GMAT Preparation

Conclusion Strengthening Critical

Reasoning Exercise

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Table Of Contents
Questions................................................................................................................... 3
Answers.................................................................................................................... 38
Explanation.............................................................................................................. 41

Questions
1

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)a noninvasive diagnostic procedurecan be used to

identify blockages in the coronary arteries. In contrast to angiogramsthe invasive procedure
customarily usedMRIs pose no risk to patients. Thus, to guarantee patient safety in the
attempt to diagnose arterial blockages, MRIs should replace angiograms in all attempts at
diagnosing coronary blockages.
Which of the following, if true, would most support the recommendation above?
(A) Angiograms can be used to diagnose conditions other than blockages in arteries.
(B) MRIs were designed primarily in order to diagnose blockages in the coronary arteries.
(C) Angiograms reveal more information about the nature of a blockage than an MRI can.
(D) An MRI is just as likely as an angiogram to identify an arterial blockage.
(E) Some patients for whom an angiogram presents no risk are unwilling to undergo an MRI.

In a marketing study, consumers were given two unlabeled cartons of laundry detergent. One
carton was bright green and yellow; the other was drab brown and gray. After using the
detergent in the two cartons for one month, 83 percent of the consumers in the study reported
that the detergent in the bright green and yellow carton cleaned better. This study shows that
packaging has a significant impact on consumers judgment of the effectiveness of a laundry
detergent.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn in the marketing
study?
(A) The detergent in the bright carton contained bleach crystals; the detergent in the drab
carton did not.
(B) The detergents in the two cartons were the same.
(C) The detergents in the two cartons were different, but they had both been laboratory tested.
(D) The detergent in the drab carton was a popular name brand; the detergent in the bright
carton was generic.
(E) The detergent in the drab carton was generic; the detergent in the bright carton was a
popular name brand.

The average life expectancy for the United States population as a whole is 73.9 years, but
children born in Hawaii will live an average of 77 years, and those born in Louisiana, 71.7
years. If a newlywed couple from Louisiana were to begin their family in Hawaii, therefore,
their children would be expected to live longer than would be the case if the family remained in
Louisiana.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most significantly strengthen the conclusion
drawn in the passage?
(A) As population density increases in Hawaii, life expectancy figures for that state are likely to
be revised downward.
(B) Environmental factors tending to favor longevity are abundant in Hawaii and less
numerous in Louisiana.
(C) Twenty-five percent of all Louisianians who move to Hawaii live longer than 77 years.
(D) Over the last decade, average life expectancy has risen at a higher rate for Louisianians
than for Hawaiians.
(E) Studies show that the average life expectancy for Hawaiians who move permanently to
Louisiana is roughly equal to that of Hawaiians who remain in Hawaii.

A cost-effective solution to the problem of airport congestion is to provide high-speed ground

transportation between major cities lying 200 to 500 miles apart. The successful
implementation of this plan would cost far less than expanding existing airports and would
also reduce the number of airplanes clogging both airports and airways.
Which of the following, if true, could proponents of the plan above most appropriately cite as a
piece of evidence for the soundness of their plan?
(A) An effective high-speed ground-transportation system would require major repairs to many
highways and mass-transit improvements.
(B) One-half of all departing flights in the nations busiest airport head for a destination in a
major city 225 miles away.
(C) The majority of travelers departing from rural airports are flying to destinations in cities
over 600 miles away.
(D) Many new airports are being built in areas that are presently served by high-speed
ground-transportation systems.
(E) A large proportion of air travelers are vacationers who are taking long-distance flights.

Affirmative action is good business. So asserted the National Association of Manufacturers

while urging retention of an executive order requiring some federal contractors to set
numerical goals for hiring minorities and women. Diversity in work force participation has
produced new ideas in management, product development, and marketing, the association
claimed.
The associations argument as it is presented in the passage above would be most
strengthened if which of the following were true?
(A) The percentage of minority and women workers in business has increased more slowly
than many minority and womens groups would prefer.
(B) Those businesses with the highest percentages of minority and women workers are those
that have been the most innovative and profitable.
(C) Disposable income has been rising as fast among minorities and women as among the
population as a whole.
(D) The biggest growth in sales in the manufacturing sector has come in industries that market
the most innovative products.
(E) Recent improvements in management practices have allowed many manufacturers to
experience enormous gains in worker productivity.

