1. Boreal owls range over a much larger area than do other owls of similar size. The reason for this behavior is that the small mammals on which owls feed are especially scarce in the forests where boreal owls live, and the relative scarcity of prey requires the owls to range more extensively to find sufficient food. Which of the following, if true, most helps to confirm the explanation above? ______
A.Some boreal owls range over an area eight times larger than the area over which any other owl of similar size ranges.
B.Boreal owls range over larger areas in regions where food of the sort eaten by small mammals is sparse than they do in regions where such food is abundant.
C.After their young hatch, boreal owls must hunt more often than before in order to feed both themselves and their newly hatched young.
D.Sometimes individual boreal owls hunt near a single location for many weeks at a time and do not range rather than a few hundred yards.
E.The boreal owl requires less food, relative to its weight, than is required by members of other owl species.
A B C D E
B
2. Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect. Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described? ______
A.Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country.
B.In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.
C.Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas.
D.Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.
E.As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.
A B C D E
C
3. The milk of many mammals contains cannabinoids, substances that are known to stimulate certain receptors in the brain. To investigate the function of cannabinoids, researchers injected newborn mice with a chemical that is known to block cannabinoides from reaching their receptors in the brain. The injected mice showed far less interest in feeding than normal newborn mice do. Therefore, cannabinoids probably function to stimulate the appetite. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? ______
A.Newborn mice do not normally ingest any substance other than their mothers' milk.
B.Cannabinoids are the only substances in mammals' milk that stimulate the appetite.
C.The mothers of newborn mice do not normally make any effort to encourage their babies to feed.
D.The milk of mammals would be less nutritious if it did not contain cannabinoids.
E.The chemical that blocks cannabinoids from stimulating their brain receptors does not independently inhibit the appetite.
A B C D E
E
4. Frobisher, a sixteenth-century English explorer, had soil samples from Canada's Kodlunarn Island examined for gold content. Because high gold content was reported, Elizabeth I funded two mining expeditions. Neither expedition found any gold there. Modern analysis of the island's soil indicates a very low gold content. Thus the methods used to determine the gold content of Frobisher's samples must have been inaccurate. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? ______
A.The gold content of the soil on Kodlunarn Island is much lower today than it was in the sixteenth century.
B.The two mining expeditions funded by Elizabeth I did not mine the same part of Kodlunarn Island.
C.The methods used to assess gold content of the soil samples provided by Frobisher were different from those generally used in the sixteenth century.
D.Frobisher did not have soil samples from any other Canadian island examined for gold content.
E.Gold was not added to the soil samples collected by Frobisher before the samples were examined.
A B C D E
E
5. TrueSave is a mail-order company that ships electronic products from its warehouses to customers worldwide. The company's shipping manager is proposing that customer orders be packed with newer, more expensive packing materials that virtually eliminate damage during shipping. The manager argues that overall costs would essentially remain unaffected, since the extra cost of the new packing materials roughly equals the current cost of replacing products returned by customers because they arrived in damaged condition. Which of the following would it be most important to ascertain in determining whether implementing the shipping manager's proposal would have the argued-for effect on costs? ______
A.Whether the products shipped by TrueSave are more vulnerable to incurring damage during shipping than are typical electronic products.
B.Whether electronic products are damaged more frequently in transit than are most other products shipped by mail-order companies.
C.Whether a sizable proportion of returned items are returned because of damage already present when those items were packed for shipping.
D.Whether there are cases in which customers blame themselves for product damage that, though present on arrival of the product, is not discovered until later.
E.Whether TrueSave continually monitors the performance of the shipping companies it uses to ship products to its customers.
A B C D E
C
6. As a large corporation in small country, Hachnut wants its managers to have international experience, so each year it sponsors management education abroad for its management trainees. Hachnut has found, however, that the attrition rate of graduates from this program is very high, with many of them leaving Hachnut to join competing firms soon after completing the program. Hachnut does use performance during the program as criterion in deciding among candidates for management positions, but both this function and the goal of providing international experience could be achieved in other ways. Therefore, if the attrition problem cannot be successfully addressed, Hachnut should discontinue the sponsorship program. In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to justify; the second states a judgment that is used in support of a justification for that practice.
B.The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to explain; the second presents part of the argument's explanation of that practice.
C.The first introduces a practice that the argument seeks to evaluate; the second provides grounds for holding that the practice cannot achieve its objective.
D.The first introduces a policy that the argument seeks to evaluate; the second provides grounds for holding that the policy is not needed.
