critical reasoning ho

8/3/2019 Critical Reasoning HO

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/critical-reasoning-ho 1/9

CRITICAL REASONING WORKSHOP

I ) Raisins are made by drying grapes in the sun. Although some of the sugar in the grapes is caramelized in theprocess, nothing is added. Moreover, the only thing removed from grapes is the water that evaporates duringthe drying, and as is known, water has absolutely no calories or nutrients. The proven fact that raisins containmore iron per calorie than grapes do is thus very puzzling

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain why raisins contain more iron per calories than do grapes ?

{A)Since gra pes a re bigger th an raisins, it ta kes severa I bunches of grapes to provide the same amount of iron as a

handful of raisins does.

t(Bffaramelized sugar cannot be digested, so its calories do not count toward the calorie content of raisins.

(C) The body can absorb iron and other nutrients more quickly from raisins than from grapes because of therelatively lower water content of raisins.

(D) Raisins, but not grapes, are available year-round, so many people get a greater share of their yearly intake from

raisins than from grapes.

(E) Raisins are often eaten in combination with other iron-containing foods, while grapes are usually eaten by

themselves.

2 ) Because of teacher hiring freezes, the quality of education in India will not improve. Thus, it will surely

deteriorate.ln which one of the following is the flawed reasoning most similar to that in the argument above ?

(A) Because Mitesh is a vegetarian, he will not have the chicken pizza for lunch. lt follows that he will surely have

the cheese pizza.

(B) Given that over 250 years of attempts to prove the Ottoman conjecture have failed, it will probably

never be proved. Hence, it is more likely to be disproved than proved.

(C) Since funding levels for social improvement programs are being frozen, our society will not become more

harmonious. Thus, it may become more discordant.,(D) Since there is a storm moving in this afternoon, the outside temperature cannot rise this afternoon. Thus, it

must tall.

(E) The starter in Harshad's car gave out weeks ago, and so it is impossible for the car to start. Therefore, it will notstart.

3 ) Lobsters and other crustaceans eaten by humans are more likely to contract gill diseases when sewage

contaminates their water, Under a recent proposal, thousands of litres of local sewage would be rerouted many

kilometers offshore. Although this would substantially reduce the amount of sewage in the harbor where the

lobsters are caught, ihe proposal is pointless, because hardly any lobsters live long enough to be harmed by

those diseases.

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

(A) Contaminants, other than sewage, in the harbor are equally harmful to lobsters.(B) Lobsters, like other crustaceans, live longer in the open ocean than in industrial harbors.(C) Lobsters breed as easily in sewage-contaminated water as in unpolluted water.(D) Gill diseases cannot be detected by examining the surface of the lobsters.

\-E) Humans often become ill as result of eating lobsters will gill diseases.

--41Mandar : The 2 newest employees at this company have salaries that are too high for the simple--taskF

normally assigned to new employees & duties that are too complex for inexperienced workers. Hence, thesalaries & complexity of the duties of these two newest employees should be reduced.

Which is the following is an assumption on which Mandar's argument depends ?

(A) The duties of the 2 newest employees are not less complex than those of any other employee in the company.(B) lt is because ofthe complex duties assigned that the 2 newest employees are being paid more than what is

usua.lly paid to newly hired employees...'[G)'fhe 2 newest employees are not very experienced at their occupation.

(D) Mandar was not hired at a higher-than-average starting salary.

E) The salaries of the 2 newest employees are no higher tha n the salaries that other companies pay for workers

with similar level of experience.



5 ) Food activists irradiate food in order to prolong its shelf life. Five animal studies were recently conducted to

investigate whether this process alters food in a way that could be dangerous to people who eat it. The studies

concluded that irradiated food is safe for humans to eat. However, because these studies were subsequently

found by a panel of independent scientists to be seriously flawed in their methodology, it follows that

irradiated food is not safe for human consumption,

The reasoning in the argument is flawed because

l (A) it treats a failure to prove a claim as constituting proof of denial of the claim.

