Question 1

Mahendra: "In order to finish my baccalaureate degree, I must complete a final project. I have three options for the project: a thesis, an oral exam, or a documentary film. The thesis would require months of research and would delay my graduation. An oral exam would mean coordinating the schedules for multiple professors to conduct the exam, which is very difficult. Thus, the best choice for me is to make a documentary film."
Mahendra's argument proceeds by doing which of the following?
A)Arriving at a choice by eliminating all of its alternatives.
B)Claiming that one choice is preferable to all others in every situation.
C)Supports one preference by showing its relative easiness in comparison to others.
D)Suggests a change to the rules by showing the difficulty of following them.
E)Discounts options by showing that the supporters of such arguments are misguided.

Accepted Answer

Mahendra's argument arrives at a choice by eliminating all of its alternatives. Mahendra starts with three choices, and discounts two. He chooses the third without discussing its merits, because he has already eliminated the other two.

Question 2

Mayor: "I am proposing an increased tax on sugary soft drinks, which would lead to decreased consumption of such soft drinks, and provide much needed revenue to the city. Surveys indicate that consumption of sugary sodas would drop if the price were raised, showing that I have found a way to make our city healthier and also raise revenue."
Which of the following is an assumption made by the mayor's argument?
A)People are motivated by taste less than price when choosing a soft drink.
B)The expected drop in sales due to the tax would not cause the tax revenue to decrease in comparison to its current level.
C)Sugary soft drinks are a popular drink among the city's youth.
D)The city is in desperate need of increased revenue.
E)The tax increase will not cause an undue burden on poor households in the city.

Accepted Answer

The mayor's argument assumes that the expected drop in sales due to the tax will not cause the tax revenue to decrease in comparison to its current level. The mayor claims he has found a way to make the city healthier AND raise revenue. However, revenue cannot go up if the sales decline so much due to the tax that there is no revenue from the taxes.

Question 3

Mayor: "I am proposing an increased tax on sugary soft drinks, which would lead to decreased consumption of such soft drinks, and provide much needed revenue to the city. Surveys indicate that consumption of sugary sodas would drop if the price were raised, showing that I have found a way to make our city healthier and also raise revenue."
Which of the following would most weaken the mayor's argument?
A)Sugary soft drinks are a leading cause of obesity and corresponding health problems.
B)Lessening the consumption of sugary soft drinks is not as important as changing exercise and eating habits in the quest to make the city healthier.
C)The revenue raised from the initiative could fund after-school programs for underprivileged children.
D)The price of soft drinks has more than doubled in recent years, yet residents of the city consume more every year.
E)The study referenced by the mayor was conducted in a city similar in demographics to that of the city in the passage.

Accepted Answer

The fact that the price of soda has more than doubled in recent years yet residents of the city consume more every year would most weaken the mayor's argument. If city residents are not concerned about the price of soft drinks, then the proposed tax would not have much influence on their behavior, and the mayor would not see the health benefits he hopes for.

Question 4

Nick: "Playing video games is a complete waste of time. Every hour a child spends playing video games instead of reading or learning a new sport, is spent in a completely unproductive way."
Martha: "I agree that video games are not a great way to spend time, but if children were not playing video games, they might be doing something even worse. Video games keep children from committing mischief like graffiti or playing pranks."
Nick and Martha would be most likely to disagree about which of the following?
A)Whether video games or computer games are a better use of a child's time.
B)Whether video games are likely to contribute to poor grades.
C)Whether playing video games is the best use of one's time.
D)Whether children would spend the time not playing video games doing productive or nonproductive activities.
E)Whether children who stopped playing video games would be more or less violent than they are today.

Accepted Answer

Nick and Martha would be most likely to disagree about whether the children would spend their time doing productive or nonproductive activities. Nick and Martha agree that video games are not the best activity, but they disagree about whether children would spend their time in better or worse ways if video games were not an option.

