Problem Solving
There is a two-way express train service operating between Kuala Lumpur Central Station (KLCS) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), 64 kms away. Which of the following pieces of information is not required in order to calculate the minimum number of trains needed to operate the service each day?
A The first train leaves KLCS at 5.30am and the first train leaves KLIA at 6am.
B The journey between KLCS and KLIA (and vice versa) takes 28 minutes.
C On arrival at its destination each train stands for ten minutes before commencing its return journey.
D In peak hours (5.30am to 10.30am and 4.00pm to midnight, when the service terminates) trains run every 15 minutes.
E During off-peak hours (10.30am to 4.00pm) the trains run every 20 minutes.
E During off-peak hours (10.30am to 4.00pm) the trains run every 20 minutes.
Antioxidants in the foods we consume help to rid our bodies of destructive molecules that can cause cancer. Some foods, for example fruit and vegetables, contain high levels of antioxidants, so that the more of these foods someone eats, the higher is their intake of antioxidants. And the higher the intake of antioxidants, the lower the risk of getting cancer. A study has found that coffee is a rich source of antioxidants, and that Americans get more of their antioxidant intake from coffee than any other source. So, on average, Americans should have a relatively low risk of suffering from cancer. Which of the following identifies the flaw in the above argument?
A Some cancers are believed to be caused by genetic factors.
B Antioxidants in coffee are as beneficial as those in fruit and vegetables.
C People who drink a lot of coffee may suffer from anxiety and irritability.
D The risk of cancer is affected by the level of intake of antioxidants, not by their source.
E Antioxidants in food can protect against cancer only if they are absorbed into the body.
D The risk of cancer is affected by the level of intake of antioxidants, not by their source.
There is growing agreement amongst scientists and doctors that being seriously overweight is dangerous for one's health. This is seen as a major problem in many Western countries, where instances of obesity are on the rise, the result largely of the increasing availability of cheap fastfood and ready-made meals which are high in fat. But instead of going back to the basics and cooking things from simple, fresh ingredients as most doctors recommend, overweight people have been tempted by a succession of so-called 'miracle' diets, each guaranteeing significant weight loss in a relatively short period of time. However, while the diets may work in that they aid weight loss, the sudden changes to people's eating habits and the lack of basic nutrition they regularly entail, means that they often do more harm than good. Which of the following is a conclusion which can be drawn from the above passage?
A Any new miracle diet should be avoided despite the scientific evidence in its favour.
B Overweight people cannot trust the claims made by promoters of miracle diets.
C Overweight people should stick to natural, fresh ingredients as a means of controlling their weight.
D People who lose a lot of weight very quickly usually put it back on once they come off the diet.
E People who want to lose weight quickly should also consider the negative effects which can often accompany miracle diets.
E People who want to lose weight quickly should also consider the negative effects which can often accompany miracle diets.
Who is President of Nazarbayev University?
Shigeo Katsu
Ben hires a motor van to help his friend move house. He knows that the round trip is 350 km and the van hire company tells him that the van does 100 km per $10.00 worth of diesel fuel (the diesel costs 70 cents per litre). He asks them to put $36.00 worth of diesel into the van. However the pump is faulty and actually puts in 51 litres of fuel for every 50 litres shown on the pump. On the return journey he encounters a fallen tree across the road and has to make a detour. There are no filling stations on the remainder of his journey, but he decides to get as near to his destination as he can.
What is the maximum distance the detour could have added to his journey if he still manages to make it back?
17.2 km
Why are cats such good hunters? The answer lies in the taste buds. It is recognised by scientists that there are four basic tastes from which all flavours are composed: sour, bitter, salty and sweet. Interestingly, while most mammals are able to taste all of these, cats are unable to taste anything sweet. New research suggests that this is due to a genetic mutation which happened early in the evolution of the cat family, since all cats, both domestic and wild, share this characteristic. This mutation doubtless explains why cats evolved to be such good hunters, as, unlike other carnivores such as dogs who will eat fruits and berries if necessary, cats are limited to meat.
Which of the following is an assumption which underlies the above argument
A An animal's behaviour is determined solely by its genetic make-up.
B Animals which enjoy fruits and berries will not be interested in hunting.
C If the mutation had occurred in dogs instead of cats they would now be the better hunters.
D Some fruits and berries do not taste sweet.
E The ability to taste sweet things was not lost as a result of cats' success as hunters.
E The ability to taste sweet things was not lost as a result of cats' success as hunters.
Many people think that animal behaviour is predominately innate, in other words, that the way an animal behaves is ‘hard-wired’ into its genes. But an argument against this is the speed with which dramatic changes in characteristic behaviour have been seen in some animal populations. For example, in several European cities, one species of bird previously characterised by its daytime song has taken to singing in the middle of the night – the reason being that it is too noisy in the daytime to be heard! Such changes are too fast to be the result of evolution, and yet very quickly become normalised within a population as individual animals mimic new forms of behaviour.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the above argument?
A Animal behaviour, especially that of birds, varies according to the time of year.
