LOGICAL REASONING

DIRECTIONS. In this section you will be given brief statements or passages and be required to
evaluate the reasoning involved. In some instances, more than one choice will appear
to be a possible answer. You are to choose the best answer. Use common sense and
reasonableness in making your selection.

For Questions 1 – 2
It has long been apparent that the nation’s violent crime problem is disproportionately a juvenile
crime problem. Those under age 18 constitute a 5 th of the population, but account for nearly half
of the arrests for the seven major crimes on which the FBI maintains national statistics. The
statistical trend lines suggest the problem is growing; the number of juveniles arrested for murder
and aggravated assault rose 82% and 91% respectively from 1967 to 1976. Yet, under the laws
of most states, courts are obliged to treat these young hard-core hoodlums as if they were little
worse than wayward delinquents.

1. The author of this passage would argue that

A. crime has increased because of juveniles
B. young hard-core hoodlums account for nearly 50% of the 7 major cities
C. our legal system is biased in favor of hardened criminals
D. arrests for aggravated assault are growing more rapidly than those for murder
E. a fifth of our population is comprised of wayward delinquents

2. The author of this passage assumes all of the following EXCEPT

A. statistical trend lines are accurate predictors
B. 1967 to 1978 were not abnormal years
C. the laws of most states are consistent involving juveniles
D. the laws governing juvenile criminals are lenient in most states
E. the nation’s nonviolent crime problem does not involve juveniles

3. Any single adult female lion in a pride is capable of killing a warthog or a Thompson’s gazelle
unassisted. But to bring down an eland at least 2, and probably 3, lionesses must cooperate.
Therefore, the capture of two warthogs and one eland will require at least four adult females.
All of the following are faulty assumptions in the passage EXCEPT
A. all eland kills require at least two lions D. no lion kills twice
B. all elands are killed by two lions E. no lion kills three times
C. no warthogs are killed by two lions

4. Some of Mike’s chores take less than 1 hour to complete.

Some of Mike’s chores take more than 1 hour to complete.
It will take Mike at least 2 hours to complete his chores.
Which one of the following additional conditions is necessary to make the third statement valid?
A. More chores take at least 1 hour to complete than take less than 1 hour to complete.
B. All chores, except one, take less than 1 hour to complete.
C. All chores, except one, take at least 1 hour to complete.
D. NO chores take 1 hour to complete.
E. One chore takes more than 1 hour to complete.
 5. Ten marbles are split among Juan, Maria, and Alvin. If Maria gives her marbles to Juan, then
Juan will have more marbles than Alvin. Alternatively, if Alvin gives his marbles to Maria, then
Maria will have more marbles than Juan.
Which one of the following must be FALSE?
A. Maria has six marbles. D. Maria has five marbles.
B. Alvin has four marbles. E. Maria has seven marbles.
C. Juan has six marbles.

For Questions 6 – 7
Recent studies show that the height of the average American has increased 2 inches in the past
10 years, lending support to the view that modern foods stimulate growth.

6. The argument would be strengthened by pointing out that

A. statistical studies were done on which foods were eaten
B. modern foods are unhealthy
C. all average heights are increasing
D. comparisons have been studied in control groups
E. there is no such thing as an average American

7. This argument would be weakened most by pointing out that

A. statistics do not lie
B. there are too many variables in this type of study
C. the genetic background of the subjects was not investigated
D. the sample group used was small
E. some people’s height decreased

For Questions 8 – 9
A glance at the five leading causes of death in 1900, 1910, and 1945, years representing in some
measure the early and late practice of physicians still active, shows a significant trend. In 1900
these cause were (1) tuberculosis, (2) pneumonia, (3) enteritis, typhoid fever, and other acute
intestinal diseases, (4) heart diseases, and (5) cerebral hemorrhage and thrombosis. Ten years
later the only change was that heart disease had moved from fourth to first place, tuberculosis
now being second, and pneumonia third. In 1945, however, the list had changed profoundly.
Heart diseases were far out in front; cancer, which had come up from eighth place, was second;
and cerebral hemorrhage and thrombosis, third. Fatal accidents, which had been well down the
list, were now fourth, and nephritis was fifth. All of these are, of course, composites rather than
single diseases, and it is significant that, except for accidents, they are characteristic of the
advanced rather than the early or middle years of life.

8. Which one of the following is the most logical conclusion from the passage above?
A. A cure for cancer will be found within the decade.
B. Many of the medical problems of today are problems of the gerontologist (specialist in
medical problems of old age).
C. Older persons are more accident-prone than are younger persons.
D. Tuberculosis has been all but eliminated.
E. Heart disease has never been a real threat to the aged.
 9. Which one of the following is not indicated by the passage?
A. As one grows older he is more subject to disease.
B. Pneumonia is no longer among the five most common causes of death.
C. Compared to mortality rates for acute intestinal diseases, the mortality rate for cancer has
increased.
D. The incidence of heart disease has increased.
E. Fatal accidents today claim more lives than ever.

