Strength or Weaken
Opponents of peat harvesting in this country argue that it would alter the ecological balance of our peat-rich wetlands and that, as a direct consequence of this, much of the country's water supply would be threatened with contamination. But this cannot be true, for in Ireland, where peat has been harvested for centuries, the water supply is not contaminated. We can safely proceed with the harvesting of peat.
Which one of the following most strengthens the argument?
A
Over hundreds of years, the ecological balance of all areas changes slowly but significantly, sometimes to the advantage of certain flora and fauna.
B
The original ecology of the peat-harvesting areas of Ireland was virtually identical to that of the undisturbed wetlands of this country.
C
The activities of other industries in coming years are likely to have adverse effects on the water supply of this country.
D
The peat resources of this country are far larger than those of some countries that successfully harvest peat.
E
The peat-harvesting industry of Ireland has been able to supply most of that country's fuel for generations.
B
This information strengthens the argument.
MetroBank made loans to ten small companies, in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. These ten loans all had graduated payment plans, i.e., the scheduled monthly loan payment increased slightly each month over the five-year term of the loan. Nonetheless, the average payment received by MetroBank for these ten loans had decreased by the end of the five-year term.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the statements above?
A
The number of small companies receiving new loans from MetroBank increased over the five-year term.
B
Several of the ten small companies also borrowed money from other banks.
C
Most banks offer a greater number of loans for under $100,000 than for over $100,000.
D
Of the ten small companies, the three that had borrowed the largest amounts paid off their loans within three years.
E
For some loans made by MetroBank, the monthly payment decreases slightly over the term of the loan.
D
If true, this could explain why MetroBank's average monthly loan repayment declined before the end of 5 years.
The questions in this exercise are based on the set of conditions described below. You may find it useful to draw a rough diagram.
A concert is given by a six-member band—guitarist, keyboard player, percussionist, saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist. During the concert, each member performs exactly one solo. The following restrictions apply:The guitarist does not perform the fourth solo.The percussionist performs a solo at some time before the keyboard player does.The keyboard player performs a solo at some time after the violinist does and at some time before the guitarist does.The saxophonist performs a solo at some time after either the percussionist does or the trumpeter does, but not both.
If the violinist performs the fourth solo, then each of the following must be true EXCEPT:
A
The percussionist performs a solo at some time before the violinist does.
B
The trumpeter performs a solo at some time before the violinist does.
C
The trumpeter performs a solo at some time before the guitarist does.
D
The saxophonist performs a solo at some time before the violinist does.
E
The trumpeter performs a solo at some time before the saxophonist does.
E
This doesn't have to be true, so it's the answer (Note the word EXCEPT in the question)
Competitive figure skaters are judged by panels of up to nine judges, who use a numerical scale with the highest mark being 6. To arrive at a total score, all judges' marks are summed. Competitive divers are judged by panels of five or seven judges using a scale with 10 as the highest mark. Before all judges' marks are summed to a final score, however, the highest and lowest marks are discarded in order to eliminate the possibility of bias either in favor of or against a particular diver. Competitive figure skating should adopt the approach taken in diving because it is a fairer system.
Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage above? Choose one answer.
A
There is wider disagreement among figure skating judges than among diving judges.
B
Currently, there is a greater possibility of bias in the scoring process for competitive figure skating than in that for diving.
C
It is more likely that a diver will receive a biased total score than that a skater will.
D
It is fairer to judge a competitor on a 10-point scale than a 6-point scale.
E
Without the discarding of highest and lowest marks, diving would be more vulnerable to bias than figure skating.
B
We can infer that the scoring process for figure skating is exposed to a greater possibility of bias.
At a water carnival, each of the eight lifeguards—J, K, L, M, P, Q, R, and S—will participate in two events, a boat race and a rescue exercise. For each of these events the eight lifeguards are grouped into four two-person teams, subject to the following rules:
If two lifeguards are teammates in the boat race, they cannot also be teammates in the rescue exercise.
L and Q are teammates in the boat race.
K and L are teammates in the rescue exercise.
R and S are not teammates in either event.
Which one of the following is a pair of lifeguards who cannot be teammates in the rescue exercise but who could be teammates in the boat race?
A
J and P
B
K and R
C
L and S
D
P and M
E
P and Q
B
K & R
Scientists have shown that older bees, which usually forage outside the hive for food, tend to have larger brains than do younger bees, which usually do not forage but instead remain in the hive to tend to newly hatched bees. Since foraging requires greater cognitive ability than does tending to newly hatched bees, it appears that foraging leads to the increased brain size of older bees.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
A : Bees that have foraged for a long time do not have significantly larger brains than do bees that have foraged for a shorter time.
B
The brains of older bees that stop foraging to take on other responsibilities do not become smaller after they stop foraging.
