Critical Reasoning

1- If a poor harvest season in a major corn-producing state results in higher prices for a bushel of
corn, 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 corn 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 corn
consumed in the state is produced in the state.

D. Poor harvesting seasons come at predictable regular intervals.

E. Higher prices for corn tend to lead to increased prices for livestock, which rely on corn feed.

Answer C

2- 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 5 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 megamall possibly being constructed in Town X.

Answer C

3- 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 fast enough. 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

Answer D

4- In the past six pro football drafts, 4 of the 6 players selected by Team A are now starters on the
squad. On Team B, only 2 of the 6 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 Bs pick is a quarterback, and the starting quarterback is retiring.

E. Team A has had the first draft pick for the past 6 years, while Team B had the last pick. This
year it is reversed.

Answer E
5- The latest census of the town in which Jacob’s 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 snowblowers that he sells per year has
risen only slightly over the average number of lawnmowers and snowblowers 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 snowblowers.

Answer C

6- Due to extreme poverty in Italy during the time period between 1870 and 1930, almost
4.5million Italians—most of whom were farmers—immigrated to the United States. The wave
from Italy reached its height in the 10-year span between 1920 and 1930, when Italians
comprised 12% of the total number of immigrants 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 Coast, 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 early Italian immigrants outnumber the current population
of Italy.

B. Many American farmers today are descendants of Italians.

C. The strong Euro dollar 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 southern portion of Italy was the country's prominent
agricultural region.
Answer E

7- Statistics show that more than half of the nation's murder victims knew their assialants; 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 an unfamiliar situation than by a friend or
relative at home.
Which of the following, if true, best explains the attitude 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 the 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 on 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.

Answer D
8- 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 of 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.

Answer D

9- In recent years, Doberman attacks 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.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?

A. No reasonable justification for these attacks by Dobermans on small children has been
discovered.

B. Other 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 have been prevented
by proper training.

E. The behavior toward small children exhibited by Dobermans is representative of dogs in

general.

Answer E
10- The worker’s union of GrainCorp., a grain processing plant, is attempting to obtain a pay raise
from GrainCorp. management. To pressure GrainCorp. management into accepting the union’s
proposal, the president of the union has proposed a boycott against SquareMart food stores,
which are owned by Megafood, the parent company of GrainCorp.

The answer to which of the following questions is LEAST directly relevant to the union
president’s consideration of whether a boycott of SquareMart will lead to acceptance of their
pay rate proposal?

A. Would the loss of business at SquareMart stores materially affect MegaFood?

B. Are the staple food products purchased by consumers at SquareMart stores readily available
at other stores not owned by MegaFood?

C. How many SquareMart are within the region of the GrainCorp plant?

D. Have other unions successfully employed the same strategy?

E. Is MegaFood the only corporation that operates both grain-processing plants and food
stores?

Answer E

11- 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 elm disease 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 acerium infested maple trees at an unprecedented rate
this year.
E.) All articles go through at least a one-year review process before publication.

Answer E
12- 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 kailgaroo 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.

Answer C

13- National regulations that limit the sale of meat to within 5 days of packing should be changed.
Under optimal conditions, meat kept at 40° F 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. 7 of 10 shopkeepers favor extending the limitation on meat to 9 days.

C. Approximately 65% of the meat display cases nationally maintain temperatures between 47
and 54° F.

D. Approximately half the meat stored for 25 days is still safe to consume.

E. Meat packing operations are more efficient when they can make fewer, larger deliveries than
when they must make more frequent, smaller deliveries.

Answer C
14- If participation in the honors creative writing class were limited to graduate students and those
undergraduate students who had received at least a B+ 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 the second
sentence above?

(A) Graduate students 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.

Answer E
 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, 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 X.

E) Smog levels in City X are significantly lower than those of any other city in the state.

Answer C
16- 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 have been if the
family had 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. 23% of those inhabitants of City Y who move to City X live beyond the average life span of
native inhabitants of City X.

D. Over the last 2 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 CityX.

Answer B
17- 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 article's 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

Answer E

18- In the state of Michigan, from 1980 to 1989, total spending on books purchased from all sources
increased by 34%. But during the same period, spending on fiction books, most of which were
purchased from bookstores selling only new books, grew just 16%.

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%.

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.
 Answer A

19- The state legislature has proposed a law that required all new cars sold in the state to be
equipped with airbags for both front seat passengers. The auto industry has lobbied against the
proposed law pointing out that the airbags would prevent only a small percentage of serious
injuries because in most accidents, serious injuries can be avoided by the use of seatbelts.

Which of the following if true would most weaken the argument put forth by the auto industry?

A. The government has a duty to protect the welfare of its citizens.

B. The number of accidents per mile driven in the state is substantially higher than that for the
rest of the nation.

C. The cost of equipping automobiles with airbags will be passed on to the consumer in the form
of higher prices.

D. Most serious injuries occur when fron seat passengers are not wearing the seatbelts.

E. Because the law would apply only to new cars, it would take nearly a decade for teh majority
of the state's cars to become equipped with airbsgs.

Answer D

20- 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 most undermine Country B’s argument that it has the
lower violent crime rate?

A. Most violent criminals in 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.

Answer C
21- An investigation must be launched into the operations of the private group that is training
recruits ot fight against the Balaland Republic. THe US Neutrality Act plainly forbids US citizens
from engaging in military campaigns against any nation with which we are not at war. Since no
war has been declared between the US and the Balaland Republic we should bring charges
against these fanatics, who 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 escalating civil war.

B- Diplomatic relations between the US and the Balaland Republic were severed last year.

C- The recruits are being trained to fight only in the event US goes to war against Balaland
Republic.

D- The training of recruits is funded not by US 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 launched.

Answer C
22- 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.

Which of the following best expresses the 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 his score on a standardized
competency test.

(C) The psychological damage a child suffers by repeat 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

Answer D
23- If participation in the honors creative writing class were limited to graduate students and those
undergraduate students who had received at least a B+ 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 the second
sentence above?

(A) Graduate students 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.

Answer E
24- The owner of a four-storey commercial building discovered termites in the building's first and
second floors and called an exterminator. The exterminator pumped gas directly 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 with which termites are killed increases as the concentration of 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 exterminator's gas pumping system works efficiently even when pumping gas into both
the first and second stories of the building simultaneously.

Answer B
25- 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
decision to leave.

c. Depression is very common among management consultants who have a similarly difficult
work schedule to those 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.

Answer D
 26- The performance of Southports two high schools has been quite consistent over the past 5
years. In each of those years, Suburban High has enrolled 40% of Southport's students and
produced 75% of the towns high school graduates, while Lakeside High has accounted for the
remainder.

Which of the following can properly be inferred regarding the past 5 years from the passage
above?

A. The total number of students attending each high school has remained roughly constant.

B. Students attending Suburban High come from a larger geographical area than students
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.

Answer C

.
27- 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 4 years to order
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 expected based on
computer simulation models.

E. Other foams made from similar materials have failed to halt erosion from certain types of
road cuts.

Answer A
28- 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 microscopic 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.

Answer D
29- 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 competion 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 accepted explanation for
the Layson Rail's extinction?

A) The vegetation on Laysan Rail's home island was decimated when rabbits were introduced to
the island in 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 number of flies and moths
present in Laysan Rail territory.
E) Many species nested in the same types of vegetation as the Laysan Rail.

Answer D
30- 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 nonreturnable.

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-day-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.

Answer A

31- 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 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 percent.
C) Other reasons to move to City X include 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 5000
workers.

Answer B