford's argument rests on an untenable distinction"
] | 3 | train_415 |
Political strategist: Clearly, attacking an opposing candidate on philosophical grounds is generally more effective than attacking the details of the opponent' s policy proposals. A philosophical attack links an opponent' s policy proposals to an overarching ideological scheme, thereby telling a story and providing con... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the political strategist' s argument? | [
"The stories that people are most likely to remember are those that are emotionally compelling.",
"Political attacks that tell a story are able to provide more context than those that do not.",
"Voters are typically uninterested in the details of candidates' policy proposals.",
"Political attacks that are emo... | 3 | train_416 |
There is a widespread belief that people can predict impending earthquakes from unusual animal behavior. Skeptics claim that this belief is based on selective coincidence: people whose dogs behaved oddly just before an earthquake will be especially likely to remember that fact. At any given time, the skeptics say, some... | Clarification of which one of the following issues would be most important to an evaluation of the skeptics' position? | [
"Are the sorts of behavior supposedly predictive of earthquakes as pronounced in dogs as they are in other animals?",
"Are there animals about whose behavior people know too little to be able to distinguish unusual from everyday behavior?",
"Which is larger, the number of skeptics or the number of people who be... | 3 | train_417 |
Vandenburg: This art museum is not adhering to its purpose. Its founders intended it to devote as much attention to contemporary art as to the art of earlier periods, but its collection of contemporary art is far smaller than its other collections. Simpson: The relatively small size of the museum' s contemporary art co... | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning in Simpson's response to Vandenburg? | [
"The intentions of an art museum's curators should not determine what is collected by that museum.",
"An art museum's purpose need not be to collect every style of every period.",
"An ethnographic museum's purpose should be defined according to its curators' beliefs.",
"An art museum should collect only works... | 3 | train_418 |
Herbalist: Many herbal medicines work best when they have a chance to influence the body gently over several months. However, many of these herbal medicines have toxic side effects when taken daily for such long periods. Ttherefore, at least some people who use herbal medicines daily should occasionally skip their usua... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the herbalist's argument? | [
"At least some people who use herbal medicines daily use them for periods long enough for the medicines to have side effects.",
"At least some herbal medicines work less well in achieving their desired effects if one occasionally skips one's usual dose than if one does not.",
"Some herbal medicines have toxic s... | 0 | train_419 |
The Canadian elk has traditionally been limited in its geographic range by the presence of elderberries, its primary source of food, which only grow up until a certain point in the tundra. A recent rise in temperatures, however, has seen a spread in the growth of elderberries northwards into the tundra. Ttherefore, the... | Which of the following, if true, best casts doubt on the argument? | [
"The grizzly bear, the Canadian elk's primary predator, has also started moving north into the tundra.",
"During the summer months, many Canadian elk are hunted both for sport and for their meat.",
"The permafrost, the region above the tundra, in which the temperatures never reach above freezing, will unlikely ... | 3 | train_420 |
Literature professor: Critics charge that the work of C. F. Providence' s best-known follower, S. N. Sauk, lacks aesthetic merit because it employs Providence' s own uniquely potent system of symbolic motifs in the service of a political ideal that Providence -- and, significantly, some of these critics as well -- woul... | The literature professor argues that the conclusion drawn by the critics has not really been established, on the grounds that | [
"these critics are motivated by antipathy toward Sauk's political ideas",
"the claims made in support of this conclusion have not been shown to be relevant to it",
"Sauk's work has aesthetic merit",
"the claims made in support of this conclusion have not been shown to be correct"
] | 1 | train_421 |
Many movies starring top actors will do well at the box office because the actors are already well known and have a loyal following. Movies starring unknown actors are ttherefore unlikely to do well. | The flawed reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following? | [
"Many animals must devote most of their energy to locating food, or they will not get enough food to maintain optimal energy levels. Thus, if immediate survival requires such an animal to devote most of its energy to some other purpose, optimal energy levels generally will not be maintained.",
"Often the presence... | 1 | train_422 |
A famous artist once claimed that all great art imitates nature. If this claim is correct, then any music that is great art would imitate nature. But while some music may imitate ocean waves or the galloping of horses, for example, most great music imitates nothing at all. | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the argument? | [
"Music is inferior to the other arts.",
"Like some great music, some great painting and sculpture may fail to imitate nature.",
"Sounds that do not imitate nature are not great music.",
"Either the artist's claim is incorrect, or most great music is not great art."