10. A recent study of children between 2 and 4 years old has shown that in this period of their lives,
they show no preference for cereals that have been sweetened either naturally or artificially. But
almost all of the same group four years later preferred sweetened cereals. This change shows
that the preference for sweetened foods is acquired rather than natural, and that without the
example of others using sweeteners, whether in television advertisements or in the home,
children would avoid the chief causes of obesity and cavities.
Which one of the following, if true, would provide the best support for this argument?
A. A second study showed that children who had eaten sweetened food between the ages of 2
and 4 showed no greater preference for sweetened foods at the ages of 6 to 8 than children
who had not eaten.
B. A second study showed that children between 4 and 6 who had been sequestered from
advertising for sweeteners preferred sugar-free cereals when they were 6 to 8 years old.
C. Studies of children 6 to 8 who ate sweetened foods show those who live in areas where the
water is fluoridated had fewer cavities than children who ate unsweetened foods and lived in
areas where the water was not fluoridated.
D. Studies have shown that the influence of parents upon their children’s behavior at early ages
is measurably greater than the influence of peer groups or school teachers.
E. Contrary to what advertisers claim, both adults and children have no difficulty in
distinguishing between naturally and artificially sweetened foods or beverages.

For Questions 11 – 12
Within the unconscious realm of the mind, of which we are normally unaware, lie our basic drives
and the coordination and control of our bodily functions and chemistry. This dark area of the
mind constitutes about 90% of our mind and is responsible for about 95% of our behavior. We
are dimly aware of its existence through our dreams, spontaneous recall of forgotten memories,
and slips of speech.

11. Which one of the following is implied in the passage?

A. Ninety-five percent of our behavior is controlled by 90% of our mind.
B. Five percent of our behavior is uncontrolled.
C. Dreams, spontaneous recall, and slips of speech constitute about 90% of our behavior.
D. The conscious mind controls our body chemistry.
E. About 10% of our mind controls 5% of our behavior.

12. The author of this passage assumes that

A. all humans have the same bodily functions and chemical balance
B. it is difficult to define the unconscious realm of the mind
C. behavior modification could not take place in the conscious real of the mind
D. our basic drives and the coordination and control of our bodily functions take place in the
same half of the brain
E. a small part of our mind controls a small part of our behavior
 13. All teachers like some of their students. No teachers like all of his or her students.
If the statements are true, then all of the following must be true EXCEPT
A. some teachers dislike some of their students
B. all teachers dislike some of their students
C. no teacher dislikes all of his or her students
D. most teachers like most of their students
E. no teachers likes all of his or her students

For Questions 14 – 15
A landowner in Africa at the turn of the 20 th century had difficulty in finding out whether or not the
workers he employed had carried out their assignments because the workers, eager to please
their colonial boos, answered “Yes” to every question. One planter claimed that he could solve
this problem. He planned to elicit the same information twice, by asking questions in such a way
that the first time the right answer was “Yes” and the second time the right answer was “No.” His
solution was bound to fail. So is any attempt to find the truth with only self-report, that is, a single
interested party’s word, to depend on. Without some kind of second opinion or corroborating
evidence, we can never know the truth. How can we trust what an involved person tells us, an
interested party who may not even realize that he is deceiving himself?

14. The landowner’s device for finding the truth could not possibly succeed because
A. the workers answering “No” might not tell the truth
B. the workers would not answer “No”
C. it would be hard to phrase the question to which the “No” answer was correct
D. the workers will give the answers that will most please the landowner
E. workers who had carried out their assignments will tell the truth when they answer “Yes”

15. With which of the following generalizations would the author of this passage be most likely to
agree?
A. You cannot ask a question so that “Yes” or “No” is the correct answer.
B. Self-reporting can always be verified by consulting a second source of information.
C. If something is true for me, it does not matter whether or not it is true for others.
D. Because of language and cultural differences, there can never be real communication
between an African and a European.
E. There are many things that we can never know at all, and many that we will never know
exactly.

16. On-the-job training alone, of course, cannot solve the unemployment problem. The national
economic recession is basically responsible for the recent surge in unemployment. The
administration is pinning its chief hope for full employment on its program for revitalizing the
economy.
Which one of the following topics would most logically precede the passage above?
A. successful economic plans of the past
B. government policies preceding the administration
C. the motives of the administration
D. causes of the recession
E. opportunities for on-the-job training
 17. On the one hand, “little white lies” are sinful; on the other hand, when we lie in order to save a
friend from unnecessary pain, the “whiteness” of our lie becomes more apparent. Those who tell
the whole truth all of the time are sure to leave misery in their wake.
The author makes which one of the following arguments?
A. Lying is either sinful or virtuous.
B. Truthtellers are sure to be miserable.
C. Little white lies are the only justifiable lies.
D. It is good to lie in order to avoid hurting someone.
E. Pain is the result of truth.

