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When soil is plowed in the spring, pigweed seeds that have been buried in the soil all winter are churned up to the surface and redeposited just under the surface. The brief exposure of the seeds to sunlight stimulates receptors, which have become highly sensitive to sunlight during the months the seeds were buried in ... | The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following statements about a field that will be plowed in the spring and in which pigweed seeds have been buried in the soil all winter? | [
"Fewer pigweed plants will grow in the field if it is plowed at all than if it is plowed only at night.",
"Fewer pigweed plants will grow in the field if it is plowed only at night than if it is plowed during the day.",
"Fewer pigweed plants will grow in the field if it is plowed just before sunrise than if it ... | 1 | train_4500 |
Most disposable plastic containers are now labeled with a code number (from 1 to 9) indicating the type or quality of the plastic. Plastics with the lowest code numbers are the easiest for recycling plants to recycle and are thus the most likely to be recycled after use rather than dumped in landfills. Plastics labeled... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the conclusion above? | [
"Communities that collect all discarded plastic containers for potential recycling later dump in landfills plastics with higher-numbered codes only when it is clear that no recycler will take them.",
"A plastic container almost always has a higher code number after it is recycled than it had before recycling beca... | 1 | train_4501 |
At HappyDay farms, seasonal staff is employed to pick apples during the harvest season each year. This staff is trained to identify and select only high quality apples, table-worthy apples. As part of this process, apples that have been visibly damaged by insects or disease are left to rot in the fields. The farmer who... | The conclusion drawn above is based on the assumption that | [
"the farmer obtains all of his information about problems with fruit quality from no source other than the pickers.",
"the farmer, concerned with maximizing profits from sales, would want fewer apples left to rot in the field.",
"the pickers are more qualified to assess the quality of the fruit sold by the farm... | 0 | train_4502 |
In the last year, biologists have learned that there are many more species of amphibians in existence than had previously been known. This definitely undermines environmentalists' claim that pollution is eliminating many of these species every year. | The reasoning in the argument above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it involves a confusion between | [
"a correlation between two phenomena and a causal relationship between them",
"changes in our knowledge of objects and changes in the objects themselves",
"a cause and an effect",
"a condition necessary for a phenomenon and one that is sufficient for it"
] | 1 | train_4503 |
Using fossil energy more efficiently is in the interest of the nation and the global environment, but major improvements are unlikely unless proposed government standards are implemented to eliminate products or practices that are among the least efficient in their class. Objection: Decisions on energy use are best lef... | Which one of the following, if true, most directly undermines the objection above? | [
"Often the purchaser of a product, such as a landlord buying an appliance, chooses on the basis of purchase price because the purchaser is not the person who will pay for energy used by the product.",
"When energy prices rise, consumers of energy tend to look for new ways to increase energy efficiency, such as by... | 0 | train_4504 |
Automobile manufacturers who began two decades ago to design passenger vehicles that were more fuel-efficient faced a dilemma in the fact that the lighter, more efficient vehicles were less safe on high-speed highways. However, the manufacturers avoided this dilemma by producing two types of passenger vehicles: a light... | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? | [
"Most high-speed highways are used by both commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles.",
"Most households whose members do any long- distance driving own at least two passenger vehicles.",
"Some automobile manufacturers designed prototypes for fuel-efficient passenger vehicles more than two decades ago.",
"Th... | 1 | train_4505 |
Treatment for hypertension forestalls certain medical expenses by preventing strokes and heart disease. Yet any money so saved amounts to only one-fourth of the expenditures required to treat the hypertensive population. Ttherefore, there is no economic justification for preventive treatment for hypertension. | Which of the following, if true, is most damaging to the conclusion above? | [
"In matters of health care. Economic considerations should ideally not be dominant.",
"The many fatal strokes and heart attacks resulting from untreated hypertension cause insignificant medical expenditures but large economic losses of other sorts.",
"The net savings in medical resources achieved by some preven... | 1 | train_4506 |
When demand for a factory's products is high, more money is spent at the factory for safety precautions and machinery maintenance than when demand is low. Thus the average number of on-the-job accidents per employee each month should be lower during periods when demand is high than when demand is low and less money is ... | Which of the following, if true about a factory when demand for its products is high, casts the most serious doubt on the conclusion drawn above? | [
"Its management hires new workers but lacks the time to train them properly.",
"Its management sponsors a monthly safety award for each division in the factory.",
"Its employees ask for higher wages than they do at other times.",
"Its old machinery is replaced with modern, automated models."
] | 0 | train_4507 |
Birds startled by potential predators generally try to take cover in nearby vegetation. Yet many birds that feed at bird feeders placed in suburban gardens are killed when, thus startled, they fly away from the vegetation in the gardens and into the windowpanes of nearby houses. | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the anomalous behavior of the birds that fly into windowpanes? | [
"Most of the birds startled while feeding at bird feeders placed in suburban gardens are startled by loud noises rather than by predators.",
"The windowpanes of many houses clearly reflect surrounding vegetation.",
"The bird feeders in some suburban gardens are placed at a considerable distance from the houses.... | 1 | train_4508 |
There can be no individual freedom without the rule of law, for there is no individual freedom without social integrity, and pursuing the good life is not possible without social integrity. | The conclusion drawn above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"One cannot pursue the good life without the rule of law.",
"There can be no social integrity without the rule of law.",
"Social integrity is possible only if individual freedom prevails.",
"There can be no rule of law without social integrity."