E.The first introduces a consideration supporting a policy that the argument seeks to evaluate; the second provides evidence for concluding that the policy should be abandoned.
A B C D E
D
7. Aroca City currently funds its public schools through taxes on property. In place of this system, the city plans to introduce a sales tax of three percent on all retail sales in the city. Critics protest that three percent of current retail sales falls short of the amount raised for schools by property taxes. The critics are correct on this point. Nevertheless, implementing the plan will probably not reduce the money going to Aroca's schools. Several large retailers have selected Aroca City as the site for huge new stores, and these are certain to draw large numbers of shoppers from neighboring municipalities, where sales are taxed at rates of six percent and more. In consequence, retail sales in Aroca City are bound to increase substantially. In the argument given, the two potions in boldface play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first is an objection that has been raised against a certain plan; the second is a prediction that, if accurate, undermines the force of that objection.
B.The first is a criticism, endorsed by the argument, of a funding plan; the second is a point the argument makes in favor of adopting a alternative plan.
C.The first is a criticism, endorsed by the argument, of a funding plan; the second is the main reason cited by the argument for its endorsement of the criticism.
D.The first is a claim that the argument seeks to refute; the second is the main point used by the argument to show that the claim is false.
E.The first is a claim that the argument accepts with certain reservations; the second presents that claim in a rewarding that is not subject to those reservations.
A B C D E
D
8. The violent crime rate (number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents) in Meadowbrook is 60 percent higher now than it was four years ago. The corresponding increase for Parkdale is only 10 percent. These figures support the conclusion that residents of Meadowbrook are more likely to become victims of violent crime than are residents of Parkdale. The argument above is flawed because it fails to take into account ______
A.changes in the population density of both Meadowbrook and Parkdale over the past four years.
B.how the rate of population growth in Meadowbrook over the past four years compares to the corresponding rate for Parkdale.
C.the ratio of violent to nonviolent crimes committed during the past four years in Meadowbrook and Parkdale.
D.the violent crime rates in Meadowbrook and Parkdale four years ago.
E.how Meadowbrooks' expenditures for crime prevention over the past four years compare to Parkdale's expenditures.
A B C D E
D
9. The OLEX Petroleum Company has recently determined that it could cut its refining costs by closing its Grenville refinery and consolidating all refining at its Tasberg refinery. Closing the Grenville refinery, however, would mean the immediate loss of about 1,200 jobs in the Grenville area. Eventually the lives of more than 10,000 people would be seriously disrupted. Therefore, OLEX's decision, announced yesterday, to keep Grenville open shows that at OLEX social concerns sometimes outweigh the desire for higher profits. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument given? ______
A.The Grenville refinery, although it operates at a higher cost than the Tasberg refinery, has nevertheless been moderately profitable for many years.
B.Even though OLEX could consolidate all its refining at the Tasberg plant, doing so at the Grenville plant would not be feasible.
C.The Tasberg refinery is more favorably situated than the Grenville refinery with respect to the major supply routes for raw petroleum.
D.If the Grenville refinery were ever closed and operations at the Tasberg refinery expanded, job openings at Tasberg would to the extent possible be filled with people formerly employed at Grenville.
E.Closure of the Grenville refinery would mean compliance, at enormous cost, with demanding local codes regulating the cleanup of abandoned industrial sites.
A B C D E
E
10. In Berinia, the age at which people could begin to drink alcohol legally used to be 18. In 1990, in an attempt to reduce alcohol consumption and thereby to reduce alcohol-related traffic deaths among Berinians under 21, the legal drinking age was raised to 21. Alcohol-related traffic deaths among people under 21 have decreased significantly since 1990. Nevertheless, surveys show that people in that age-group drink just as much alcohol as they did before 1990. Which of the following, if true of Berinia, most help to resolve the apparent discrepancy? ______
A.For the population as a whole, annual alcohol consumption is no lower now than it was in 1990.
B.Alcohol consumption away from home, for example in bars and restaurants, is much lower among people under 21 than it was in 1990.
C.The proportion of people under 21 who own a car is higher now than it was in 1990.
D.Alcohol consumption is lower among people under 21 than among adults in most other age-groups.
E.Alcohol-related traffic deaths among people over 21 have increased slightly since 1990.
