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A diet high in saturated fats increases a person' s risk of developing heart disease. Regular consumption of red wine reduces that risk. Per-capita consumption of saturated fats is currently about the same in France as in the United States, but there is less heart disease there than in the United States because consump... | Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the lack of convergence noted above? | [
"Regular consumption of red wine is declining dramatically among young adults in France, and heart disease typically does not manifest itself until middle age.",
"Consumption of saturated fats is related more strongly to the growth of fatty deposits on artery walls, which reduce blood flow to the heart, than it i... | 0 | train_800 |
Many uses have been claimed for hypnosis, from combating drug addiction to overcoming common phobias. A recent experimental study helps illuminate the supposed connection between hypnosis and increased power of recall. A number of subjects listened to a long, unfamiliar piece of instrumental music. Under subsequent hyp... | Which one of the following statements is most supported by the information above? | [
"Recalling events under hypnosis inevitably results in false memories.",
"What people recall under hypnosis depends to at least some extent on suggestion.",
"Visual memory is enhanced more by hypnosis than is auditory memory.",
"Hypnosis cannot significantly increase a person's power of recall."
] | 1 | train_801 |
One of the advantages of Bacillus thuringiensis (B. t. ) toxins over chemical insecticides results from their specificity for pest insects. The toxins have no known detrimental effects on mammals or birds. In addition, the limited range of activity of the toxins toward insects means that often a particular toxin will k... | Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the argument? | [
"Chemical insecticides cause harm to a greater number of insect species than do B. t. toxins.",
"No particular B. t. toxin is effective against all insects.",
"B. t. toxins do not harm weeds that do damage to farm crops.",
"Insects build up resistance more readily to B. t. toxins than to chemical insecticides... | 3 | train_802 |
Editorial: Our political discussions tend to focus largely on the flaws of our nation' s leaders, but we need to remind ourselves that these leaders were chosen democratically. The real question that needs answering is how our nation' s institutions and procedures enable such people to attain positions of power. Thus, ... | Which one of the following is an assumption that the argument requires? | [
"As yet, no one in the nation has made the effort to critically examine the details of the nation's institutions and procedures.",
"Concentrating on the flaws of the nation's leaders creates greater dissatisfaction with those leaders.",
"Examining an individual leader's personal flaws does not reveal anything a... | 2 | train_803 |
An analysis of the language in social media messages posted via the Internet determined that, on average, the use of words associated with positive moods is common in the morning, decreases gradually to a low point midaftemoon, and then increases sharply throughout the evening. This shows that a person' s mood typicall... | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument overlooks the possibility that | [
"most of the social media messages posted in the evening are posted by people who rarely post such messages in the morning",
"the number of social media messages posted in the morning is not significantly different from the number posted in the evening",
"the frequency in the use of words in social media is not... | 0 | train_804 |
According to a review of 61 studies of patients suffering from severely debilitating depression, a large majority of the patients reported that missing a night' s sleep immediately lifted their depression. Yet sleep-deprivation is not used to treat depression even though the conventional treatments, which use drugs and... | Which of the following, if true, best explains the fact that sleep-deprivation is not used as a treatment for depression? | [
"The dramatic shifts in mood connected with sleep and wakefulness have not been traced to particular changes in brain chemistry.",
"Keeping depressed patients awake is more difficult than keeping awake people who are not depressed.",
"Depression returns in full force as soon as the patient sleeps for even a few... | 2 | train_805 |
In mountainous regions, the timberline is the highest altitude at which trees grow. In the Rocky Mountains, the current timberline is at the altitude above which growing season temperatures remain cooler than 10 degrees centigrade. Fossilized remains of trees that grew 10, 000 years ago have been found 100 meters above... | Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies? | [
"In the past 10, 000 years, the only trees to have grown above today's timberline are the trees whose fossilized remains been found.",
"The climate of the Rocky Mountains has never been significantly warmer than during the lifetime of the trees whose fossilized remains have been found.",
"The fossils are not of... | 2 | train_806 |
Proposal: Carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere block the escape of heat into space. So emission of these "greenhouse" gases contributes to global warming. In order to reduce global warming, emission of greenhouse gases needs to be reduced. Ttherefore, the methane now emitted from open landfills should instead b... | Which of the following, if true, most adequately counters the objection made to the proposal? | [
"The conversion of methane to electricity would occur at a considerable distance from the landfills.",
"The methane that is used to generate electricity would generally be used as a substitute for a fuel that does not produce any greenhouse gases when burned.",
"Every time a human being or other mammal exhales,... | 3 | train_807 |
Loss of the Gocha mangrove forests has caused coastal erosion, reducing fish populations and requiring the Gocha Fishing Cooperative (GFC) to partially fund dredging and new shore facilities. However, as part of its subsidiary businesses, the GFC has now invested in a program to replant significant parts of the coast w... | Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that mangrove replanting will increase the Gocha cooperative's net income? | [
"A controlled harvesting of mangrove wood by the GFC would have little effect on coastal erosion.",
"The GFC derives 10 percent of its revenue from salt-production facilities in an area previously cleared of mangroves.",
"Mangrove forests tend to increase the commercial fish populations in coastal fishing groun... | 2 | train_808 |
Paleontologist: It is widely, but falsely, held that life began in the ocean and did not exist on land until half a billion years ago. Traces of carbon 14 have been found throughout certain 1. 2-billion-year-old rock in North America. Carbon 14 is extracted by plants and microbes from the atmosphere to fuel their chemi... | Each of the following, if true, provides additional support for the paleontologist's conclusion EXCEPT: | [
"The 1. 2-billion-year-old rocks were formed from soil containing very small amounts of carbon 14 that entered the soil directly from the atmosphere.",
"Research suggests that some portions of the 1. 2-billion-year-old rocks were at one time submerged in water, though portions clearly never were.",
"The severit... | 0 | train_809 |
A tax preparation company automatically adds the following disclaimer to every e-mail message sent to its clients: "Any tax advice in this e-mail should not be construed as advocating any violation of the provisions of the tax code. " The only purpose this disclaimer could serve is to provide legal protection for the c... | The argument's conclusion can be properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed? | [
"If the e-mail does not elsewhere suggest that the client do anything illegal, then the company does not need legal protection.",
"Some of the tax preparation company's clients would try to illegally evade penalties if they knew how to do so.",
"At least some of the recipients of the company's e-mails will foll... | 0 | train_810 |
One can be at home and be in the backyard, that is, not in one' s house at all. One can also be in one' s house but not at home, if one owns the house but rents it out to others, for example. So one' s being at home is not required for one' s being in one' s own house. | Which one of the following most accurately describes the relationship between the argument's conclusion and its claim that one can be at home without being in one's own house? | [
"The claim inadvertently contradicts the conclusion.",
"The claim points out an ambiguity in the phrase \"at home. \"",
"The claim is compatible with the truth or falsity of the conclusion.",
"The claim is required to establish the conclusion."
