Critical Reasoning

1. The workers' union of Grain Corp, a grain-processing plant, is attempting to obtain a pay raise from Grain Corp management. To pressure Grain
Corp management into accepting the union's proposal, the president of the union has proposed a boycott against Square Mart food stores,which
are owned by Mega Food,the parent company of Grain Corp.

The answer to which of the following questions is LEAST directly relevant to the union presidents consideration of whether a boycott of
Square Mart will lead to acceptance of the union's pay rate proposal?
A)Would the loss of business at Square Mart stores materially affect Mega Food?
B) Are the staple food products purchased by consumers at Square Mart stores readily available at other stores not owned by
Mega Food?
C) How many Square Marts are within the region of the Grain Corp plant?
D)Have other unions successfully employed the same strategy?
E)Is Mega Food the only corporation that operates both grain-processing plants and food stores?

2. An ecology magazine regularly publishes articles on tree diseases. This year, the number of articles on Ophiostoma ulmi, the
fungus that causes Dutch elm disease, is significantly smaller than the number of such articles that appeared last year. Clearly,
fewer researchers studied Ophiostoma ulmi this year than did so last year.
Which of the following, if true, weakens the above conclusion?
A) Many researchers publishing articles are currently studying Stegophora ulmea, a fungus that causes elm leaf spot.
B)Since its introduction, Dutch elmdisease has killed half of the elm trees in North America.
C)Research on Dutch elm disease that focuses on prevention receives more funding than research that focuses on finding a
cure.
D) A new strain of the fungus Rhytisma acerinum infested maple trees at an unprecedented rate this year.
✓ E) All articles go through at least a one-year review process before publication

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3. Saguaro kangaroo rats generally leave watering holes, where food and water are abundant, during the day, while Sonoran
kangaroo rats remain near these same watering holes and continue foraging throughout the day.Although Sonoran kangaroo rats
have larger and more frequent litters,they are generally outnumbered by the Saguaro kangaroo rat.
Which of the following, if true, would best resolve the apparent paradox described above?

A) Several species of successful rodents also leave the streams and watering holes during the day.
B) The Saguaro kangaroo rat matures much more slowly than the Sonoran kangaroo rat because of its relatively limited food
supply.
C)Many of the predators of kangaroo rats, such as falcons and rattlesnakes,are only active around streams during the day.
D)Saguaro kangaroo rats are more sensitive to sunlight than are Sonoran kangaroo rats.
E)Sonoran kangaroo rats are reproductive to a greater age than are Saguaro kangaroo rats.

4. National regulations that limit the sale of meat to within five days of packing should be changed. Under optimal conditions,
meat kept at 40°℉ will not spoil for 16 days. If the regulations were changed, prices for meat would drop due to increased shelf life
and reduced waste, but the safety of the food supply would not be compromised.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion drawn above?
A) Most consumers keep meat for up to a week before eating it.
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.
E)Approximately half the meat stored for 25 days is still safe to consume.
F) Meatpacking operations are more efficient when they can make fewer, larger deliveries than when they must make more
frequent, smaller deliveries.

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 5. 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 walls 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 validity of the explanation for the speed with which the
termites were killed?
A) The third floor had no termite infestation.
B) 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 second stories.
C)The speed at which termites are killed increases as the concentration of an exterminator's gas increases.
D) The speed with which the exterminator's gas kills termites drops off sharply as the gas dissipates throughout the building's
walls.
E) The exterminators gas-pumping system works efficiently even when pumping gas into both the first and second stories of
the building simultaneously.

6. Recent surveys show that many people who have left medical school before graduating suffer from depression.Clearly, depression
is likely to cause withdrawal from medical school.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
A) Many medical schools provide psychological counseling for their students.
B) About half of those who leave medical school report feeling depressed after they make 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.
D) Medical students who have sought depression counseling due to family problems 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.

