1. Beautiful beaches attract people, no doubt about it. Just look at this citys beautiful beaches, which are among the most overcrowded beaches in the state.

Which of the following exhibits a pattern of reasoning most similar to the one exhibited in the argument above?

1. Moose and bear usually appear at the same drinking ...........hole at the same time of day. Therefore, moose and ...........bear must grow thirsty at about the same time.
2. Children who are scolded severely tend to misbehave ...........more often than other children. Hence if a child is ...........not scolded severely that child is less likely to ...........misbehave.
3. This software program helps increase the work ...........efficiency of its users. As a result, these users ...........have more free time for other activities.
4. During warm weather my dog suffers from fleas ...........more so than during cooler weather. Therefore, ...........fleas must thrive in a warm environment.
5. Pesticides are known to cause anemia in some people. ...........However, most anemic people live in regions where ...........pesticides are not commonly used.

Ans : D

2. Our school district should not spend its money on the new Verbal Advantage reading program. After all, our students get all the reading practice they need by studying history and science.

The argument above depends on which the following assumptions?

1. The Verbal Advantage program would not help the ...........students learn history and science.
2. Other reading programs are just as effective but ...........less expensive than the Verbal Advantage program.
3. The Verbal Advantage program involves only reading ...........practice.
4. Teaching students history and science is more ...........important than teaching them reading skills.
5. The students can already read well enough to ...........study history and science

Ans : C

3. No national productivity measures are available for underground industries that may exist but remain unreported. On the other hand, at least some industries that are run entirely by self-employed industrialists are included in national productivity measures.

From the information given above, it can be validly concluded that

1. there are at least some industries run entirely by self-employed industrialists that are underground industries
2. no industries that are run entirely by self-employed industrialists operate underground
3. there are at least some industries other than those run entirely by self-employed industrialists that are underground industries
4. there are at least some industries run entirely by self-employed industrialists that are not underground industries
5. there are at least some underground industries for which national productivity measures are available

Ans : D

4. Lou observes that if flight 409 is canceled, then the manager could not possibly arrive in time for the meeting. But the flight was not canceled. Therefore, Lou concludes, the manager will certainly be on time. Evelyn replies that even if Lous premises are true, his argument is fallacious. And therefore, she adds, the manager will not arrive on time after all.

Which of the following is the strongest thing that we can properly say about this discussion?

1. Evelyn is mistaken in thinking Lou's argument to be fallacious, and so her own conclusion is unwarranted.
2. Evelyn is right about Lou's argument, but nevertheless her own conclusion is unwarranted.
3. Since Evelyn is right about Lou's argument, her own conclusion is well supported.
4. Since Evelyn is mistaken about Lou's argument, her own conclusion must be false.
5. Evelyn is right about Lou's argument, but nevertheless her own conclusion is false.

Ans : B

5. Sally has never received a violation from the Federal Aviation Administration during her 16-year flying career. Sally must be a great pilot.

Which of the following can be said about the reasoning above?

1. The definitions of the terms create ambiguity.
2. The argument uses circular reasoning.
3. The argument works by analogy.
4. The argument is built upon hidden assumptions.
5. This is an example of an argument that is directed against the source of the claim rather than the claim itself.

Ans : D

6. Cars are safer than planes. Fifty percent of plane accidents result in death, while only one percent of car accidents result in death.

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

1. Planes are inspected more often than cars.
2. The number of car accidents is several hundred thousand times higher than the number of plane accidents.
3. Pilots never fly under the influence of alcohol, while car drivers often do.
4. Plane accidents are usually the fault of air traffic controllers, not pilots.
5. Planes carry more passengers than cars do.

Ans : B

7. Ever since I arrived at the college last week, Ive been shocked by the poor behavior of the students. The student population is completely lacking in proper social skills.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the above conclusion?

1. Students who are away from their parents often exhibit rude behavior.
2. The college numbers over 50,000 students.
3. The narrator is a student and has interacted with many students.
4. Social skills should not be expected of college students.
5. The narrator was reluctant to stay at the college.

Ans : B

8. Dear Editor: I feel obliged to comment on the unfair review you published last week written by Robert Duxbury. Your readers should know that Mr. Duxbury recently published his own book that covered the same topic as my book, which you asked him to review. It is regrettable that Mr. Duxbury should feel the need to belittle a competing work in the hope of elevating his own book.

The author of the letter above makes her point by employing which method of argument?

1. Attacking the motives of the author of the unfavorable review.
2. Attacking the book on the same topic written by the author of the review.
3. Contrasting her own book with that written by the author of the review.
4. Questioning the judgment of the author of the unfavorable review.
5. Stating that her book should not have been reviewed by the author of a competing work.