C
Those bees that travel a long distance to find food do not have significantly larger brains than do bees that locate food nearer the hive.
D
In some species of bees, the brains of older bees are only marginally larger than those of younger bees.
E
The brains of older bees that never learn to forage are the same size as those of their foraging counterparts of the same age.
E
If true, this weakens the argument by suggesting that foraging is not essential to increased brain size in older bees.
Consumers are deeply concerned about the quantity of plastic packaging on the market and have spurred manufacturers to find ways to recycle plastic materials. Despite their efforts, however, only 6.5 percent of plastic is now being recycled, as compared to 33 percent of container glass.
Each of the following, if true, helps to explain the relatively low rate of plastic recycling EXCEPT:
A
Many factories are set up to accept and make economical use of recycled glass, whereas there are few factories that make products out of recycled plastic.
B
Many plastic products are incompatible and cannot be recycled together, whereas most containers made of glass are compatible.
C
The manufacture of new plastic depletes oil reserves, whereas the manufacture of new glass uses renewable resources.
D
Unlike glass, which can be heated to thousands of degrees during the recycling process to burn off contaminants, recycled plastic cannot be heated enough to sterilize it.
E
Plastic polymers tend to break down during the recycling process and weaken the resulting product, whereas glass does not break down.
C
This doesn't help explain why a lower percentage of plastic is recycled when compared to glass.
Vacuum cleaner salesperson: To prove that this Super XL vacuum cleaner is better than your old vacuum cleaner, I ran your old vacuum once over this dirty carpet. Then I ran the Super XL over the same area. All that dirt that the Super XL picked up is dirt your old vacuum left behind, proving the Super XL is the better vacuum.
The vacuum cleaner salesperson's argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that it:
A
ignores the possibility that dirt remained in the carpet even after the Super XL had been used in the test
B
takes for granted that the Super XL will still perform better than the old vacuum cleaner when it is the same age as the old vacuum cleaner
C
takes for granted that because the Super XL outperforms one vacuum cleaner it is the best vacuum cleaner available
D
ignores the possibility that the amount of dirt removed in the test by the old vacuum cleaner is greater than the amount of dirt removed by the Super XL
E
ignores the possibility that if the Super XL had been used first it would have left behind just as much dirt as did the old vacuum cleaner
E
This describes a flaw in the salesperson's argument.
The striking similarities between Greek temples and subsequent Roman villas testify to the fact that great architects typically draw inspiration from the work of other architects. Such drawing of inspiration does not mean, however, a slavish lack of originality; building according to formulas does not make good buildings. When formulas are used, the results are either bland or disastrous. By contrast, a great architect creates fresh architectural compositions out of familiar forms and synthesizes past and present into a new, richer whole.
Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A
Roman architects designed many buildings with little or no originality of thought.
B
The essence of good architecture is faithful reproduction of established models.
C
Buildings with unfamiliar forms are likely to be either bland or architectural disasters.
D
Some Roman architecture exemplifies the creation of fresh architectural compositions out of familiar forms.
E
Some Greek temples were not themselves inspired by older models.
D
This is a supported inference.
At a water carnival, each of the eight lifeguards—J, K, L, M, P, Q, R, and S—will participate in two events, a boat race and a rescue exercise. For each of these events the eight lifeguards are grouped into four two-person teams, subject to the following rules:If two lifeguards are teammates in the boat race, they cannot also be teammates in the rescue exercise.L and Q are teammates in the boat race.K and L are teammates in the rescue exercise.R and S are not teammates in either event.
If M and P are teammates in the boat race and J and R are teammates in the rescue exercise, which one of the following is a pair that must be teammates in the boat race?
Choose 1 answer:
A
J and K
B
J and S
C
K and L
D
K and S
E
Q and R
B
J and S
Ecologist: Before finding a mate, male starlings decorate their nests with fragments of aromatic plants rich in compounds known to kill parasitic insects. Since these parasites are potentially harmful to nestlings, some researchers have hypothesized that the function of these decorations is nestling protection. However, males cease to incorporate such greenery once egg laying starts, which suggests instead that the function of the decorations is to attract females.
Which one of the following strengthens the conclusion?
A
Adult starlings are able to defend themselves against parasitic insects.
B
Male starlings do not decorate their nests in areas with unusually small populations of parasitic insects.
C
Nestlings grow faster in nests that incorporate aromatic plants than in nests that do not.
D
Male starlings tend to decorate their nests with a greater number of aromatic plants when a caged female is positioned adjacent to the nest.
E
The compounds in the aromatic plants used by the male starlings to decorate their nests are harmless to nestlings.
D
This strengthen's the ecologist's conclusion.
Home ownership is a sign of economic prosperity. This makes it somewhat surprising that across the various regions of Europe and North America, high levels of home ownership correspond with high levels of unemployment.