18. Cleenup Soap will scour your pots and pans while it whitens your sink. You’ll want Cleenup for all
your clean-up chores, especially the hard jobs around the house.
The advertisement above implies that Cleenup Soap
A. is better than the rest
B. is the best soap for household clean-up chores
C. can be used for many cleaning jobs
D. is economically the best buy
E. can be used only for jobs around the house

19. LANDLORD: When we you going to pay last month’s rent?

RENTER: First, I’ve already paid it. Second, I don’t owe you anything. Third, not until you
fix the heater.
The weakness in the renter’s response is best expressed by which one of the following?
A. He contradicts himself.
B. He dislikes his landlord.
C. He assumes the landlord has a poor memory.
D. He repeats himself.
E. He makes no sense.

For Questions 20 – 21
It is a common belief that a thing is desirable because it is scarce and thereby has ostentation
value. The notion that such a standard of value is an inescapable condition of settled social
existence rests on one of two implicit assumptions. The first is that the attempt to educate the
human race so that the desire to display one’s possessions is not a significant feature of man’s
social behavior, is an infringement against personal freedom. The greatest obstacle to lucid
discourse in these matters is the psychological antivaccinationist who uses the word freedom to
signify the natural right of men and women to be unhappy and unhealthy through scientific
ignorance instead of being healthy and happy through the knowledge which science confers.
Haunted by a perpetual fear of the dark, the last lesson which man learns in the difficult process
of growing up is “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The professional
economist who is too sophisticated to retreat into the obscurities of this curious conception of
liberty may prefer to adopt the second assumption, that the truth does not and cannot make us
free because the need for ostentation is a universal species characteristic, and all attempts to
eradicate the unconscionable nuisance and discord which arise from overdeveloped craving for
personal distinction artificially fostered by advertisement, propaganda and so-called good
breeding are therefore destined to failure. It may be earnestly hoped that those who entertain this
view have divine guidance. No rational basis for it will be found in textbooks of economics.
Whatever can be said with any plausibility in the existing state of knowledge rests on the
laboratory materials supplied by anthropology and social history.
20. According to the writer, the second assumption is
A. fostered by propaganda and so-called good breeding
B. basically opposite to the view of the psychological antivaccinationist
C. not so curious a conception of liberty as is the first assumption
D. unsubstantiated
E. a religious explanation of an economic phenomenon

21. The author’s purpose in writing this paragraph is most probably to

A. denounce the psychological antivaccinationist
B. demonstrate that the question under discussion is an economic rather than a psychological
problem
C. prove the maxim “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
D. suggest that ostentation is not an inescapable phenomenon of settled social existence
E. prove the inability of economics to account for ostentation

22. You do not succeed unless you take a gamble. Gambling is foolish. Therefore, only fools
succeed.
Which one of the following would weaken the conclusion the most?
A. Most fools gamble.
B. Most fools do not succeed.
C. Some succeed without gambling.
D. Most successful gamblers are not foolish.
E. A fool and his money are soon parted.

23. Christopher Lasch is, in one sense, a modern-day Aesop. The ancient Greek philosopher once
said, “Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction,” and this warning is echoed by Lasch in his best-
selling study, The Culture of Narcissism.
Which of the following excerpts from the above passage is least relevant to a comparison
between Lasch and Aesop?
A. “warning is echoed” D. “best-selling”
B. “ancient Greek philosopher” E. “in one sense”
C. “modern-day Aesop”

24. In the Soviet Union, it was a crime for anyone to offer religious instruction to a person under the
age of 18. The overtly religious were systematically excluded from any higher education or
position of professional responsibility. By definition, every person holding official power was an
atheist. And religious activists, most especially those who shared Dr. Graham’s evangelical spirit,
were prime candidates for the torment of life in the Gulag Archipelago.
Which of the following assumptions does the author of the above passage necessarily make
about his readers?
A. They knew who Dr. Graham was.
B. They were enemies of the Soviet Union.
C. They were not religious activists.
D. They had been offered religious instruction.
E. They may have become evangelical themselves.
25. There is something sinister about progress. Just look at the folks who cling to the past, and
whom do you find? –– friendly, neighborly types who respect traditional religious and moral
values and who fear a machine age that will replace the leisurely back-fence conversation with
instantaneous “telephonatronics.”
With which of the following would the author be likely to agree?
A. Progress is our most important product.
B. We have nothing to fear except fear itself.
C. Lack of progress coincides with a migration from the cities.
D. The enemies of the future are always the very nicest people.
E. The best people own no machines.

26. Far too often today, concern about nuclear weapons is focused exclusively on the superpowers.
The issue of nuclear proliferation is, at best, considered secondary. Yet more and more nations
are moving to the threshold of the nuclear club. The search for ways to curb nuclear proliferation
deserves as much attention as the quest for arms control between the United States and Russia.
Which of the following statements, if true, would weaken the argument above?
A. Nuclear proliferation is given more attention than human rights.
B. All nations, including the United States and Russia, have promised not to abuse their nuclear
technology.
C. An arms reduction by the United States and Russia will result in an overall arms reduction by
other countries.
D. Two adversary middle-Eastern countries have aimed nuclear missiles at each other.
E. Arms control in general has never before received as much attention as it has in this decade.