] | 2 | train_811 |
When feeding, aquatic birds known as phalaropes often spin rapidly on the water' s surface, pecking for food during each revolution. To execute these spins, phalaropes kick one leg harder than the other. This action creates upwelling currents. Because plankton on which phalaropes feed typically occurs in greater quanti... | Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the hypothesis? | [
"Phalaropes rarely feed while on land.",
"Phalaropes do not usually spin when food is abundant at the surface.",
"Phalaropes sometimes spin when they are not feeding.",
"A given phalarope spins exclusively either to the right or to the left."
] | 1 | train_812 |
"This company will not be training any more pilots in the foreseeable future, since we have 400 trained pilots on our waiting list who are seeking employment. The other five major companies each have roughly the same number of trained pilots on their waiting lists, and since the projected requirement of each company is... | Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the accuracy of the above conclusion? | [
"Most of the trained pilots who are on a waiting list for a job are on the waiting lists of all the major companies.",
"Some of the other major companies are still training pilots but with no presumption of subsequent employment.",
"The quoted personnel projections take account of the current upswing in the avi... | 0 | train_813 |
Book collector: The demand for out-of-print books is increasing. It has been spurred by the rise of the Internet, the search capabilities of which make it much easier to locate the out-of-print books one seeks. | The book collector's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? | [
"Book collectors are now using the Internet to find book titles that they previously did not know existed.",
"Only people who have access to the Internet can locate out-of-print books.",
"The amount of demand for out-of-print books is affected by the ease of finding such books.",
"Fewer people try to find boo... | 2 | train_814 |
Government official: Residents who are foreign citizens can serve as public servants at most levels, but not as cabinet secretaries. This is wise, since cabinet secretaries perform some duties that should be performed only by citizens, and no one should be appointed to a position if it involves duties that person shoul... | Which one of the following most logically completes the government official's statement? | [
"cabinet undersecretaries should not be expected to stand in for cabinet secretaries",
"only former cabinet undersecretaries should be appointed as cabinet secretaries",
"foreign citizens should not be appointed as cabinet undersecretaries",
"foreign citizens who serve as public servants should be granted cit... | 2 | train_815 |
Traditional hatcheries raise fish in featureless environments and subject them to dull routines, whereas new, experimental hatcheries raise fish in visually stimulating environments with varied routines. When released into the wild, fish from the experimental hatcheries are bolder than those from traditional hatcheries... | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? | [
"The quality of the environments into which hatchery-raised fish are released has little effect on the fish's survival rate.",
"Some fish raised in traditional hatcheries die because they are too timid in their foraging for food.",
"It is economically feasible for hatchery operators to expose fish to greater vi... | 1 | train_816 |
Since multinational grain companies operate so as to maximize profits, they cannot be relied on to initiate economic changes that would reform the world' s food-distribution system. Although it is true that the actions of multinational companies sometimes do result in such economic change, this result is incidental, ar... | The main point of the argument is that | [
"multinational grain companies operate so as to maximize profits",
"multinational grain companies cannot be relied on to initiate reform of the world's food-distribution system",
"the maximization of profits depends on a stable economic environment",
"when economic change accompanies business activity, that c... | 1 | train_817 |
Tanya is a lawyer. Nearly all lawyers dutifully represent their clients' best interests, but a few unethical ones charge exorbitant and fraudulent fees for services. Some lawyers become millionaires, while others work in the best interest of the public. However, all lawyers are bound by extensive ethical codes, which v... | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true? | [
"Tanya works for the public sector.",
"Tanya charges exorbitant fees for her services.",
"Tanya dutifully represents her clients' best interests.",
"Tanya is bound by extensive ethical codes."
] | 3 | train_818 |
Critic: Works of literature often present protagonists who scorn allegiance to their society and who advocate detachment rather than civic-mindedness. However, modern literature is distinguished from the literature of earlier eras in part because it more frequently treats such protagonists sympathetically. Sympathetic ... | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the critic's argument relies? | [
"Some individuals must believe that their society is better than most before they can become concerned with benefiting it.",
"Modern literature is generally not as conducive to societal good as was the literature of earlier eras.",
"It is to the advantage of some individuals that they be concerned with contribu... | 2 | train_819 |
A study of adults who suffer from migraine headaches revealed that a significant proportion of the study participants suffer from a complex syndrome characterized by a set of three symptoms. Those who suffer from the syndrome experienced excessive anxiety during early childhood. As adolescents, these people began exper... | The reasoning in the argument is vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds? | [
"It fails to rule out the possibility that all of the characteristic symptoms of the syndrome have a common cause.",
"It does not specify the proportion of those in the general population who suffer from the syndrome.",
"It does not establish why the study of migraine sufferers was restricted to adult participa... | 0 | train_820 |
Dietitian: Eating fish can lower one' s cholesterol level. In a study of cholesterol levels and diet, two groups were studied. The first group ate a balanced diet including two servings of fish per week. The second group ate a very similar diet, but ate no fish. The first group showed lower cholesterol levels, on avera... | Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the dietitian's argument by the claim that the two groups had displayed similar average cholesterol levels prior to the study? | [
"It expresses the main conclusion of the argument.",
"It provides background information on the purpose of the study.",
"It introduces an alternative explanation of the phenomenon described in the main conclusion.",
"It rules out an alternative explanation of the data collected in the study."
