Critical Reasoning The workers’ union of Grain Corp, a grain-processing plant, is attempting to obtain a p raise from Grain Corp management, To pressure Grain Comp management into accepting on's proposal, the president of the union has proposed a boycott against S the unic ompany of Grain Corp. : owned by Mega Food, the pare res, which a Mart food ns is LEAST directly t to the a boycott of Square Mart will lead to al? The answer to which of the following ques union presidents consideration of whethe acceptance of the union's pay rate prope: A) Would the Joss of business at Square Mart stores materially affect Mega Food? B) Are the staple food products purchased by consumers at Square Mart stor t other stores not owned by Mega Foou? are Marts are within the region of the Gmin Corp plant? D) Have othier unions successfully employed the same s plants.and food £) Is Mega Food the only corporation that operates both prain-processir stores An ecology: magazine regularly publishes articles on tree diseases. This year, the number nificantly red last year. Clearly, fewer researchers smaller than the number of such articles that appear studied Ophiostome tli this year than did so last year. Which of the following, if true, weakens the above conclus ‘A) Many researchers publishing articles are ctirrently studying Stegophora ulmea. fungus that causes-eim leaf spot in North illed half of the elm tres B) Since its introduction, Dutch elmdiseass has America. > that focuses on prevention receives more flunding than C) Research on Dutch elm diseas ch that focuses on finding a cure rest D) A new strain of the fungus Rhyrisma acerinum infésted maple trees: at an unprecedented rate this year. _c@) Allarticles go through at least a one-year review process before publication3, Saguaro kangaroo rats generally leave watering holes, where food and water are abundant dur s remain near these same watering holes and Sonoran ka the day, while garoo continue fordging throughout the day. Although Sonoran kanga 09 mats have larger ancl -ally outnumbered! by the Saguaro kangaroo rat hey are ger more frequent litters, Whieh of the following, if true, would best resolve the apparent paradox described above? A) Several species of suecesstul rodents also leave the streams and watering holes during the day n kangaroo rat 3) The Saguaro kangaroo rat matures much more slowly than the Sonor because of its relatively limited food supply. e@@0) Many of the predators of kangaroo rats, such as falcons and rattlesnakes, are only active around streams during the day. sitive to sunlight than are Sonoran kangaroo rats. D) Saguaro kangaroo rats are more se: £) Sonoran kangaroo rats are reproductive to a greater age than are Saguaro’ kangaroo rats, onal regulations that limit the sale of meat to within five days of packing should be not spoil for 16 days. If the life and changed. Under optimal conditions, meat kept at 40°F will 1 regulations were changed, prices for meat would drop due to increased she! but the safety of the food supply would not be compromised. reduced waste, Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion drawn above? for up toa week before eating it. A) Most consumers keep m B) Seven of 10 shopkeepers favor extending the limitation on meat to nine days @C) Approximately 65 percent of the meat display cases nationally maintain temperatures between 47°F and 54°F, ill. safe to consume. E) Approximately half the meat stored for 5 days is s F) Meatpacking operations are more efficient when they can make fewer, larger deliveries than when they must make mote frequent, smaller deliveries,The owner of a four-story commercial building discovered termites in the building's first and second floors and called an exterminator, The exterminator pumped gas into the wall on both the first. and second floors. Due to the exterminator’s work, the termites on those floors were killed quickly Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the va explanation for the speed with which the termites were killed? ity of the A) The third floor had no termite infestation. 4@8) Even though the exterminator did not pump gas into the walls of the fourth story, the termites there died as quickly as they did on the first and stcond stories. C) The speed at which termites arc killed increases as the concentration of an exterminator’ gas increases, D) The speed with which the exterminator’ dissipates throughout the building! 188 kills termites drops off sharply as.the gas wall EH) ‘The exterminators gas-pumping system works efficiently even when pumping gas into both the first and second stories of the building simultaneously. noo! before gruduating 6. Recent seveys show that many people who have left medical se suffer from: depression. Clearly, depression is likely to cause withdrawal from, medical school Which of the following, if truc, would most strengthen the conclusion above? ‘chological counseling for their students A) Many medical schools provide ps 1B) About half of those who leave medical school report feeling depressed after the decision to leave: C) Depression is very common among, management consultants who have a similarly difficult work schedule as that of many young doctors: 1D) Medical students who have sought depression counseling due to family probl leave at a higher rate than the national average. E) Career change has been’ shown to be a strong contributing factor in the onset of depression.stit over the past ent of Southpert’s 7. ‘The performance of Southport's two frigh schools has been quite con s, Suburban High hay enrolled 40. pe five years. In each of those