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7.The performance of Southport's two high schools has been quite consistent over the past five years. In each of those years, Suburban
High has enrolled 40 percent of Southport's 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 from the passage above?
A) The total number of students attending each high school has remained roughly
attending Lakeside High.
C)Lakeside High has graduated a lower percentage of its attendees than has Suburban High.
D)The respective geographic areas from which the schools draw their student populations have remained unchanged.
E)Students attending magnet programs accounted for a higher percentage of the graduating students at Lakeside High than at
Suburban High.

8. A chemical company recently introduced a new type of foam spray that it claims will reduce the rate of erosion from the walls of
road cuts. A study by the company showed that the rate of erosion was low on a road cut where the foam was applied.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the company's conclusion?
A) Road cuts similar to the one studied typically show low rates of erosion without the foam.
B)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 materials have failed to halt erosion from certain types of road cuts.

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9. A researcher has discovered that steel containing Element X is stronger and more flexible than ordinary steel because Element X
reduces the occurrence of microscopic 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 correctly inferred from the statements above?
A) Steel from Canada is stronger and more flexible than steel from any other country.
B) Steel that is not from Canada is highly likely to develop nicroscopic fractures after years of use.
C) Producing steel from ore deposits containing Element X is the best way to make steel that is stronger and more flexible.
D)Some steel produced in Canada is less likely to develop microscopic fractures than other steel.
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 Hawaiian Islands, can no longer be found and is thought to be
extinct. Scientists originally thought that a decrease in the amount of ground vegetation available for nesting was responsible for the
decline of the bird.However, they now believe that increased competition for food was 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 extinction?
A)The vegetation on the Laysan Rail's home island was decimated when rabbits were introduced to the island in the 1910s.
B) When attempts were made to relocate the Laysan Rail to other islands, the birds lost the geographical cues that they relied
on for finding mating sites.
C) The Laysan Rail builds nests under dense ground cover to protect the eggs.
D) An increase in the use of pesticides resulted in a decrease in the numbers of flies and moths present in the
Laysan Rail's territory.
E) Many species nested in the same types of vegetation as the Laysan Rail.

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 11.Retail clothing stores should hold "one-day-only" sales to clear merchandise that has been :returned because it is defective in some
way. The stores should sell this merchandise for up to 70 percent less than the original retail price. Stores will find these sales to be an
effective way of getting rid of defective merchandise as long as they inform customers 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 price.
B) The rate of returns when merchandise is new makes these "one way-only" sales key to a store's profitability.
C)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 will. be purchased by shoppers who would otherwise not shop at those
stores.

12.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 ease of finding a job in City X, where the unemployment 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 rateof 3.9 percent.
C) Other reasons to move to City elude the school system and easy access to recreational activities.
D) The national unemployment rate, calculated during the last census, is 4.3 percent.
E) City Y, located in the same state as City X, recently built a new factory that will employ 5,000 workers.

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13. If participation in the honors creative writing class were limited to graduate students and those undergraduates who had
received at least a 8+ in composition, most of the undergraduate students would be forced to take the regular creative writing
class. Such a reduction in undergraduate enrollment would reduce the percentage of failing grades in the honors class.
Which 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 course is experiencing overcrowding due to increases in graduate enrollment.
C)Many undergraduates would work harder to score B+ in composition rather than be excluded from honors creative
writing.
D) The number of failing grades in honors creative writing has decreased in recent years.
E)Undergraduates who scored lower than B+ in composition are responsible for a disproportionate percentage of failing
grades in honors creative writing.

14. In a certain state, the rate at which inhabitants of City X contract a certain disease is significantly lower than the rate at
which inhabitants of City Y contract the disease. So if a couple originally from City Y relocates to City X and raises a family there,
their children will be significantly less likely to contract this disease than they would had they 1 remained in City Y.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion drawn in the passage?
A) Many health experts do not believe that moving to City X will lead to a significant increase in the average person's
immunity to the disease.
B) The mayor of City Y has falsely claimed that statistics relating to the incidence of the disease in his city are not
accurate.
C)The lower incidence of the disease in City X can be ascribed mostly to genetically determined factors.
D)Some inhabitants of City Y possess a greater immunity to the disease than do the healthiest inhabitants of City v