(B) it treats methodological flaws in past studies as proof that it is currently not possible to devise

methodologically adequate alternatives.(C) it fails to consider the possibility that even a study whose methodology has no serious flaws nonetheless might

provide only weak support for its conclusion.

(D) it fails to consider the possibility that what is safe for animals might not always be safe for human beings.

(E) it fails to establish that the independent scientists know more about food irradiation than do the people whoproduced the five studies.

-/) Students from outside Mumbai, who in any given academic year pay twice as much fees as do students from

Mumbai, had traditionally accounted for at least two-thirds of the enrollment at Vignyanjyoti college. Overthe

past ten years, the academic standards at the college have risen, & the proportion of students who are notMumbaikars has dropped to around 40 %.

Which one of the following statements can be properly inferred from the argument above ?

(A) lf it had not been for the high fees paid by students from outside Mumbai, the college could not have improved

its academic standards over the past 10 years.

(B) lf academic standards had not risen over the past 10 years, students who are not Mumbaikars would still

account for at least two-thirds of the enrollment at Vignyanjyoti college.

(C) Over the past 10 years, the number of students from Mumbai increased & the number of students from outside

Mumbai decreased.

(D) Over the past 10 years, the academic standards at Vignyanjyoti college have risen more than academic

standards at any other college in Mumbai.

. {E) (-the college's per capita revenue from fees has remained the same, the fees have increased over the past 10

years.

7 ) Mystery stories often feature a brilliant detective & the detective's dull companion. Clues are presented in

the story, and the companion wrongly infers an inaccurate Solution to the mystery using the same clues that the

.detective uses to deduce the correct solution. Thus, the author's strategy of including the dull companion gives

readers a chance to solve the mystery while also diverting them from the correct solution.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above ?

(A) Most mystery stories feature a brilliant detective who solves the mystery presented in the story.(B) Mystery story readers often solve the mystery in a story simply by spotting the mistakes in the reasoning of thedetective's du ll companion in that story.

L4e15ome mystery stories give enough clues to infer the correct solution to the mystery.(D)The actions ofthe brilliant detective in a mystery story rarely divert readers from the actions ofthe detective'sdull companion.

{E) ln a mystery story, the detective's dull companion generally uncovers the misleading clues that divert readersfrom the mystery's correct solution.

r-.8 ) Prediction, the hallmark of natural sciences, appears to have been possible by reducing phenomena to

mathematical expressions. Some social scientists also want the power to predict accurately and assume they

ought to perform the same rbduction. But this would be a mistake; it would neglect data that are not easily

mathematized and thereby only distort the social phenomena.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument ?

(A)The social sciences do not have as much predictive power as the natural sciences.

(B) Mathematics plays a more important role in the natural sciences than it does in the social sciences.

(C) There is a need in the social sciences to improve the ability to predict,



9 ) Apart from limiting salt & sodium, one dietary component that is particularly important in controlling

hypertension is potassium. Beefing up potassium intake alone can have considerable positive effect on blood

pressure. Vegetables & fruits contain predominantly, this important mineral:

Which of the following cannot be concluded from the above argument ?

(A)A person suffering from hypertension should not consume much salt.

(B) A person with a diet mainly of fruit is less likely to have blood pressure problems. '

(C) Potassium occurring in natural products can be taken to control high blood pressure.

....[D) Potassium undoes what sodium does to the body.

{E)Vegetables do not have sodium as much as they have potassium.

10 ) Violent crime is Mumbai is becoming a serious problem. As compared to last year, Mumbai police have

responded to 23.68 % more calls involving violent crimes, showing that the average citizen of this city is more

likely than ever to become a victim of a violent crime.

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

(A) The city's overall crime rate appears to have risen slightly this year compared to the same period last year.

{B) ln general, persons under the age of 65 are less likely to be victims of violent crimes than persons over the age

of 65.

.[e) As a result of the city's commu nity outreach programs, more people than ever are willing to repori violentcrimes to the proper authorities.

(D) ln response to worries about violent crime, the city has opened a community center which provides supervised

activities for teenagers.

1E) Community officials have shown a relatively small number of repeat offenders commit the majority of violent

crimes in the city.