Woodsmoke contains dangerous toxins that cause changes in human cells. Because
woodsmoke presents such a high health risk, legislation is needed to regulate the use of
open-air fires and wood-burning stoves.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the argument above?
(A) The amount of dangerous toxins contained in woodsmoke is much less than the amount
contained in an equal volume of automobile exhaust.
(B) Within the jurisdiction covered by the proposed legislation, most heating and cooking is
done with oil or natural gas.
(C) Smoke produced by coal-burning stoves is significantly more toxic than smoke from woodburning stoves.
(D) No significant beneficial effect on air quality would result if open-air fires were banned
within the jurisdiction covered by the proposed legislation.
(E) In valleys where wood is used as the primary heating fuel, the concentration of smoke
results in poor air quality.

Contrary to earlier predictions, demand for sugarcane has not increased in recent years. Yet,
even though prices and production amounts have also been stable during the last three years,
sugarcane growers last year increased their profits by more than ten percent over the
previous years level.
Any of the following statements, if true, about last year, helps to explain the rise in profits
EXCEPT:
(A) Many countries that are large consumers of sugarcane increased their production of
sugarcane-based ethanol, yet their overall consumption of sugarcane decreased.
(B) Sugarcane growers have saved money on wages by switching from paying laborers an
hourly wage to paying them by the amount harvested.
(C) The price of oil, the major energy source used by sugarcane growers in harvesting their
crops, dropped by over twenty percent.
(D) Many small sugarcane growers joined together to form an association of sugarcane
producers and began to buy supplies at low group rates.
(E) Rainfall in sugarcane-growing regions was higher than it had been during the previous
year, allowing the growers to save money on expensive artificial irrigation.

Most employees in the computer industry move from company to company, changing jobs
several times in their careers. However, Summit Computers is known throughout the industry
for retaining its employees. Summit credits its success in retaining employees to its informal,
nonhierarchical work environment.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports Summits explanation of its success in
retaining employees?
(A) Some people employed in the computer industry change jobs if they become bored with
their current projects.
(B) A hierarchical work environment hinders the cooperative exchange of ideas that computer
industry employees consider necessary for their work.
(C) Many of Summits senior employees had previously worked at only one other computer
company.
(D) In a nonhierarchical work environment, people avoid behavior that might threaten group
harmony and thus avoid discussing with their colleagues any dissatisfaction they might have
with their jobs.
(E) The cost of living near Summit is relatively low compared to areas in which some other
computer companies are located.

Manager: Accounting and Billing are located right next to each other and the two departments
do similar kinds of work; yet expenditures for clerical supplies charged to Billing are much
higher. Is Billing wasting supplies?
Head of Billing: Not at all.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the position of the Head of Billing?
(A) There are more staff members in Accounting than in Billing.
(B) Two years ago, expenditures in Accounting for clerical supplies were the same as were
expenditures that year in Billing for clerical supplies.
(C) The work of Billing now requires a wider variety of clerical supplies than it did in the past.
(D) Some of the paper-and-pencil work of both Accounting and Billing has been replaced by
work done on computers.
(E) Members of Accounting found the clerical supplies cabinet of Billing more convenient to go
to for supplies than their own departments cabinet.

10

Mayor: In each of the past five years, the city has cut school funding and each time school
officials complained that the cuts would force them to reduce expenditures for essential
services. But each time, only expenditures for nonessential services were actually reduced.
So school officials can implement further cuts without reducing any expenditures for essential
services.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the mayors conclusion?
(A) The citys schools have always provided essential services as efficiently as they have
provided nonessential services.
(B) Sufficient funds are currently available to allow the citys schools to provide some
nonessential services.
(C) Price estimates quoted to the citys schools for the provision of nonessential services have
not increased substantially since the most recent school funding cut.
(D) Few influential city administrators support the funding of costly nonessential services in
the citys schools.
(E) The citys school officials rarely exaggerate the potential impact of threatened funding cuts.

11

In order to relieve congestion in the airspace near the airports of a certain country,
transportation officials propose sending passengers by new rapid trains between the countrys
major airport and several small cities within a 300-mile radius of it. This plan was proposed
even though the officials realized that it is the major airport that is congested, not those in the
small cities.
The plan to relieve congestion would work best if which of the following were true about the
major airport?
(A) Rail tickets between the airport and the small cities will most likely cost more than the
current air tickets for those routes.
(B) Most passengers who frequently use the airport prefer to reach their cities of destination
exclusively by air, even if they must change planes twice.
(C) There are feasible changes in the airports traffic control system which would significantly
relieve congestion.
(D) Some of the congestion the airport experiences could be relieved if more flights were
scheduled at night and at other off-peak hours.
(E) A significant proportion of the airports traffic consists of passengers transferring between
international flights and flights to the small cities.