] | 3 | train_423 |
According to the theory of continental drift, in prehistoric times, many of today' s separate continents were part of a single huge landmass. As the plates on which this landmass rested began to move, the mass broke apart, and ocean water filled the newly created chasms. It is hypothesized, for example, that South Amer... | Which one of the following discoveries, if it were made, would most support the above hypothesis about South America and Africa? | [
"Some of the oldest tribes of people living in eastern South America speak languages linguistically similar to various languages spoken by certain western African peoples.",
"A large band of ancient rock of a rare type along the east coast of South America is of the same type as a band on the west coast of Africa... | 1 | train_424 |
Scientist: In our study, chemical R did not cause cancer in laboratory rats. But we cannot conclude from this that chemical R is safe for humans. After all, many substances known to be carcinogenic to humans cause no cancer in rats; this is probably because some carcinogens cause cancer only via long-term exposure and ... | Which one of the following most precisely describes the role played in the scientist's argument by the statement that chemical R did not cause cancer in laboratory rats? | [
"It is cited as being insufficient to support the conclusion that chemical R is safe for humans.",
"It is advanced to support the contention that test results obtained from laboratory rats cannot be extrapolated to humans.",
"It is used as evidence to support the hypothesis that chemical R causes cancer in huma... | 0 | train_425 |
Evan: I am a vegetarian because I believe it is immoral to inflict pain on animals to obtain food. Some vegetarians who share this moral reason nonetheless consume some seafood, on the grounds that it is not known whether certain sea creatures can experience pleasure or pain. But if it is truly wrong to inflict needles... | Which one of the following most closely conforms to the principle illustrated by Evan's criticism of vegetarians who eat seafood? | [
"It is uncertain whether all owners of the defective vehicles know that their vehicles are being recalled by the manufacturer. Thus, we should expect that some vehicles that have been recalled have not been returned.",
"I am opposed to using incentives such as reduced taxes to attract businesses to our region. Th... | 2 | train_426 |
A recently passed law requires all places of public accommodation to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities by removing all physical barriers to accessibility. Private schools, ttherefore, are legally obligated to make their campuses physically accessible to persons with disabilities. | The conclusion above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"Private schools, like public schools are places of public accommodation.",
"Private schools have enough funds to make their campuses barrier-free.",
"No private school can legally deny admission to a person with a disability.",
"Private schools have historically been resistant to changes in government policy... | 0 | train_427 |
There is a difference between beauty and truth. After all, if there were no difference, then the most realistic pieces of art would be the best as well, since the most realistic pieces are the most truthful. But many of the most realistic artworks are not among the best. | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? | [
"An artwork's beauty is inherently subjective and depends on who is viewing it.",
"If an artwork contains nonrealistic elements, then it is not at all truthful.",
"None of the best artworks are realistic.",
"The most beautiful artworks are the best artworks."
] | 3 | train_428 |
To decrease the number of crimes in city Y, the city' s Police Commissioner proposed taking some police officers from low-crime districts of the city and moving them to high-crime districts of the city. His proposal is based on city Y crime data that show that the number of crimes in any district of the city decreases ... | The Police Commissioner's proposal depends on which of the following assumptions? | [
"There are more low-crime districts than high-crime districts in city Y.",
"The number of crimes committed in all high-crime districts of city Y is more than triple the number of crimes committed in all low-crime districts of city Y.",
"City X experienced a drastic reduction in crime after implementing a propos... | 3 | train_429 |
Doctor: The practice of using this therapy to treat the illness cannot be adequately supported by the claim that any therapy for treating the illness is more effective than no therapy at all. What must also be taken into account is that this therapy is expensive and complicated. | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the doctor's argument? | [
"The therapy is more effective than other forms of treatment for the illness.",
"The therapy's possible effectiveness in treating the illness is not sufficient justification for using it.",
"The therapy is more expensive and complicated than other forms of treatment for the illness.",
"The therapy should not ... | 1 | train_430 |
Editorial: It is the popular assumption that millennials are less altruistic than the generation that came before them. Company reports of top-down volunteer programs and suggested donations through work are less likely to be performed by millennials and more likely to be performed by the generation that preceded them.... | Which of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument? | [
"The argument assumes that corporate greed is the byproduct of the millennial attitude with no sufficient evidence backing this claim. The evidence presented has more to do with millennial behavior related to volunteering and less to do with direct corporate greed.",
"The argument fails to acknowledge corporate a... | 2 | train_431 |
Over 90 percent of the human brain currently serves no purpose, as is evident from the fact that many people with significant brain damage show no discernible adverse effects. So once humans begin to tap into this tremendous source of creativity and innovation, many problems that today seem insurmountable will be withi... | Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument? | [
"The argument infers that certain parts of the brain do nothing merely on the basis of the assertion that we do not know what they do.",
"The argument presumes, without providing justification, that the only reason that any problem remains unsolved is a lack of creativity and innovation.",
"The argument infers ... | 3 | train_432 |
All potatoes naturally contain solanine, which is poisonous in large quantities. Domesticated potatoes contain only very small amounts of solanine, but many wild potatoes contain poisonous levels of solanine. Since most of the solanine in potatoes is concentrated in the skin, however, peeling wild potatoes makes them a... | Which one of the following, if assumed, allows the conclusion above to be properly drawn? | [
"Wild potatoes are generally much smaller than domesticated potatoes.",
"The amount of solanine concentrated in the skin of a wild potato is large enough by itself to be poisonous.",
"There are no poisonous substances in domesticated potatoes other than solanine.",
"There is no more solanine in a peeled wild ... | 3 | train_433 |
Director of personnel: Ms. Tours has formally requested a salary adjustment on the grounds that she was denied merit raises to which she was entitled. Since such grounds provide a possible basis for adjustments, an official response is required. Ms. Tours presents compelling evidence that her job performance has been b... | The personnel director's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it | [
"fails to consider the possibility that Ms. Tours's complaint could be handled on an unofficial basis",
"ignores the possibility that some of the people who did receive merit increases were not entitled to them",
"overlooks the implications for the integrity of the firm's merit-based reward system of denying Ms... | 2 | train_434 |
Lightbox, Inc. , owns almost all of the movie theaters in Washington County and has announced plans to double the number of movie screens it has in the county within five years. Yet attendance at Lightbox' s theaters is only just large enough for profitability now and the county' s population is not expected to increas... | Which of the following, if true about Washington County, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"In selecting the mix of movies shown at its theaters, Lightbox's policy is to avoid those that appeal to only a small segment of the moviegoing population.",
"The sales of snacks and drinks in its movie theaters account for more of Lightbox's profits than ticket sales do.",
"Spending on video purchases, as wel... | 3 | train_435 |
Taxi driver: My passengers complained when, on a hot day, I turned off my cab' s air conditioner while driving up a steep hill. While the engine is powerful enough to both run the air conditioner and climb the hill without slowing, this would have decreased my fuel economy considerably. So turning off the air condition... | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most supports the taxi driver's reasoning? | [
"A taxi driver should always act in a way that is most likely to ensure customer satisfaction.",
"A taxi driver should run a cab's air conditioner only if doing so does not cause fuel economy to drop below normal levels.",