98lIleA!-BEA59$rGiryQrc!9P

11 ) Excess weight will cause the upper left chamber of the heart, the atrium, to stretch out and develop too

rapid a heart beat that is out of sync with the rest of the heart. This condition, called arterial fibrillation, raises

the risk of sroke by tour, and doubles the risk of death. However, there are some people who are obese but do

not suffer from these problems related to the heart.

Which ofthe following, iftrue, can explain the anomaly above ?

ldiObesity cannot always be identified with excess weight.

(B) The other parts ofthe heart may be healthy in these people.

(C) There have been cases of obese people having total strokes.

{D)These obese persons may be following a healthy regimen of exercise and diet.

(E) These obese people may not have the other physical conditions such as high blood pressure, etc, which also

result in strokes and/or deaths.

12 ) Amphibian gopulations are declining in numbers worldwide. Not coincidentally, the Earth's ozone layer has

been continuously depleted throughout the last 50 years. Atmospheric ozone blocks UV'8, a type of ultraviolet

radiation that is continuously produced by the sun, and which damages genes. Because amphibians lack hair,

hide, or feathers, they are particularly vulnerable to UV-B radiation. ln addition, their gelatinous eggs lack theprotection of leathery or hard shells. Thus, the primary cause ofthe declining amphibian population is the

depletion of the ozone layer.

Each of the following, if true, would strengthen the above argument, EXCEPT

'1dfof the various types of radiation blocked by the atmospheric ozone, tJV-B is the only type that can damagegenes.

{B) Amphibian populations are declining far more rapidly than are the populations of non-amphibian species

whose tissues and eggs have more natural protection from UV-B.

(c) Atmospheric ozone has been significantly depleted above all the areas ofthe world in which amphibianpopulations are declining.

(D) The natural habitat of amphibians has not become sma ller over the past century.{E) Amphibian populations have declined continuously for the last 50 years.

13 )The astronomers who claim to have discovered the 10th planet in the solar system, Xena, have made

another announcement : it has a moon, While observing Xena, the astronomers spotted a faint obiect trailing itand named the satellite Gabrielle.

Gabrielle could be considered a satellite of Xena & not a background star only if

(A) Gabrielle takes more time to revolve around Xena compared to the time taken by Xena to revolve around thesu n.

\ffA satellite moves whereas a star remains stationary.(C) Gabrielle's mass is less than that of a star.

(D) Possessing a moon is a criterion of planethood.

{E) Xena itlelf is accepted as a planet by all.

14 ) Salman Rushdie's book 'Midnight's Children' has exercised much influence on a great number of the .eaders

of TOl. 5'000 readers were surveyed and asked to name the one book that had the most influence on their lives,

The book chosen most often was'One night @ a calt center'; Midnight's children was second,

The answer to which one of the following questions would most help in evaluating the above argument ?

(A)How many books had each person surveyed read?

{SfFtow many people chose books other than Midnight's children ?(C) How many people read TOI ?

(D) How many books by Salman Rushdie other than Midnight's children were chosen ?

(E) How many of those surveyed had actually read the books they chose ?



15 ) Vervet monkeys use different alarm calls to warn each other of nearby predators, depending on whether

the danger comes from land or from the air.

Which one of the following, if true, contributes most to an explanation of the behavior of Vervet monkeys

described above ?

(A) By varying the pitch of its alarm call, a Vervet monkey can indicate the number of predators approaching.

(B) Different land-based predators are responsible for different numbers ofVervet monkey deaths.

(c) No predators that pose a danger to Vervet monkeys can attack from both land and from the air.

(D) Certain land-based predators feed only on Vervet monkeys, whereas every predator that attacks Vervetmonkeys from the air feeds on many different animals.

.,1E)'Vervet monkeys avoid land-based predators by climbinB trees but avoid predation from the air by diving intofoliage.