] | 3 | train_821 |
A study of kindergarten students has shown that children from households that own many books, an average of 54 books, show average or high reading achievement levels, while the households of children with lower reading achievement levels tend to own fewer books, 5 books on average. | What additional information would strengthen the assertion that parents who don't buy children's books to keep in the home cause their children to fall behind their peers in reading skills? | [
"Children whose parents buy them books feel happier about their lives.",
"The non-school hours of every child in the study were entirely filled with sports activities, television watching, and playing with friends.",
"When children have books of their own, they develop more advanced reading skills because adult... | 2 | train_822 |
People in isolated rain-forest communities tend to live on a largely vegetarian diet, and they eat little salt. Few of them suffer from high blood pressure, and their blood pressure does not tend to increase with age, as is common in industrialized countries. Such people often do develop high blood pressure when they m... | Which of the following most logically completes the argument given below? | [
"it is possible to have a low-salt diet while living in a city in an industrialized country",
"genetic factors could account for the lack of increase of blood pressure with age among such people",
"there are changes in other aspects of diet when such people move to the city",
"salt is a necessity for human li... | 2 | train_823 |
Novice bird-watcher: I don' t know much about animal tracks, but I do know that birds typically have four toes, and most birds have three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing backward. Since this track was made by an animal with four toes, of which three point forward and one points backward, we can conclude it w... | The argument is flawed because it | [
"relies on the vagueness of the term \"track\"",
"depends on evidence about an individual bird rather than about birds in general",
"does not define birds as animals with four toes",
"does not establish that only a bird could have made the track"
] | 3 | train_824 |
The higher the average cholesterol intake among the residents of a nation, the higher the incidence of heart disease in that nation; the lower the average cholesterol intake, the lower the incidence of heart disease. So people who want to decrease their risk of heart disease should reduce their cholesterol intake. | Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument? | [
"Any individual resident of a nation whose population has a high average cholesterol intake may have a diet low in cholesterol.",
"The nations with a high average cholesterol intake tend to be among the most impoverished in the world.",
"The nations with high average cholesterol intake are also the countries wi... | 3 | train_825 |
Does the position of a car driver' s seat have a significant impact on driving safety? It probably does. Driving position affects both comfort and the ability to see the road clearly. A driver who is uncomfortable eventually becomes fatigued, which makes it difficult to concentrate on the road. Likewise, the better the... | Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the claim that driving position affects both comfort and the ability to see the road clearly? | [
"It is a claim that the argument shows to be inconsistent with available evidence.",
"It is a premise offered in support of the conclusion drawn in the argument.",
"It is the conclusion drawn in the argument.",
"It is used to provide a causal explanation for an observed phenomenon."
] | 1 | train_826 |
Naturalist: For several years, coyote have had a robust population throughout the Susquehanna National Forest. Over the past seven years, the Canic Chemical Corporation in nearby Harrisville has been releasing low levels of bromide compounds into the air and groundwater. Some of these compounds, in sufficient concentra... | The answer to which of the following would be most useful for evaluating the naturalist's reasoning? | [
"How many of the natural springs in the forest derive from groundwater that flows in the vicinity of Harrisville?",
"What naturally available nutrients would strengthen the immune system of young coyote against any effects of these bromide compounds?",
"What percentage of healthy coyote survive to adulthood in ... | 2 | train_827 |
The Iliad and the Odyssey were both attributed to Homer in ancient times. But these two poems differ greatly in tone and vocabulary and in certain details of the fictional world they depict. So they are almost certainly not the work of the same poet. | Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the reasoning above? | [
"Both the Iliad and the Odyssey were the result of an extended process of oral composition in which many poets were involved.",
"Works known to have been written by the same modern writer are as different from each other in the respects mentioned as are the Iliad and the Odyssey.",
"Several hymns that were also... | 1 | train_828 |
Linguist: One group of art critics claims that postimpressionist paintings are not really art and so should be neither studied nor displayed. Another group of critics disagrees, insisting that these paintings are works of art. But since the second group grants that there are paintings that are not works of art and shou... | The claim that there are paintings that are not works of art plays which one of the following roles in the linguist's argument? | [
"It is a contention that the argument purports to show is the main point of disagreement between the two groups of critics mentioned.",
"It is a claim whose acceptance by critics who differ on other issues is cited by the argument as evidence of its truth.",
"It is a claim whose acceptance by both of the two di... | 2 | train_829 |
A work of architecture, if it is to be both inviting and functional for public use, must be unobtrusive, taking second place to the total environment. Modern architects, plagued by egoism, have violated this precept. They have let their strong personalities take over their work, producing buildings that are not functio... | Which one of the statements below follows logically from the statements in the passage? | [
"An architect with a strong personality cannot produce buildings that function well for the public.",
"Unobtrusive architecture is both inviting and functional.",
"A work of architecture cannot simultaneously express its architect's personality and be functional for public use.",
"Modern architects who let th... | 3 | train_830 |
Images from ground-based telescopes are invariably distorted by the Earth's atmosphere. Orbiting space telescopes, however, operating above Earth's atmosphere, should provide superbly detailed images. Ttherefore, ground-based telescopes will soon become obsolete for advanced astronomical research purposes. | Which of the following statements, if true, would cast the most doubt on the conclusion drawn above? | [
"By careful choice of observatory location, it is possible for large-aperture telescopes to avoid most of the kind of wind turbulence that can distort image quality.",
"Detailed spectral analyses, upon which astronomers rely for determining the chemical composition and evolutionary history of stars, require teles... | 1 | train_831 |
All the evidence so far gathered fits both Dr. Grippen' s theory and Professor Heissmann' s. However, the predictions that these theories make about the result of the planned experiment cannot both be true. Ttherefore, the result of this experiment will confirm one of these theories at the expense of the other. | The argument above exhibits an erroneous pattern of reasoning most similar to that exhibited by which one of the following? | [
"David thinks this tree is a beech. Jane thinks it is an elm. Maria, unlike David or Jane, is expert at tree identification, so when Maria gives her opinion it will verify either David's or Jane's opinion.",
"David and Jane both think they know how to distinguish beech trees from elms, but when they look at trees... | 0 | train_832 |
Advertisement for a lactase supplement: Lactase, an enzyme produced by the body, aids in the digestion of lactose, a natural sugar found in dairy foods. Many subjects in an experiment who drank a liter of milk on an empty stomach showed signs of lactose intolerance -- difficulty in digesting dairy products because of i... | Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? | [
"Lactose intolerance can interfere with proper nutrition.",
"Some dairy foods, such as cheese, contain a form of lactose more difficult to digest than that found in milk.",
"Most people who consume dairy products consume less lactose at each meal than the amount found in a liter of milk.",
"Eating solid food ... | 2 | train_833 |
Restaurant manager: In response to requests from our patrons for vegetarian main dishes, we recently introduced three: an eggplant and zucchini casserole with tomatoes, brown rice with mushrooms, and potatoes baked with cheese. The first two are frequently ordered, but no one orders the potato dish, although it costs l... | Which one of the following is an error of reasoning in the restaurant manager's argument? | [
"ignoring possible differences between what people say they want and what they actually choose",
"treating one of several plausible explanations of a phenomenon as the only possible explanation",
"concluding that two things that occur at the same time have a common cause",
"drawing a conclusion that is incons... | 1 | train_834 |
The director of a secondary school where many students were having severe academic problems impaneled a committee to study the matter. The committee reported that these students were having academic problems because they spent large amounts of time on school sports and too little time studying. The director then prohib... | The reasoning on which the director bases his statement is not sound because he fails to establish that | [
"some students who spend time on sports do not have academic problems",
"no students who do well academically spend time on sports",
"at least some of the time the students will save by not participating in sports will be spent on solving their academic problems",
"all students who do well academically do so ... | 2 | train_835 |
Midlevel managers at large corporations are unlikely to suggest reductions in staff in their own departments even when these departments are obviously overstaffed. | Each of the following, if true, supports the claim above EXCEPT: | [
"Staff morale and productivity often suffer when workers are laid off.",
"Midlevel managers have less work to do when their departments are overstaffed.",
"Many large corporations allow managers to offer early retirement as a means of reducing staff.",
"Departmental workloads at most large corporations increa... | 2 | train_836 |
In Australia the population that is of driving age has grown larger over the last five years, but the annual number of traffic fatalities has declined. This leads to the conclusion that, overall, the driving-age population of Australia consists of more skillful drivers now than five years ago. | Each of the statements below, if true, weakens the argument EXCEPT: | [
"Five years ago, Australia began a major road repair project.",
"The number of hospital emergency facilities in Australia has doubled in the last five years.",
"Three years ago, a mandatory seat-belt law went into effect throughout Australia.",
"In response to an increase in traffic fatalities, Australia inst... | 3 | train_837 |
Margaret came home after a long day of work to find her front door open and her waste basket knocked over with all of the contents strewn about the kitchen floor. She believes that her dog must have knocked it over in search for some food scraps to eat, but this belief cannot be correct. Her husband took the dog with h... | The stated argument requires which of the following assumptions? | [
"Margaret has rats in her house.",
"Margaret's husband accidently knocked it over on his way out the door this morning.",
"Margaret's husband brought the dog home on his lunch break.",
"Margaret's husband left the door open that morning and a raccoon got in."