"A taxi driver should try to balance concern for fuel economy with concern for passenger ... | 1 | train_436 |
Journalists sometimes use historical photographs to illustrate articles about current events. But this recycling of old photographs overstates the similarities between past and present, and thereby denies the individual significance of those current events. Hence, the use of historical photographs in this manner by jou... | Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the conclusion of the argument to be properly inferred? | [
"If journalists believe current events to be mere repetitions of historical incidents, then public understanding of the present will be distorted.",
"If a journalistic practice distorts public understanding of the present by overstating the similarities between past and present, then it denies the individual sign... | 3 | train_437 |
Conventional wisdom suggests vaccinating elderly people first in flu season, because they are at greatest risk of dying if they contract the virus. This year's flu virus poses particular risk to elderly people and almost none at all to younger people, particularly children. Nevertheless, health professionals are recomm... | Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest reason for the health professionals' recommendation? | [
"Children who catch one strain of the flu virus and then recover are likely to develop immunity to at least some strains with which they have not yet come in contact.",
"Children are particularly unconcerned with hygiene and ttherefore are the group most responsible for spreading the flu virus to others.",
"The... | 1 | train_438 |
Electronic cigarettes should not be subject to the same regulation as other products that contain nicotine. Recent studies indicate that electronic cigarettes help people quit smoking by providing nicotine without the harmful tar and additive chemicals. Although electronic cigarettes also contain their own additives, t... | Which one of the following most weakens the argument? | [
"The current regulations are designed to prevent children from using nicotine.",
"The recent studies are not conclusive.",
"The additives in electronic cigarettes have not been tested as thoroughly as those in traditional cigarettes.",
"More smokers die from heart disease than cancer."
] | 0 | train_439 |
Art history professor: Costa criticizes my theories about the distinction between baroque and neoclassical Austrian painting. He argues that since there are no features possessed by all and only the works from a given historical period, assigning works of art to period styles is intellectually bankrupt . His reasoning ... | Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the art history professor 's argument? | [
"The argument presumes, without providing justification, that theories about one type of art cannot be compared to theories about another.",
"The argument confuses a necessary condition for discounting a person's reasoning with a sufficient condition for discounting a person's reasoning .",
"The argument presum... | 3 | train_440 |
Farm animals have certain behavioral tendencies that result from the evolutionary history of these species. By imposing on these animals a type of organization that conflicts with their behavioral tendencies, current farm-management practices cause the animals more pain and distress than do practices that more closely ... | If the statements above are true, which one of the following can be properly inferred from them? | [
"In order to implement efficient farm-management practices, it is necessary to be familiar with the evolutionary history of farm animals.",
"In order to create farm-management practices that cause less pain and distress to farm animals, a significant loss of efficiency will be required.",
"Farm-management pract... | 3 | train_441 |
The chairperson should not have released the Election Commission' s report to the public, for the chairperson did not consult any other members of the commission about releasing the report before having it released. | The argument's conclusion can be properly inferred if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"It would have been permissible for the chairperson to release the commission's report to the public only if most other members of the commission had first given their consent.",
"The chairperson would have been justified in releasing the report only if each of the commission's members would have agreed to its be... | 0 | train_442 |
Which one of the following exhibits both of the logical flaws exhibited in the argument above? | All intelligent people are nearsighted. I am very nearsighted. So I must be a genius. | [
"All chickens have beaks. This bird has a beak. So this bird must be a chicken.",
"All pigs have four legs, but this spider has eight legs. So this spider must be twice as big as any pig.",
"John is extremely happy, so he must be extremely tall because all tall people are happy.",
"I must be stupid because al... | 2 | train_443 |
The following is an excerpt from a campaign speech. Senator Baker: My opponent, Candidate Rothmore, has called for increased taxes to fund programs that help the long-term unemployed of the state. <b> Such action would address an immediate symptom for a select group, without doing much to address the overall problems w... | In the argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? | [
"The first is evidence supporting the main argument; the second is the main conclusion.",
"The first is a prediction about a recommendation the main argument opposes; the second is a conclusion drawn in order to support the main conclusion.",
"The first is a prediction that, if accurate, would provide support f... | 1 | train_444 |
Professor Edwards must have revealed information that was embarrassing to the university. After all, to have been publicly censured by the head of the university, as Edwards was, a professor must either have revealed information that embarrassed the university or have been guilty of gross professional negligence, and E... | Which one of the following arguments exhibits a pattern of reasoning most similar to that in the argument above? | [
"Anyone who is either awarded a letter of commendation or who receives a bonus must be recommended by a company officer. Simon has been recommended by a company officer and will receive a bonus, so he must not have been awarded a letter of commendation.",
"To earn a merit salary increase, an employee of TGX must ... | 3 | train_445 |
People who have doctorates in the liberal arts are interested in improving their intellects. Companies, however, rarely hire people who are not concerned with the financial gain that can be obtained by hard work in the business world. As a result, companies rarely hire people who have doctorates in the liberal arts. | The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"Some people who are interested in the liberal arts do not care about money.",
"Only people not concerned with making money in the business world are interested in improving their intellects.",
"The only people not interested in making money in the business world are people who are interested in improving their... | 1 | train_446 |
Forest fragmentation occurs when development severs a continuous area of forest, breaking it down into small patches. Some animals, such as white-footed mice, thrive in conditions of forest fragmentation, reaching their highest population densities in small forest patches. These mice are the main carrier of the bacteri... | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? | [
"The population density for most species of small animals increases when a continuous area of forest becomes fragmented.",
"Deer ticks reach their highest population densities in small forest patches.",
"White-footed mice are very rarely found in unfragmented forests.",
"Efforts to stop the fragmentation of f... | 3 | train_447 |
Consumer: I would like to have the features contained in the latest upgrade to your computer software package, but I am leery of installing the upgrade because a friend has told me he had a problem with it. Company representative: We have distributed nearly 3, 000 copies of the upgrade and we have received fewer than 1... | The reasoning in the company representative's argument is most vulnerable to criticism because it fails to consider the possibility that | [
"a significant number of people have experienced problems with the upgrade but have not reported them",
"some of the reported problems were a result of users failing to follow instructions",
"the consumer will experience software problems if the upgrade is not installed",
"some of the problems people have exp... | 0 | train_448 |
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) such as asteroids threaten the Earth because they have the potential to collide with it. The goal of NEO research is to develop measures to counteract a possible hit by a sizable NEO. Government funding of this research is not a waste of money. Buying home insurance makes good fiscal sense, an... | The statement that buying home insurance makes good fiscal sense plays which one of the following roles in the argument? | [
"It is a general principle for which the argument attempts to provide support.",
"It connects an analogy made in the argument to the argument's conclusion.",
"It is the overall conclusion of the argument.",
"It provides a contrast to the situation that is the main focus of the argument."