12

The local board of education found that, because the current physics curriculum has little
direct relevance to todays 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?
(A) Several of the fundamental principles of physics are involved in producing and analyzing
visual images.
(B) Knowledge of physics is becoming increasingly important in understanding the technology
used in todays world.
(C) Equipment that a large producer of photographic equipment has donated to the high
school could be used in the proposed curriculum.
(D) The number of students interested in physics today is much lower than the number of
students interested in physics 50 years ago.
(E) In todays world the production and analysis of visual images is of major importance in
communications, business, and recreation.

13

Reviewing historical data, medical researchers in California found that counties with the
largest number of television sets per capita have had the lowest incidence of a serious brain
disease, mosquito-borne encephalitis. The researchers have concluded that people in these
counties stay indoors more and thus avoid exposure to the disease.
The researchers conclusion would be most strengthened if which of the following were true?
(A) Programs designed to control the size of disease-bearing mosquito populations have not
affected the incidence of mosquito borne encephalitis.
(B) The occupations of county residents affect their risk of exposure to mosquito-borne
encephalitis more than does television-watching.
(C) The incidence of mosquito-borne encephalitis in counties with the largest number of
television sets per capita is likely to decrease even further.
(D) The more time people in a county spend outdoors, the greater their awareness of the
dangers of mosquito-borne encephalitis.
(E) The more television sets there are per capita in a county, the more time the average
county resident spends watching television.

14

Country Y uses its scarce foreign-exchange reserves to buy scrap iron for recycling into steel.
Although the steel thus produced earns more foreign exchange than it costs, that policy is
foolish. Country Ys own territory has vast deposits of iron ore, which can be mined with
minimal expenditure of foreign exchange.
Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for Country Ys policy of buying
scrap iron abroad?
(A) The price of scrap iron on international markets rose significantly in 1987.
(B) Country Ys foreign-exchange reserves dropped significantly in 1987.
(C) There is virtually no difference in quality between steel produced from scrap iron and that
produced from iron ore.
(D) Scrap iron is now used in the production of roughly half the steel used in the world today,
and experts predict that scrap iron will be used even more extensively in the future.
(E) Furnaces that process scrap iron can be built and operated in Country Y with substantially
less foreign exchange than can furnaces that process iron ore.

15

Half of the subjects in an experimentthe experimental groupconsumed large quantities of

a popular artificial sweetener. Afterward, this group showed lower cognitive abilities than did
the other half of the subjectsthe control groupwho did not consume the sweetener. The
detrimental effects were attributed to an amino acid that is one of the sweeteners principal
constituents.
Which of the following, if true, would best help explain how the sweetener might produce the
observed effect?
(A) The governments analysis of the artificial sweetener determined that it was sold in
relatively pure form.
(B) A high level of the amino acid in the blood inhibits the synthesis of a substance required for
normal brain functioning.
(C) Because the sweetener is used primarily as a food additive, adverse reactions to it are
rarely noticed by consumers.
(D) The amino acid that is a constituent of the sweetener is also sold separately as a dietary
supplement.
(E) Subjects in the experiment did not know whether they were consuming the sweetener or a
second, harmless substance.

16

Useful protein drugs, such as insulin, must still be administered by the cumbersome
procedure of injection under the skin. If proteins are taken orally, they are digested and cannot
reach their target cells. Certain nonprotein drugs, however, contain chemical bonds that are
not broken down by the digestive system. They can, thus, be taken orally.
The statements above most strongly support a claim that a research procedure that
successfully accomplishes which of the following would be beneficial to users of protein
drugs?
(A) Coating insulin with compounds that are broken down by target cells, but whose chemical
bonds are resistant to digestion
(B) Converting into protein compounds, by procedures that work in the laboratory, the
nonprotein drugs that resist digestion
(C) Removing permanently from the digestive system any substances that digest proteins
(D) Determining, in a systematic way, what enzymes and bacteria are present in the normal
digestive system and whether they tend to be broken down within the body
(E) Determining the amount of time each nonprotein drug takes to reach its target cells

17

The ancient city of Cephesa was not buried by an eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 310, as some
believe. The eruption in the year 310 damaged the city, but it did not destroy it. Cephesa
survived for another century before it finally met its destruction in another eruption around A.D.
415.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the authors claim that the city of
Cephesa was not buried by the eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 310?
(A) The city of Cephesa is mentioned in a historical work known to have been written in A.D.
400.
(B) Coins bearing the image of an emperor who lived around A.D. 410 have been discovered
in the ruins of Cephesa, which were preserved by the cinders and ashes that buried the city.
(C) Geological evidence shows that the eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 415 deposited a 10foot-thick layer of lava on the city of Cephesa.
(D) Artworks from the city of Cephesa have been found in the ruins of another city known to
have been destroyed in A.D. 420.
(E) A historical work written in A.D. 430 refers to the eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 415.