Which one of the following, if true, helps to resolve the apparent conflict described above?
A
Home ownership makes it more difficult to move to a place where jobs are more plentiful.
B
Over the last few decades jobs have been moving from centralized areas to locations that are closer to homeowners.
C
The correspondence between high levels of home ownership and high levels of unemployment holds across countries with widely different social systems.
D
People who own homes are more likely than those who rent to form support networks that help them to learn of local jobs.
E
People are more likely to buy homes when they are feeling economically secure.
A
This helps resolve the apparent conflict.
Police captain: The chief of police has indicated that gifts of cash or objects valued at more than $100 count as graft. However, I know with certainty that no officer in my precinct has ever taken such gifts, so the recent accusations of graft in my precinct are unfounded.
The reasoning in the police captain's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument:
Choose 1 answer:
A
bases a rebuttal of accusations of graft on knowledge about only a limited sample of officers
B
fails to consider that there may be other instances of graft besides those indicated by the chief of police
C
bases a claim about the actions of individuals on an appeal to the character of those individuals
D
takes for granted that if the accusations of graft are unfounded, so is any accusation of corruption
E
relies on a premise that contradicts the conclusion drawn in the argument
B
This describes a flaw in the police captain's argument.
Shortly after Isaac Newton circulated some of his theories of light in 1672, his colleague Robert Hooke claimed that most of those theories were based on Hooke's own work. A modern reader might interpret Newton's famous comment, “if I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,” as a conciliatory gesture acknowledging indebtedness to Hooke and other contemporary scientists for some of his theories. Conciliatory gestures acknowledging indebtedness were uncharacteristic of Newton, however, and in his day such allusions to “giants” typically referred to the ancient Greeks, not to contemporary scientists.
The statements in the passage, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?
Choose 1 answer:
A
Newton did not intend the quoted comment to be an acknowledgment that his theories of light were largely derived from Hooke's.
B
Newton did not take credit for any advances that Hooke made in the theory of light.
C
Newton did not believe that any of Hooke's theories of light were based on those of the ancient Greeks.
D
Newton intended to credit some contemporary scientists other than Hooke for some of the advances that Newton made in the theory of light.
E
Newton was not familiar with Hooke's work on the theory of light.
A
This follows from the support.
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Opponent of offshore oil drilling: The projected benefits of drilling new oil wells in certain areas in the outer continental shelf are not worth the risk of environmental disaster. The oil already being extracted from these areas currently provides only 4 percent of our country's daily oil requirement, and the new wells would only add one-half of 1 percent.
Proponent of offshore oil drilling: Don't be ridiculous! You might just as well argue that new farms should not be allowed, since no new farm could supply the total food needs of our country for more than a few minutes.
Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the drilling proponent's reply?
A
New farms do not involve a risk analogous to that run by new offshore oil drilling.
B
Many of the largest oil deposits are located under land that is unsuitable for farming.
C
Unlike oil, common agricultural products fulfill nutritional needs rather than fuel requirements.
D
Legislation governing new oil drilling has been much more thoroughly articulated than has that governing new farms.
E
The country under discussion imports a higher proportion of the farm products it needs than it does of the oil it needs.
A
This weakens the proponent's argument.
Psychologist: In our study, participants who were offered the opportunity to purchase a coffee mug were not willing to pay more than $5. If, however, they were given a very similar mug and asked immediately afterwards how much they would be willing to sell it for, most of them held out for more than $5.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above?
A
A person’s assessment of the value of an object depends on his or her evaluation of the inherent properties of the object.
B
People are usually unable to judge the value of an object when they have possessed it for a long period of time.
C
The amount a person is willing to spend on an object is determined by the amount that object sold for in the past.
D
People tend to value an object that they do not own less than they value a very similar object that they already own.
E
People are more likely to undervalue objects they have been given than objects they have purchased.
D
This information helps resolve the discrepancy.
Farmer: Because water content is what makes popcorn pop, the kernels must dry at just the right speed to trap the correct amount of water. The best way to achieve this effect is to have the sun dry the corn while the corn is still in the field, but I always dry the ears on a screen in a warm, dry room.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy between the farmer's theory and practice?
Choose 1 answer:
A
The region in which the farmer grows popcorn experiences a long, cloudy season that begins shortly before the popcorn in fields would begin to dry.
B
Leaving popcorn to dry on its stalks in the field is the least expensive method of drying it.
C
Drying popcorn on its stalks in the field is only one of several methods that allow the kernels' water content to reach acceptable levels.
D
When popcorn does not dry sufficiently, it will still pop, but it will take several minutes to do so, even under optimal popping conditions.
E
If popcorn is allowed to dry too much, it will not pop.
A
This choice helps resolve that apparent discrepancy.