A B C D E
B
11. Delta products, Inc., has recently switched at least partly from older technologies using fossil fuels to new technologies powered by electricity. The question has been raised whether it can be concluded that for a given level of output, Delta's operation now causes less fossil fuel to be consumed than it did formerly. The answer, clearly, is yes, since the amount of fossil fuel used to generate the electricity needed to power the new technologies is less than the amount needed to power the older technologies, provided that the level of output is held constant. In the argument given, the two boldface portions play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first identifies the context of the conclusion of the argument; the second provides support for that conclusion.
B.The first provides support for the conclusion of the argument; the second identifies the content of that conclusion.
C.The first states the position that the argument opposes; the second states the conclusion of the argument.
D.Each provides evidence that calls the conclusion of the argument into question.
E.Each provides support for conclusion of the argument.
A B C D E
E
12. In Kravonia, the average salary for jobs requiring a college degree has always been higher than the average salary for jobs that do not require a degree. Current enrollments in Kravonia's colleges indicate that over the next four years the percentage of the Kravonian workforce with college degree will increase dramatically. Therefore, the average salary for all workers in Kravonia is likely to increase over the next four years. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? ______
A.Kravonians with more than one college degree earn more, on average, than do Kravonians with only one college degree.
B.The percentage of Kravonians who attend college in order to earn higher salaries is higher now than it was several years ago.
C.The higher average salary for jobs requiring a college degree is not due largely to a scarcity among the Kravonian workforce of people with a college degree.
D.The average salary in Kravonia for jobs that do not require a college degree will not increase over the next four years.
E.Few members of the Kravonian workforce earned their degrees in other countries.
A B C D E
C
13. In one state, all cities and most towns have antismoking ordinances, a petition entitled "Petition for Statewide Smoking Restriction" is being circulated to voters by campaign workers who ask only, "Do you want to sign a petition for statewide smoking restriction?" The petition advocates a state law banning smoking in most retail establishments and in government offices that are open to the public. Which of the following circumstances would make the petition as circulated misleading to voters who understand the proposal as extending the local ordinances statewide? ______
A.Health costs associated with smoking cause health insurance premiums to rise for everyone and so affect nonsmokers.
B.In rural areas of the state, there are relatively few retail establishments and government offices that are open to the public.
C.The state law would supersede the local antismoking ordinances, which contain stronger bans than the state law does.
D.There is considerable sentiment among voters in most areas of the state for restriction of smoking.
E.The state law would not affect existing local ordinances banning smoking in places where the fire authorities have determined that smoking would constitute a fire hazard.
A B C D E
C
14. Fish currently costs about the same at seafood stores throughout Eastville and its surrounding suburbs. Seafood stores buy fish from the same wholesalers and at the same prices, and other business expenses have also been about the same. But new tax breaks will substantially lower the cost of doing business within the city. Therefore, in the future, profit margins will be higher at seafood stores within the city than at suburban seafood stores. For the purposes of evaluating the argument, it would be most useful to know whether ______
A.more fish wholesalers are located within the city than in the surrounding suburbs.
B.any people who currently own seafood stores in the suburbs surrounding Eastville will relocate their businesses nearer to the city.
C.the wholesale price of fish is likely to fall in the future.
D.fish has always cost about the same at seafood stores throughout Eastville and its surrounding suburbs.
E.seafood stores within the city will in the future set prices that are lower than those at suburban seafood stores.
A B C D E
E
15. Kernland imposes a high tariff on the export of unprocessed cashew nuts in order to ensure that the nuts are sold to domestic processing plants. If the tariff were lifted and unprocessed cashew were sold at world market prices, more farmers could profit by growing cashews. However, since all the processing plants are in urban areas, removing the tariff would seriously hamper the government's effort to reduce urban unemployment over the next five years. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? ______
A.Some of the by-products of processing cashews are used for manufacturing plants and plastics.
B.Other countries in which cashews are processed subsidize their processing plants.
C.More people in kernland are engaged in farming cashews than in processing them.
D.Buying unprocessed cashews at lower than world market prices enables cashew processors in kernland to sell processed nuts at competitive prices.
E.Alack of profitable crops is driving an increasing number of small farmers in kernland off their land and into the cities.
A B C D E
E
16. Business Consultant: some corporations shun the use of executive titles because they fear that the cities. Since an executive who uses a title is treated with more respect by outsiders, however, use of a title can facilitate an executive's dealings with external businesses. The obvious compromise is for these executives to use their corporate titles externally but not internally, since even if it is widely known that the corporation's executives use executive titles outside their organization, this knowledge does not by itself inhibit communication within the corporation. In the consultant's reasoning, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first presents an obstacle to achieving a certain goal; the second presents a reason for considering that goal to be undesirable.