ye students and produced 75’ percent of the town's high school graduates, while Lakeside High has accounted for the remainder, Which of the following can properly be inferred regarding the past five years fre the passage abov A) The total number of students attending each high school has remained roughly constant sphical area than students fF GeO gy 3) Students attending Suburban High come from a attending Lakeside High. ©) Lakeside High has graduated a lower percentage of its attendees than has Suburl High. D) ‘the respective geographic areas from’ which the schools draw their student popillations have remained unchanged. nding magnet programs accouted fora higher percentage of the B) Student é High than at Suburban High graduating students at Lakes ‘a new type of foam spray that it claims will 8. A chemical company’ recently introduced the company showed reduce the rate of erosion from the walls of road cuts. A study by that the rate of erosion was low on a toad cut where the foam was siousty weaken the company’s conclusion’ Which of the following, if true, would most @A) Road cuts similar to the one studied typically show low rates of erosion without the foam. 3) Because the foam itself weathers, the foam would have to be reapplied every four years to maintain protection against erosion, C) Studies by the company that produces the material are sometimes unreliable because of conflicts of interest. D) The rate of erosion from the road cut in the study was greater than exp. based on. computer simulation models. E) Other foams made from similar iniaterials have failed to halt erosion from certain types of road cuts.9. A researcher has ¢ soavered that steel containing Element X is stronger and more flexible than ordinary steel because Mement X reduces he occurrence of microseopig fractures. The level of Element X in much of the steel produced in Canada is: naturally high because the ore deposits from which the steel is produced also Contain Element X ‘Which of the following can be correetly inferred from the statements A) Steel from Canada is stronger and 1 ore flexible than steel from any other country B) Steel thut is not from Canada is highly likely: to develop microscopic fractures after years of use. C) Producing steel from ore depos sining Element X is the best way to make steel that is stronger and more flexi! @D) Some st other steel J produced in Canada is less likely to develop microscopic fractures than E) Steel produced from Canadian ore deposits contains the highest levels of Element X found in any steel. 10, The Laysan Rail, an insectivore bird once present on several of the Hawatian Islands, can no longer be found and is thought to be extinct, Scientists originally thought that a bie far the decrease in the amount of ground vegetation available for nesting was respons decline of the bire, However, they now believe that increased competition for food wa ultimately responsible for the Laysan Rail’s inability to survive, Which of the following would best help to account for the change in the accepted explanation for the Laysan Rail's extinetion? home island was decimated when rabbits were A) The vegetation on the Laysan Rai introduced to the island in the 1910s. B) When attempts were made to relocate the Laysan Rail to other islands, the birds lost hat they relied on for finding mating sites. the geographical cues C) The Laysan Rail builds nests under dense ground cover to protect the eggs. in the numbers of flies and gD) An increase in the use of pesticides resulted in a decreas moths present in the Laysan Rail's territory E) Many species nested in the same types of vegetation as the Laysan Rail.11. Retail clothing stores should hold "one-day-only" sal to clear merchandise that has been The stores should sell this merchandise fi S thant the original retail price. Stores will find these sales to be an : returned because it is defective in some way. up to 70 percent effective way of {ting rid of defective merchandise ws long as they inform eustomers that the discounted merchandise is returnable. ‘The author assumes which of the following about the "one-day-only" sale merchandise in predicting the effectiveness of these sales? @ A) The defects in the merchandise are not so significant that customers will be unwilling to pay even the sale pri B) The nite of retums when merchandise is new makes these "one way-only" sales key to a store's profitability. €) Too few shoppers purchase merchandise at full retail price, D) If these sales become popular, stores will have to have them! more often. E) The majority of the "one-day-only" sale merchandise » who would otherwise not shop at those'stores Ul. be purchased by shoppers _.A brochure for City X highlights the reasons why residents should move there rather than to other cities in the state, One reason that the brochure mentions is the relative case of finding ajob in City X, where the unemplo ment rate is 4.7 percent Which of the following statements, if true, casts the most doubt on the validity of the reason to move to City X mentioned above? A) Most of the jobs in City X are hourly rather than salary jobs. @ B) The state where City X is located has an average unemployment rate of 3.9 pet C) Other reasons to move to City elude the school system and easy access to. recreational activities. 