] | 1 | train_449 |
At many electronics retail stores, the consumer has the option of purchasing product warranties that extend beyond the manufacturer' s warranty. However, consumers are generally better off not buying extended warranties. Most problems with electronic goods occur within the period covered by the manufacturer' s warranty... | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? | [
"Most of those who buy extended warranties on electronic goods do so because special circumstances make their item more likely to break than is usually the case.",
"Retail stores sell extended warranties in part because consumers who purchase them are likely to purchase other products from the same store.",
"Pr... | 2 | train_450 |
One' s palate is to a great extent socially determined: that is, if we notice that a lot of people enjoy consuming a certain type of food, we will eventually come to like the food as well, once we have become accustomed to the food. | Which one of the following most closely conforms to the principle above? | [
"Sally found jalapeno peppers to be too hot when she first tried them, but now she can eat them without discomfort, because her family members use them frequently in their cooking.",
"Yolanda dislikes pickles because she has observed that many of her relatives wince when eating pickles.",
"Maxine spoke to her n... | 3 | train_451 |
All social systems are based upon a division of economic roles. The values of a social system are embodied in the prestige accorded persons who fill various economic roles. It is ttherefore unsurprising that, for any social system, the introduction of labor-saving technology that makes certain economic roles obsolete w... | Which one of the following can most reasonably be concluded on the basis of the information above? | [
"A technologically advanced society will place little value on the prestige associated with an economic role.",
"No type of technology will fail to undermine the values in a social system.",
"Social systems will have unchanging values if they are shielded from technological advancement.",
"A social system who... | 3 | train_452 |
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. | The pattern of flawed reasoning in the argument most closely parallels that in which one of the following? | [
"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.",
"Although many actors dislike harsh reviews of their work, such reviews actually help their careers b... | 1 | train_453 |
Paperback books wear out more quickly than hardcover books do, but paperback books cost much less. Ttherefore, users of public libraries would be better served if public libraries bought only paperback books, since by so doing these libraries could increase the number of new book titles added to their collections witho... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"People are more likely to buy for themselves a copy of a book they had previously borrowed from the public library if that book is available in paperback.",
"Library users as a group depend on their public library for access to a wide variety of up-to-date reference books that are published in hardcover only.",
... | 1 | train_454 |
A certain auto repair shop services a particular make of car in the downtown region of a particular city. Three years ago, 4% of all repairs at this shop were not successful --- the mechanics were not able to restore the car to a drivable state. This year, only 2% of all repairs were not successful. Clearly, the mechan... | All of the following statements, if true, weaken the argument, EXCEPT: | [
"The manufacturer of this particular make of car recalled a few models due to defects that potentially jeopardized the engine.",
"The total number of cars served per year by this shop has increased by 35% over the past three years.",
"Three years ago, statewide smog regulations had the effect of removing the ol... | 1 | train_455 |
There are about 75 brands of microwave popcorn on the market; altogether, they account for a little over half of the money from sales of microwave food products. It takes three minutes to pop corn in the microwave, compared to seven minutes to pop corn conventionally. Yet by weight, microwave popcorn typically costs ov... | If the statements in the passage are true, which one of the following must also be true? | [
"More money is spent on microwave food products that take three minutes or less to cook than on microwave food products that take longer to cook.",
"No single brand of microwave popcorn accounts for a large share of microwave food product sales.",
"There are more brands of microwave popcorn on the market than t... | 0 | train_456 |
Sociologist: Many rural residents claim to only approve of modest lifestyles; yet, many of these same rural residents often buy magazines focused on the lives of celebrities. However, it is proven that humans are often fascinated by the very things they condemn. Ttherefore, it is predictable that these celebrity magazi... | The sociologist's argument depends on which one of the following assumptions? | [
"More rural residents than before regard modest living highly.",
"All people who buy magazines focused on the lives of celebrities condemn such lifestyles.",
"Most rural residents who buy the magazines focused on celebrities do not regard the celebrity lifestyles as modest.",
"All rural residents who buy the ... | 2 | train_457 |
Activist: As electronic monitoring of employees grows more commonplace and invasive, we hear more and more attempted justifications of this practice by employers. Surveillance, they explain, keeps employees honest, efficient, and polite to customers. Such explanations are obviously self-serving, and so should not be ta... | A questionable technique used in the activist's argument is to | [
"attack employers' motives instead of addressing their arguments",
"attack an argument different from that actually offered by the employers",
"insist that modern business practices meet moral standards far higher than those accepted in the past",
"make a generalization based on a sample that there is reason ... | 0 | train_458 |
Mayor Pollister always repays his contributors by passing the laws they desire. Since Mayor Pollister recently passed the city' s first clean air act, he must have had a contributor to repay. | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? | [
"Mayor Pollister recently gained a great deal of support from a contributor.",
"Mayor Pollister would not have passed the law unless he was doing so for a contributor.",
"Mayor Pollister needed contributions to succeed in the election.",
"The city will be benefited by the passage of the clean air act."