Ans : A

9. The government of Zunimagua has refused to schedule free elections, release political prisoners, or restore freedom of speech; therefore, no more financial aid from the United States should be provided to Zunimagua.

Which of the following is an assumption made in the argument above?

1. Withdrawal of U.S. aid from Zunimagua will force a change in the policies of its government.
2. The people of Zunimagua would be better off if their present despotic government were overthrown.
3. The government of Zunimagua is dependent on continued U.S. aid for its existence.
4. U.S. aid should be given only to countries willing to adopt policies in line with U.S. interests and goals.
5. U.S. aid should be withdrawn from any country that refuses to operate its government along democratic lines.

Ans : E

10. Many people argue that the death penalty deters murder. However, the notorious killer Ned Grandy deliberately moved to a state that imposes the death penalty just before embarking on a series of ferocious murders. Thus, it seems clear that the existence of the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to murder.

The argument above may best be characterized as:

1. an appeal to emotion.
2. a flawed analogy.
3. a general conclusion based on a specific example.
4. circular reasoning.
5. an application of a general principle to a specific example.

Ans : C

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11. The senate candidate expressed outrage that few judges have any background in technology, yet they try to resolve cases involving high tech companies. He stated that not one federal judge has a degree or any experience in computer technology.

A promising response to this concern, arguing that things are not as bad as they might seem, could involve which of the following claims?

1. Most of the public policy questions in this area are really about the morality and the value of scientific and technological developments. They do not require much technical understanding beyond that of a layperson.
2. Computer scientists, by and large, have little interest in politics and public policy. It would be difficult to find scientists with the degree of commitment required for a serious contribution to the judicial system.
3. There is a lack of people who are qualified in both technical and legal areas of expertise.
4. There is very little opportunity for, and indeed little need for, technical expertise in the judicial branch. There is therefore almost no way for a technical specialist to rise through the ranks to a top-level position in government.
5. The rewards of a life as a judge, in terms of both money and prestige, are not high enough to attract top-flight technical experts to this area.

Ans : A

12. Smoking in bed has long been the main cause of home fires. Despite a significant decline in cigarette smoking in the last two decades, there has been no comparable decline in the number of people killed in home fires.

Each one of the following statements, if true over the last two decades, helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy above EXCEPT:

1. Compared to other types of home fires, home fires caused by smoking in bed usually cause relatively little damage before they are extinguished.
2. Home fires caused by smoking in bed often break out after the home's occupants have fallen asleep.
3. Smokers who smoke in bed tend to be heavy smokers who are less likely to quit smoking than are smokers who do not smoke in bed.
4. An increasing number of people have been killed in home fires that started in the kitchen.
5. Population densities have increased, with the result that one home fire can cause more deaths than in previous decades.

Ans : B

13. An ingredient in coffee, known as RTC, has been found to inactivate common cold viruses in experiments. In previous experiments, researchers found that inactivated common cold viruses can convert healthy cells into cancer cells. It can be concluded that the use of coffee can cause cancer.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

1. Several teams of scientists performed the various experiments, and all of the teams had similar results.
2. The carcinogenic effect of RTC could be neutralized by the other ingredients found in coffee.
3. When RTC kills common cold viruses it weakens the immune system, and it might thus diminish the body's ability to fight other viruses, including viruses linked to cancers.
4. If chemists modify the structure of RTC, RTC can be safely incorporated into medications to prevent the common cold.
5. To lessen the undesirable side effects of chemotherapy, the use of coffee has been recommended for cancer patients who are free of the common cold virus.

Ans : B

14. Studies of fatal automobile accidents reveal that, in the majority of cases in which one occupant of an automobile is killed while another survives, it is the passenger, not the driver, who is killed. It is ironic that the innocent passenger should suffer for the drivers carelessness, while the driver often suffers only minor injuries or none at all.

Which of the following is an assumption underlying the reasoning in the passage above?

1. In most fatal automobile accidents, the driver of a car in which an occupant is killed is at fault.
2. Drivers of automobiles are rarely killed in auto accidents.
3. Most deaths in fatal automobile accidents are suffered by occupants of cars rather than by pedestrians.
4. Auto safety experts should increase their efforts to provide protection for those in the passenger seats of automobiles.
5. Automobile passengers sometimes play a contributing role in causing auto accidents.

Ans : A

15. Several movie versions of Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities have been made. The original movie version made in 1939 is the best because it is closest in spirit to the original novel.

An underlying assumption of the argument above is that a movie based on a novel should:

1. reflect the director's original interpretation of the main themes of the novel.
2. accurately depict the time and place in which the novel is set.
3. feature actors and actresses who closely resemble the characters in the novel both in body and spirit.
4. faithfully render the details of the plot from the narrator's point of view.
5. capture the true meaning and intention of the novel.

Ans : E