CRITICAL REASONING TEST 2 – 5TH DEC

Q14. Some species of dolphins find their prey by echolocation; they emit clicking sounds and listen for echoes returning
from distant objects in the water. Marine biologists have speculated that those same clicking sounds might have a
second function: particularly loud clicks might be used by the dolphins to stun their prey at close range through sensory
overload.

Which of the following, if discovered to be true, would cast the most serious doubt on the correctness of the
speculation described above?

(A) Dolphins that use echolocation to locate distant prey also emit frequent clicks at intermediate distances as they
close in on their prey.
(B) The usefulness of echolocation as a means of locating prey depends on the clicking sounds being of a type that the
prey is incapable of perceiving, regardless of volume.
(C) If dolphins stun their prey, the effect is bound to be so temporary that stunning from far away even if possible,
would be ineffective.
(D) Echolocation appears to give dolphins information about the richness of a source of food as well as about its
direction.
(E) The more distant a dolphin's prey, the louder the echolocation clicks must be if they are to reveal the prey's
presence to the hunting dolphin.

Q15. Criminologist: Some legislators advocate mandating a sentence of life in prison for anyone who, having twice
served sentences for serious crimes, is subsequently convicted of a third serious crime. These legislators argue that
such a policy would reduce crime dramatically, since it would take people with a proven tendency to commit crimes
off the streets permanently. What this reasoning overlooks, however, is that people old enough to have served two
prison sentences for serious crimes rarely commit more than one subsequent crime. Filling our prisons with such
individuals would have exactly the opposite of the desired effect, since it would limit our ability to incarcerate
younger criminals, who commit a far greater proportion of serious crimes.

In the argument as a whole, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

A. The first is a conclusion that the argument as a whole seeks to refute; the second is a claim that has been advanced
in support of that conclusion.
B. The first is a conclusion that the argument as a whole seeks to refute; the second is the main conclusion of the
argument.
C. The first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is an objection that has been raised against that
conclusion.
D. The first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a prediction made on the basis of that conclusion.
E. The first is a generalization about the likely effect of a policy under consideration in the argument; the second points
out a group of exceptional cases to which that generalization does not apply.

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Q16. Scientist: In an experiment, dogs had access to a handle they could pull to release food into a nearby enclosure
that contained a familiar dog and nothing else, contained an unfamiliar dog and nothing else, or was empty. The dogs
typically released more food to the familiar dog than to the unfamiliar dog. This suggests that dogs are more motivated
to help other dogs they know than to help unfamiliar dogs.

The scientist's argument would be most strengthened if it were true that, in the experiment, the dogs with access
to the handle tended to release more food when

A. the behavior was being encouraged by a familiar person than when it was being encouraged by an unfamiliar person
B. the enclosure was empty than when it contained an unfamiliar dog
C. an unfamiliar dog in the enclosure was displaying hostility toward them than when an unfamiliar dog in the enclosure
appeared friendly
D. a dog in the enclosure appeared uninterested in food already released into the enclosure than when it appeared
interested in that food
E. a familiar dog was in the enclosure than when a familiar dog was visible but the enclosure was empty

Q17. Over the last century, paleontologists have used small differences between fossil specimens to classify triceratops
into sixteen species. This classification is unjustified, however, since the specimens used to distinguish eleven of the
species come from animals that lived in the same area at the same time.

Which of the following, if true, would enable the conclusion of the argument to be properly drawn?

(A) Not every species that lived in a given area is preserved as a fossil.
(B) At least one individual of every true species of triceratops has been discovered as a fossil specimen.
(C) No geographical area ever supports more than three similar species at the same time.
(D) In many species, individuals display quite marked variation.
(E) Differences between fossil specimens of triceratops that came from the same area are no less distinctive than
differences between specimens that came from different areas.

Q18. Super Express Shipping Company has implemented a new distribution system that can get almost every package
to its destination the day after it is sent. The company worries that this more efficient system will result in lower sales
of its premium next-day delivery service, because its two-day service will usually arrive the following day anyway. The
company plans to encourage sales of its next-day service by intentionally delaying delivery of its two-day packages so
that they will not be delivered the following day, even if the package arrives at its destination city in time for next-day
delivery.