16) Leibniz, the 17th century philosopher, published his version of calculus before Newton did. But then, Newton

revealed his private notebooks, which showed he had been using these ideas for at least a decade before

Leibniz's publication. Newton also claimed that he had disclosed these id€as to Leibniz in a letter shortly before

Leibniz's publication. Yet, close examination of the letter shows that Newton's few cryptic remarks did not

reveal anything important about calculus. Thus, Leibniz & Newton each independently discovered calculus.

Which one of the following is an assumption reqqired for the above argument ?

(A) Leibniz did not tell anyone about calculus prior to publishing his version of it.

(B) No 3'd person independently discovered calculus prior to Leibniz & Newton.

,.(C). Neither Newton nor Leibniz learned crucial details about calculus from some third source.

{D) Newton believed that Leibniz was able to learn something important about ealculus from his letter to him.

. {E) Neither Newton nor Leibniz knew that the other had developed a version of calculus prior to Leibniz's

publication.

17 ) The student body at this college takes courses in a wide range of discipline. Ushma is a student at thiscollege, so she takes courses in a wide range of disciplines,

Which of the follpwing arguments exhibits flawed reasoning most 5imilar to that exhibited by the argument

above ?

{A) The component parts of a bulldozer are heavy. This machine is a bulldozer; hence, it is heavy.

(B) All older automobiles need frequent oil changes. This automobile is new; hence, it does not need frequent oil

changes.

(C) The students at this school take physics. Amol is a student at this school, so he takes physics.

, {D) The editorial board of this tech magazine has written many articles on technology. Sujeet is on the editorial

board, so he has written many articles on technology.(E) The individual cells of the brain are incapable of thinking. Hence, the brain, as a whole, is incapable of thinking.

18 ) Mr. Chhetry is, at best, able to write magazine articles of average quality. The most compelling pieces of

evidence for this are those few of the numerous articles submitted by Mr. Chhetry that are superior, since he isincapable of writing an article that is better than average, must obviously have plagiarized superior ones.

The above argument is most vulnerable to criti€ism on which one of the following grounds ?

-{Aj tt presupposes what it seeks to establish.

(B) it simptry ignores the existence of potential counter evidence.

(C) lt generalizes from atypical occurrences.

(D) lt relies on the judgment of the argument's constructor who considers himself to be an expert.

iE) lt infers limits on ability from a few isolated lapses in performance.



19 ) Parasitic wasps lay their eggs directly into the eggs of various host insects in exactly the right numbers forany suitable size of host egg, lf they laid too many eggs in a host egg, the developing wasp larvae wouldcompete with each other to the death for nutrients and space. lftoo few eggs were laid, portions ofthe host egg

would decay, killing the wasp larvae;

Which of the following conclusions can properly be drawn from the information above ?

(A) Host insects lack any effective oefenses agairst rhe form o! predation practiced by parasitic wasps.

(B) Parasitic wasps learn from experience how many eggs to lay into the eggs of different host species.

{C)Failure to lay enough eggs would lead to the death of the developing wasp iarvae more quickly than would

layinB too many eggs.

(D) Parasitic wasps use visual clues to calculate the size of a host egg.

\,.lLE).The size of the smallest host egg that a wasp could theoretically parasitize can be determined from the wasp's

eeg-laying behavior.

20 ) Meteorite explosions in the Earth's atmosphere as large as the one that destroyed forests in Siberia, withapproximately the force of a twelve-megaton nuclear blast, occur about once a century. The response of highly

automated systems controlled by complex computer programs to unexpected

circumstances is unpredictable.

Which of the following inferences can most properly be drawn, ifthe statements abgve are true, about a highly

automated nuclear-missile defense system controlled by a complex computer program?

(A) Within a century after its construction, the system would react inappropriately and might accidentally start a

nuclear war,

(B)The system would be destroyed if an explosion of a large meteorite occurred in the Earth's atmosphere.

JeI ft is not certain what the system's response to the explosion of a large meteorite would be, if its designers did

not plan lor such a conLingency.

(D) lt would be impossible for the system to distinguish the explosion of a large meteorite from the explosion of a

nuclear weapon.(F) Whether the svstem would respond inappropriately to the explosion ot a large meteorite would depend on thelocation of the blast.