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 D

15.In a certain state, the rate at which inhabitants of City X contract a certain disease is significantly lower than the rate at which inhabitants
of City Y contract the disease. So if a couple originally from City Y relocates to City X and raises a family there, their children will be
significantly less likely to contract this disease than they would had they remained in City Y
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 increases.
B)In contrast to City Y,City X is characterized by an abundance of environmental factors that tend to inhibit the occurrence of the
disease.
C) Of those inhabitants of City Y who move to City X,23 percent live beyond the average life span of native inhabitants of City X.
D)Over the last two decades, the incidence of the disease has decreased in City Y but has remained unchanged in City X.
E) Studies indicate that the incidence of the disease among inhabitants of City X who move to City Y is roughly equal to that of
inhabitants of City X who remain in City X.

16. A recently published article on human physiology claims that enzyme K contributes to improved performance in strenuous activities
such as weightlifting and sprinting. The article cites evidence of above-average levels of enzyme K in Olympic weight lifters and sprinters.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the articles conclusion?
A) Enzyme K levels are the most important factor affecting the performance of strenuous activities.
B) Enzyme K has no other function in the human body.
C)Enzyme K is required for the performance of strenuous activities.
D) Enzyme K helps weight lifters more than it helps sprinters.
E) Strenuous activities do not cause the human body to produce unusually high levels of enzyme K.

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17.In the state of Michigan,from 1980 to 1989, total spending on books purchased from all sources increased by 34 percent. But during
the same period, spending on fiction books, most of which were purchased from bookstores selling only new books, grew just 16
percent.
Which of the following statements about the period from 1980 to 1989 is best supported by the statements above?
✓A)Spending on nonfiction books increased by more than 34 percent.
B) Shoppers were more likely to 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.
E)The number of people who bought books from secondhand bookstores increased during this period.

18.The state legislature has proposed a new law that would provide a tax credit to people who install alarm systems in their homes.
Members of the legislature claim that the new law will reduce crime, citing studies showing that crime rates fall as the percentage of
homes 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.

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19.Countries A and B are in competition to draw tourists to their countries.In Country A, about 2,500 violent crimes
are reported per year. In Country B,about 1,000 violent crimes are reported per year. Trying to draw tourists away
from Country A, officials in Country B use these violent crime statistics to claim it has a lower violent crime rate than
Country A.
Which of the following, if true, would expose the flaw in Country Bs argument that it has the lower violent
crime rate?
A) Most violent criminals ir Country B are repeat offenders.
B) White-collar crime is higher in Country B than in Country A.
C)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 a better prison system than Country B.

20. If a poor harvest season in a major con-producing state results in higher prices for a bushel of com, corn prices
in other states will rise as well, whether or not those states are net importers of corn.
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the statement above?
A)Agricultural commodities companies in states that are not net importers of corn are excluded from the
national corn market when there is a disruption in the national corn supply.
B) National corn supply disruptions have little, if any, effect on the price of local con as long as the locality is in
a state that is not a net importer of corn.
C)The corn market in any state is part of the national corn market, even if most of the con 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.

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21.Town X and Town Y are roughly equal in size and local population. A survey was done measuring traffic patterns
during the summer months for each of the past five years.The survey found that, on average in Town Y, there were 28
minor car accidents in June as well as 28 in July. During the same two months in Town X, the average was only 14 minor
car accidents each month.Thus,if the Dentco Autobody Repair franchise were looking to open a new shop in one of the
two towns, it would be :more likely to succeed in Town Y.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously damage the conclusion drawn in the passage?
A) More people walk to work or use mass transit in Town Y.
B) The state is planning to add a thruway exit for Town Y.
✓C) The traffic volume in Town Y quadruples in the summer because it is a beach town.
D) In June and July six years ago, Town X had double the amount of accidents than Y.
E) There are rumors of a mega mall possibly being constructed in Town X

22. Ronald is a runner on the track team and is a great hurdler. All runners on the track team are either sprinters or
long-distance runners, but a few long-distance runners do not run the sprint because
they are not
fastenough. Hurdlers never run long-distance because they lack the endurance necessary. Therefore, Ronald
must be fast.
For the conclusion drawn above to be logically correct, which of the following must be true?
A)Sprinters are faster than hurdlers.
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 is fast is a sprinter.