] | 1 | train_4509 |
Outsiders in any field often believe that they can bring in fresh, useful solutions that have been overlooked by insiders. But in fact, attempts at creativity that are not grounded in relevant experience are futile. Problems can be solved only by people who really understand them, and no one gains such understanding wi... | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? | [
"Those people who are experienced in a field rarely overlook creative solutions.",
"The experience required for effective problem-solving in a field does not vary depending on the field's complexity.",
"The more experience a person has in a field, the more creatively that person can solve problems in the field.... | 3 | train_4510 |
Educator: Reducing class sizes in our school district would require hiring more teachers. However, there is already a shortage of qualified teachers in the region. Although students receive more individualized instruction when classes are smaller, education suffers when teachers are underqualified. Ttherefore, reducing... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the educator's argument? | [
"Qualified teachers could not be persuaded to relocate in significant numbers to the educator's region to take teaching jobs.",
"Students place a greater value on having qualified teachers than on having smaller classes.",
"At least some qualified teachers in the school district would be able to improve the ove... | 0 | train_4511 |
Politician: From the time our party took office almost four years ago the number of people unemployed city-wide increased by less than 20 percent. The opposition party controlled city government during the four preceding years, and the number of unemployed city residents rose by over 20 percent. Thus, due to our leader... | The reasoning in the politician's argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that | [
"no evidence has been offered to show that any decline in unemployment over the past four years was uniform throughout all areas of the city",
"the evidence cited in support of the conclusion actually provides more support for the denial of the conclusion",
"the possibility has not been addressed that any incre... | 1 | train_4512 |
University spokesperson: Most of the students surveyed at the university said they would prefer that the current food vendor be replaced with a different food vendor next year. Several vendors have publicly expressed interest in working for the university. For a variety of reasons, however, the only alternative to the ... | The spokesperson's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it | [
"argues that a certain action ought to be undertaken merely on the grounds that it would be popular",
"overlooks the possibility that student preference is not the only factor to be considered when it comes to deciding which food vendor the university should hire",
"overlooks the possibility that there is disag... | 3 | train_4513 |
Researchers have found that children in large families -- particularly the younger siblings -- generally have fewer allergies than children in small families do. They hypothesize that exposure to germs during infancy makes people less likely to develop allergies. | Which one of the following, if true, most supports the researchers' hypothesis? | [
"Children whose parents have allergies have an above-average likelihood of developing allergies themselves.",
"Children from small families who entered day care before age one were less likely to develop allergies than children from small families who entered day care later.",
"Children in small families genera... | 1 | train_4514 |
Paternalism is the practice by some governments of imposing regulations meant to promote their citizens' own good regardless of whether the citizens consent to those regulations. However, many members of free societies disapprove when individual freedom is curtailed for the sake of what the government deems to be the c... | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true? | [
"In free societies, many of a government's citizens disapprove of their government's acts of paternalism.",
"The good of citizens is usually not advanced by the practice of paternalism.",
"The goals of free societies and the goals of their citizens always conflict.",
"In free societies, many of a government's... | 0 | train_4515 |
Last year all refuse collected by Shelbyville city services was incinerated. This incineration generated a large quantity of residual ash. In order to reduce the amount of residual ash Shelbyville generates this year to half of last year's total, the city has revamped its collection program. This year city services wil... | Which of the following is required for the revamped collection program to achieve its aim? | [
"The refuse incinerated this year will generate no more residual ash per truckload incinerated than did the refuse incinerated last year.",
"The total quantity of refuse collected by Shelbyville city services this year will be no greater than that collected last year.",
"This year, no materials that city servic... | 0 | train_4516 |
Jones is selling a house to Smith. The contract between the two specifies that for up to a year after ownership is transferred, Jones will be responsible for repairing any "major structural defects, " defined as defects in the roof or roof-supporting components of the house, that might be found. Jones is not responsibl... | It can be properly concluded from the information above that | [
"the contract does not oblige Jones to repair any defects in the house's nonexterior walls after ownership of the house has been transferred",
"Jones did not know of any defects in the roof or roof-supporting components of the house at the time the contract was written",
"Smith will be obligated to repair all s... | 0 | train_4517 |
In economics, a "Veblen good" is an item which people buy in greater quantity when the price goes up. <b> According to the Law of Supply and Demand, when the price of an ordinary item goes up, demand drops, i. e. people buy fewer of them. </b> A Veblen good is a luxury item to which status is attached, such as a design... | In the argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? | [
"The first is a view that the author opposes; the second is the main conclusion.",
"The first is an ironic description of what could happen in the marketplace; the second is a more realistic description of what actually happens.",
"This first is a piece of evidence supporting the main conclusion; the second is ... | 3 | train_4518 |
Columnist: If you received an unsigned letter, you would likely have some doubts about the truth of its contents. But news stories often include statements from anonymous sources, and these are usually quoted with the utmost respect. It makes sense to be skeptical of these sources, for, as in the case of the writer of ... | The columnist's argument proceeds by | [
"calling into question the motives of those presenting certain information, and concluding for this reason that the information is likely to be false",
"calling into question a certain type of evidence by drawing an analogy between that evidence and other evidence that the argument shows is usually false",
"inf... | 3 | train_4519 |
Crimes in which handguns are used are more likely than other crimes to result in fatalities. However, the majority of crimes in which handguns are used do not result in fatalities. Ttherefore, there is no need to enact laws that address crimes involving handguns as distinct from other crimes. | The pattern of flawed reasoning displayed in the argument above most closely resembles that in which one of the following? | [
"Most physicians recommend a balanced diet for those who want to remain in good health. Yet many people find that nontraditional dietary regimens such as extended fasting do their health no serious harm. Ttherefore, there is no need for everyone to avoid nontraditional dietary regimens.",
"Overweight people are a... | 1 | train_4520 |
Ethicist: Both ASA and TPA are clot-dissolving agents. Recent studies show that the more expensive agent, TPA, would save at most two more lives than would ASA out of every 50 cardiac patients to whom they are postoperatively administered. However, since the relatives of the patients who die simply because they were gi... | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the ethicist's argument? | [
"TPA is a slightly more effective clot-dissolving agent than ASA.",
"Relatives of a patient who has died grieve more if the patient received ASA rather than TPA.",
"The extra expense of TPA cannot be weighed simply against the few additional lives saved.",
"ASA should never be given to postoperative cardiac p... | 2 | train_4521 |
Landscape architect: If the screen between these two areas is to be a hedge, that hedge must be of either hemlocks or Leyland cypress trees. However, Leyland cypress trees cannot be grown this far north. So if the screen is to be a hedge, it will be a hemlock hedge. | In which one of the following is the pattern of reasoning most similar to that in the landscape architect's argument? | [
"A space the size of this meadow would be suitable for a playground or a picnic area. However, a playground would be noisy and a picnic area would create litter. So it will be best for the area to remain a meadow.",
"Any path along this embankment must be either concrete or stone. But a concrete path cannot be bu... | 1 | train_4522 |