Question 5

No matter how much they try to avoid them, all sociologists have biases that affect their work. So, instead of trying to interpret the social phenomena they study, they should limit their analysis to social phenomena in which they directly participate.
The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
A)Fails to eliminate the perceived bias.
B)Unfairly limits the available subjects for a sociologist to study.
C)Presumes, without providing justification, that sociologists are biased more than other researchers.
D)Presumes, without providing justification, that some sociologists are more biased than others.
E)Fails to consider the fact that many sociologists are aware of their own biases.

Accepted Answer

The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it fails to eliminate the perceived bias. There is no evidence that changing the scope of a sociologist's field of study would eliminate the acknowledged bias, so the solution proposed wouldn't solve the problem identified.

Question 6

Ancient humans began as hunters and gatherers, and providing food for the community required everyone's work. Eventually, with the beginnings of agriculture, some humans were able to devote their time to activities other than food gathering. However, until very recently, most humans were still involved in agricultural production in order to provide food for the population.
Which of the following is most strongly supported by the paragraph above?
A)Ancient humans ate a more simple diet than we do today.
B)Most humans would rather work in agricultural production than in other areas.
C)Humans will always require some of the population to be entirely devoted to food production.
D)Throughout history, at least some of the population has focused on providing food for themselves and others.
E)When humans were finally able to devote time to activities other than food production, they focused first on increasing their knowledge in other areas.

Accepted Answer

The information above most strongly supports the assertion that throughout history, at least some of the population has been focused on providing food for themselves and others. While all of the other answer choices are possibly true, answer D is the only one that can be proven from the information above.

Question 7

Runners in Percy Park almost always run during daylight hours. Most people in the area are under the impression that Percy Park is dangerous after dark, especially for a person running alone. However, these people are mistaken because according to recent police reports, almost all muggings and attacks on runners in Percy Park have occurred during daylight hours. Nighttime in Percy Park is not as dangerous as it may seem.
The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
A)Relies on an unreliable source to prove its assertion.
B)Overlooks the possibility that police reports are not the most reliable source for determining the safety of the park.
C)Overlooks the possibility that running in Percy Park is unsafe at any time.
D)Overlooks the possibility that if more people ran in Percy Park at night, there would be more attacks on runners at night.
E)Presumes, without providing justification, that running is the most dangerous activity to do in Percy Park.

Accepted Answer

The argument's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it overlooks the possibility that if more people ran in Percy Park at night, there would be more attacks on runners at night. The passage acknowledges that most people run during the day, so there are not as many people running at night, which could explain why there are fewer reports of nighttime attacks in the park.

Question 8

Marge: "Drunk driving accidents will only stop when we start giving harsher penalties severe enough to stop anyone from even considering to drink and drive."
Adam: "The only way to discourage drinking and driving is to prohibit the consumption of alcohol. Even if penalties are harsh, people will still sometimes drink and drive because an intoxicated person is incapable of making a good choice about whether it is safe to drive."
Adam and Marge disagree about whether
A)Intoxicated people can make good decisions.
B)Drinking and driving is dangerous.
C)There is an effective way to stop drunk driving.
D)Drunk driving is one of the most serious problems in society.
E)Drunk driving can be prevented without prohibiting alcohol consumption.

Accepted Answer

Adam and Marge disagree about whether drunk driving can be prevented without prohibiting alcohol consumption. Adam and Marge agree that drunk driving is a serious problem and that there is a way to stop it, but they disagree on what that way is. Marge asserts that drunk driving can be stopped through harsher penalties while still allowing people to drink alcohol, but Adam argues that you can't stop drunk driving without stopping alcohol consumption, making E the correct answer.

Question 9

Welton Hotels offers excellent opportunities to advance within the company. Just look at the current CEO, Melissa Johnson, who started her career as a housekeeper, progressed to managing the front desk, and is now in charge of the whole company.
Which one of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the reasoning above?
A)Welton's CFO also started at Welton in an entry-level position as a line cook.
B)Welton always posts open positions for their own employees before opening them for external applicants.
C)Welton requires all management, even experienced applicants, to briefly work in all of the departments they will manage.
D)Ms. Johnson worked for Welton Hotels for three decades before becoming the CEO.
E)Welton offers excellent benefits for its entry-level employees, hoping to decrease turnover.