1) ‘The national unemployment rate, calculated during the last census, percent. E) City Y, located in the same state as City X, recently built a new factory that will employ 5,000 workers.13. If participation in the honors en ative writing elds those undergraduates who had moeived at least a 8+ in composition, most of the undergraduate students would be foreed to take the regular creative writing cl ss. Skch reduction in under; ie ‘ ling prac fa the honors class. wert limited to graduate students arid raduate enrollment would reduce the perventage of failing: grades in the es of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn in Sentence 2 above? A) Graduate students have all scored at least B+ in composition. B) The honors creative writing cours graduate enrollment. is experiencing overcrowding due to increases in ©) Many undergraduates would work harder to store B+ in composition rather than be excluded from honors creative writing ‘ecent les in honors creative writing has decreased ir D) The number of failing years. @E) Undergraduates who scored lower than B+ in composition are respe disproportionate pereentage of failing grades in honors creative writ 14, In a certain state, the rate at which inhabitants of City X contract a ¢ significantly lower than the rate at which inhabitants of City V eontract the ct from City Y relocates to: City X and raises w family there, th less likely to contract this disease than they would Soifa couple originally £ r ehildren ‘antly will be si remained in City Y. wn in yeaken the conclusion di Which of the following, if true, would most seriously the passage? < will lead to a significant A) Many health experts do not believe that moving to City ¢ in the average person's immunity to the disease, inci B) The mayor of City Y has falsely claimed that statistics relating to the incidence of the disease in his city are not accurate. ribed mostly to genetically fax) The lower incidence of the disease in City X can be determined factors. 1D) Some inhabitants of City Y pos a greater immunity to the disease than do the healthiest inhabitants of City v E) Smog levels in City X are oiciilfwntly than those of any other city in the state.15, In a certain state, the role ot which inhabitants of City X contract « certain dive: significantly: lower than the rate at whieh inhabitants of City ¥ contract the dis : couple originally from City ¥ relocates to City X will be signi in City ¥ Soifa ndl raises @ family there, their children icantly less likely to contract this disease than they would had they nerrsained Which of the following statements, if true, would most significantly strengthen the conclusion drawn in the passage? A) The rate at which inhabitants of City X contract the disease will increase as the overall population of City X ine “aSeS. B13) In contrast to City ¥, City X is characterized by an abundance of environmental fiietors that tend to inhibit the occurrence of the disease C) Of those inhabitants of City ¥ who move to City X, 23 pervent live beyond the average life span of native inhabitants of City X. Dj Over the last to decades, the incidence of the disease has déereased in City Y but has, remained unchanged in City X £2) Studies indicate that the incidence of the disease among inhabitants of City X who move fo City Y is roughly equal (o that of inhabitants of City X who remain in ¢ ‘ity &. 16. A recently published article on human physiology claims that enzyme K contribut improved performance in strenuous activities such as weightlifting and sprinting. ‘The average levels of enzyme K in Olympic weight lifters and evidence of abov sprinters. Whieb of the following, if true, would most strengthen the article: conclusion? A) Enzyme K levels are the miost important factor affecting the performance of strenuous activiti §8) Enzyme K has no other function in the human body. tivities. ©) Enzyme K is required for the performance of strenuous D) Enzyme K helps weight lifters more than it helps sprinters. =e® F) Strenuous activities do not cause’ the human body to produce unusually high levels of zyme K,17. In the state of Michigan, from 1980 to 1989, total spending Of hooks purchased from all period, spending on fiction books sourves inereased by 34 percent. But during the same most of which Were purchased from bookstores, selling only new books, grev just 16 percent, statements Whieh of the followii pout the period from 1980 to 1989 is best supported by the statements above? 88) Spending on nonfiction books increased by more than 34 percent B) Shoppers were more likely (o buy fiction books when they went to'a bookstore than they were to buy nonfiction. C) The prices of books purchased at bookstores are higher than those of books purchased elsewhere. D) Individual spending on books increased, while institutional spending declined. B) The number of people who bought books fiom secondhand bookstores increased during this period ‘The state legislature has proposed a new law that would provide a tax eredit to people who stems in their homes. Members of the legislature claim that the new law e of homes 18, install alarm 5} will reduce crime, citing studies showing that crime ta fall as the pereen with alarm systems rises. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the claim that the new law will reduce crime? A) No law can prevent crime altogether. @B) The amount of the tax credit is so low relative to the cost of alarm systems that very few people will install alarm systems to obtain this credit. C) Neighborhood crime prevention programs can reduce crime as effectively as alarm, systems can. D) The state would have to build more prisons to house all the people caught by the new alarm systems. E) The state cannot afford to reduce taxes any further.19. Countries A_and B are in competition to draw tor about 2,500 viol to their countries, In Country A. nt crimes wre reported per yi are reported per year. Trying t suse th In Country B, about 1,000 violent crime draw tourists away from Country A, officials in Cou B violent crime statistic: 10 claim it has @ lower violent ctir ¢ mate than Country Which of the following, if true, would expose the flaw the lower violent e1 n Country Bs argument that it has rate A) Most violent criminals in Country B are repeat offenders. A. B) White-collar crime is higher in Country B than in Count MBC) The population of Country A is 20 times greater than the population of Country B. D) Country B has fewer tourists than Country A. E) Country A has better prison system than Country B, 20. If @ poor harvest season ina major com-producing state results in higher prices for bushel of com, com prices in other states will rise as well, whether or not those s 25 het importers of com, Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the statement above? A) Agricultural commodities companies in states that are not net importers of com are excluded from the national com market when there is.a disruption in the national cor supply B) National cor supply disruptions have little, if any, effect on the price of local corn & lorig as the locality is ina state that is nota net importer of corn. ‘@AC) The com market in any state is part of the national corn market, even if most of the com consumed in the state is produced in the state. D) Poor harvesting seasons come at predictably regular intervals. E) Higher prices for corn tend to lead to increased prices for livestock, which rely on corn feed.21. Town X and ‘Town ¥ ane roughly equal in size and loeal population: A survey was done measuring traffic patterns during the summer months for euch of the past five years. Th Survey found that, on average in Town Y, there were 28 minor car accidents in June well as 28 in July, During the same two months in Town X, the average eas only minor ear accidents each month. Thus, if the Denteo Autobody Repair franchi lookin Town Y. to open anew shop in one of the two towns, it would be more likely to subeet sion Which of the follow drawn in the passage? if true, would most seriously damage the con A) Moré people walk to work or use mass transit in Town Y- B) The state is planning to add a thruway exit for Town ¥ ¢ it is a beach the summer bee: @pf-) The traffic volume in Town ¥ quadruple: town D) In June and July six y . Yown X had double the amount of accidents 1 % E) There are rumors of a méga nual possibly being constructed in Town X 29, Ronald is a runner on the track team and is.a great hurdler. All runners on the track team distance runners do not run the fast are either sprinters or long-distance runners, bul a few lon sprint because they are not enough, Hurdlers never run long-distance because they lack the endurmee necessary ‘Therefore, Ronald must be fast. For the conclusion drawn above to be logically correct, which of the following must be true? ster than hurdlers. A) Sprinters are fi B) All runners:on the track team who run hurdles also run long-distance C) Hurdling requires more endurance than running long-distance. =D) All sprinters are fast. E) Every runner on the track team who js fast is @ sprinter.23. In the past six pro football drafts, four or the six pl starters on the’ squad. On Fe: Starters. Si jayers selected by ‘Teany A are now am B, only two of the six players selected in the draft sre }© a football player selected by ‘Team A. from the draft pool has a higher probability of becoming a starter than ifhe is selected by Team B. Which of the following, if true, would be the best reason to reject this argument? A) Two of the four starters on Team A are sons of the coach. B) Team B has a new owner and coaching staff C) Team B has a new state-of-the-art gym D) Team B's pick is a quarterback, and the starting quarterback is retiring, SB6E) Team A has had the first draft) n the past six years, while Team B had the last pick. This year it is ret d. 24. The latest census of the town in which Jacobs hardware store i located has revealed that the population of new residents has increased tenfold since 1980, Though Jacob has not encountered any new competition for business during this time period, his inventory records indicate that the average number of lawnmowers and snow blowers th: he sells per year has risen only slightly over the average number of lawnmowers and snow blowers he sold yearly prior to 1980. Which of the following, if true, best explains the discrepancy outlined above? A) Since 1980, many of the single home properties have been subdivided into smaller single home parcels B) Inflation has caused the prices of the machines to increase every year since 1980. @=C) All of the housing built in Jacob's town since 1980 has been large apartment complexes. D) The average snowfall since 1980 has decreased from 6 feet per year to 4 feet per year. E) Jacob's store only carries two brands of lawnmowe s and snow blowers25. Due to extreme poverty in Italy between 1870 of whom were firme: a J 1930, almost 4.5 million ftalians- ment Rieti + immigrated tw the United State. The w: from Ttaly reached its height in the 10-year span between 1920 and 1930, when Italians comprised 12. perwent af the toial number of immigrants t admitted 16 the United States, ‘The majority of these Tuatian immigrants were from southem Italy and Si oe ly, and upon their arrival, they settled along the East Cost, with the heaviest concentrations in, cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadel Philadelphia, though some made the arduous trip across the country to settle in north California. The Statements