Economist: No economic system that is centrally planned can efficiently allocate resources, and efficient allocation of resources is a necessary condition for achieving a national debt of less than 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It follows that any nation with a centrally planned economy has a national debt... | The pattern of reasoning exhibited by the economist's argument is most similar to that exhibited by which one of the following? | [
"Every mutual fund manager knows someone who trades on inside information, and no one who trades on inside information is unknown to every mutual fund manager. One must conclude that no mutual fund manager is unknown to everyone who trades on inside information.",
"All of the rural districts are free of major air... | 1 | train_4523 |
Magazine article: The Environmental Commissioner' s new proposals are called "Fresh Thinking on the Environment, "and a nationwide debate on them has been announced. Well, "fresh thinking"from such an unlikely source as the commissioner does deserve closer inspection. Unfortunately we discovered that these proposals ar... | A flaw in the magazine article's reasoning is that it | [
"dismisses the proposals because of their source rather than because of their substance",
"uses emotive language in labeling the proposals",
"assumes without any justification that since two texts are similar one of them must be influenced by the other",
"appeals to the authority of Tsarque Inc. 's chief with... | 0 | train_4524 |
In two months, the legal minimum wage in the country of Kirlandia will increase from five Kirlandic dollars(KD5. 00) Per hour to KD5. 50 per hour. Opponents of this increase have argued that the resulting rise in wages will drive the inflation rate up. In fact its impact on wages will probably be negligible, since only... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"Most people in kirlandia who are currently earning the minimum wage have been employed at their current jobs for less than a year.",
"Some firms in Kirlandia have paid workers considerably less than KD5. 00 per hour, in violation of kirlandic employment regulations.",
"The greatest growth in Kirlandia's econom... | 3 | train_4525 |
Asbestos, an almost indestructible mineral once installed as building insulation, poses no health risk unless the asbestos is disturbed and asbestos fibers are released into the environment. Since removing asbestos from buildings disturbs it, thereby releasing asbestos fibers, the government should not require removal ... | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? | [
"Some kinds of asbestos, when disturbed, pose greater health risks than do other kinds.",
"Much of the time, removed asbestos is buried in landfills and forgotten, with no guarantee that it will not be disturbed again.",
"Asbestos can pose a health threat to workers who remove it without wearing required protec... | 1 | train_4526 |
Caterpillars of all species produce an identical hormone called "juvenile hormone" that maintains feeding behavior. Only when a caterpillar has grown to the right size for pupation to take place does a special enzyme halt the production of juvenile hormone. This enzyme can be synthesized and will, on being ingested by ... | Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the view that it would NOT be advisable to try to eradicate agricultural pests that go through a caterpillar stage by spraying croplands with the enzyme mentioned above? | [
"Many agriculturally beneficial insects go through a caterpillar stage.",
"Since caterpillars of different species emerge at different times, several sprayings would be necessary.",
"Many agricultural pests do not go through a caterpillar stage.",
"Although the enzyme has been synthesized in the laboratory, n... | 0 | train_4527 |
Ordinary mountain sickness, a common condition among mountain climbers, and one from which most people can recover, is caused by the characteristic shortage of oxygen in the atmosphere at high altitudes. Cerebral edema, a rarer disruption of blood circulation in the brain that quickly becomes life-threatening if not co... | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? | [
"Unlike cerebral edema, ordinary mountain sickness involves no disruption of blood circulation in the brain.",
"The treatment for ordinary mountain sickness differs from the treatment for cerebral edema.",
"Most people who suffer from ordinary mountain sickness recover without any special treatment.",
"Cerebr... | 1 | train_4528 |
When a certain gland becomes cancerous in humans, it produces high levels of a particular protein. A blood test can determine the level of this protein well before a cancer of the gland could be detected by other means. Some doctors recommend that aggressive anticancer treatment should be begun as early as possible for... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the doctors' recommendation? | [
"The blood test for the protein has been in use for some time to monitor the condition of patients who have been diagnosed as having cancer of the gland.",
"Before the blood test became available, about one third of all cases of cancer of the gland were detected in early stages.",
"So far, no patients whose pro... | 3 | train_4529 |
Editorial: One of our local television stations has been criticized for its recent coverage of the personal problems of a local politician' s nephew, but the coverage was in fact good journalism. The information was accurate. Furthermore, the newscast had significantly more viewers than it normally does, because many p... | Which one of the following principles, if valid, would most help to justify the reasoning in the editorial? | [
"Any journalism that intentionally misrepresents the facts of a case deserves to be criticized.",
"Journalism that neither satisfies the public's curiosity nor provides accurate information can never be considered good journalism.",
"Good journalism will always provide people with information that they desire o... | 3 | train_4530 |
Braille is a method of producing text by means of raised dots that can be read by touch. A recent development in technology will allow flat computer screens to be made of a material that can be heated in patterns that replicate the patterns used in braille. Since the thermal device will utilize the same symbol system a... | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the conclusion depends? | [
"People with the tactile ability to discriminate symbols in braille have an ability to discriminate similar patterns on a flat heated surface.",
"Only people who currently use braille as their sole medium for reading text will have the capacity to adapt to the use of the thermal screen.",
"Eventually it will be... | 0 | train_4531 |
Balance is particularly important when reporting the 5. background of civil wars and conflicts. Facts must not be deliberately manipulated to show one party in a favorable light, and the views of each side should be fairly represented. This concept of balance, however, does not justify concealing or glossing over basic... | Which one of the following best expresses the main point of the argument? | [
"Balanced reporting presents the public with a picture of the world in which all sides to a conflict have equal justification.",
"Balanced reporting is an ideal that cannot be realized, because judgments of balance are necessarily subjective.",
"Common sense tells us that balance is especially needed when repor... | 3 | train_4532 |
Zachary: The term "fresco" refers to paint that has been applied to wet plaster. Once dried, a fresco indelibly preserves the paint that a painter has applied in this way. Unfortunately, additions known to have been made by later painters have obscured the original fresco work done by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel... | Stephen's response to Zachary proceeds by | [
"denying the truth of one of the stated premises of Zachary's argument",
"demonstrating the Zachary's conclusion is not consistent with the premises he uses to support it",
"challenging the definition of a key term in Zachary's argument",
"calling into question an assumption on which Zachary's conclusion depe... | 3 | train_4533 |
A city plans to attract new citizens with new housing and new facilities such as parks, recreation centers, and libraries. One component of the city' s plan is to require that developers seeking permission to build this new housing provide these additional facilities at no cost to the city. | Which of the following, if true, would point to a possible flaw in the city's plan? | [
"Other towns and cities nearby have yet to embark on any comparable plans to attract new citizens.",
"Most developers see the extra expense of providing municipal facilities as simply one of the many costs of doing business.",
"Studies show that purchasers of new houses, especially first-time buyers, rank recre... | 3 | train_4534 |
A recently completed study of several hundred subjects, all of approximately the same age, showed that those who exercised regularly during the study were much less likely to die during the study. This indicates that exercise can actually increase one' s life span. . | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? | [
"The subjects who did not exercise regularly during the study tended to have diets that were more unhealthy.",