The company's plan assumes that

(A) deliberate delay of packages will not affect the company's image in a way that significantly reduces its ability to
attract and retain customers
(B) most people do not have a preference for either two-day or next-day delivery
(C) if the plan is not implemented, the company would lose more money in lost sales of overnight deliveries than it
would save with its new efficient distribution system
(D) the overnight service is too expensive to be attractive to most customers currently
(E) competing companies' delivery services rarely deliver packages to their destination earlier than their promised time

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Q19. It is widely assumed that people need to engage in intellectual activities such as solving crossword puzzles or
mathematics problems in order to maintain mental sharpness as they age. In fact, however, simply talking to other
people-that is, participating in social interaction, which engages many mental and perceptual skills-suffices. Evidence
to this effect comes from a study showing that the more social contact people report, the better their mental skills.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the force of the evidence cited?

A. As people grow older, they are often advised to keep exercising their physical and mental capacities in order to
maintain or improve them.
B. Many medical conditions and treatments that adversely affect a person's mental sharpness also tend to increase
that person's social isolation.
C. Many people are proficient both in social interactions and in solving mathematical problems.
D. The study did not itself collect data but analyzed data bearing on the issue from prior studies.
E. The tasks evaluating mental sharpness for which data were compiled by the study were more akin to mathematics
problems than to conversation.

Q20. Meteorologists say that if only they could design an accurate mathematical model of the atmosphere with all its
complexities, they could forecast the weather with real precision. But this is an idle boast, immune to any evaluation,
for any inadequate weather forecast would obviously be blamed on imperfections in the model.

Which of the following, if true, could best be used as a basis for arguing against the author's position that the
meteorologists' claim cannot be evaluated?

(A) Certain unusual configurations of data can serve as the basis for precise weather forecasts even though the exact
causal mechanisms are not understood.
(B) Most significant gains in the accuracy of the relevant mathematical models are accompanied by clear gains in the
precision of weather forecasts.
(C) Mathematical models of the meteorological aftermath of such catastrophic events as volcanic eruptions are
beginning to be constructed.
(D) Modern weather forecasts for as much as a full day ahead are broadly correct about 80 percent of the time.
(E) Meteorologists readily concede that the accurate mathematical model they are talking about is not now in their
power to construct.

Q21. In countries where automobile insurance includes compensation for whiplash injuries sustained in automobile
accidents, reports of having suffered such injuries are twice as frequent as they are in countries where whiplash is
not covered. Presently; no objective test for whiplash exists, so it is true that spurious reports of whiplash injuries
cannot be readily identified. Nevertheless, these facts do not warrant the conclusion drawn by some commentators
that in the countries with the higher rates of reported whiplash injuries, half of the reported cases are spurious. Clearly,
in countries where automobile insurance does not include compensation for whiplash, people often have little
incentive to report whiplash injuries that they actually have suffered.

In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

(A) The first is a claim that the argument disputes; the second is a conclusion that has been based on that claim.
(B) The first is a claim that has been used to support a conclusion that the argument accepts; the second is that
conclusion.
(C) The first is evidence that has been used to support a conclusion for which the argument provides further evidence;
the second is the main conclusion of the argument.

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(D) The first is a finding whose implications are at issue in the argument; the second is a claim presented in order to
argue against deriving certain implications from that finding.
(E) The first is a finding whose accuracy is evaluated in the argument; the second is evidence presented to establish
that the finding is accurate.

Q22. In 1992 outlaw fishing boats began illegally harvesting lobsters from the territorial waters of the country of
Belukia. Soon after, the annual tonnage of lobster legally harvested in Belukian waters began declining; in 1996, despite
there being no reduction in the level of legal lobster fishing activity, the local catch was 9,000 tons below pre-1992
levels. It is therefore highly likely that the outlaw fishing boats harvested about 9,000 tons of lobster illegally that year.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) The illegal lobster harvesting was not so extensive that the population of catchable lobsters in Belukia’s territorial
waters had sharply declined by 1996.
(B) The average annual lobster catch, in tons, of an outlaw fishing boat has increased steadily since 1992.
(C) Outlaw fishing boats do not, as a group, harvest more lobsters than do licensed lobster-fishing boats.
(D) The annual legal lobster harvest in Belukia in 1996 was not significantly less than 9,000 tons.
(E) A significant proportion of Belukia’s operators of licensed lobster-fishing boats went out of business between 1992
and 1996.