] | 1 | train_459 |
The interstitial nucleus, a subregion of the brain' s hypothalamus, is typically smaller for male cats than for female cats. A neurobiologist performed autopsies on male cats who died from disease X, a disease affecting no more than . 05 percent of male cats, and found that these male cats had interstitial nuclei that ... | Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"The hypothalamus is known not to be causally linked to disease Y, and disease X is a subtype of disease Y.",
"The interstitial nuclei of female cats who contract disease X are larger than those of female cats who do not contract disease X.",
"Of 1, 000 autopsies on male cats who did not contract disease X, 5 r... | 0 | train_460 |
The attribution of the choral work Lacrimae to the composer Pescard (1400-1474) has been regarded as tentative, since it was based on a single treatise from the early 1500' s that named Pescard as the composer. Recently, several musical treatises from the late 1500' s have come to light, all of which name Pescard as th... | Which of the following most logically completes the argument? | [
"the later treatises probably had no source for their attribution other than the earlier treatise",
"the author of the treatise from the early 1500's had no very strong evidence on which to base the identification of Pescard as the composer of Lacrimae",
"the treatise from the early 1500's misidentifies the com... | 0 | train_461 |
Leaf beetles damage willow trees by stripping away their leaves, but a combination of parasites and predators generally keeps populations of these beetles in check. Researchers have found that severe air pollution results in reduced predator populations. The parasites, by contrast, are not adversely affected by polluti... | Which of the following most logically completes the passage? | [
"where air pollution is not especially severe, predators have much more impact on leaf-beetle populations than parasites do",
"the damage caused by leaf beetles is usually not enough to kill a willow tree outright",
"the parasites that attack leaf beetles actually tend to be more prevalent in areas with severe ... | 0 | train_462 |
Dogs learn best when they are trained using both voice commands and hand signals. After all, a recent study shows that dogs who were trained using both voice commands and hand signals were twice as likely to obey as were dogs who were trained using only voice commands. | The claim that dogs learn best when they are trained using both voice commands and hand signals figures in the argument in which one of the following ways? | [
"It is a statement of background information offered to help facilitate understanding the issue in the argument.",
"It is a statement that the argument claims is supported by the study.",
"It is an implicit assumption of the argument.",
"It is an intermediate conclusion that is offered as direct support for t... | 1 | train_463 |
Formal performance evaluations in the professional world are conducted using realistic situations. Physicians are allowed to consult medical texts freely, attorneys may refer to law books and case records, and physicists and engineers have their manuals at hand for ready reference. Students, then, should likewise have ... | The reasoning in the argument is questionable because the argument | [
"neglects to take into account the fact that professionals were once students who also did not have access to textbooks during examinations",
"neglects to take into account the fact that, unlike students, professionals have devoted many years of study to one subject",
"cites examples that are insufficient to su... | 3 | train_464 |
Geographers and historians have traditionally held the view that Antarctica was first sighted around 1820, but some sixteenth-century European maps show a body that resembles the polar landmass, even though explorers of the period never saw it. Some scholars, ttherefore, argue that the continent must have been discover... | Which of the following, if true, is most damaging to the inference drawn by the scholars? | [
"Ancient philosophers believed that there had to be a large landmass at the South Pole to balance the northern continents and make the world symmetrical.",
"Between 3, 000 and 9, 000 years ago, the world was warmer than it is now, and the polar landmass was presumably smaller.",
"There are only a few sixteenth-... | 0 | train_465 |
Louis: People' s intentions cannot be, on the whole, more bad than good. Were we to believe otherwise, we would inevitably cease to trust each other, and no society can survive without mutual trust among its members. | The argument is most vulnerable to which one of the following criticisms? | [
"It mistakenly assumes that if two claims cannot at the same time both be true, then they cannot at the same time both be false.",
"It assumes without warrant that in any situation with two possible outcomes, the most negative one will inevitably occur.",
"It challenges the truth of a claim merely by calling in... | 3 | train_466 |
On average, city bus drivers who are using the new computerized fare-collection system have a much better on-time record than do drivers using the old fare-collection system. Millicent Smith has the best on-time record of any bus driver in the city. Ttherefore, she must be using the computerized fare-collection system. | Which one of the following contains flawed reasoning most similar to that contained in the argument above? | [
"All the city's solid-waste collection vehicles acquired after 1988 have a larger capacity than any of those acquired before 1988. This vehicle has the largest capacity of any the city owns, so it must have been acquired after 1988.",
"This tomato is the largest of this year's crop. Since the tomatoes in the expe... | 1 | train_467 |
In yesterday' s council election a majority of voters supported conservative candidates, and a majority of voters supported candidates who voted in favor of the antipollution act. Ttherefore, it must be that a majority of voters in yesterday' s council election supported conservative candidates who voted in favor of th... | Which one of the following is an argument that contains flawed reasoning most similar to the flawed reasoning in the argument above? | [
"Mark will go on a picnic today only if it does not rain. Susan will go on a picnic today only if Mark goes too. Since it is not going to rain today, both Mark and Susan will go on a picnic.",
"According to Sara, most children like pies. According to Robert, most children like blueberries. So if Sara and Robert a... | 1 | train_468 |