B.The first is a consideration that has led to the adoption of a certain strategy; the second presents a reason against adopting that strategy.
C.The first describes a concern that the consultant dismisses as insignificant; the second is a consideration that serves as the basis for that dismissal.
D.The first is a belief for which the consultant offers support; the second is part of that support.
E.The first is a belief against which evidence is offered; the second is part of the evidence offered against that belief.
A B C D E
B
17. In the years following an eight-cent increase in the federal tax on a pack of cigarettes, sales of cigarettes fell ten percent. In contrast, in the year prior to the tax increase, sales had fallen one percent. The volume of cigarette sales is therefore strongly related to the after-tax price of a pack of cigarettes. The argument above requires which of the following assumptions? ______
A.During the year following the tax increase, the pretax price of a pack of cigarettes did not increase by as much as it had during the year prior to the tax increase.
B.The one percent fall in cigarette sales in the year prior to tax increases was due to a smaller tax increase.
C.The pretax price of a pack of cigarettes gradually decreased throughout the year before and the year after the tax increase.
D.For the year following the tax increase, the pretax price of a pack of cigarettes was not eight or more cents lower than it had been the previous year.
E.As the after-tax price of a pack of cigarettes rises, the pretax price also rises.
A B C D E
D
18. A sudden increase in the production of elephant ivory artifacts on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa occurred in the tenth century. Historians explain this increase as the result of an area opening up as a new source of ivory and argue on this basis that the important medieval trade between North Africa and East Africa began at this period. Each of the following, if true, provides some support for the historians' account described above EXCEPT? ______
A.In East Africa gold coins from Mediterranean North Africa have been found at a tenth-century but at no earlier sites.
B.The many surviving letters of pre-tenth-century North African merchants include no mention of business transactions involving East Africa.
C.Excavations in East Africa reveal a tenth-century change in architectural style to reflect North African patterns.
D.Documents from Mediterranean Europe and North Africa that date back earlier than the tenth century show knowledge of East African animals.
E.East African carvings in a style characteristic of the tenth century depict seagoing vessels very different from those used by local sailors but of a type common in the Mediterranean.
A B C D E
D
19. In response to viral infection, the immune systems of mice typically produce antibodies that destroy the virus by binding to proteins on its surface. Mice infected with a herpesvirus generally develop keratitis, a degenerative disease affecting part of the eye. Since proteins on the surface of cells in this part of the eye closely resemble those on the herpesvirus surface, scientists hypothesize that these cases of keratitis are caused by antibodies to herpesvirus. Which of the following, if true, gives the greatest additional support to the scientists' hypothesis? ______
A.Other types of virus have surface proteins that closely resemble proteins found in various organs of mice.
B.There are mice that are unable to form antibodies in response to herpes infections, and these mice contract herpes at roughly the same rate as other mice.
C.Mice that are infected with a herpesvirus but do not develop keratitis produce as many antibodies as infected mice that do develop keratitis.
D.There are mice that are unable to form antibodies in response to herpes infections, and these mice survive these infections without ever developing keratitis.
E.Mice that have never been infected with a herpesvirus can sometimes develop keratitis.
A B C D E
D
20. The growing popularity of computer-based activities was widely expected to result in a decline in television viewing, since it had been assumed that people lack sufficient free time to maintain current television-viewing levels while spending increasing amounts of free time on the computer. That assumption, however, is evidently false: in a recent mail survey concerning media use, a very large majority of respondents who report increasing time spent per week using computer report no change in time spent watching television. Which of the following would be most useful to determine in order to evaluate the argument? ______
A.Whether a large majority of the survey respondents reported watching television regularly
B.Whether the amount of time spent watching television is declining among people who report that they rarely or never use computers
C.Whether the type of television programs a person watches tends to changes as the amount of time spent per week using computer increases
D.Whether a large majority of the computer owners in the survey reported spending increasing amounts of time per week using computers
E.Whether the survey respondents' reports of time spent using computers included time spent using computers at work
A B C D E
E
21. 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 were out of business between 1992 and 1996.