Accepted Answer

It would most weaken the reasoning if Welton requires all management, even experienced applicants, to briefly work in all of the departments they will manage. The passage's assertion that Welton offers excellent advancement opportunities does not hold if employees in advanced positions only worked in low-level positions temporarily before assuming their full duties.

Question 10

Lee: "Newspaper editors should stop worrying about whether a story will be popular or help sell magazines. Great writers all write to tell a great story, not to be popular."
Gertrude: "But newspaper editors do have to sell papers, or they would be out of a job. An editor is more like a business owner than a writer, and must consider what stories will make people want to read a paper."
Gertrude asserts that Lee's argument is flawed because it
A)Uses circular reasoning.
B)Offers a faulty analogy.
C)Does not give an example of writers who did not want to be popular.
D)Does not identify the newspaper editors to which the assertion should apply.
E)Relies on an unrepresentative sample.

Accepted Answer

Gertrude asserts that Lee's argument is flawed because it offers a faulty analogy. Gertrude finds fault in Lee's argument by showing that writers and newspaper editors are not really similar, so that claiming what works for a writer should work for an editor is not an effective argument.

Question 11

Doctor: "The consumption of large amounts of trans fats increases the risk of developing serious health problems such as heart disease. Because trans fats are often not identified on food nutrition labels, those labels are not useful for making informed decisions on personal health."
Which of the following is an assumption required by the doctor's argument?
A)Nutrition labels do not contain any other information helpful in determining a food's nutritious value.
B)Trans fats are the most dangerous ingredients in a food
C)Heart disease is the most serious health problem a person could face.
D)Lowering the levels of trans fats decreases the risk of developing heart disease.
E)There are no reliable ways for determining the levels of trans fats in a food.

Accepted Answer

The doctor's argument assumes that nutrition labels do not contain any other information helpful in determining a food's nutrition value. The doctor claims that because trans fats are not labeled, the labels are useless for making informed health decisions. For this to be true, there could not be any other useful information on the labels, or the labels would have some merit for making health decisions.

Question 12

Mark was always careful to use premium gasoline in his new car. But since Mark's car was not designed for the blend of fuel in premium gasoline, Mark ended up damaging the engine of his car. Therefore Mark intended to damage his car.
Which one of the following arguments exhibits a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to the flawed reasoning in the original passage?
A)Jason won a computer in a raffle and then sold the computer for $500. Jason therefore really won $500 in the raffle.
B)Marla is sure that cocoa is grown in Ghana, and that Ghana has a hot climate, so Marla knows that cocoa is grown in a hot climate.
C)A lightning strike caused the house to catch on fire, and the fire caused the deaths of three people. The lightning strike therefore killed three people.
D)Supermart stopped carrying Elizabeth's favorite kind of frozen pizza, so Elizabeth stopped shopping there. Supermart was intentionally trying to lose Elizabeth as a customer.
E)The snowstorm knocked out electricity for five days, and whatever knocks out the electricity is responsible for the school district's closure, so the snowstorm is responsible for closing the schools.

Accepted Answer

The argument exhibiting a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to the original passage is answer D. The original passage claims that because Mark's fuel use caused damage to his engine, that Mark must have intended for the damage to happen. In more general terms, the argument claims that an unintended or incidental consequence must be an intentional consequence if it is a direct consequence. Answer D is similar in reasoning.

Question 13

Rita: "I don't need to get a second job. I would only do that if I were broke and could not pay next month's rent."
Rita's mother: "But you can't pay next month's rent, so that's why you do need a second job."
In the dialogue above, the function of the mother's comment is to
A)Provide a counterexample to Rita's general argument.
B)Agree with the truth of Rita's statement but not assert an opinion on the issue.
C)Reject the conclusion of Rita's argument but disagree with her reasoning.
D)Point out that the condition which Rita acknowledges would change her position does actually exist.
E)Point out that although Rita's reasoning is sound, it is not appropriate to her situation and should remain a general principle.