The press reports on political campaigns these days as if they were chess games. One candidate' s campaign advisor makes a move; the other candidate' s advisor makes a countermove. The press then reports on the campaign advisors and not on the candidates. The losers in this chess game are the voters. They are deprived ... | Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument in the passage depends? | [
"There is no difference between reporting on the political process and reporting on substantive issues.",
"The voters are not paying enough attention to the election to be able to make informed decisions.",
"The candidates in the election are taking positions on substantive policy issues.",
"How the press rep... | 2 | train_469 |
Sherrie: Scientists now agree that nicotine in tobacco is addictive inasmuch as smokers who try to stop smoking suffer withdrawal symptoms. For this reason alone, tobacco should be treated the same way as other dangerous drugs. Governments worldwide have a duty to restrict the manufacture and sale of tobacco. Fran: By ... | The dialogue above lends the most support to the claim that Sherrie and Fran disagree with each other about which one of the following statements? | [
"The manufacture and sale of all drugs should be regulated by governments.",
"Coffee and soft drinks that contain caffeine should not be regulated by governments.",
"Scientists and governments have a duty to cooperate in regulating drugs to protect the public health.",
"Agreement by scientists that a substanc... | 3 | train_470 |
Researcher: Dinosaurs lack turbinates -- nasal cavity bone structures in warm-blooded species that minimize water loss during breathing. According to some paleobiologists, this implies that all dinosaurs were cold-blooded. These paleobiologists must be mistaken, however, for fossil records show that some dinosaur speci... | Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the researcher's argument by the claim that only warm-blooded animals could survive temperatures below freezing? | [
"It is presented as counterevidence to the paleobiologists' assertion that dinosaurs lack turbinates.",
"It is presented as a potential counterexample to the argument's main conclusion.",
"It is a premise offered in support of the argument's main conclusion.",
"It is the argument's main conclusion."
] | 2 | train_471 |
In jurisdictions where use of headlights is optional when visibility is good, drivers who use headlights at all times are less likely to be involved in a collision than are drivers who use headlights only when visibility is poor. Yet Highway Safety Department records show that making use of headlights mandatory at all ... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above? | [
"In jurisdictions where use of headlights is optional when visibility is good, one driver in four uses headlights for daytime driving in good weather.",
"Only very careful drivers use headlights when their use is not legally required.",
"The jurisdictions where use of headlights is mandatory at all times are th... | 1 | train_472 |
To protect certain fledgling industries, the government of country Z banned imports of the types of products those industries were starting to make. As a direct result, the cost of those products to the buyers, several export-dependent industries in Z, went up, sharply limiting the ability of those industries to compet... | Which of the following can be most properly inferred from the passage about the products whose importation was banned? | [
"Those products had become more and more expensive to import, which resulted in a foreign trade deficit just before the ban.",
"Those products were the ones that country Z was hoping to export in its turn, once the fledgling industries matured.",
"Those products had been cheaper to import than they were to make... | 2 | train_473 |
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 no... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the economist's argument? | [
"Lowering income taxes will have no effect on government spending.",
"Increasing consumer spending will cause prices for goods and services to decrease.",
"If income taxes are not lowered, consumers' wages will decline even further.",
"Consumers will be less reluctant to spend money if income taxes are lowere... | 3 | train_474 |
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were divided into two groups. Small magnets were applied to the backs of one group; the other group received no treatment. Most of the patients in the first group, but very few in the second group, reported a significant reduction in pain. This shows that ... | Which one of the following, if true, constitutes the logically strongest counter to the physician's argument? | [
"There was wide variation in the specific causes of the chronic back pain suffered by the patients in the experiment.",
"A patient's merely knowing that a treatment has been applied can lead to improvement in his or her condition.",
"Most physicians believe that medication relieves chronic back pain more effect... | 1 | train_475 |
In the nation of Partoria, large trucks currently have a much higher rate of traffic accidents per mile driven than other vehicles do. However, the very largest trucks-those with three trailers-had less than a third of the accident rate of single- and double-trailer trucks. Clearly, ttherefore, one way for Partoria to ... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"In Partoria, the safety record of the trucking industry as a whole has improved slightly over the past ten years.",
"No matter what changes Partoria makes in the regulation of trucking, it will have to keep some smaller roads off-limits to all large trucks.",
"Increased use of triple-trailer trucks would mean ... | 3 | train_476 |
Advertisement: Clark brand-name parts are made for cars manufactured in this country. They satisfy all of our government automotive tests -- the toughest such tests in the world. With foreign-made parts, you never know which might be reliable and which are cheap look-alikes that are poorly constructed and liable to cos... | The argument requires the assumption that | [
"foreign-made parts are not suitable for cars manufactured in this country",
"no foreign-made parts satisfy our government standards",
"if parts are made for cars manufactured in our country, they are not poorly constructed",
"parts that satisfy our government standards are not as poorly constructed as cheap ... | 3 | train_477 |
In 1995, ecologists started to reintroduce the wolf into Yellowstone Park, where the wolf had been eliminated intentionally half a century earlier. Rangers expected a rise in the number of wolf would place limits on the elk population and on the populations of many mid-size mammals. One unexpected consequence was a dra... | Which of the following, if true, most helps explain the dramatic rise in the fox population? | [
"Foxes choose very different breeding area than do wolves",
