Critical Reasoning

A conservation group in the United States is trying to change the long-standing image of bats as frightening creatures. The group contends that bats are feared and persecuted solely because they are shy animals that are active only at night. B Bats are the chief consumers of nocturnal insects and thus can help make their hunting territory more pleasant for humans. C Bats are regarded as frightening creatures not only in the United States but also in Europe, Africa, and South America. D Raccoons and owls are shy and active only at night; yet they are not generally feared and persecuted. E People know more about the behavior of other greatly feared animal species, such as lions, alligators, and snakes, than they do about the behavior of bats.

Journalist: In late 1994, the present government of the Republic of Bellam came into power. Each year since then, about thirty journalists have been imprisoned for printing articles that criticize the government. In 1994, under the old government, only six journalists were imprisoned for criticizing the government. So the old government was more tolerant of criticism by the press than the new one is. Politician: But in 1994 only six journalists criticized the government, and now journalists routinely do. The politician challenges the journalist�s argument by doing which of the following?

The pharmaceutical industry argues that because new drugs will not be developed unless heavy development costs can be recouped in later sales, the current 20 years of protection provided by patents should be extended in the case of newly developed drugs. However, in other industries new-product development continues despite high development costs, a fact that indicates that the extension is unnecessary. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the pharmaceutical industry�s argument against the challenge made above?

Correctly measuring the productivity of service workers is complex. Consider, for example, postal workers: they are often said to be more productive if more letters are delivered per postal worker. But is this really true? What if more letters are lost or delayed per worker at the same time that more are delivered? The objection implied above to the productivity measure described is based on doubts about the truth of which of the following statements?

The local board of education found that, because the current physics curriculum has little direct relevance to today�s world, physics classes attracted few high school students. So to attract students to physics classes, the board proposed a curriculum that emphasizes principles of physics involved in producing and analyzing visual images. Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest reason to expect that the proposed curriculum will be successful in attracting students?

In Asia, where palm trees are non-native, the trees' flowers have traditionally been pollinated by hand, which has kept palm fruit productivity unnaturally low. When weevils known to be efficient pollinators of palm flowers were introduced into Asia in 1980, palm fruit productivity increased � by up to 50 percent in some areas � but then decreased sharply in 1984. Which of the following statements, if true, would best explain the 1984 decrease in productivity?

The average normal infant born in the United States weighs between twelve and fourteen pounds at the age of three months. Therefore, if a three-month-old child weighs only ten pounds, its weight gain has been below the United States average. Which of the following indicates a flaw in the reasoning above?

Which of the following best completes the passage below? People buy prestige when they buy a premium product. They want to be associated with something special. Mass-marketing techniques and price-reduction strategies should not be used because ______.

A company's two divisions performed with remarkable consistency over the past three years: in each of those years, the pharmaceuticals division has accounted for roughly 20 percent of dollars sales and 40 percent of profits, and the chemicals division for the balance. B The pharmaceuticals division has faced stiffer competition in its markets than has the chemicals division. C The chemical division has realized lower profits per dollars of sales than has the pharmaceuticals division. D The product mix offered by each of the company's divisions has remained unchanged. E Highly profitable products accounted for a higher percentage of the chemicals division's sales than of the pharmaceuticals division's.

Biological functions of many plants and animals vary in cycles that are repeated every 24 hours. It is tempting to suppose that alteration in the intensity of incident light is the stimulus that controls these daily biological rhythms. But there is much evidence to contradict this hypothesis. Which of the following, if known, is evidence that contradicts the hypothesis stated in lines 2-5 above? (Bolded)

Guitar strings often go "dead"--become less responsive and bright in tone--after a few weeks of intense use. A researcher whose son is a classical guitarist hypothesized that dirt and oil, rather than changes in the material properties of the string, were responsible. Which of the following investigations is most likely to yield significant information that would help to evaluate the researcher's hypothesis?

To prevent some conflicts of interest, Congress could prohibit high-level government officials from accepting positions as lobbyists for three years after such officials leave government service. One such official concluded, however, that such a prohibition would be unfortunate because it would prevent high-level government officials from earning a livelihood for three years. The official�s conclusion logically depends on which of the following assumptions?

�Fast cycle time� is a strategy of designing a manufacturing organization to eliminate bottlenecks and delays in production. Not only does it speed up production, but it also assures quality. The reason is that the bottlenecks and delays cannot be eliminated unless all work is done right the first time. The claim about quality made above rests on a questionable presupposition that _____.

In order to increase profits during a prolonged slowdown in sales, the largest manufacturers of automobiles in the United States have instituted record-setting price increases on all their models. The manufacturers believe that this strategy will succeed, even though it is inconsistent with the normal relationship between price and demand. The manufacturers' plan to increase profits relies on which of the following assumptions?

Sales of telephones have increased dramatically over the last year. In order to take advantage of this increase, Mammoth Industries plans to expand production of its own model of telephone, while continuing its already very extensive advertising of this product. Which of the following, if true, provides most support for the view that Mammoth Industries cannot increase its sales of telephones by adopting the plan outlined above?

Social scientists are underrepresented on the advisory councils of the National Institutes of Health(NIH). Since these councils advise NIH directors and recommend policy, the underrepresentation of social scientists results in a relative lack of NIH financial support for research in the social sciences. If the statements above are correct, they most strongly support which of the following?

Fewer families lose their houses because of major disasters such as fire or flood than because of a wage earner�s illness that results in death or disability. Yet, whereas most mortgage companies require borrowers to carry insurance to protect against major disasters, they do not require insurance to protect against the death or disability of a wage earner. Which of the following, if true, would contribute most to an explanation of the difference in insurance requirements?

According to the Tristate Transportation Authority, making certain improvements to the main commuter rail line would increase ridership dramatically. The authority plans to finance these improvements over the course of five years by raising automobile tolls on the two high-way bridges along the route the rail line serves. Although the proposed improvements are indeed needed, the authority�s plan for securing the necessary funds should be rejected because it would unfairly force drivers to absorb the entire cost of something from which they receive no benefit. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the effectiveness of the authority�s plan to finance the proposed improvements by increasing bridge tolls?

Within 20 years it will probably be possible to identify the genetic susceptibility an individual may have toward any particular disease. Eventually, effective strategies will be discovered to counteract each such susceptibility. Once these effective strategies are found, therefore, the people who follow them will never get sick. The argument above is based on which of the following assumptions?

A researcher studying drug addicts found that, on average, they tend to manipulate other people a great deal more than nonaddicts do. The researcher concluded that people who frequently manipulate other people are likely to become addicts. B When they are imprisoned, drug addicts often use their ability to manipulate other people to obtain better living conditions. C Some nonaddicts manipulate other people more than some addicts do. D People who are likely to become addicts exhibit unusual behavior patterns other than frequent manipulation of other people. E The addicts that the researcher studied were often unsuccessful in obtaining what they wanted when they manipulated other people.