Accepted Answer

The mother's comment points out that the condition which Rita acknowledges would change her position does exist. Rita's mother does not disagree that a second job is not necessary if Rita can pay her rent, but she shows that Rita cannot pay her rent, proving that Rita needs to change her position.

Question 14

A World Bank program in a poor nation aimed to provide clean water access to impoverished people in remote areas. In the past 10 years, the availability of clean water has increased due to the program, but half the population in rural areas still lacks access to clean water. Thus, the program is a failure.
The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
A)Fails to consider that even if the program hasn't improved clean water access for everyone, it has increased water access for at least some of its intended beneficiaries.
B)Overlooks the possibility that conditions outside of the World Bank's control could have prevented the full success of the program.
C)Presumes, without providing justification, that the program failed due to problems with its implementation and not due to the program design itself.
D)Takes for granted that if a program does not succeed in one country, it cannot succeed elsewhere.
E)Presumes, without providing justification, that providing services for those in rural areas is more difficult than for those in urban areas.

Accepted Answer

The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument fails to consider that even if the program hasn't improved clean water access for everyone, it has increased water access for at least some of its intended beneficiaries. The passage claims the program is a failure because it hasn't entirely fixed the problem, but fails to consider that the project has improved clean water access for some people, making it a successful project.

Question 15

A World Bank program in a poor nation aimed to provide clean water access to impoverished people in remote areas. In the past 10 years, the availability of clean water has increased due to the program, but half the population in rural areas still lacks access to clean water. Thus, the program is a failure.
Which of the following information, if added to the above passage, would strengthen its conclusion?
A)The World Bank has a successful track record of implementing programs increasing electricity access, but not for clean water.
B)Before the program began, more than half of people in rural areas in the country had clean water access.
C)Most people who lack clean water access also lack many other necessities, such as adequate food supplies.
D)Before the program began, less than half of people in rural areas in the country had clean water access.
E)In the decade since the program began, severe drought prevented the program from being successful in some very remote areas.

Accepted Answer

If before the program began, more than half of the people in rural areas in the country had clean water access, this would show that fewer people had access to clean water after the program than before, and would strengthen the conclusion that the program was a failure.

Question 16

Friday is the most common day of the week for car accidents to occur. Most people assume that people in a rush to get home to begin the weekend or to head out for a weekend trip are more likely to be involved in a car accident. However, recent research shows that even people who don't work Monday through Friday are most likely to be in a car accident on Fridays.
Which one of the following, if true, best explains why the rate of car accidents is highest on Fridays even for people not ending their work week?
A)Most construction projects are ended early on Fridays in order to lessen congestion on the roadways.
B)Many people rush to events such as concerts or sporting games on Friday nights.
C)Most people who do not work on Fridays avoid rush hour traffic.
D)Most people who do not work Monday through Friday hold low-income jobs and do not own cars.
E)Most people who do not work Monday through Friday treat Friday as if it were a regular workday and do not change their behavior for the day.

Accepted Answer

The answer that best explains the apparent paradox is that many people rush to events such as concerts or sporting games on Friday nights. If there are reasons to rush other than starting the weekend, this would explain why the car accident rate would be higher even for those not starting their weekend.

Question 17

None of the students taking choir are also taking photography, but many choir students are in band. Some band and choir students are also in the orchestra. All orchestra students take private music lessons.
Based on the above passage, which of the following must be true?
A)No photography students take private music lessons.
B)Not all band students are also in the orchestra.
C)At least one, but not more than half, of choir students take private music lessons.
D)Some choir students, but not band students, take private music lessons.
E)It is possible for a student to be in private music lessons, band, choir, and orchestra.