] | 2 | train_838 |
Even a slight change in the timing of this traffic light would cause a traffic backup. On the one hand, if the timing were slower, traffic would back up waiting for the light to turn green. On the other hand, if the timing were faster, traffic would back up because too few cars would get through each green light. Tther... | The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following arguments is most similar to that in the argument above? | [
"According to the law of supply and demand, even a slight change in the price of a product will affect profits. For instance, if the price goes up, fewer products will be sold; if the price goes down, a company will make less money on each item. Ttherefore, a company's profits will be affected by the law of supply ... | 3 | train_839 |
Columnist: Although most people favor the bill and the bill does not violate anyone' s basic human rights, it will not be passed for many years, if at all; nor will any similar bill. Those people who would be adversely affected were it to become law are very influential. This shows that, if this country is a democracy ... | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the columnist's reasoning? | [
"In a well-functioning democracy, any bill that would benefit most people will be passed into law within a few years if it does not violate anyone's basic human rights.",
"In a well-functioning democracy, a bill that is favored by most people will become law within a few years only if those who oppose it are not ... | 2 | train_840 |
If shoplifting at ToySMart continues at the current rate, the shop' s owner will be forced to close the store. Raising the prices of the goods sold at ToySMart by 10% will help make up the shortfall in the store' s income; this change will ttherefore protect ToySMart from having to close. | Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above? | [
"Visitors to the store will be more likely to consider purchasing more of the shop's less-expensive products.",
"The rise in prices will not induce visitors who otherwise would not have shoplifted to shoplift items they can now not afford.",
"The rise in prices will have no effect on the number of goods sold, e... | 1 | train_841 |
To increase the productivity of its attorneys, X law firm has decided to implement a part-time program, which would allow attorneys to have more flexibility in the number of days per week they work. Research has shown that giving employees the option of working part time is associated with increased company loyalty. | The argument depends on the assumption that | [
"an increase in productivity is always signaled by a change in the number of days per week worked by employees",
"an increase in company loyalty may lead to an increase in productivity in the attorneys",
"all law firms will experience increased company loyalty by implementing a parttime program",
"attorneys a... | 1 | train_842 |
Factory manager: One reason the automobile parts this factory produces are expensive is that our manufacturing equipment is outdated and inefficient. Our products would be more competitively priced if we were to refurbish the factory completely with new, more efficient equipment. Ttherefore, since to survive in today' ... | The reasoning in the factory manager's argument is flawed because this argument | [
"shifts without justification from treating something as one way of achieving a goal to treating it as the only way of achieving that goal",
"fails to recognize that the price of a particular commodity can change over time",
"recommends a solution to a problem without first considering any possible causes of th... | 0 | train_843 |
Guidebook writer: I have visited hotels throughout the country and have noticed that in those built before 1930 the quality of the original carpentry work is generally superior to that in hotels built afterward. Clearly carpenters working on hotels before 1930 typically worked with more skill, care, and effort than car... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the guidebook writer's argument? | [
"The better the quality of original carpentry in a building, the less likely that building is to fall into disuse and be demolished.",
"The quality of original carpentry in hotels is generally far superior to the quality of original carpentry in other structures, such as houses and stores.",
"The materials avai... | 0 | train_844 |
A proposed amendment would allow the city council to decide that certain city elections be conducted solely by mail. But voting is a sacred right in democracies, one that has always been exercised by voting in person and not by mail. Ttherefore, voting by mail should not be allowed, and the proposed amendment should be... | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument | [
"presumes, without providing justification, that if citizens have always had a certain legal right, they will continue to have that right in the future",
"presents an appeal to tradition as the only reason for rejecting the proposal",
"presumes, without providing justification, that the right to vote is not vio... | 1 | train_845 |
Wife: The work of the artist who painted the portrait of my grandparents 50 years ago has become quite popular lately, so the portrait has recently become valuable. But since these sorts of artistic fads fade rapidly, the practical thing to do would be to sell the portrait while it is still worth something, and thereby... | Which one of the following principles, if established, does most to justify the husband's reply? | [
"Gifts offered as sentimental tokens of affection should not be accepted if the recipient intends to sell them later for profit.",
"Providing one's children with an education is more important than providing them with material goods, even if the goods have sentimental value.",
"It is more important for parents ... | 2 | train_846 |
Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another record? Well, <b> any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company </b>. Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last year' s record ... | In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? | [
"The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a judgment that has been advanced in order to challenge that generalization.",
"The first is presented as obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a judgment advanced in support of the main conclusion of the argu... | 1 | train_847 |
Baking for winter holidays is a tradition that may have a sound medical basis. In midwinter, when days are short, many people suffer from a specific type of seasonal depression caused by lack of sunlight. Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain' s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improves t... | Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage? | [
"Lack of sunlight lowers the level of serotonin in the brain.",
"Seasonal depression is one of the most easily treated forms of depression.",
"Some antidepressants act by changing the brain's level of serotonin.",
"People are more likely to be depressed in midwinter than at other times of the year."