Baxe Interiors, one of the largest interior design companies in existence, currently has a near monopoly in the corporate market. Several small design companies have won prestigious awards for their corporate work, while Baxe has won none. Nonetheless, the corporate managers who solicit design proposals will only contract with companies they believe are unlikely to go bankrupt, and they believe that only very large companies are unlikely to go bankrupt.
The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?
Choose 1 answer:
A
There are other very large design companies besides Baxe, but they produce designs that are inferior to Baxe's.
B
Baxe does not have a near monopoly in the market of any category of interior design other than corporate interiors.
C
For the most part, designs that are produced by small companies are superior to the designs produced by Baxe.
D
At least some of the corporate managers who solicit design proposals are unaware that there are designs that are much better than those produced by Baxe.
E
The existence of interior designs that are superior to those produced by Baxe does not currently threaten its near monopoly in the corporate market.
E
At a water carnival, each of the eight lifeguards—J, K, L, M, P, Q, R, and S—will participate in two events, a boat race and a rescue exercise. For each of these events the eight lifeguards are grouped into four two-person teams, subject to the following rules:
If two lifeguards are teammates in the boat race, they cannot also be teammates in the rescue exercise.
L and Q are teammates in the boat race.
K and L are teammates in the rescue exercise.
R and S are not teammates in either event.
If J and P are teammates in the boat race, then M could be the teammate of
Choose 1 answer:
E
S in the boat race and P in the rescue exercise.
The television show Henry was not widely watched until it was scheduled for Tuesday evenings immediately after That's Life, the most popular show on television. During the year after the move, Henry was consistently one of the ten most-watched shows on television. Since Henry's recent move to Wednesday evenings, however, it has been watched by far fewer people. We must conclude that Henry was widely watched before the move to Wednesday evenings because it followed That's Life and not because people especially liked it.
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
A
Henry has been on the air for three years, but That's Life has been on the air for only two years.
B
The show that replaced Henry on Tuesdays has persistently had a low number of viewers in the Tuesday time slot.
C
The show that now follows That's Life on Tuesdays has double the number of viewers it had before being moved.
D
After its recent move to Wednesday, Henry was aired at the same time as the second most popular show on television.
E
That's Life was not widely watched during the first year it was aired.
C
This information strengthens the argument.
Educators studied the performance of 200 students in a university's history classes. They found that those students who performed the best had either part-time jobs or full-time jobs, had their history classes early in the morning, and had a very limited social life, whereas those students who performed the worst had no jobs, had their history classes early in the morning, and had a very active social life.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the educators' findings?
A
The students compensated for any study time lost due to their jobs but they did not compensate for any study time lost due to their social lives.
B
The students who had full-time jobs typically worked late-night hours at those jobs.
C
Better students tend to choose classes that are scheduled to meet early in the morning.
D
A larger percentage of those students interested in majoring in history had part-time jobs than had full-time jobs.
E
Although having a job tends to provide a release from stress, thus increasing academic performance, having a full-time job, like having an active social life, can distract a student from studying.
A
If true, this would explain why the students with jobs perform better than those with social lives.
Concerns for the environment have led chemists to develop plastics that are degradable. All degradable plastics, which are potentially useful packaging materials, need just the right conditions to break down. Some need exposure to sunlight, some need to be buried in soil and some need to be submerged in water. It should be cautioned that some degradable plastics leave residues of unknown toxicity.
If all of the statements in the passage are true, which one of the following must also be true?
Choose 1 answer:
A
Some materials that are potentially useful for packaging leave residues of unknown toxicity.
B
Some degradable plastics need both sunlight and submersion in order to break down.
C
Some materials that need sunlight in order to break down are not potentially useful packaging materials.
D
Some materials that leave residues of unknown toxicity are not degradable plastics.
E
Some materials that need to be buried in soil to break down leave residues of unknown toxicity.
A
This follows logically from the stimulus.
Sea turtle hatchlings leaving their hatching grounds on Florida beaches reach ocean currents by swimming to the northeast, as defined by the north of the Earth's magnetic field. Florida hatchlings placed in a large indoor tank also swim toward the northeast. But when the tank is surrounded by an artificial magnetic field twice as strong as the Earth's field and opposite in direction, the hatchlings swim in the direction opposite to that in which they swim without the artificial magnetic field.
The information in the statements above most strongly supports which one of the following?
Choose 1 answer:
A- Once baby sea turtles reach the open sea, they join groups of adults in the North Atlantic.
B- The direction in which ocean currents flow is determined by the magnetic field of the earth.
C- Baby sea turtles are able to sense the magnetic field of the Earth.
D- No sea turtle ever reaches to the beach where it hatched.
E- If a sea turtle hatches on the coast of Africa, it will swim toward the midwest.
C
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