"Elk hunting is more popular, and more widely marketable, than is fox hunting",
"The main predators of the fox were coyotes, on which the wolf preys.",
"In the agricultural counties surrounding Yellowstone, there are significantly lower wolf and fox ... | 2 | train_478 |
To prevent a newly built dam on the Chiff River from blocking the route of fish migrating to breeding grounds upstream, the dam includes a fish pass, a mechanism designed to allow fish through the dam. Before the construction of the dam and fish pass, several thousand fish a day swam upriver during spawning season. But... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"On other rivers in the region, the construction of dams with fish passes has led to only small decreases in the number of fish migrating upstream.",
"During spawning season, the dam releases sufficient water for migratory fish below the dam to swim upstream.",
"Populations of migratory fish in the Chiff River ... | 3 | train_479 |
Historian: The revolutionary party has been accused of having many overambitious goals and of having caused great suffering. However, most of the party' s goals were quickly achieved and the party did not have enough power to cause the suffering the critics claim it caused. So it is clear that the party was not overamb... | The reasoning in the historian's argument is flawed because the argument | [
"fails to establish that the revolutionary party caused no suffering",
"provides no evidence that the revolutionary party's goals were not overambitious",
"fails to establish that any of the revolutionary party's critics underestimated the party's power",
"gives mutually inconsistent responses to the two crit... | 0 | train_480 |
Researcher: It is commonly believed that species belonging to the same biological order, such as rodents, descended from a single common ancestor. However, I compared the genetic pattern in 3 rodent species -- guinea pigs, rats, and mice -- as well as in 13 nonrodent mammals, and found that while rats and mice are gene... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the researcher's reasoning? | [
"Some pairs of species not having a common ancestor are genetically more similar to each other than are some pairs that do have a common ancestor.",
"For some genuine biological orders, the most recent common ancestor dates from later epochs than does the most recent common ancestor of other biological orders.",
... | 0 | train_481 |
Principle: A government should reduce taxes on imports if doing so would financially benefit many consumers in its domestic economy. There is a notable exception, however: it should never reduce import taxes if one or more of its domestic industries would be significantly harmed by the added competition. Conclusion: Th... | Which one of the following is a statement from which the conclusion can be properly drawn using the principle? | [
"The domestic textile industry faces significant competition in many of its export markets.",
"Reducing taxes on textile imports would financially benefit some consumers in the domestic economy but would not benefit the domestic textile industry.",
"The added competition produced by any reduction of taxes on im... | 2 | train_482 |
Guideline: It is improper for public officials to influence the award of contracts or to perform other acts related to their office in a way that benefits themselves. Even the appearance of such impropriety should be avoided. Application: Greenville' s mayor acted improperly in urging the award of the city' s street ma... | Which one of the following principles most helps in justifying the application of the guideline? | [
"Creating the appearance of impropriety is as blameworthy as acting improperly.",
"Awarding a contract to a financially troubled business should be regarded as taking excessive risk.",
"Publicly funded contracts should be awarded based primarily on cost and the reliability of the contractor.",
"Benefiting one... | 3 | train_483 |
Police statistics have shown that automobile antitheft devices reduce the risk of car theft, but a statistical study of automobile theft by the automobile insurance industry claims that cars equipped with antitheft devices are, paradoxically, more likely to be stolen than cars that are not so equipped. | Which one of the following, if true, does the most to resolve the apparent paradox? | [
"Most automobile thefts are the work of professional thieves against whose efforts antitheft devices offer scant protection.",
"The most common automobile antitheft devices are audible alarms, which typically produce ten false alarms for every actual attempted theft.",
"Automobile owners who have particularly t... | 2 | train_484 |
Editorial: The town would not need to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their household garbage. However, while telling residents that they must sort their garbage would get some of them to do so, many would resent the order and refuse to comply. The current voluntary system, then,... | The contention that the town would not have to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their garbage plays which one of the following roles in the editorial's argument? | [
"It is a claim that the editorial is trying to show is false.",
"It is a fact granted by the editorial that lends some support to an alternative to the practice that the editorial defends as preferable.",
"It is an example of a difficulty facing the claim that the editorial is attempting to refute.",
"It is a... | 1 | train_485 |
In every case of political unrest in a certain country, the police have discovered that some unknown person or persons organized and fomented that unrest. Clearly, ttherefore, behind all the cases of political unrest in that country there has been a single mastermind who organized and fomented them all. | The flawed reasoning in the argument above most closely parallels that in which one of the following? | [
"Every telephone number in North America has an area code, so there must be at least as many area codes as telephone numbers in North America.",
"Every loss of a single hair is insignificant, so no one who has a full head of hair at twenty ever becomes bald.",
"Every citizen of Edmonton has a social insurance n... | 2 | train_486 |
Julia joined Michael Scott Paperless Company, a small New York based tech startup company, last month. Michael Scott Paperless recently received a valuation of ten million dollars. Julia is clearly the reason for the valuation. | Which of the following statements, if true, most weakens the argument? | [
"Julia only started working two weeks before the valuation.",
"Julia is an expert in her field.",
"Michael Scott Paperless Company released an extremely popular mobile application shortly before hiring Julia.",
"Michael Scott Paperless Company is wildly overvalued."