A B C D E
A
22. Scientists typically do their most creative work before the age of forty. It is commonly thought that this happens because aging by itself brings about a loss of creative capacity. However, a study has found that almost all scientists who produce highly creative work beyond the age of forty entered their fields late and less than a dozen years before their creative breakthroughs. Since creative breakthroughs by scientists under forty also generally occur within a dozen years of the scientists' entry into the field, the study's finding strongly suggests that the real reason why scientists over forty rarely produce highly creative work is not due to age but rather because most have spent too long in their fields. In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first is the position that the argument as a whole depends; the second is evidence that is advanced as part of that evidence.
B.The first and second are both claims that have been advanced in support of a position that the argument as a whole opposes.
C.The first is an explanation that the argument challenges; the second provides evidence in support of a competing explanation that the argument defends.
D.The first is an explanation that the argument challenges; the second is evidence that has been used against an alternative explanation that the argument defends.
E.The first is an explanation that the argument defends; the second is evidence that has been used to challenge that explanation.
A B C D E
C
23. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans by deer ticks. Generally deer ticks pick up the bacterium while in the larval stage from feeding on infected white-footed mice. However, certain other species on which the larvae feed do not harbor the bacterium. Therefore, if the population of these other species were increased, the number of ticks acquiring the bacterium and hence the number of people contracting Lyme disease would likely decline. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? ______
A.Ticks do not suffer any adverse consequences from carrying the bacterium that causes Lyme disease in humans.
B.There are no known cases of a human's contracting Lyme disease through contact with white-footed mice.
C.A deer tick feeds only once while in the larval stage.
D.A single host animal can be the source of bacterium for many tick larvae.
E.None of the other species on which deer tick larvae feed harbor other bacteria that ticks transmit to humans.
A B C D E
C
24. The percentage of households with an annual income of more than $40,000 is higher in Merton county than in any other county. However, the percentage of households with an annual income of $60,000 or more is highest in Sommer county. If the statements above are true, which of the following can properly be concluded on the basis of them? ______
A.No households in Merton county has an annul income of $60,000 or more.
B.Some households in Merton county have an annual income between $40,000 and $60,000.
C.The number of households with an annual income of more than $40,000 is greater in Merton than in Sommer county.
D.Average annual household income is higher in Sommer than in Merton county.
E.The percentage of households with an annual income of $80,000 is higher in Sommer than in Merton county.
A B C D E
B
25. Ecologists: the Scottish Highlands were once the site of extensive forests, but these forests have mostly disappeared and been replaced by peat bogs. The common view is that the Highland's deforestation was caused by human activity, especially agriculture. However, agriculture began in the Highlands less than 2,000 years ago. Peat bogs, which consist of compressed decayed vegetable matter, build up by only about one foot per 1000 years, and, throughout the Highlands, remains of trees in peat bogs are almost all at depth great than four feet. Since climate changes that occurred between 7,000 years and 4,000 years ago favored the development of peat bogs rather than the survival of forests, the deforestation was more likely the result of natural processes than of human activity. In the ecologist's argument, the two portions in boldfaces play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first is evidence that has been used in support of a position that the argument rejects; the second is a finding that the ecologist uses to counter the evidence.
B.The first is evidence that, in light of the evidence provided in the second; the second serves as grounds for the ecologist's rejection of a certain position.
C.The first is a position that the ecologist rejects; the second is evidence that has been used in support of that position.
D.The first is a position that the ecologist rejects; the second provides evidence in support of that rejection.
E.The first is a position for which the ecologist argues; the second provides evidence to support that position.
A B C D E
B
26. Which of the following, if true, most logically completes the passage? A recent poll found that over 80 percent of the residents of Nalmed Province favored a massive expansion of the commuter rail system as a means of significantly easing congestion on the province's highways and were willing to help pay for the expansion through an increase in their taxes. Nevertheless, the poll results indicate that expansion of the rail system, if successfully completed, would be unlikely to achieve its goal of easing congestion, because. ______
A.most of people in favor of expanding the rail system reported less congestion during their highway commute as the primary benefit they would experience.
B.of the less than 20 percent of residents not counted as favoring the expansion, about half claimed to have no opinion one way or the other.
C.the twice-daily periods of peak congestion caused by people commuting in cars have grown from about an hour each to almost two and a half hours each in the past 20 years.
D.expanding the commuter rail system will require the construction of dozens of miles of new railroads.
E.the proposed expansion to the commuter rail system will make it possible for some people who both live and work at suburban locations to commute by rail.