] | 2 | train_848 |
Companies that offer "employer sponsored insurance" (ESI) pay a portion of employees' health care costs. In the manufacturing sector last year, companies that offered ESI had worker absentee rates 22% lower, on average, than those at companies that did not offer ESI. | If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that ESI decreases worker absenteeism, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken that argument? | [
"In manufacturing firms where ESI is offered, the average productivity is 2% higher than it is in those firms where workers are not covered by an ESI plan.",
"At companies that offer ESI, employees have access to preventative health care such as regular check-ups, routine laboratory tests, and nutrition counselin... | 3 | train_849 |
Professor: Each government should do all that it can to improve the well-being of all the children in the society it governs. Ttherefore, governments should help finance high-quality day care since such day care will become available to families of all income levels if and only if it is subsidized. | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the professor's argument depends? | [
"Only governments that subsidize high-quality day care take an interest in the well-being of all the children in the societies they govern.",
"Government is a more efficient provider of certain services than is private enterprise.",
"Government subsidy of high-quality day care would not be so expensive that it ... | 3 | train_850 |
If squirrels eat from a bird feeder, it will not attract many birds. However, squirrels eat from a bird feeder only if it lacks a protective cover. So a bird feeder will not attract many birds if it does not have a protective cover. | The flawed pattern of reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following arguments? | [
"If a tire's pressure is too low, the tire will wear out prematurely. But tire pressure will become too low only if the car owner neglects to check the pressure regularly. So a tire will wear out prematurely if the car owner neglects to check the pressure regularly.",
"If a tire's pressure is too low, the tire wi... | 0 | train_851 |
Researchers have noticed that people whose blood shows abnormally low levels of calcium usually have laryngeal polyps, which can permanently damage vocal cords and result in partial or even total loss of voice. In order to reduce the risk of polyps, the researchers recommend a diet high in calcium-rich foods such as da... | Which of the following, if true, most strongly suggests that following the researchers' recommendation would NOT be effective? | [
"Fresh vegetables are not always available in all seasons.",
"Low levels of calcium can sometimes be remedied with vitamin pills.",
"Laryngeal polyps sometimes disappear without treatment.",
"Laryngeal polyps cause a change in body chemistry that blocks the absorption of calcium."
] | 3 | train_852 |
Democratic governments are unlikely to take a morally principled stand on controversial issues, because there are almost always groups of people with differing principles who strongly resist any policy that consistently adheres to any particular moral principle. Thus, the compromises that opposition groups force on dem... | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it fails to consider the possibility that | [
"any form of government is more efficient when it is not overly restricted by moral principles",
"other forms of government are no more likely to take a stand on controversial moral issues than are democratic governments",
"democratic governments benefit citizens more by failing to take a stand on controversial... | 3 | train_853 |
Small experimental vacuum tubes can operate in heat that makes semiconductor components fail. Any component whose resistance to heat is greater than that of semiconductors would be preferable for use in digital circuits, but only if that component were also comparable to semiconductors in all other significant respects... | If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true? | [
"Vacuum tubes are not now preferable to semiconductors for use in digital circuits.",
"Resistance to heat is the only advantage that vacuum tubes have over semiconductors.",
"Semiconductors will always be preferable to vacuum tubes for use in many applications other than digital circuits.",
"Once vacuum tubes... | 0 | train_854 |
Global ecological problems reduce to the problem of balancing supply and demand. Supply is strictly confined by the earth' s limitations. Demand, however, is essentially unlimited, as there are no limits on the potential demands made by humans. The natural tendency for there to be an imbalance between demand and sustai... | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? | [
"Human consumption does not decrease the environmental supply.",
"Actual human demand exceeds the earth's sustainable supply.",
"It is possible to determine the limitations of the earth's sustainable supply.",
"Supply and demand tend to balance themselves in the long run."
] | 1 | train_855 |
A study of rabbits in the 1940s convinced many biologists that parthenogenesis -- reproduction without fertilization of an egg -- sometimes occurs in mammals. However, the study' s methods have since been shown to be flawed, and no other studies have succeeded in demonstrating mammalian parthenogenesis. Thus, since par... | A flaw in the reasoning of the argument is that the argument | [
"infers that a characteristic is shared by all nonmammalian vertebrate species merely because it is shared by some nonmammalian vertebrate species",
"confuses a necessary condition for parthenogenesis with a sufficient condition for it",
"takes for granted that something that has not been proven to be true is f... | 2 | train_856 |
Sonya: The government of Copeland is raising the cigarette tax. Copeland' s cigarette prices will still be reasonably low, so cigarette consumption will probably not be affected much. Consequently, government revenue from the tax will increase. Raoul: True, smoking is unlikely to decrease, because Copeland' s cigarette... | Raoul responds to Sonya's argument by doing which of the following? | [
"Arguing that Sonya's conclusion would be better supported if Sonya could cite a precedent for what she predicts will happen",
"Pointing out that a certain initiative is not bold enough to have the effect that Sonya Predicts it will have",
"Calling Sonya's conclusion into question by pointing to a possible effe... | 2 | train_857 |
Doctor: Angiotensinogen is a protein in human blood. Typically, the higher a person' s angiotensinogen levels are, the higher that person' s blood pressure is. Disease X usually causes an increase in angiotensinogen levels. Ttherefore, disease X must be a cause of high blood pressure. | The doctor 's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds? | [
"It overlooks the possibility that even if a condition causally contributes to a given effect, other factors may fully counteract that effect in the presence of that condition.",
"It takes for granted that if one phenomenon often causes a second phenomenon and that second phenomenon often causes a third phenomeno... | 2 | train_858 |
In an experiment, researchers played a series of musical intervals -- two-note sequences -- to a large, diverse group of six-month-old babies. They found that the babies paid significantly more attention when the intervals were perfect octaves, fifths, or fourths than otherwise. These intervals are prevalent in the mus... | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? | [
"Octaves, fifths, and fourths were played more frequently during the experiment than other musical intervals were.",
"Several similar experiments using older children and adults found that these subjects, too, had a general tendency to pay more attention to octaves, fifths, and fourths than to other musical inter... | 3 | train_859 |
Two things are true of all immoral actions. First, if they are performed in public, they offend public sensibilities. Second, they are accompanied by feelings of guilt. | If all of the statements above are true, then which one of the following must be false? | [
"Immoral actions are wrong solely by virtue of being accompanied by feelings of guilt.",
"Every action performed in public that is accompanied by feelings of guilt is immoral.",
"Some actions that offend public sensibilities if they are performed in public are not accompanied by feelings of guilt.",
"Some imm... | 3 | train_860 |
Psychologist: Satisfaction and happiness with one' s family cannot exist unless families have established strong values of mutual trust, love, and respect. Such bonds are formed and strengthened only through making these key values the basis for all actions within the family. It is obvious then that widespread reliance... | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the psychiatrist's argument depends? | [
"Families cannot usefully increase their happiness by using electronic media.",
"People who rely on movies and electronic media for entertainment are generally not as happy with their families as those who do not.",