above, if true, support which of the following? A) The American’ descendants of those early Italian immigrants outnumber the current population of Italy. B) Many American Farmers today are descendants of Italians. C) The strong: euro has contributed to the sharp decline in Italian immigrants, D) An Italian immigrant to America today is'still likely to be from southern Italy or Sicily. ME) At the turn of the 19th century, the southem portion of Italy was the country's prominent agricultural region. ical candidate who buys’ saturation radio advertising will ¢ 26, In Los Angeles, a po! maximum name recognition. The statement above logically conveys which of the following? A) Radio advertising is the most important factor in political campaigns in Los Angeles. B) Maximum name recognition in Los Angeles will help a candidate to win a higher percentage of votes cast in the city, C) Saturation radio advertising reaches every demographically distinct sector of the voting population in Los Angeles @) For maximum name recognition, a candidate need not spend on media channels other than radio advertising. F) A candidate's record of achievement in the Los Angeles:area will do little t0 affect his or her name recognition there.7, In recent years, attacks by Dobert Last year saw 3 ans on small children have ris amatically such attacks in the continental United i ! alone, an increase of almost 21 percent over the previous year's total Cleatly, then, it is unsafe to keep dogs as pets if one has small children in the | use, ¢ argument above depends upon which of the following assumptio A) No reasonable justification for se attacks by Dobermans on small children has been discovered. B) there household pets, such as cats, don't di dogs do, ay the same violent tendencies that C) The number of attacks by Doberm: the coming years. son small children will continue to F D) A large percentage of the attacks by Dabermans on small ¢l the following best expres dren could Which of he have been prevented by proper trainin: 4B") The behavior toward small children exhibited by Dobermans is representative of dogs in general. ‘An investigation must be launched into the operations of the priy tmining recruits tw fight against the Balaland Republic. The | plainly forbids U.S. citizens from engaging in military c with which we are not at war. Since no war has been de: States and the Balaland Republic, we she ould brit are in open defiance of the law Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above 'A) The Balaland Republic is currently engaged in a bloody and escale B) Diplomatic relations between the United States and the Balaland Repu severed last year. oC) The recruits are being ined to fig war against the Balaland Republic ht only in the event the United States goes tc D) The training of recruits is funded not by individuals from abroad. U.S. citizens but rather by a consortium E) Charges cannot be brought against the private group that is training e recruits unless an investigation is first launched.20, Cuties of strict 29, Criti¢s of strict "promotional gates” at the grade school Vp ie pro scores on an unscheduled, experimental competency test Since there was no significant difference between the two groups’ score Jo @ recent stud: comparing students forced to repeat a ri with thoy woted despite fail ae f on a second test administered afler completion of the next higher grade level, these crities argue that the retention policy has failed in its expressed purpose of improving students’ basic skill argument made by critics of promotional gates? 4) Anxiety over performance on stndardized tests often hinders a student's ability to master challenging new material, B) A student's true int ctual development cannot be gauged by a scare on a standardized competency test a child suffers by repeating a grade outweighs the €) The psychological dama potential intellectual benefits of a second chance at learning, @D) Strict requirements for promotion do not lead to harder work and greater mastery of fundamentals among students fearful of being held back. tors ag well as test’ scores influenced whether a given student in cioeeonomic the study was promoted or forced to repeat a grade ion's. murder victims knew their 30. Statistics show that more than half of the assailants; in fact, 24 percent last year were killed by relatives, Nor was death always: completely unexpected. In one study, about half the murder vietims ina particular city had catted for police protection at least five times during the 24 months before they were murdered, Nonetheless, most people are more likely to fear being killed by stranger in 4, an unfamiliar situation than by a friend or relative at home. Which of the following, if true, best explains the reaction of most people to the likelihood of being murdered?" A) Statistics are likely to be discounted no matter what the source, if} their implication seems to run counter to common sense. B) In the face of such upsetting problems as murder and assault, most people are more likely to react emotionally rather than rationally. C) A study taken in only one city is not likely to have an effect on attitudes until similar studies have been undertaken at the national level and have yielded similar results, @@) Most people donot consider themselves to be in the high-risk groups in which murder occurs frequently between relations, but they do see themselves as at least minimally susceptible to random violence. E) People who seek police protection from relatives and friends are often unwilling to press charges once the emotions of the moment have cooled.