A B C D E
A
27. For most people, the left half of the brain controls linguistic capabilities, but some people have their language centers in the right half. When a language center of the brains is damaged, for example, by a stroke, linguistic capabilities are impaired in some way. Therefore, people who have suffered a serious stroke on the left side of the brain without suffering any such impairment must have their language centers in the right half. Which of the following is an assumption on which the reasoning in the argument above depends? ______
A.No part of a person's brain that is damaged by a stroke never recovers.
B.Impairment of linguistic capabilities does not occur in people who have not suffered any damage to any language center of the brain.
C.Strokes tend to impair linguistic capabilities more severely than does any other cause of damage to language centers in the brain.
D.If there are language centers on the left side of the brain, any serious stroke affecting that side of the brain damages at least one of them.
E.It is impossible to determine which side of the brain contains a person's language centers if the person has not suffered damage to either side of the brain.
A B C D E
D
28. Press Secretary: Our critics claim that the President's recent highway project cancellations demonstrate a vindictive desire to punish legislative districts controlled by opposition parties. They offer as evidence the fact that 90 percent of the projects canceled were in such districts. But all of the canceled projects had been identified as wasteful in a report written by respected nonpartisan auditors. So the President's choice was clearly motivated by sound budgetary policy, not partisan politics. Which of the following is an assumption on which the press secretary's argument depends? ______
A.Canceling highway projects was not the only way for the President to punish legislative districts controlled by opposition parties.
B.The scheduled highway projects identified as wasteful in the report were not mostly projects in districts controlled by the President's party.
C.The number of projects canceled was a significant proportion of all the highway projects that were to be undertaken by the government in the near future.
D.The highway projects canceled in districts controlled by the President's party were not generally more expensive than the projects canceled in districts controlled by opposition parties.
E.Reports by nonpartisan auditors are not generally regarded by the opposition parties as a source of objective assessments of government projects.
A B C D E
B
29. Some species of Arctic birds are threatened by recent sharp increases in the population of snow geese, which breed in the Arctic and are displacing birds of less vigorous species. Although snow geese are a popular quarry for hunters in the southern regions where they winter, the hunting season ends if and when hunting has reduced the population by five percent, according to official estimates. Clearly, dropping this restriction would allow the other species to recover. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument? ______
A.Hunting limits for snow geese were imposed many years ago in response to a sharp decline in the population of snow geese.
B.It has been many years since the restriction led to the hunting season for snow geese being closed earlier than the scheduled date.
C.The number of snow geese taken by hunters each year has grown every year for several years.
D.As their population has increased, snow geese have recolonized wintering grounds that they had not used for several seasons.
E.In the snow goose's winter habitats, the goose faces no significant natural predation.
A B C D E
B
30. Eurasian watermilfoil, a weed not native to Frida Lake, has reproduced prolifically since being accidentally introduced there. In order to eliminate the weed, biologists proposed treating infested parts of the lake with a certain herbicide that is nontoxic for humans and aquatic animals. However, the herbicide might damage populations of certain rare plant species that the lake contains. For this reason local officials rejected the proposal. Which of the following, if true, points out the most serious weakness in the officials' grounds for rejecting the biologists' proposal? ______
A.The continuing spread of Eurasian watermilfoil in Frida Lake threatens to choke out the lake's rare plant species.
B.Because of ecological conditions prevailing in its native habitat, Eurasian watermilfoil is not as dominant there as it is in Frida Lake.
C.The proliferation of Eurasian watermilfoil in Frida Lake has led to reductions in the populations of some species of aquatic animals.
D.Although Eurasian watermilfoil could be mechanically removed from Frida Lake, eliminating the weed would take far longer this way than it would using herbicides.
E.Unless Eurasian watermilfoil is completely eliminated from Frida Lake, it will quickly spread again once herbicide treatments or other control measures cease.
A B C D E
A
31. Aroca City currently funds its public schools through taxes on property. In place of this system, the city plans to introduce a sales tax of three percent on all retail sales in the city. Critics protest that three percent of current retail sales falls short of the amount raised for schools by property taxes. The critics are correct on this point. Nevertheless, implementing the plan will probably not reduce the money going to Aroca's schools. Several large retailers have selected Aroca City as the site for huge new stores, and these are certain to draw large numbers of shoppers from neighboring municipalities, where sales are taxed at rates of six percent and more. In consequence, retail sales in Aroca City are bound to increase substantially. In the argument given, the two potions in boldface play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first presents a plan that the argument seeks to defend against a certain criticism, the second gives part of the basis for that criticism.
B.The first presents a plan that the argument seeks to defend against a certain criticism, the second gives part of the basis for that defense.