"A person who exercises regularly is probably doing so out of concern for his or her own health.",
"A large number of the deaths recorded were attributable to preexisting conditions or illnesses.",
"... | 3 | train_4535 |
John looks like a professional bodybuilder. He weighs 210 pounds and stands six feet tall, which is the size of an NFL linebacker. John looks huge when he enters the room. Years of gym time have clearly paid off in spades. | Which of the following, if true, weakens the argument? | [
"John's father, brothers, and male cousins all look like professional bodybuilders, and none of them have ever worked out.",
"John works out five times every week.",
"John weighed considerably less before he started working out.",
"The average professional bodybuilder is considerably heavier and taller than t... | 0 | train_4536 |
If you have no keyboarding skills at all, you will not be able to use a computer. And if you are not able to use a computer, you will not be able to write your essays using a word processing program. | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must be true? | [
"If you are not able to write your essays using a word processing program, you have no keyboarding skills.",
"If you are able to write your essays using a word processing program, you have at least some keyboarding skills.",
"If you are not able to write your essays using a word processing program, you are not ... | 1 | train_4537 |
Columnist: The country is presently debating legislation that, if passed, would force manufacturers to increase the number of paid vacation days for employees, to pay higher overtime wages, and to pay all day-care expenses for children of each employee. This legislation is being supported by members of groups that have... | The columnist's argument is flawed because it | [
"assails legislation on the basis of the questionable character of supporters of the legislation",
"attacks legislation by calling into question the integrity of the originators of the legislation",
"attempts to discredit legislation by appealing to public sentiment for those who would be adversely affected",
... | 0 | train_4538 |
Professor: Different countries have different economic systems, but all economic systems have prosperity as their primary goal. Because people all want the same thing, there cannot be radical disagreement among people from different economic systems about practical economic matters. Thus all apparent disagreement in pr... | Which one of the following most accurately describes a reasoning error in the professor's argument? | [
"The argument contradicts itself about whether there are in fact differences between economic systems in different countries.",
"The argument ignores the possibility that groups of people may share the same goal but not agree about how best to achieve that goal.",
"The argument bases a general conclusion about ... | 1 | train_4539 |
Essayist: When the first prehistoric migrations of humans from Asia to North America took place, the small bands of new arrivals encountered many species of animals that would be extinct only 2, 000 years later. Since it is implausible that hunting by these small bands of humans could have had such an effect, and since... | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the essayist's argument? | [
"Very few species of North American animals not hunted by the new arrivals from Asia were extinct 2, 000 years after the first migrations.",
"Individual humans and animals can carry a disease-causing microorganism without themselves suffering from the disease.",
"Animals weakened by disease are not only less ab... | 0 | train_4540 |
The prevailing view among historians is that medieval European peasants were deeply dedicated to religion . But the record keepers in medieval Europe were members of the clergy. It should not surprise us that chroniclers who were professionally occupied with religion would exaggerate people' s religious devotion. Thus,... | Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above? | [
"Many members of the clergy in medieval Europe spent more time among peasants than among people of any other social class.",
"Documents produced by clergy in medieval Europe contain detailed descriptions of participation by peasants and others in religious activities .",
"Historians cannot develop a reliable ac... | 3 | train_4541 |
Scientists have shown that older bees, which usually forage outside the hive for food, tend to have larger brains than do younger bees, which usually do not forage but instead remain in the hive to tend to newly hatched bees. Since foraging requires greater cognitive ability than does tending to newly hatched bees, it ... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above? | [
"The brains of older bees that stop foraging to take on other responsibilities do not become smaller after they stop foraging.",
"In some species of bees, the brains of older bees are only marginally larger than those of younger bees.",
"Those bees that travel a long distance to find food do not have significan... | 3 | train_4542 |
Marion knows that the bridge on her usual route is closed and that, unless she takes the train instead of driving, she can get to work on time only by leaving at least 45 minutes early. She must go to her neighborhood bank before leaving for work, however, and the bank will not be open in time for her to do so if she l... | The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument | [
"mistakes a situation that almost certainly affects many people for one that affects a particular person alone",
"overlooks the possibility that someone might occasionally adopt a given course of action without having a good reason for doing so",
"ignores the fact that people often know that something is the ca... | 3 | train_4543 |
In setting environmental standards for industry and others to meet, it is inadvisable to require the best results that state-of-the-art technology can achieve. Current technology is able to detect and eliminate even extremely minute amounts of contaminants, but at a cost that is exorbitant relative to the improvement a... | The argument given concerning the reasonable way to set standards presupposes that | [
"minute amounts of some contaminants can be poisonous",
"the only contaminants worth measuring are generated by industry",
"industry currently meets the standards that have been set by environmental authorities",
"there are effective ways to take into account all of the relevant risks posed by allowing differ... | 3 | train_4544 |
Fire ants from Brazil now infest the southern United States. Unlike queen fire ants in Brazil, two queens in the United States share a nest. Ants from these nests are more aggressive than those from single-queen nests. By destroying virtually all insects in the nest area, these aggressive ants gain sole access to food ... | Each of the following is an assumption made in the argument EXCEPT: | [
"The predator insects from Brazil could survive in the ecological environment found in the United States.",
"The imported insects would not prove more damaging to the environment in the United States than are the fire ants themselves.",
"The rate of increase of the fire-ant population would not exceed the rate ... | 3 | train_4545 |
Anthropologist: After mapping the complete dominance hierarchy for a troupe of vervet monkeys by examining their pairwise interaction, we successfully predicted more complex forms of their group behavior by assuming that each monkey had knowledge of the complete hierarchy. Since our prediction was so accurate, it follo... | The primatologist uses which one of the following argumentative techniques in countering the anthropologist's argument? | [
"citing various facts that could not obtain if the anthropologist's conclusion were correct",
"applying one of the anthropologist's reasoning steps in another argument in an attempt to show that it leads to an absurd conclusion",
"offering another argument that has as its premise the denial of the thesis that t... | 1 | train_4546 |
Although free international trade allows countries to specialize, which in turn increases productivity, such specialization carries risks. After all, small countries often rely on one or two products for the bulk of their exports. If those products are raw materials, the supply is finite and can be used up. If they are... | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the argument as a whole? | [
"Specialization within international trade comes with risks.",
"Some countries rely on a small number of products for the export-based sectors of their economies.",
"When international trade is free, countries can specialize in what they export.",
"A small country's supply of raw materials can be used up in a... | 0 | train_4547 |
Some studies show that students are more creative after being given monetary rewards for their academic performance, but other studies show that students are less creative after receiving monetary rewards. Ttherefore, to avoid the risk of discouraging students' creativity, monetary rewards should not be given to them f... | The reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to that in the argument above? | [
"If the current model of the most popular low-priced car is redesigned to make it more powerful, then its price will be raised. A higher price for this model may lead to decreased sales. Ttherefore, this model should not be redesigned.",