"People who rely on movies and electronic information for entertainment are unable to form stron... | 2 | train_861 |
The introduction of symbols for numbers is an event lost in prehistory, but the earliest known number symbols, in the form of simple grooves and scratches on bones and stones, date back 20, 000 years or more. Nevertheless, since it was not until 5, 500 years ago that systematic methods for writing numerals were invente... | Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies? | [
"Grooves and scratches found on bones and stones were all made by people, and none resulted from natural processes.",
"Some kinds of surfaces upon which numeric symbols could have been made in the period before 5, 500 years ago were not used for that purpose.",
"Computation of any sort required a systematic met... | 2 | train_862 |
According to ancient records, the first tax that the government of Selea imposed on a basic commodity was a tax of two centima coins on every jar of cooking oil sold in Selea. Tax records show that despite a stable population and strict enforcement of tax laws, revenues from the oil tax declined steeply over the first ... | Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the decline in Selean oil-tax revenues? | [
"Two years after implementing the tax on cooking oil, the Selean government began to implement taxes on numerous other basic commodities.",
"After the tax was imposed, Selean merchants began selling cooking oil in larger jars than before.",
"Jars of cooking oil were traditionally bought as wedding gifts in Sele... | 1 | train_863 |
Astronomer: Most stars are born in groups of thousands, each star in a group forming from the same parent cloud of gas. Each cloud has a unique, homogeneous chemical composition. Ttherefore, whenever two stars have the same chemical composition as each other, they must have originated from the same cloud of gas. | Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the astronomer's argument? | [
"Many stars in vastly different parts of the universe are quite similar in their chemical compositions.",
"Clouds of gas of similar or identical chemical composition may be remote from each other.",
"In some groups of stars, not every star originated from the same parent cloud of gas.",
"Whenever a star forms... | 3 | train_864 |
The OLEX Petroleum Company has recently determined that it could cut its refining costs by closing its Grenville refinery and consolidating all refining at its Tasberg refinery. Closing the Grenville refinery, however, would mean the immediate loss of about 1, 200 jobs in the Grenville area. Eventually the lives of mor... | Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument given? | [
"Even though OLEX could consolidate all its refining at the Tasberg plant, doing so at the Grenville plant would not be feasible.",
"Closure of the Grenville refinery would mean compliance, at enormous cost, with demanding local codes regulating the cleanup of abandoned industrial sites.",
"If the Grenville ref... | 1 | train_865 |
The diet of Heliothis subflexa caterpillars consists entirely of fruit from plants of the genus Physalis. These fruit do not contain linolenic acid, which is necessary to the growth and maturation of many insects other than H. subflexa. Linolenic acid in an insect' s diet is also necessary for the production of a chemi... | Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the statements above? | [
"No caterpillars other than H. subflexa eat fruit from plants of the genus Physalis.",
"Most species of caterpillar have sources of linolenic acid in their diets.",
"H. subflexa caterpillars synthesize linolenic acid within their bodies.",
"Any caterpillar that has linolenic acid in its diet has volicitin in ... | 1 | train_866 |
Within the earth' s core, which is iron, pressure increases with depth. Because the temperature at which iron melts increases with pressure, the inner core is solid and the outer core is molten. Physicists can determine the melting temperature of iron at any given pressure and the pressure for any given depth in the ea... | Which of the following most logically completes the argument below? | [
"nowhere in the earth's core can the temperature be measured directly",
"pressures within the earth's outer core are much greater than pressures above the outer core",
"the depth beneath the earth's surface of the boundary between the outer and inner cores is known",
"the temperatures within the earth's inner... | 2 | train_867 |
Spokesperson: The claim by the minister of education that teachers' attitudes are causing a decline in student performance is belied by events at any meeting of our Teachers Association. The workshops at these meetings are filled with teachers struggling to find new ways to teach their students. No one, not even a very... | Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the spokesperson's argument? | [
"The argument focuses on the opponent rather than on the opponent's argument.",
"The argument takes for granted that only when teachers' attitudes toward students are negative will those attitudes cause a decline in student performance.",
"The argument presumes, without providing justification, that teachers' a... | 1 | train_868 |
An independent audit found no indication of tax avoidance on the part of the firm in the firm' s accounts; ttherefore, no such problem exists. | The questionable reasoning in the argument above is most closely paralleled by that in which one of the following? | [
"The overall budget for the projects has been exceeded by a large amount; ttherefore, at least one of the projects has exceeded its budget by a large amount.",
"An examination of the index of the book found no listing for the most prominent critic of the theory the book advocates; ttherefore, the book fails to re... | 1 | train_869 |
Diamond Enterprises is a store in Apisville that sells specialty luxury items. For several years, Diamond reaped substantial profits and was considering building branch stores in nearby counties. Stibium Industries, for several years the single largest employer in Apisville and the surrounding region, abruptly closed i... | Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage? | [
"Diamond Enterprises would have avoided bankruptcy if it had followed through with the plan to build branch stores during its more prosperous years.",
"After Stibium Industry closed, Diamond Enterprises was the single largest employer in Apisville.",
"Stibium's management team had a corporate account with Diamo... | 3 | train_870 |
Societies in which value is measured primarily in financial terms invariably fragment into isolated social units. But since money is not the main measure of value in nonindustrial societies, they must tend in contrast to be socially unified. | The flawed reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to that in the argument above? | [
"Animals of different genera cannot interbreed. But that does not prove that jackals and wolves cannot interbreed, for they belong to the same genus.",
"Poets frequently convey their thoughts via nonliteral uses of language such as metaphors and analogies. But journalists are not poets, so surely journalists alwa... | 1 | train_871 |
Sociologist: Romantics who claim that people are not born evil but may be made evil by the imperfect institutions that they form cannot be right, for they misunderstand the causal relationship between people and their institutions. After all, institutions are merely collections of people. | Which one of the following principles, if valid, would most help to justify the sociologist's argument? | [
"People should not be overly optimistic in their view of individual human beings.",
"The whole does not determine the properties of the things that compose it.",
"People acting together in institutions can do more good or evil than can people acting individually.",
"A society's institutions are the surest gau... | 1 | train_872 |
Escalating worldwide demand for corn has led to a sharp increase in the market price of corn, and corn prices are likely to remain high. Corn is extensive used as feed for livestock, and because profit margins are tight in the livestock business, many farmers are expected to leave the business. With fewer suppliers, me... | Which of the following, if true, most helps to justify the observers' expectation? | [
"Generally, farmers who are squeezed out of the livestock business send their livestock to market much earlier than they otherwise would.",
"The increase in corn prices is due more to a decline in the supply of corn than to a growth in demand for it.",
"Some people who ate meat regularly in the past are convert... | 0 | train_873 |
People who switch to a low-calorie diet generally do not lose any weight. This is surprising since it is understood that decreasing the calories in one' s diet, while maintaining the same level of activity, causes one to lose weight. | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy? | [
"Food that are low in calories tend to cost more money.",
"People who switch to low-calorie diets also tend to decrease their level of activity.",