C.The first presents a plan that the argument criticizes; the second is a consideration raised by the argument in support of that criticism.
D.The first presents a plan that the argument criticizes; the second presents a consideration that has been raised against that criticism.
E.The first presents a plan whose consequences the argument seeks to evaluate; the second is presented by the argument as one likely consequence that is undesirable.
A B C D E
B
32. In each of the past five years, Barraland's prison population has increased. Yet, according to official government statistics, for none of those years has there been either an increase in the number of criminal cases brought to trial, or an increase in the rate at which convictions have been obtained. Clearly, therefore, the percentage of people convicted of crimes who are being given prison sentences is on the increase. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? ______
A.In Barraland the range of punishments that can be imposed instead of a prison sentence is wide.
B.Over the last ten years, overcrowding in the prisons of Barraland has essentially been eliminated as a result of an ambitious program of prison construction.
C.Ten years ago, Barraland reformed its criminal justice system, imposing longer minimum sentences for those crimes for which a prison sentence had long been mandatory.
D.Barraland has been supervising convicts on parole more closely in recent years, with the result that parole violations have become significantly less frequent.
E.The number of people in Barraland who feel that crime is on the increase is significantly greater now than it was five years ago.
A B C D E
C
33. Because visual inspection cannot reliably distinguish certain skin discolorations from skin cancers, dermatologists at clinics have needed to perform tests of skin tissue taken from patients. At Westville Hospital, dermatological diagnostic costs were reduced by the purchase of a new imaging machine that diagnoses skin cancer in such cases as reliably as the tissue tests do. Consequently, even though the machine is expensive, a dermatological clinic in Westville is considering buying one to reduce diagnostic costs. Which of the following would it be most useful for the clinic to establish in order to make its decision? ______
A.Whether the visits of patients who require diagnosis of skin discolorations tend to be shorter in duration at the clinic than at the hospital
B.Whether the principles on which the machine operates have been known to science for a long time
C.Whether the machine at the clinic would get significantly less heavy use than the machine at the hospital does
D.Whether in certain cases of skin discoloration, visual inspection is sufficient to make a diagnosis of skin cancer
E.Whether hospitals in other parts of the country have purchased such imaging machines
A B C D E
C
34. Environmental organizations want to preserve the land surrounding the Wilgrinn Wilderness Area from residential development. They plan to do this by purchasing that land from the farmers who own it. That plan is ill-conceived: if the farmers did sell their land, they would sell it to the highest bidder, and developers would outbid any other bidders. On the other hand, these farmers will never actually sell any of the land, provided that farming it remains viable. But farming will not remain viable if the farms are left unmodernized, and most of the farmers lack the financial resources modernization requires. And that is exactly why a more sensible preservation strategy would be to assist the farmers to modernize their farms to the extent needed to maintain viability. In the argument as a whole, the two boldface proportions play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first presents a goal that the argument rejects as ill-conceived; the second is evidence that is presented as grounds for that rejection.
B.The first presents a goal that the argument concludes cannot be attained; the second is a reason offered in support of that conclusion.
C.The first presents a goal that the argument concludes can be attained; the second is a judgment disputing that conclusion.
D.The first presents a goal, strategies for achieving which are being evaluated in the argument; the second is a judgment providing a basis for the argument's advocacy of a particular strategy.
E.The first presents a goal that the argument endorses; the second presents a situation that the argument contends must be changed if that goal is to be met in the foreseeable future.
A B C D E
D
35. In a study conducted in Pennsylvania, servers in various restaurants wrote "Thank you" on randomly selected bills before presenting the bills to their customers. Tips on these bills were an average of three percentage points higher than tips on bills without the message. Therefore, if servers in Pennsylvania regularly wrote "Thank you" on restaurant bills, their average income from tips would be significantly higher than it otherwise would have been. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies? ______
A.The "Thank you" messages would have the same impact on regular patrons of a restaurant as they would on occasional patrons of the same restaurant.
B.Regularly seeing "Thank you" written on their bills would not lead restaurant patrons to revert to their earlier tipping habits.
C.The written "Thank you" reminds restaurant patrons that tips constitute a significant part of the income of many food servers.
D.The rate at which people tip food servers in Pennsylvania does not vary with how expensive a restaurant is.
E.Virtually all patrons of the Pennsylvania restaurants in the study who were given a bill with "Thank you" written on it left a larger tip than they otherwise would have.