"Studies are producing contrary results about the level of exercise that is ... | 3 | train_4548 |
The head baker at Barry's Bagels can either purchase flour in-person from the local flour mill, Larry's Local Mill, or order a shipment of flour from an out-of-state mill, Isadore's Interstate Mill. The cost of the flour from Isadore's Interstate Mill is 10 percent less than the cost of the flour from Larry's Local Mil... | The statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions? | [
"The shipping and handling fees for a batch of flour purchased from Isadore's Interstate Mill are less than 10 percent of the cost of an identical batch of flour purchased from Larry's Local Mill.",
"Isadore's Interstate Mill produces flour 10% more efficiently than Larry's Local Mill does.",
"Production costs ... | 0 | train_4549 |
President of the Smalltown Chamber of Commerce: In the past decade, the businesses in Smalltown have reported average profits of 15% above inflation. The mayor of Smalltown has explained this by citing decreased crime and a growing population, but he is incorrect. In reality, this increase in profitability is not due t... | Which of the following, if true, best supports the President of the Smalltown Chamber of Commerce's attribution of the increased profits to her organization's meetings? | [
"The growth of Smalltown's population has primarily been due to a higher birth rate, which has traditionally been associated with a drop in crime.",
"Businesses in Smalltown whose members did not attend these monthly meetings regularly saw their profits increase only 2% above inflation.",
"The effects of taxes ... | 1 | train_4550 |
Most people who ride bicycles for pleasure do not ride until the warm weather of spring and summery arrives. Yet it is probably more effective to advertise bicycles earlier in the year. Most bicycles are purchased in the spring, but once shoppers are ready to shop for a bicycle, they usually have already decided which ... | The main point of the argument is that | [
"bicycle advertisements are probably more effective if they appear before the arrival of warm spring weather",
"most bicycle purchasers decide on the brand and model of bicycle that they will buy before beginning to shop for a bicycle",
"in general, once a bicycle purchaser has decided which bicycle he or she i... | 0 | train_4551 |
Journalist: A manufacturers' trade group that has long kept its membership list secret inadvertently sent me a document listing hundreds of manufacturing companies. A representative of the trade group later confirmed that every company listed in the document does indeed belong to the trade group. Because Bruch Industri... | The journalist's reasoning in the argument is flawed in that the journalist | [
"does not explain how it is that the trade group could have inadvertently sent out a secret document",
"does not present any evidence that the document names every member of the trade group",
"gives no reason to think that Bruch Industries would want to belong to the trade group",
"takes for granted the accur... | 1 | train_4552 |
The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death penalty. In contrast, the death penalty remains legal in the United States. The difference in the legality of capital punishment demonstrates that the majority of American citizens believe in the death penalty, while the majority of Filipino citizen... | Which of the following is an assumption upon which the above argument depends? | [
"There are not strong voices opposing the death penalty in the United States.",
"The legal status of capital punishment in the United States and the Philippines aligns with how the majority of citizens in those respective countries view the death penalty.",
"There are more murders per year in the United States ... | 1 | train_4553 |
The Indonesian mimic octopus is able to camouflage itself from predators by blending into the background. Sometimes, though, even when a predator is nearby, the mimic octopus takes on a color pattern that is not present in the immediate environment. A marine biologist of cephalopods claims that this behavior is a sign ... | Which of the following, if true, would most call in to doubt the marine biologist's claim? | [
"Marine biologists are not familiar with all of the environments that the Indonesian mimic octopuses inhabit, since it is known to swim into crevices deep in the ocean's floor.",
"An observational study that tracked a mimic octopus over the course of a week found that it changed the color of its skin even when th... | 3 | train_4554 |
When weeding a vegetable garden, one should not try to remove all the weeds. It is true that the more weeds, the less productive the garden. Nevertheless, avoiding the painstaking effort of finding and pulling every single weed more than compensates for the slight productivity loss resulting from leaving a few. | The principle underlying which one of the following arguments is most similar to the principle underlying the argument above? | [
"If one is trying to improve one's personality by removing imperfections, one should not try to remove them all. For while each imperfection makes one's personality worse, it is no longer worth one's time to remove imperfections if there are only a few left.",
"It is a mistake to try to remove every imperfection ... | 0 | train_4555 |
Each December 31 in Country Q, a tally is made of the country' s total available coal supplies -- that is, the total amount of coal that has been mined throughout the country but not consumed. In 1991 that amount was considerably lower than it had been in 1990. Furthermore, Country Q has not imported or exported coal s... | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true on the basis of them? | [
"In Country Q, the amount of coal consumed in 1990 was greater than the amount of coal consumed in 1991.",
"In Country Q, more coal was consumed during the first half of 1991 than was consumed during the first half of 1990.",
"In Country Q, the amount of coal consumed in 1991 was greater than the amount of coal... | 2 | train_4556 |
Gaby: In school, children should be allowed fully to follow their own interests, supported by experienced teachers who offer minimal guidance. This enables them to be most successful in their adult lives. Logan: I disagree. Schoolchildren should acquire the fundamental knowledge necessary for future success, and they l... | Gaby's and Logan's comments provide most support for the claim that they disagree about | [
"the sort of school environment that most fosters children's creativity",
"the extent to which teachers should direct schoolchildren's education",
"the extent to which schoolchildren are interested in fundamental academic subjects",
"the importance of having qualified teachers involved in schoolchildren's edu... | 1 | train_4557 |
An air traveler in Beijing cannot fly to Lhasa without first flying to Chengdu. Unfortunately, an air traveler in Beijing must fly to Xian before flying to Chengdu. Any air traveler who flies from Beijing to Lhasa, ttherefore, cannot avoid flying to Xian. | The pattern of reasoning exhibited by the argument above is most similar to that exhibited by which one of the following? | [
"It is impossible to be fluent in a language without knowing its grammatical rules. A person who knows the grammatical rules of a language has learned them by means of exhaustive and difficult study or else by growing up in an environment in which the language is spoken. There are two major ways, ttherefore, for a ... | 2 | train_4558 |
Each child in a group of young children read aloud both a short paragraph and a list of randomly ordered words from the paragraph. The more experienced readers among them made fewer pronunciation errors in whichever task they performed second, whether it was the list or the paragraph. The order in which the two tasks w... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why the order in which the tasks were performed was not significant for the beginning readers? | [
"The beginning readers made more pronunciation errors than the more experienced readers did in reading both the paragraph and the list.",
"Because several words were used more than once in the paragraph but only once in the list, the list was shorter than the paragraph.",
"The more experienced readers sounded o... | 2 | train_4559 |
Historian: Fifteenth-century advances in mapmaking contributed to the rise of modern nation-states. In medieval Europe (from the fifth to the fifteenth century), sovereignty centered in cities and towns and radiated outward, with boundaries often ambiguously defined. The conceptual shift toward the modern state began i... | Which of the following would, if true, most strengthen the historian's reasoning? | [
"During the fifteenth century in Europe, mapmakers simplified the borders of sovereignty by drawing clear lines of demarcation between political powers.",
"Seventeenth-century treatises and other sources of political authority describe areas of sovereignty rather than illustrate them using maps.",
"Borders did ... | 0 | train_4560 |
Biologists often announce that a certain kind of animal has been found capable of using tools; this usually refers to something like using a stick to hunt for ants in a log, or a stone to crack nuts. But such announcements are completely unsurprising, since all animals use tools. Birds build nests, fish hide in the mud... | Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the claim that the biologists' announcements that a certain animal has been found capable of using tools are unsurprising? | [