"People who eat a low-calorie diet generally weigh less than people eating a higher calorie diet.",
"Foods that are low in calories generally taste worse than high... | 1 | train_874 |
Plant species differ in that renewed growth in spring can be triggered by day length or by temperature or else by a combination of both. Day length is the same, year after year, for any given date. Ttherefore, any plant species that starts to grow again on widely different dates in different years resumes growth at lea... | Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its pattern of reasoning to the argument above? | [
"In Xandia, medical assistant trainees must either complete a formal training course or work for one year under the close supervision of a physician. Since few physicians are willing to act as supervisors, it must be true that most medical assistant trainees in Xandia take the training course.",
"Depending on vol... | 2 | train_875 |
University president: Research institutions have an obligation to promote research in any field of theoretical investigation if that research shows some promise of yielding insights into the causes of practical problems that affect people' s quality of life. | The principle stated by the university president, if valid, most helps to justify which one of the following actions? | [
"A research institute funds an investigation into the mathematical properties of folded structures that is likely to aid in understanding the structure of proteins that cause disease.",
"A university funds a research position in the physics department that involves no teaching but has the responsibility for manag... | 0 | train_876 |
Scientists are sometimes said to assume that something is not the case until there is proof that it is the case. Now suppose the question arises whether a given food additive is safe. At that point, it would be neither known to be safe nor known not to be safe. By the characterization above, scientists would assume the... | Which one of the following describes the technique of reasoning used above? | [
"A general statement is argued to be false by showing that it has deliberately been formulated to mislead.",
"A statement is shown to be false by showing that it directly contradicts a second statement that is taken to be true.",
"A statement is argued to be false by showing that taking it to be true leads to i... | 2 | train_877 |
Advertisers are often criticized for their unscrupulous manipulation of people' s tastes and wants. There is evidence, however, that some advertisers are motivated by moral as well as financial considerations. A particular publication decided to change its image from being a family newspaper to concentrating on sex and... | Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument? | [
"Some advertisers switched from family newspapers to advertise in the changed publication.",
"People who generally read family newspapers are not likely to buy newspapers that concentrate on sex and violence.",
"It was expected that the changed publication would appeal principally to those in a different income... | 3 | train_878 |
People cannot be morally responsible for things over which they have no control. Ttherefore, they should not be held morally responsible for any inevitable consequences of such things, either. Determining whether adults have any control over the treatment they are receiving can be difficult. Hence in some cases it can ... | Anyone making the claims above would be logically committed to which one of the following further claims? | [
"If a given action is within a certain person's control that person should be held morally responsible for the consequences of that action.",
"An infant should never be held morally responsible for an action that infant has performed.",
"There are certain commonly performed actions for which no one performing t... | 3 | train_879 |
Sixty adults were asked to keep a diary of their meals, including what they consumed, when, and in the company of how many people. It was found that at meals with which they drank alcoholic beverages, they consumed about 175 calories more from nonalcoholic sources than they did at meals with which they did not drink al... | Each of the following, if true, contributes to an explanation of the difference in caloric intake EXCEPT: | [
"At meals that included alcohol, relatively more of the total calories consumed came from carbohydrates and relatively fewer of them came from fats and proteins.",
"Diners spent a much longer time at meals served with alcohol than they did at those served without alcohol.",
"People eat more when there are more ... | 0 | train_880 |
One sure way you can tell how quickly a new idea -- for example, "globalization" -- is taking hold among the population is to monitor how fast the word or words expressing that particular idea are passing into common usage. Professional opinions of whether or not words can indeed be said to have passed into common usag... | The method described above for determining how quickly a new idea is taking hold relies on which one of the following assumptions? | [
"Dictionary authors are not professionally interested in words that are only rarely used.",
"Dictionary authors have an exact numerical calculation for deciding when a word has passed into common usage.",
"For a new idea to take hold, dictionary authors have to include the relevant word or word in their diction... | 3 | train_881 |
Analyst: Any new natural-gas-powered electrical generation station needs to be located close to a natural-gas pipeline, a large body of water for cooling, and transmission lines. It also must be situated in a region where residents will not oppose construction. Our country has an extensive system of transmission lines,... | The analyst's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following statements about the analyst's country? | [
"There currently is no natural-gas-powered electrical generation station near any of the three largest bodies of water.",
"Future electrical needs will have to be met by alternatives to natural-gas-powered generation.",
"If a new natural-gas -powered electrical station is built in a region, many residents will ... | 3 | train_882 |
Senior Class President: Our school, in suspending a student who verbally challenged his lab partner' s results, has erred by penalizing the student for doing what he surely has a right to do: speak his mind! Superintendent: But what you' re saying is that our school district should endorse verbal harassment. Yet surely... | Which one of the following is a questionable technique that the superintendent uses to refute the class president? | [
"Questioning the motives of the class president as opposed to offering reasons for his own conclusion.",
"Incorrectly describing the class president's position, thereby making it easily to challenge.",
"Challenging the class president's knowledge of the process by which the student was suspended.",
"Relying o... | 1 | train_883 |
A theoretical framework facilitates conceptual organization of material and fruitful expansions of research. Many historians argue that historical analysis is ttherefore done best within a theoretical framework. But the past is too complex for all of its main trends to be captured within a theoretical framework. Tthere... | Which one of the following most logically completes the argument? | [
"there is no benefit ever to be gained in recommending to historians that they place their work within a theoretical framework",
"the value of theoretical work in extending research has been emphasized by historians who recommend doing historical analysis within a theoretical framework",
"there is no difference... | 3 | train_884 |
The teeth of some mammals show "growth rings" that result from the constant depositing of layers of cementum as opaque bands in summer and translucent bands in winter. Cross sections of pigs' teeth found in an excavated Stone Age trash pit revealed bands of remarkably constant width except that the band deposited last,... | The statements above most strongly support the conclusion that the animals died | [
"in an unusually early winter",
"from starvation",
"roughly in midwinter",
"at roughly the same age"
] | 2 | train_885 |
Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another record? Well, <b> any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company. </b> Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last years record pa... | In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following ? | [
"The first provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a claim that the argument challenges.",
"The first is presented as an obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a judgment advanced in support of the main conclusion of the argument.",
"The first is a... | 1 | train_886 |
Until recently it was thought that ink used before the sixteenth century did not contain titanium. However, a new type of analysis detected titanium in the ink of the famous Bible printed by Johannes Gutenberg and in that of another fifteenth-century Bible known as B-36, though not in the ink of any of numerous other f... | The reasoning in the passage is vulnerable to criticism on the ground that | [