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23.In the past six pro football drafts, four or the six players selected by Team A are now starters on the squad. On Team B, only two
of the six players selected in the draft are starters. So a football player selected by Team A from the draft pool has a higher
probability of becoming a starter than if he 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.
E)Team A has had the first draft) n the past six years, while Team B had the last pick. This year it is reversed.

24. The latest census of the town in which Jacobs hardware store is 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 that 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 lawnmowers and snow blowers

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25. Due to extreme poverty in Italy between 1870 and 193C, almost 4.5 million Italians-most of whom were farmers-
immigrated to the United State. The wave from Italy reached its height in the 10-year span between 1920 and 1930,
when Italians comprised 12 percent of the total number of mmigrants admitted to the United States. The majority of
these Italian immigrants were from southern Italy and Sicily, and upon their arrival,they settled along the East Cost,with
the heaviest concentrations in cities such as New York, Boston,and Philadelphia,though some made the arduous trip
across the country to settle in northern California.
The Statements above, if true, support which of the following?
A) The American descendants of those earlyItalian 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.
E)At the turn of the 19th century, the southen portion of Italy was the country's prominent agricultural region.

26.In Los Angeles, a political candidate who buys saturation radio advertising will get 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.
D) For maximum name recognition, a candidate need not spend on media channels other than radio advertising.
E) A candidate's record of achievement in the Los Angeles area will do little to affect his or her name recognition
there.

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27. In recent years, attacks by Dobermans on small children have risen dramatically. Last year saw 35 such attacks in the
continental United States alone, an increase of almost 21 percent over the previous year's total. Clearly, then, it is unsafe to
keep dogs as pets if one has small children in the house.
The argument above depends upon which of the following assumptions?
A) No reasonable justification for these attacks by Dobermans on small children has been discovered.
B) there household pets, such as cats, don't display the same violent tendencies that dogs do.
C) The number of attacks by Dobermans on small children will continue to rise in the coming years.
D) A large percentage of the attacks by Dobermans on small children could Which of the following best expresses the
have been prevented by proper training.
E) The behavior toward small children exhibited by Dobermans is representative of dogs in general.

28. An investigation must be launched into the operations of the private group that is training recruits to fight against the
Balaland Republic. The U.S. Neutrality Act plainly forbids U.S. citizens from engaging in military campaigns against any
nation with which we are not at war. Since no war has been declared between the United States and the Balaland Republic,
we should bring charges against these fanatics,who are in open defiance of the law.
Which of the following, iftrue, would most weaken the argument above?
A) The Balaland Republic is currently engaged in a bloody and escalating civil war.
B) Diplomatic relations between the United States and the Balaland Republic were severed last year.
C)The recruits are being trained to fight only in the event the United States goes to war against the Balaland Republic
D) The training of recruits is funded not by U.S. citizens but rather by a consortium of individuals from abroad.
E)Charges cannot be brought against the private group that is training the recruits unless an investigation is first
launched.

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29. Critics of strict "promotional gates" at the grade school level point to a recent study comparing students forced to
repeat a grade with those promoted despite failing scores on an unscheduled, experimental competency test Since
there was no significant difference between the two groups' scores on a second test administered after completion of
the next higher grade level, these critics argue that the retention policy has failed in its expressed purpose of improving
students' basic skills. argument made by critics of promotional gates?
A) Anxiety over performance on standardized tests often hinders a student's ability to master challenging new
material.
B) A student's true intellectual development cannot be gauged by a score on a standardized competency test
C) The psychological damage a child suffers by repeating a grade outweighs the 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.
E) Socioeconomic factors as well as test scores influenced whether a given student in the study was promoted or
forced to repeat a grade.
30. Statistics show that more than half of the nation's murder victims knew their assailants; in fact, 24 percent last
year were killed by relatives. Nor was death always completely unexpected. In one study, about half the murder victims
in a particular city had called 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 a 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.
D) Most people do not 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.

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