"It addresses a weakness in the biologists' announcements that stems from their ambiguous use of the word \"external. \"",
"It provides evidence that the animals' activities given as examples are purposeful.",
"It is the conclusion of the argument.",
"It calls into question the basis of the biologists' concep... | 2 | train_4561 |
The 1980s have been characterized as a period of selfish individualism that threatens the cohesion of society. But this characterization is true of any time. Throughout history all human actions have been motivated by selfishness. When the deeper implications are considered, even the simplest "unselfish" acts prove to ... | Which one of the following is a flaw in the argument? | [
"The argument relies on two different uses of the term \"selfish. \"",
"The claim that selfishness has been present throughout history is not actually relevant to the argument.",
"The argument mentions only humans and does not consider the behavior of other species.",
"No statistical evidence is provided to s... | 0 | train_4562 |
Political advocate: Campaigns for elective office should be subsidized with public funds. One reason is that this would allow politicians to devote less time to fund-raising, thus giving campaigning incumbents more time to serve the public. A second reason is that such subsidies would make it possible to set caps on in... | The critic objects that the advocate's argument is flawed because | [
"one of the projected results cited in support of the proposal made is entailed by the other and ttherefore does not constitute independent support of the proposal",
"of the two projected results cited in support of the proposal made, one works against the other",
"any resourceful large contributor can circumve... | 1 | train_4563 |
Those who participate in risky sports often do so to confront their fears. For example, rock climbers are more likely than others to have once suffered from a fear of heights. Those who participate in such risk-taking activities also have more self-confidence than others, so it is probably true that confronting one' s ... | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the reasoning above? | [
"Participating in risky sports is not the only way to confront one's fears.",
"In general, people who currently participate in risky sports had above-average self-confidence even before participating in any risky sport.",
"Most of those who do not participate in risky sports believe that they lack the capacity ... | 1 | train_4564 |
Toxicologist: A survey of oil-refinery workers who work with MBTE, an ingredient currently used in some smog-reducing gasolines, found an alarming incidence of complaints about headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Since gasoline containing MBTE will soon be widely used, we can expect an increased incidence of h... | Each of the following, if true, strengthens the toxicologist's argument EXCEPT: | [
"Most oil-refinery workers who do not work with MBTE do not have serious health problems involving headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath.",
"Since the time when gasoline containing MBTE was first introduced in a few metropolitan areas, those areas reported an increase in the number of complaints about heada... | 2 | train_4565 |
A person is more likely to become visually impaired as that person ages. Among adults in the state of Illinois, however, the proportion receiving benefit payments from their vision insurance shrinks from 56 percent among 50-64 year olds to 24 percent for those aged 65-79, and 13 percent for those aged 79 and older. The... | Which one of the following, if true about Illinois, shows that the explanation above is, at best, incomplete? | [
"Under most employers' plans, vision insurance payments stop when a visually impaired employee reaches the usual retirement age of 65.",
"Medical advances have improved the average person's vision beyond what it was 20 years ago.",
"The treatment of newly incurred visual impairments is more successful now than ... | 0 | train_4566 |
In 1974 the speed limit on highways in the United States was reduced to 55 miles per hour in order to save fuel. In the first 12 months after the change, the rate of highway fatalities dropped 15 percent, the sharpest one-year drop in history. Over the next 10 years, the fatality rate declined by another 25 percent. It... | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? | [
"The fatality rate in highway accidents involving motorists driving faster than 55 miles per hour is much higher than in highway accidents that do not involve motorists driving at such speeds.",
"There was no decline in the rate of highway fatalities during the twelfth year following the reduction in the speed li... | 0 | train_4567 |
The National Association of Fire Fighters says that 45 percent of homes now have smoke detectors, whereas only 30 percent of homes had them 10 years ago. This makes early detection of house fires no more likely, however, because over half of the domestic smoke detectors are either without batteries or else inoperative ... | In order for the conclusion above to be properly drawn, which one of the following assumptions would have to be made? | [
"The proportion of domestic smoke detectors that are inoperative has increased in the past ten years.",
"Fifteen percent of domestic smoke detectors were installed less than 10 years ago.",
"Not all of the smoke detectors in homes are battery operated.",
"Unlike automatic water sprinklers, a properly function... | 0 | train_4568 |
The mayor was not telling the truth when he said that the bridge renovation did not waste taxpayers' money. The very commission he set up to look into government waste reported that the Southern Tier Project, of which the bridge renovation was a part, was egregiously wasteful. | The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that the argument | [
"infers that a part has a certain quality merely on the grounds that the whole to which it belongs has that quality",
"draws a general conclusion about government waste on the basis of a single instance of such waste",
"attacks the mayor's character rather than assessing the strength of the evidence supporting ... | 0 | train_4569 |
Publisher: The new year is approaching, and with it the seasonal demand for books on exercise and fitness. We must do whatever it takes to ship books in that category on time; our competitors have demonstrated a high level of organization, and we cannot afford to be outsold. | Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion drawn in the publisher's argument? | [
"It is imperative that the company ship fitness and exercise books on time.",
"The company should do whatever is required in order to adopt its competitors' shipping practices.",
"The company should make shipping books its highest priority.",
"The company will be outsold if it does not maintain its competitor... | 0 | train_4570 |
Many economists claim that financial rewards provide the strongest incentive for people to choose one job over another. But in many surveys, most people do not name high salary as the most desirable feature of a job. This shows that these economists overestimate the degree to which people are motivated by money in thei... | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument? | [
"In many surveys, people say that they would prefer a high-wage job to an otherwise identical job with lower wages.",
"Jobs that pay the same salary often vary considerably in their other financial benefits.",
"Even high wages do not enable people to obtain all the goods they desire.",
"Some people are not aw... | 1 | train_4571 |
People buy prestige when they buy a premium product. They want to be associated with something special. Mass-marketing techniques and price-reduction strategies should not be used because__. | Which of the following best completes the passage below? | [
"purchasers of premium products are concerned with the quality as well as with the price of the products",
"continued sales depend directly on the maintenance of an aura of exclusivity",
"affluent purchasers currently represent a shrinking portion of the population of all purchasers",
"manufacturing a premium... | 1 | train_4572 |
Farmer: Several people in the past few years have claimed to have seen a mountain lion in the suburban outskirts-the latest just last month-and, while mountain lions were thought to have been driven from this entire region about twenty years ago, there is no reason for the people who reported seeing a mountain lion to ... | Which of the following would, if true, most seriously weaken the farmer's argument? | [
"Mountain lions are dissimilar in size and color to other wild animals found near the suburban outskirts.",
"No person who claimed to have seen a mountain lion had anyone else with them at the purported sighting.",
"Farmers in the suburban outskirts mostly raise cattle and hogs, which when fully grown are gener... | 1 | train_4573 |