Accepted Answer

It is possible for a student to be in private music lessons, band, choir, and orchestra. There is nothing preventing a student from being involved in all of those activities, whereas the other answer choices could be true but do not have to be.

Question 18

Therapist: "Despite the popularity of TV shows depicting drug interventions, providing therapy for a serious problem such as drug addiction is not appropriate television material. These TV shows are done in a way to maximize entertainment, which is almost always incompatible with providing high quality, appropriate drug treatment and counseling. For this reason, licensed therapists should be prevented from televising their treatment sessions."
Which of the following must be assumed in order for the therapist's conclusion to be properly drawn?
A)Therapists should be stopped from providing therapy in a manner that makes it unlikely to provide high quality treatment.
B)It is never appropriate for medicine and entertainment to collide.
C)The private aspect of therapy is what prevents televised therapy sessions from being as successful as their non-televised counterparts.
D)While drug addiction is too serious a subject to be televised, therapy sessions for other, less serious psychological problems would be appropriate television material.
E)Maximizing entertainment is not appropriate for television shows with serious subject matters.

Accepted Answer

For the therapist's conclusion to be properly drawn, it must be assumed that therapists should be stopped from providing therapy in a manner that makes them unlikely to provide high quality treatment. If it is true that a therapist should be prevented from televising sessions because televised therapy is incompatible with providing quality treatment, then it is assumed that therapists should be stopped from providing therapy in a way that makes them unlikely to provide quality treatment.

Question 19

Environmental activist: "It will eventually prove counterproductive to rely on pesticides for crop growth. Even if there are short-term gains in crop yields, insects will eventually become resistant to all known forms of pesticides. We will either have to spend billions researching new forms of pesticides or rely on different kinds of crops in the future. It is much better and will ultimately prove cheaper to grow organic products, even if they seem more expensive now."
Which of the following most accurately describes the role played by the part of the passage stating that insects will eventually become resistant to all known forms of pesticides?
A)It is the argument's main conclusion.
B)It is a conclusion made by the argument, but not its only conclusion.
C)It is a phenomenon for which the argument provides an explanation.
D)It is used as direct support for the conclusions of the passage.
E)It is presented as a counterclaim to the main argument and then later rebutted.

Accepted Answer

That part of the passage is used as direct support for the passage's conclusions. The passage has a two-part conclusion: one, that pesticides will prove counterproductive and two, that organic farming is better. The fact that insects will eventually become resistant to all known forms of pesticide is given in support of both of those conclusions.

Question 20

Amy: "It is a proven fact that wind can provide a more reliable source of energy than fossil fuels. Dr. Malcolm Wolf recently produced a paper explaining that there is essentially unlimited potential for wind power."
Zack: "That claim cannot be correct. Dr. Wolf was found to have fabricated another study about solar power, and so his opinions cannot be trusted."
Zack's argument attacks Amy's assertion by
A)Showing that Amy's reasoning is flawed.
B)Showing that there is source of power superior to wind power, so Amy's assertions can't be correct.
C)Showing that the evidence cited by Amy is based on unreliable sources.
D)Undercutting the reliability of the author behind the evidence Amy cites.
E)Pointing out that Amy does not have the background or expertise necessary to give a qualified opinion on the subject.

Accepted Answer

Zack's argument attacks Amy's assertion by undercutting the reliability of the author behind the evidence Amy cites. Zack doesn't point out problems with the evidence itself, but rather shows that the author of the evidence has proven unreliable in other areas, implying that his opinions cannot be trusted here.

Quiz 1: Logical Reasoning

Rita: "I don't need to get a second job. I would only do that if I were broke and could not pay next month's rent." Rita's mother: "But you can't pay next month's rent, so that's why you do need a second job." In the dialogue above, the function of the mother's comment is to

None of the students taking choir are also taking photography, but many choir students are in band. Some band and choir students are also in the orchestra. All orchestra students take private music lessons. Based on the above passage, which of the following must be true?