B Animals in cities are more prone to diseases which can affect their behaviour.
C Birds in cities have been known to mimic non-animal noises such as police sirens.
D Changes in the environment can trigger different genes to be expressed.
E The change in the birds’ behaviour has taken place within a single generation.
E The change in the birds’ behaviour has taken place within a single generation.
What is the address of Nazarbayev University?
Qabanbay Batyr Ave 53
George’s journey home from work involves travelling by underground railway to Euston Station and then by overground train. It takes him 5 minutes to change platforms on arriving at Euston. Overground trains leave Euston at 20-minute intervals and the train journey takes 8 minutes. His house is a five-minute walk from his local station. If he arrives at Euston at 4.15pm he gets home at 4.50pm.
At what time will he get home if he arrives at Euston at 5.00pm?
5.30pm
A lot of time is spent worrying about the potentially hazardous effects of global climate change but, seen in a wider context, much of this concern is unnecessary. Even if the pessimists are correct, and the Earth is getting hotter due to human activity, is this really a reason to be pessimistic? Geologists tell us that the Earth undergoes a period of drastic temperature reduction or 'ice age' every 10,000 or so years. Surely then, a gradual increase of temperature across the globe between now and the next ice age can only be a good thing. Obviously some species in the meantime may die out but, in the long run, the overall chances of survival for the greatest number of species will be increased as a result of global warming.
Which of the following expresses the main conclusion of the above argument?
A A gradual increase in temperature over the coming centuries is in the interest of creatures living on Earth.
B A gradual increase in temperature over the coming centuries will increase some species' chances of survival.
C Concern about the dangers of global warming does not take into account its possible benefits.
D Much of the concern about global climate change is unnecessary when seen in a wider context.
E The pessimistic view that the Earth is getting hotter due to human activity is in fact justified.
D Much of the concern about global climate change is unnecessary when seen in a wider context.
According to modern physics, it is not possible for anything in the universe to travel faster than the speed of light. A consequence of this is that certain parts of the universe will always remain a mystery to us, as to travel there even at the speed of light would take thousands or even millions of years. At least this is what the scientists say. But there is an obvious objection to this argument. As science and technology advances, our understanding of the universe changes. People in the eighteenth-century would never have thought it was possible to talk to someone on the other side of the world. Things which are not possible now may become so as our technology and understanding of the world changes. Which of the following is a conclusion which can be drawn from the above passage?
A All scientific knowledge is merely theoretical and open to amendment.
B It is only a matter of time before travel to remote parts of the universe will be possible.
C The possibility of journeying to distant parts of the universe at some time in the future should not be ruled out.
D The universe is so vast that a satisfactory understanding of all of its parts will always elude us.
E Nothing is impossible however remote it may seem at the time in which we live.
C The possibility of journeying to distant parts of the universe at some time in the future should not be ruled out.
A football league is comprised of 22 teams. Over the course of a season, each team plays each of the other teams twice (home and away). For every game that is played, 3 points are awarded to the winning side, 0 points to the losing side, and 1 point to each side if the match is drawn (equal score). (There are no other possible outcomes to a game.) Each team’s total points from all their matches played are added together at the end of the season and the three clubs with the fewest points are relegated to a lower league. If two or more clubs finish with the same number of points, their positions are decided by goal difference, i.e. the difference between the total number of goals they have scored and the total number scored against them over the course of the season. A side with a higher goal difference finishes above one with a lower one.
What is the lowest number of points that a club can get in one season and not be relegated?
Children in the UK tend to draw pictures of scientists as mad. This is unsurprising, as British and American films tend to portray scientists as mad.
Which of the following is an assumption underlying the above argument?
A British and American scientists tend to be mad.
B Children in other parts of the world do not tend to draw scientists as mad.
C Children in other parts of the world are more likely to want to be scientists.
D Children in Britain and America learn about scientists from film images.
E British and American scientists often originate in other parts of the world.
D Children in Britain and America learn about scientists from film images.
There has been much concern over the growth of the computer games industry, in particular the effects on children and young teenagers who regularly play games with extremely violent content. And yet the degree of concern is unwarranted. It is a simple fact of life that young people, particularly boys, are attracted to games and activities with violent themes; this does not mean that the activity itself will encourage violence. It is seldom argued, after all, that the reading of action comics encourages violent behaviour: they are merely forms of harmless escapism. People ought to see the so-called dangers of playing computer games in the same light as the reading of action comics with violent content.
Which of the following, if true, would weaken the above argument?
A People tend to be less attracted to activities which have violent themes as they get older.
B Recent evidence suggests that if a natural tendency is encouraged at an early age it becomes stronger.
C Research indicates that the strongest cultural influence on young people comes from film and television.
D Some people have extremely high natural levels of aggression.
E There are genres of modern action comics that have extremely violent content.
B Recent evidence suggests that if a natural tendency is encouraged at an early age it becomes stronger.
What is the average in Critical Thinking section among admitted students?
Around 66