Psychologists have found that candidates for top political offices who blink excessively during televised debates are judged by viewers to have done less well than competing candidates who exhibit average blink rates. Any impact this phenomenon has on election results is surely deleterious: Many features -- knowledgeab... | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument? | [
"Excessive blinking has been shown to be a mostly reliable indicator of a lack of confidence.",
"Blinking too infrequently during televised debates has the same effect on viewers' judgments of candidates as blinking excessively.",
"Viewers' judgments about candidates' debate performances are generally not affec... | 0 | train_4574 |
As symbols of the freedom of the wilderness, bald eagles have the unique capacity to inspire people and foster in them a sympathetic attitude toward the needs of other threatened species. Clearly, without that sympathy and the political will it engenders, the needs of more obscure species will go unmet. The conservatio... | Which one of the following is the main point of the passage as a whole? | [
"People's love of the wilderness can be used to engender political support for conservation efforts.",
"Without increased public sympathy for conservation, the needs of many symbolic species will go unmet.",
"The conservation of bald eagles is the first necessary step in conserving other endangered species.",
... | 2 | train_4575 |
At Happywell, Inc. , last year the average annual salary for dieticians was $50, 000, while the average annual salary for physical therapists was $42, 000. The average annual salary for all Happywell employees last year was $40, 000. | If the information above is correct, which one of the following conclusions can properly be drawn on the basis of it? | [
"There was no dietician at Happywell last year who earned less than the average for a physical therapist.",
"At least one Happywell employee earned less than the average for a physical therapist last year.",
"At least one dietician earned more than the highest-paid Happywell physical therapist last year.",
"T... | 1 | train_4576 |
Paint on a new airliner is usually applied in two stages: first, a coat of primer, and then a top coat. A new process requires no primer, but instead uses two layers of the same newly developed coating, with each layer of the new coating having the same thickness and weight as a traditional top coat. Using the new proc... | Which of the following, if true, most strongly indicates that it is in an airline's long-term economic interest to purchase new airliners painted using the new process rather than the old process? | [
"Because the new coating has a viscosity similar to that of a traditional top coat, aircraft manufacturers can apply it using the same equipment as is used for a traditional top coat.",
"A layer of primer on an airliner weighs more than a layer of the new coating would by an amount large enough to make a differen... | 1 | train_4577 |
People with higher-than-average blood levels of a normal dietary by-product called homocysteine are twice as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer' s disease as are those with average or below-average homocysteine levels. Thus, it is likely that the risk of developing Alzheimer' s disease could be reduced by including ... | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"Alzheimer's disease tends to increase the levels of homocysteine in the blood.",
"Many Alzheimer's patients have normal homocysteine levels.",
"B vitamins and folic acid are not metabolized by the body very efficiently when taken in the form of vitamin-mineral supplements.",
"People whose relatives contracte... | 0 | train_4578 |
Most antidepressant drugs cause weight gain. While dieting can help reduce the amount of weight gained while taking such antidepressants, some weight gain is unlikely to be preventable. | The information above most strongly supports which one of the following? | [
"All patients taking antidepressant drugs should diet to maintain their weight.",
"A physician should not prescribe any antidepressant drug for a patient if that patient is overweight.",
"At least some patients taking antidepressant drugs gain weight as a result of taking them.",
"The weight gain experienced ... | 2 | train_4579 |
Critic: Historians purport to discover the patterns inherent in the course of events. But historians actually impose, rather than find, such patterns by choosing what to include in and exclude from their historical narratives. Thus, properly understood, histories reveal more about the presuppositions underlying differe... | The critic's argument depends on which one of the following assumptions? | [
"Which pattern a historian imposes upon events is affected by that historian's presuppositions.",
"Historians have many presuppositions in common with one another.",
"Most historians cannot become aware of the presuppositions that they bring to their narratives.",
"There is no way to determine with certainty ... | 0 | train_4580 |
Some people mistakenly believe that since we do not have direct access to the distant past we cannot learn much about it. Contemporary historians and archaeologists find current geography, geology, and climate to be rich in clues about a given region' s distant history. However, the more distant the period we are study... | Of the following, which one most closely conforms to the principle that the passage illustrates? | [
"Astronomers often draw inferences about the earlier years of our solar system on the basis of recently collected data. Unfortunately, they have been able to infer comparatively little about the origin of our solar system.",
"One crucial clue to the extent of the ancient Egyptians' mathematical knowledge came fro... | 0 | train_4581 |
A few people who are bad writers simply cannot improve their writing, whether or not they receive instruction. Still, most bad writers can at least be taught to improve their writing enough so that they are no longer bad writers. However, no one can become a great writer simply by being taught how to be a better writer... | Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage above? | [
"All great writers had to be taught to become better writers.",
"Some bad writers can never become great writers.",
"All bad writers can become better writers.",
"Some great writers can be taught to be even better writers."
] | 1 | train_4582 |
Carl' s Coffee Emporium stocks only two decaffeinated coffees: French Roast and Mocha Java. Yusef only serves decaffeinated coffee, and the coffee he served after dinner last night was far too smooth and mellow to have been French Roast. So, if Yusef still gets all his coffee from Carl' s, what he served last night was... | The argument above is most similar in its logical structure to which one of the following? | [
"Werdix, Inc. , has offered Arno a choice between a job in sales and a job in research. Arno would like to work at Werdix but he would never take a job in sales when another job is available, so if he accepts one of these jobs, it will be the one in research.",
"Samuel wants to take three friends to the beach. Hi... | 0 | train_4583 |
City council member: The Senior Guild has asked for a temporary exception to the ordinance prohibiting automobiles in municipal parks. Their case does appear to deserve the exception. However, if we grant this exception, we will find ourselves granting many other exceptions to this ordinance, some of which will be unde... | The city council member's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it | [
"presumes, without sufficient warrant, that one event will lead to a particular causal sequence of events",
"dismisses a claim because of its source rather than because of its content",
"fails to make a needed distinction between deserved exceptions and undeserved ones",
"contains premises that contradict one... | 0 | train_4584 |
Some thinkers hold that whatever brings pleasure to people is good, and vice versa, and that whatever brings pain is evil, and vice versa. This, however, is obviously untenable. The concepts of good and evil are contradictory, whereas those of pleasure and pain are not. Clearly it is possible to be in a state of pleasu... | The argument challenges a claim that two pairs of concepts are equivalent by claiming that | [
"\"good\" does not apply to any of the same things that \"pleasure\" does",
"\"good\" and \"evil\" do not bear the same relationship to one another that \"pleasure\" and \"pain\" do to one another",
"\"pleasure\" and \"pain\" possess a property not possessed by any other possible pair of concepts",
"it is mer... | 1 | train_4585 |
Professor Clemens: Many people die in traffic accidents each year. Since airbags can prevent deaths in traffic accidents, motor vehicles should be equipped with airbags. Professor Sanford: Your recommendation is useless. It is true that airbags may save some lives in traffic accidents, but seatbelts can prevent far mor... | Professor Sanford's response fails to establish that Professor Clemens's recommendation should not be implemented because her response | [
"does not show that the benefits that would follow from Professor Clemens's recommendation would be offset by any disadvantages",
"confuses the notion of saving lives with the expense associated with the remedy",
"is not supported by any evidence that seatbelts do, in fact, save more lives",
"does not offer a... | 0 | train_4586 |