CRITICAI. REASONING WORKSHOP

21 ) Most hair-dryers in the market do an adequatejob of drying hair, but many hair-dryers can be dangerousand can cause harm if used by people who do not know how to use them. The Bajaj hair dryer has been testedby National laboratories, the most trusted name in safety testing. So you know that ifyou buy a Bajaj hair dryer,your safety is assured.

The answer to which one of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating the truth of theconclusion drawn in the argument ?

(A) Has National laboratories performed safety tests on other appliances manufactured by Bajaj ?

{B).What were the results of National laboratories' tests of Bajaj hair dryers ?

(C) How important is the safety of operation to an average buyer ?

(D) Are there safer & quicker ways of drying hair than by using a hair dryer ?

{E) Does any other hair dryer in the market do a betterjob of drying hair safely than Bajaj hair dryers ?

22 ) Flavonoids are a €ommon component of all fruits & vegetables, but a specific variety or flavonoid in appleshas been found to be an anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants are known to be a factor in the prevention of heart disease,Which of the following can be logically inferred from the passage ?

. (A) A diet composed largely of fruits and vegetables will help to prevent heart disease.(B) Flavonoids are essentialto prevent heart disease.

. (C) Eating at least one apple a day will prevent heart disease.

(DlAt least one type of tlavonoid helps to prevent heart disease.

(E) A diet deficient in antioxidants is a common cause of heart disease.

23 ) most people who shop for groceries no more than 3 times a month buy ready-to-eat meals regularly. lnDelhi, most people shop for groceries no mo.e than 3 times a month. Therefore, in Delhi most people buy read-

' to-eat meals regularly,

Which of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning most similar to that exhibited by the argumentabove ?

qAl't is clear that most people in U.P. drive sedans, since most people who go to work drive sedans and mostpeople in U.P. commute to work.(B) lt is clear that Gautam cannot drive, since he does not own a car and no one in his family who does not own a

car can drive.

C) lt is clear that most drivers in Gujarat are safe drivers since there are very few driving accidents in Gujarat Andmost accidents are not serious.

(D) lt is clear that 5achin's friends usually drive to school, since all of his friends can drive and all of them go toschool.

(E) lt is clear that most of Kiran's friends are good drivers, since he only accepts lifts from good drivers, and all herfriends drive to school.

24 ) lndustry experts expect improvements in job safety t.aining to lead to safer work environments. A recentstudy indicated, however, that for manufacturers who improved iob safety training during the 1990s, thenumber of on-the-job accidents tended to increase in the months immediately following the changes in thetraining programs.

which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the passage above ?

(A) A similar survey found that the number of on-the-job accidents remained constant after job safety training inthe transportation sector was improved.(B) Manufacturers tend to improve safety training only after the number of accidents increase.(c) lt is likely that the increase in the number of on-the-job accidents was not a random fluctuation.

(D) Significant safety measure were already in place before the training, and hence, it did not have a high impact,as was expected.

t(E{iManufacturers tend to improve their job safety training only when they ancrease the size of their workforce.



25 ) Some who favor putting governmental enterprises into private hands suggest that conservation objectives

would in general be better served if private environmental groups were put in charge of operating and financing

the national park system, which is now run by the government.

Which of the following, assuming that it is a realistic possibility, argues most strongly against the suggestion

above ?

(A) Private environmental groups might not always agree on the best ways to achieve conservation objectives.

{B) lfthey wished to extend the park system, the private environmental groups might have to seek contributions

from major donors and general public.

(C) There might be competition among private environmental groups for control of certain park areas.

L.{O'tThose seeking to abolish all resirictions on exploiting the natural resources of the parks might join the private

environmental groups as members and eventually take over their leadership.

(E) Some endangered species, such as the California condor, might die out despite the best efforts of the private

environmental groups, even if those groups are not hampered by insufficient resources.

26 ) Most consumers do not get much use out of the sports equipment they purchase. For example, 16 % of the

adults in the United States own jogging shoes, but only 45 % of the owners jog more than once a year, and only' seventeen percent iog more than once a week.