"it is unreasonable to suppose that determination of the date and location of a document's printing or drawing can be made solely on the basis of the presence or absence of a single element in the ink used in the document",
"if the technology that makes it possible to detect titanium in printing ink has only rece... | 3 | train_887 |
Humans began to spread across North America around 12, 000 years ago, as the climate became warmer. During the same period the large mammals that were once abundant in North America, such as the mastodon, the woolly mammoth, and the saber-toothed tiger, became extinct. Thus, contrary to the myth that humans formerly li... | The argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that | [
"for early inhabitants of North America the destruction of mastodons, woolly mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers might have had very different significance than the extinction of mammal species does for modern humans",
"in calling the idea that humans once lived in harmony with nature a myth the argument presuppos... | 2 | train_888 |
Citizen of Mooresville: Mooresville' s current city council is having a ruinous effect on municipal finances. Since a majority of the incumbents are running for reelection, I am going to campaign against all these incumbents in the upcoming city council election. The only incumbent I will support and vote for is the on... | Assuming that each citizen of Mooresville is allowed to vote only for a city council representative from his or her own neighborhood, for the council's membership to be changed substantially, it must be true that | [
"few of the incumbents on the Mooresville city council have run for reelection in previous elections",
"none of the challengers in the upcoming election for seats on Mooresville's city council are better able to serve the interests of their neighborhoods than were the incumbents",
"most of the eligible voters i... | 3 | train_889 |
If a mother' s first child is born before its due date, it is likely that her second child will be also. Jackie' s second child was not born before its due date, so it is likely that Jackie' s first child was not born before its due date either. | The questionable reasoning in the argument above is most similar in its reasoning to which one of the following? | [
"If a business is likely to fail, people will not invest in it. Pallid Starr is likely to fail, ttherefore no one is likely to invest in it.",
"Tai will go sailing only if the weather is nice. The weather will be nice, thus Tai will probably go sailing.",
"Artisans who finish their projects before the craft fai... | 3 | train_890 |
Alexia: Our ignorance about the lives of so many novelists is unfortunate. How much deeper and more complete our appreciation of their works would be if we knew more about the personal wellsprings of their thought and art! Malik: I disagree. Because we know virtually nothing of their personal lives, we can resist the t... | The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Alexia and Malik disagree over whether | [
"understanding the personal wellsprings of the work of certain novelists is impossible without knowledge of their lives",
"knowledge about a novelist's personal life can interfere with the appropriate understanding of that novelist's work",
"a psychoanalytic approach provides an inadequate method of understandi... | 1 | train_891 |
Principle: Meetings should be kept short, addressing only those issues relevant to a majority of those attending. A person should not be required to attend a meeting if none of the issues to be addressed at the meeting are relevant to that person. Application: Terry should not be required to attend today' s two o' cloc... | Which one of the following, if true, most justifies the stated application of the principle? | [
"No issue relevant to Terry could be relevant to a majority of those attending the meeting.",
"If Terry attends the meeting a different set of issues will be relevant to a majority of those attending than if Terry does not attend.",
"If Terry makes a presentation at the meeting, the meeting will not be kept sho... | 0 | train_892 |
"Physicalists" expect that ultimately all mental functions will be explainable in neurobiological terms. Achieving this goal requires knowledge of neurons and their basic functions, a knowledge of how neurons interact, and a delineation of the psychological faculties to be explained. At present, there is a substantial ... | Which one of the following indicates an error in the reasoning in the passage? | [
"The passage does not indicate that any knowledge has been achieved about how neurons interact.",
"The passage fails to describe exactly what is currently known about the basic functions of neurons.",
"The word \"neurobiological\" is used as though it had the same meaning as the word \"mental. \"",
"The concl... | 0 | train_893 |
Bus driver: Had the garbage truck not been exceeding the speed limit, it would not have collided with the bus I was driving. I, on the other hand, was abiding by all traffic regulations -- as the police report confirms. Ttherefore, although I might have been able to avoid the collision had I reacted more quickly, the b... | Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning in the bus driver's argument? | [
"A company that employs bus drivers should reprimand those drivers only when they become involved in collisions that they reasonably could have been expected to avoid.",
"A bus company should not reprimand one of its drivers whose bus is involved in a collision if a police report confirms that the collision was c... | 3 | train_894 |
People without cognitive impairments tend to read with ease. People with cognitive impairments tend to have great difficulty reading. Ttherefore, if people with cognitive impairments are taught to read with ease, the proportion of people with cognitive impairments will decrease. | A reasoning error in the argument is that the argument | [
"confuses the relationship between the cause of something and the resulting effect",
"takes the lack of evidence for the existence of a causative relationship to prove that a causative relationship does not exist",
"presupposes that which is to be proved",
"refutes a generalization by means of an exceptional ... | 0 | train_895 |
Editorial: Many observers note with dismay the decline in the number of nongovernmental, voluntary community organizations. They argue that this decline is caused by the corresponding growth of government services once provided by these voluntary community groups. But this may not be true. The increase in government se... | The editorial undermines the conclusion of the causal argument by | [
"offering a counterexample to the alleged correlation",
"offering an alternate explanation of the correlation cited",
"proving that governments must do what community organizations fail to do",
"showing that there is no causality involved"
] | 1 | train_896 |
Mary to Jamal: You acknowledge that as the legitimate owner of this business I have the legal right to sell it whenever I wish. But also you claim that because loyal employees will suffer if I sell it, I ttherefore have no right to do so. Obviously, your statements taken together are absurd. | Mary's reasoning is most vulnerable to the criticism that she | [
"overlooks the possibility that her employees also have rights related to the sale of the business",
"overlooks the possibility that Jamal is referring to two different kinds of right",
"attacks Jamal's character rather than his argument",
"overlooks the possibility that when Jamal claims that she has no righ... | 1 | train_897 |
Politician: The cohesion of a society depends on its members' accepting a set of basic principles. When these principles are routinely called into question, the society begins to erode. Any society, ttherefore, that allows schools to present the society' s set of basic principles as simply one of several alternatives, ... | Which one of the following would, if true, most strengthen the politician's argument? | [
"Children are more likely than adults to question the wisdom of those who founded and shaped a society.",
"Unless people believe that they have freely chosen to adopt the principles that govern their societies, they will tend to repudiate these principles.",
"One cannot evaluate a set of political principles wi... | 3 | train_898 |
The top priority of the school administration should be student attendance. No matter how good the teachers, texts, and facilities are, none of these does any good if few students come to school. | The pattern of reasoning in the argument above is LEAST similar to that in which one of the following? | [
"The top priority of a person lost in the wilderness should be food-gathering. Knowing how to find one's way back or how to build a comfortable shelter does one no good if one does not have enough food to survive.",
"The top priority of a detective should be to gather physical evidence. High-tech crime lab equipm... | 2 | train_899 |
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