Q23. Psychologists conducted an experiment in which half of the volunteers were asked to describe an unethical action
they had performed, while the other half were asked to describe an ethical action they had performed. Some of the
volunteers, chosen at random from each of the two groups, were encouraged to wash their hands afterward. Among
those who described unethical actions, those who washed their hands were significantly less likely to volunteer for
another, similar experiment than those who did not wash their hands. The researchers concluded that some of the
subjects failed to volunteer again in part because of their having described an unethical action.

Which of the following would, if true, most help to support the researchers' conclusion?

A) Among the volunteers who described ethical actions, those who washed their hands were significantly less likely to
volunteer for another, similar experiment than those who did not wash their hands.
B) The average likelihood of volunteering for another, similar experiment was higher among those who described
ethical actions than among those who described unethical actions.
C) Most of the volunteers who were encouraged to wash their hands did so.
D) The volunteers in the study were not more disposed to washing their hands under normal circumstances than the
general population was.
E) Equal numbers of volunteers from both groups were encouraged to wash their hands.

Q24. The number of patents granted to inventors by the United States Patent Office dropped from 56000 in 1971 to
45000 in 1978. Spending on research and development, which peaked at 3 percent of the gross national product (GNP)
in 1964, was only 2.2 percent of the GNP in 1978. During this period, when United States percentage was steadily
decreasing, West Germany and Japan increased the percentage of their GNP’s spent on research and development to
3.2 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the information above?

(A) There is direct relationship between the size of a nation’s GNP and the number of inventions it produces.
(B) Japan and Germany spent more money on research and development in 1978 than did the United States.
(C) The amount of money a nation spends on research and development is directly related to the number of inventions
patented in that nation.
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(D) Between 1964 and 1978 the United States consistently spent a larger percentage of its GNP on research and
development than did Japan.
(E) Both West Germany and Japan will soon surpass the United States in the number of patents granted to inventors.

Q25. A product that represents a clear technological advance over competing products can generally command a high
price. Because technological advances tend to be quickly surpassed and companies want to make large profits while
they still can, many companies charge the maximum possible price for such a product. But large profits on the new
product will give competitors a strong incentive to quickly match the new product's capabilities. Consequently, the
strategy to maximize overall profit from a new product is to charge less than the greatest possible price.

In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

(A) The first is an assumption that forms the basis for a course of action that the argument criticizes; the second
presents the course of action endorsed by the argument.
(B) The first is a consideration raised to explain the appeal of a certain strategy; the second is a consideration raised to
call into question the wisdom of adopting that strategy.
(C) The first is an assumption that has been used to justify a certain strategy; the second is a consideration that is used
to cast doubt on that assumption.
(D) The first is a consideration raised in support of a strategy the argument endorses; the second presents grounds in
support of that consideration.
(E) The first is a consideration raised to show that adopting a certain strategy is unlikely to achieve the intended effect;
the second is presented to explain the appeal of that strategy.

Q26. With a record number of new companies starting up in Derderia and with previously established companies
adding many jobs, a record number of new jobs were created last year in the Derderian economy. This year, previously
established companies will not be adding as many new jobs overall as such companies added last year. Therefore,
unless a record number of companies start up this year, Derderia will not break its record for new jobs created.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?

(A) Each year, new companies starting up create more new jobs overall than do previously established companies.
(B) Companies established last year will not add a greater number of jobs overall this year than they did last year.
(C) This year, the new companies starting up will not provide substantially more jobs per company than did new
companies last year.
(D) This year, the overall number of jobs created by previously established companies will be less than the overall
number of jobs lost at those companies.
(E) The number of jobs created in the Derderian economy last year was substantially larger than the number of jobs
lost last year.

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