Which of the following, if true, casts most doubt on the claim that most consumers get little use out of the

sports equipment they purchase?

(A) Joggers are most susceptible to sports injuries during the first six months in which they jog.

(B) loggers often exaggerate the frequency with which they jog in surveys designed to elicit such information..{.eff,lany consumers purchase jogging shoes for use in activities other than jogging.

(D) Consumers who take up.jogging often purchase an athletic shoe that can be used in other s ports.

(E) Joggers who jog more than once a week are

often active participants in other sports as well

27 )Traditionally, decision-making by managers that is reasoned step-by-step has been considered preferable tointuitive decision-making. However, a recent study found that top managers used intuition significantly morethan did most middle-or lower-level managers. This confirms the alternative view that intuition is actually moreeffective than careful, methodical reasoning,

The conclusion above is based on which of the following assumption ?

(A) Methodical, step-by-step reasoning is inappropriate for rnaking many real-life management decisions.

(B) Top managers have the ability to use either intuitive reasoning or methodical, step-by-step reasoning in making

decisions.

{C) The decisions made by m idd le-a nd. lower-leve I managers can be made as easily by using methodical reasoning

as by using intuitive reasoning.

(D) Top managers use intuitive reasoning in making the majority of their decisions.,\g)'Top managers are more effective at decision-making than middle-or lower level managers:

28 ) Because no employee wants to be associated with bad news in the eyes of a superior, informat'ton about

serious problems at lower levels is progressively softened and distorted as it goes up each step in themanagement hierarchy. The chief executive is, therefore, less well informed about problems at loiver levels thanare his or her subordinates at those levels,

The conclusion drawn above is based on the assumption that

(A) Problems should be solved at the level in the management hierarchy at which they occur(B) Employees should be rewarded for accurately reporting problems to their superiors.(C) Problem-solving ability is more important at higher levels than it is at lower levels of the managementh ie-ra rc hy.

--td) Chief executives obtain information about problems at lower levels from no source other than theirsubordinates.

(E) Some employees are much concerned about the way they are perceived by their superiors & hence, lie to'naintain their ir.age.



29 ) A museum has been offered an undocumented statue, supposedly Greek and from the sixth century B.C.

Possibly the statue is genuine but undgcumented because it was recently unearthed or because it has beenprivately owned, However, an ancient surface usually has uneven weathering, whereas the surface of this statuehas the uniform quality characteristically produced by a chemical bath used by forgers to imitate a weatheredsurface. Therefore, the statue is probably a forgery.Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Museums can accept a recently unearthed statue only with valid expoft documentarion trom its coJntry otor:gin.

(B) The subject's pose and other aspects of the subject's treaiment exhibit all the most common features of Greekstatues of the sixth century B.C.

LjgfThe chemical bath that forgers use was at one time used by dealers and collectors to remove the splotchysurface appearance of genuinely ancient sculptures.

(D) lvluseum officials believe that forgers have no technique that can convincingly simulate the patchy weatheringcharacteristic of the surfaces of ancient sculptures.

(E) An allegedly Roman sculpture with a uniform surface similar to that of the stature being offered to the museumwas recently shown to be a forgery.

30) A study of marital relationships in which one partner's sleeping and waking cycles differ from those of theother partner reveals that such couples shar€ fewer activities with each other and have more violent arguments

thando couples in

arelationship

in which bothpartners

follow the same sleeping and waking patterns. Thus,mismatched sleeping and waking cycles can seriously jeopardize a marriage.Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above ?

(A) Married couplesC{-which both spouses Jollow the same sleeping and waking patterns also have argumentsrhan can serioLrslVjeo-pardize the couple's marriage.(B) The sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season.(C) The individuals who have sleeping and waking cycles that differ significantly from those of their spouses tend toagree with them.

{d) People in unhappy marriages have been found to express hostility by adopting a different sleeping and wakingcycle from that oftheir spouses.

{E) According to a recerlt study, most people's sleep;ng and waking cycles can be controlled and modified easily.

critical reasoning ho

Documents