] | 2 | train_487 |
When old-growth forests are cleared of tall trees, more sunlight reaches the forest floor. This results in a sharp increase in the population of leafy shrubs on which the mule deer depend for food. Yet mule deer herds that inhabit cleared forests are less well-nourished than are herds living in old-growth forests. | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent paradox? | [
"Insect parasites, such as certain species of ticks, that feed primarily on mule deer often dwell in trees, from which they drop onto passing deer.",
"Mule deer have enzyme-rich saliva and specialized digestive organs that enable the deer to digest tough plants inedible to other deer species.",
"Mule deer herds... | 3 | train_488 |
Letter to the editor: Recently, the city council passed an ordinance that prohibits loitering at the local shopping mall. The council' s declared goal was to eliminate overcrowding and alleviate pedestrian congestion, thereby improving the mall' s business and restoring its family-oriented image. But despite these clai... | Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument's reasoning? | [
"The argument takes for granted that something cannot be the goal of an action performed unless the action will in fact achieve that goal.",
"The argument takes for granted that an action that does not accomplish its stated goals will not have any beneficial effects.",
"The argument treats a condition that is n... | 0 | train_489 |
It is an absurd idea that whatever artistic endeavor the government refuses to support it does not allow, as one can see by rephrasing the statement to read: No one is allowed to create art without a government subsidy. | The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to that in the argument above? | [
"The notion that every scientist who has been supported by a government grant will be successful is absurd, as one can see by rewording it:No scientist is allowed to do research without a government grant.",
"The notion that every scientist who is supported by a government grant will be successful is absurd, as o... | 3 | train_490 |
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. Ttherefore, more and more people must be choosing to increase their intake of calcium by eat... | The reasoning above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it | [
"fails to produce statistical evidence supporting the dairy farmers' claims",
"presumes, without providing justification, that ice cream is a better source of calcium than is cheddar cheese",
"fails to consider alternative explanations of the decline in sales of ice cream",
"relies solely on the testimony of ... | 2 | train_491 |
Reducing stress lessens a person' s sensitivity to pain. This is the conclusion reached by researchers who played extended audiotapes to patients before they underwent surgery and afterward while they were recovering. One tape consisted of conversation; the other consisted of music. Those who listened only to the latte... | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the researchers' reasoning depends? | [
"All of the patients in the study listened to the same tape before surgery as they listened to after surgery.",
"Both anesthesia and painkillers tend to reduce stress.",
"The psychological effects of music are not changed by anesthesia or painkillers.",
"Listening to music reduces stress."
] | 3 | train_492 |
In virtually any industry, technological improvements increase labor productivity, which is the output of goods and services per person-hour worked. In Parland' s industries, labor productivity is significantly higher than it is in Vergia' s industries. Clearly, ttherefore, Parland' s industries must, on the whole, be ... | The argument is most vulnerable to which of the following criticisms? | [
"It takes a condition to be the effect of something that happened only after the condition already existed.",
"It takes one possible cause of a condition to be the actual cause of that condition without considering any other possible causes.",
"It makes a distinction that presupposes the truth of the conclusion... | 1 | train_493 |
In an experiment, Dr. Farouk studied houseplants that had flourished for years. Over a three-day period he spoke to the plants encouragingly. He then transplanted them outside into a garden and stopped talking to them. Although he continued watering and fertilizing the plants, they soon wilted. When they had not recove... | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? | [
"Watering plants too much is as hazardous to their well-being as not watering them enough.",
"Talking to plants enhances their health.",
"Changes in growing conditions can affect the flourishing of plants.",
"Plants always need at least two days to adjust to transplantation."
] | 2 | train_494 |
Biologists studying plant life in the prehistoric rainforest by utilizing samples of ancient ice and fossilized evidence of biological processes found that most of the plants removed an astonishingly small amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. One biologist found that a certain tree currently found in the rainf... | Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the biologist's hypothesis? | [
"The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has remained steady since prehistoric times.",
"The trees currently found in the rainforest are largely hybrids and a product of crossbreeding that occurred in the late twentieth century.",
"The plant life in the prehistoric rainforest also contained larger amount... | 1 | train_495 |
TrueSave is a mail-order company that ships electronic products from its warehouses to customers worldwide. The company' s shipping manager is proposing that customer orders be packed with newer, more expensive packing materials that virtually eliminate damage during shipping. The manager argues that overall costs woul... | Which of the following would it be most important to ascertain in determining whether implementing the shipping manager's proposal would have the argued-for effect on costs? | [
"Whether the products shipped by TrueSave are more vulnerable to incurring damage during shipping than are typical electronic products",
"Whether a sizable proportion of returned items are returned because of damage already present when those items were packed for shipping",
"Whether electronic products are dam... | 1 | train_496 |
That the application of new technology can increase the productivity of existing coal mines is demonstrated by the case of Tribnia' s coal industry. Coal output per miner in Tribnia is double what it was five years ago, even though no new mines have opened. | Which of the following can be properly concluded from the statement about coal output per miner in the passage? | [
"Any individual Tribnian coal mine that achieved an increase in overall output in the past five years has also experienced an increase in output per miner.",
"In Tribnia the cost of producing a given quantity of coal has declined over the past five years.",
"If the number of miners working in Tribnian coal mine... | 2 | train_497 |
Atrens: An early entomologist observed ants carrying particles to neighboring ant colonies and inferred that the ants were bringing food to their neighbors. Further research, however, revealed that the ants were emptying their own colony' s dumping site. Thus, the early entomologist was wrong. | Atrens's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"There is only weak evidence for the view that ants have the capacity to make use of objects as gifts.",
"Ant dumping sites do not contain particles that could be used as food.",
"The entomologist cited retracted his conclusion when it was determined that the particles the ants carried came from their dumping s... | 1 | train_498 |
Fraenger' s assertion that the artist Hieronymus Bosch belonged to the Brethren of the Free Spirit, a nonmainstream religious group, is unlikely to be correct. Fraenger' s hypothesis explains much of Bosch' s unusual subject matter. However, there is evidence that Bosch was a member of a mainstream church, and no evide... | The statement that there is no evidence that Bosch was a member of the Brethren figures in the argument in which one of the following ways? | [
"It is used to dispute Fraenger's hypothesis by questioning Fraenger's credibility.",
"It is intended to help show that Bosch's choice of subject matter remains unexplained.",
"It is intended to cast doubt on Fraenger's hypothesis by questioning the sufficiency of Fraenger's evidence.",
"It is a premise that,... | 2 | train_499 |
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