Eva: A "smart highway" system should be installed, one that would monitor areawide traffic patterns and communicate with computers in vehicles or with programmable highway signs to give drivers information about traffic congestion and alternate routes. Such a system, we can infer, would result in improved traffic flow ... | Eva's argument depends on the assumption that | [
"the type of equipment used in \"smart highway\" systems would vary from one city to another",
"on \"smart highways\" there would not be the breakdowns of vehicles that currently cause traffic congestion",
"traffic flow in and around cities is not now so congested that significant improvement is impossible",
... | 2 | train_4587 |
Tommy: Many people claim that the voting public is unable to evaluate complex campaign issues. The radio advertisements for Peterson in the national campaign, however, discuss complex campaign issues, and Peterson is currently more popular than the other candidates. Jamie: Yes, Peterson is the most popular. However, yo... | Which one of the following, if true, most supports Jamie's counter to Tommy? | [
"Polling data shows that most voters cannot identify Peterson's positions on campaign issues.",
"Polling data shows that Peterson's present popularity will probably diminish over time.",
"Peterson's opponents are discussing some of the same issues as Peterson is discussing.",
"Polling data shows that some vot... | 0 | train_4588 |
Human resources director: While only some recent university graduates consider work environment an important factor in choosing a job, they all consider salary an important factor. Further, whereas the only workers who consider stress level an important factor in choosing a job are a few veteran employees, every recent... | If all of the statements of the human resources director are true, then which one of the following must be true? | [
"At least some veteran employees do not consider work environment an important factor in choosing a job.",
"At least some people who consider work environment an important factor in choosing a job consider vacation policy an important factor as well.",
"No one for whom salary is an important factor in choosing ... | 1 | train_4589 |
Harrold Foods is attempting to dominate the softdrink market by promoting "Hero, " its most popular carbonated drink product, with a costly new advertising campaign. But survey results show that, in the opinion of 72 percent of all consumers, "Hero" already dominates the market. Since any product with more than 50 perc... | The argument commits which one of the following errors in reasoning? | [
"failing to exclude the possibility that what appears to be the result of a given market condition may in fact be the cause of that condition",
"mistaking a condition required if a certain result is to obtain for a condition that by itself is sufficient to guarantee that result",
"taking evidence that a claim i... | 2 | train_4590 |
Kendrick: Governments that try to prevent cigarettes from being advertised are justified in doing so, since such advertisements encourage people to engage in an unhealthy practice. But cigarette advertisements should remain legal since advertisements for fatty foods are legal, even though those advertisements also enco... | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict between Kendrick's statements? | [
"Governments should try to prevent the advertisement of cigarettes by means of financial disincentives rather than by legal prohibition.",
"The advertisement of fattening foods, unlike that of cigarettes, should not be prevented, because fattening foods, unlike cigarettes, are not addictive.",
"Any advertisemen... | 0 | train_4591 |
Hazel: Faster and more accurate order processing would help our business. To increase profits, we should process orders electronically rather than manually, because customers' orders will then go directly to all relevant parties. Max: We would lose money if we started processing orders electronically. Most people prefe... | Hazel and Max disagree over whether | [
"faster and more accurate order processing would be financially beneficial to their business",
"electronic order processing is faster and more accurate than is manual order processing",
"their business has an obligation to be as profitable as possible",
"switching to electronic order processing would be finan... | 3 | train_4592 |
Historian: Alexander the Great should not be judged by appeal to current notions of justice. Alexander, an ancient figure of heroic stature, should be judged by the standards of his own culture. That is, did he live up to his culture' s ideals of leadership? Did Alexander elevate the contemporary standards of justice? ... | Which one of the following argumentative strategies does the student use in responding to the historian? | [
"questioning the historian's motivation for determining whether a standard of behavior has been raised or lowered",
"arguing that applying the historian's principle would require a knowledge of the past that is necessarily inaccessible to current scholarship",
"showing that the principle the historian invokes, ... | 3 | train_4593 |
Biologist: Researchers believe that dogs are the descendants of domesticated wolves that were bred to be better companions for humans. It has recently been found that some breeds of dog are much more closely related genetically to wolves than to most other breeds of dog. This shows that some dogs are descended from wol... | Which one of the following principles underlies the biologist's argument? | [
"If one breed of dog is more closely related to wolves than to another breed of dog, then the former breed of dog has more recent undomesticated wolf ancestors than the latter breed has.",
"Any breed of dog descended from wolves that were domesticated is more closely related genetically to at least some other bre... | 0 | train_4594 |
S: It would be premature to act to halt the threatened "global warming trend, " since that alleged trend might not be real. After all, scientists disagree about it, some predicting over twice as much warming as others, so clearly their predictions cannot be based on firm evidence. W: Most scientists consider discussion... | W's rejoinder proceeds by | [
"putting disagreements cited by S in perspective by emphasizing similarities",
"reasoning in a circle by accepting evidence only if it agrees with a desired conclusion",
"accepting S's conclusion while disputing the reasons offered for it",
"relying on authorities whose views conflict with the views of the au... | 0 | train_4595 |
Although parapsychology is often considered a pseudoscience, it is in fact a genuine scientific enterprise, for it uses scientific methods such as controlled experiments and statistical tests of clearly stated hypotheses to examine the questions it raises. | The conclusion above is properly drawn if which of the following is assumed? | [
"Since parapsychology raises clearly statable questions, they can be tested in controlled experiments.",
"Any field of study that employs scientific methods is a genuine scientific enterprise.",
"Any enterprise that does not use controlled experiments and statistical tests is not genuine science.",
"If a fiel... | 1 | train_4596 |
Any writer whose purpose is personal expression sometimes uses words ambiguously. Every poet' s purpose is personal expression. Thus no poetry reader' s enjoyment depends on attaining a precise understanding of what the poet means. | The conclusion can be properly inferred if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"Most writers whose readers' enjoyment does not depend on attaining a precise understanding of the writers' words are poets.",
"Readers who have a precise understanding of what a writer has written derive their enjoyment from that understanding.",
"No writer who ever uses words ambiguously has any reader whose ... | 2 | train_4597 |
Microbiologist: A lethal strain of salmonella recently showed up in a European country, causing an outbreak of illness that killed two people and infected twenty-seven others. Investigators blame the severity of the outbreak on the overuse of antibiotics, since the salmonella bacteria tested were shown to be drug-resis... | Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the microbiologist's reasoning? | [
"People in the country where the outbreak occurred often consume foods produced from animals that eat antibiotics-laden livestock feed.",
"Physicians in the country where the outbreak occurred have become hesitant to prescribe antibiotics since they are frequently in short supply.",
"Drug-resistant strains of s... | 0 | train_4598 |
Cynthia: Corporations amply fund research that generates marketable new technologies. But the fundamental goal of science is to achieve a comprehensive knowledge of the workings of the universe. The government should help fund those basic scientific research projects that seek to further our theoretical knowledge of na... | Cynthia's and Luis's statements provide the most support for the contention that they would disagree with each other about the truth of which one of the following statements? | [
"A proposed study of the effects of chemical fertilizers on crops, for the purpose of developing more-resistant and higher-yielding breeds, should not receive government funding.",
"Knowledge gained through basic scientific research need not be expected to lead to new and useful technologies in order for the rese... | 1 | train_4599 |
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