A B C D E
B
36. During the month of May, crabs arrive on Delaware's beaches to lay eggs. Certain shorebirds depend on these eggs for food during their annual spring migration to their northern breeding grounds. Delaware's crab population has declined recently. This decline, however, poses no serious threat to the migrating shorebird populations: by remaining longer in Delaware, the birds will be able to eat enough crab eggs to allow them to complete their migration. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? ______
A.No other food available to the birds on Delaware's beaches is as nutritious and accessible as are crab eggs.
B.The decline in the number of crabs on Delaware's beaches is due to the harvesting of crabs by humans.
C.There are more crabs on Delaware's beaches than in any other area that the migrating birds pass through.
D.The crabs do not conceal their eggs.
E.The earlier in the season the shorebirds complete their migration, the more likely they are to breed successfully.
A B C D E
E
37. Which of the following most logically completes the passage? On the whole, scientists do their most creative work before age forty, a tendency that has been taken to show that aging carries with it a loss of creative capacity. An alternative explanation is that by age forty most scientists have worked in their field for fifteen or more years and that by then they have exhausted the opportunity for creative work in that field. Supporting this explanation is the finding that ______.
A.the average age of recipients of scientific research grants is significantly greater than forty
B.a disproportionately large number of the scientists who produce highly creative work beyond age forty entered their field at an older age than is common
C.many scientists temper their own expectations of what they can achieve in their research work by their belief that their creativity will decline as they age
D.scientists who are older than forty tend to find more satisfaction in other activities, such as teaching and mentoring, than they do in pursuing their own research
E.there is a similar diminution of creativity with age in nonscientific fields, such as poetry and musical composition
A B C D E
B
38. Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another record? Well, any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company. Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last year's record pace. At the same time, there is considerable evidence that the number of new companies starting up this year will be no higher than it was last year and there is no reason to think that the new companies starting up this year will create more jobs per company than did last year's start-ups. So clearly, the number of new jobs created this year will fall short of last year's record. In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? ______
A.The first provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a claim that argument challenges.
B.The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a conclusion that the argument draws in order to support that generalization.
C.The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a judgment that has been advanced in order to challenge that generalization.
D.The first is presented as obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a claim that has been advanced in support of a position that the argument opposes.
E.The first is presented as obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a judgment advanced in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
A B C D E
E
39. Highway Official: When resurfacing our concrete bridges, we should use electrically conductive concrete (ECC) rather than standard concrete. In the winter, ECC can be heated by passing an electric current through it, thereby preventing ice buildup. The cost of the electricity needed is substantially lower than the cost of the deicing salt we currently use. Taxpayer: But construction costs for ECC are much higher than for standard concrete, so your proposal is probably not justifiable on economic grounds. Which of the following, if true, could best be used to support the highway official's proposal in the face of the taxpayer's objection? ______
A.The use of de-icing salt causes corrosion of the reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks and damage to the concrete itself, thereby considerably shortening the useful life of concrete bridges.
B.Severe icing conditions can cause power outages and slow down the work of emergency crews trying to get power restored.
C.In weather conditions conducive to icing, ice generally forms on the concrete surfaces of bridges well before it forms on parts of the roadway that go over solid ground.
D.Aside from its potential use for de-icing bridges, ECC might also be an effective means of keeping other concrete structures such as parking garages and airport runways ice free.
E.If ECC were to be used for a bridge surface, the electric current would be turned on only at times at which ice was likely to form.
A B C D E
A
40. Which of the following most logically completes the passage? Appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix) is potentially fatal; consequently, patients with symptoms strongly suggesting appendicitis almost always have their appendix removed. The appropriate surgery is low-risk but performed unnecessarily in about 20 percent of all cases. A newly developed internal scan for appendicitis is highly accurate, producing two misdiagnoses for every 98 correct diagnoses. Clearly, using this test, doctors can largely avoid unnecessary removals of the appendix without, however, performing any fewer necessary ones than before, since ______.
A.the patients who are correctly diagnosed with this test as not having appendicitis invariably have medical conditions that are much less serious than appendicitis
B.the misdiagnoses produced by this test are always instances of attributing appendicitis to someone who does not, in fact, have it
C.all of the patients who are diagnosed with this test as having appendicitis do, in fact, have appendicitis
D.every patient who is diagnosed with this test as having appendicitis has more than one of the symptoms generally associated with appendicitis
E.the only patients who are misdiagnosed using this test are patients who lack one or more of the symptoms that are generally associated with appendicitis