18

We have heard a good deal in recent years about the declining importance of the two major
political parties. It is the mass media, we are told, that decide the outcome of elections, not the
power of the parties. But it is worth noting that no independent or third-party candidate has
won any important election in recent years, and in the last nationwide campaign, the two
major parties raised and spent more money than ever before in support of their candidates
and platforms. It seems clear that reports of the imminent demise of the two-party system are
premature at best.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?
(A) The percentage of voters registered as independents is higher today than ever before.
(B) In a recent presidential campaign, for the first time ever, an independent candidate was
invited to appear in a televised debate with the major-party candidates.
(C) Every current member of the U.S. Senate was elected as the candidate of one of the two
major parties.
(D) In a recent opinion poll, most voters stated that a candidates party affiliation was an
insignificant factor in judging his or her fitness for office.
(E) In the last four years, the outcome of several statewide elections has been determined by
the strength of the third-party vote.

19

In general, a professional athlete is offered a million-dollar contract only if he or she has just
completed an unusually successful season. However, a study shows that an athlete signing
such a contract usually suffers a decline in performance the following season. This study
supports the theory that a million-dollar contract tends to weaken an athletes desire to excel
by diminishing his or her economic incentive.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn above?
(A) On the average, athletes whose contracts call for relatively small salaries with possible
bonuses for outstanding achievement perform better than other athletes.
(B) Athletes are generally offered million-dollar contracts mainly because of the increased
ticket sales and other revenues they generate.
(C) Many professional athletes have careers marked by year-to-year fluctuations in their
overall levels of performance.
(D) On the average, higher-salaried athletes tend to have longer and more successful
professional careers than do lower-salaried athletes.
(E) Six of the ten leading batters in the National League this season signed million-dollar
contracts during the off-season.

20

Since the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit was mandated on our highways, both money and
human lives have been saved.
All of the following, if true, would strengthen the claim above EXCEPT:
(A) Most highway users find that travel times are not appreciably lengthened by the 55-mileper-hour speed limit.
(B) Highway driving at 55 miles per hour or less is more fuel-efficient than high-speed driving.
(C) Nearly all highway safety experts agree that more accidents occur at speeds over 55 miles
per hour than at lower speeds.
(D) The percentage of fatalities occurring in highway accidents at speeds greater than 55
miles per hour is higher than that for low-speed accidents.
(E) Automobiles last longer and require fewer repairs when driven at consistently lower
speeds.

21

Toughened hiring standards have not been the primary cause of the present staffing shortage
in public schools. The shortage of teachers is primarily caused by the fact that in recent years
teachers have not experienced any improvements in working conditions and their salaries
have not kept pace with salaries in other professions.
Which of the following, if true, would most support the claims above?
(A) Many teachers already in the profession would not have been hired under the new hiring
standards.
(B) Today more teachers are entering the profession with a higher educational level than in
the past.
(C) Some teachers have cited higher standards for hiring as a reason for the current staffing
shortage.
(D) Many teachers have cited low pay and lack of professional freedom as reasons for their
leaving the profession.
(E) Many prospective teachers have cited the new hiring standards as a reason for not
entering the profession.

22

If the airspace around centrally located airports were restricted to commercial airliners and
only those private planes equipped with radar, most of the private-plane traffic would be forced
to use outlying airfields. Such a reduction in the amount of private-plane traffic would reduce
the risk of midair collision around the centrally located airports.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn in the second
sentence?
(A) Commercial airliners are already required by law to be equipped with extremely
sophisticated radar systems.
(B) Centrally located airports are experiencing over-crowded airspace primarily because of
sharp increases in commercial-airline traffic.
(C) Many pilots of private planes would rather buy radar equipment than be excluded from
centrally located airports.
(D) The number of midair collisions that occur near centrally located airports has decreased in
recent years.
(E) Private planes not equipped with radar systems cause a disproportionately large number
of midair collisions around centrally located airports.

23

Which of the following best completes the passage below?

Established companies concentrate on defending what they already have. Consequently, they
tend not to be innovative themselves and tend to underestimate the effects of the innovations
of others. The clearest example of this defensive strategy is the fact that______
(A) ballpoint pens and soft-tip markers have eliminated the traditional market for fountain
pens, clearing the way for the marketing of fountain pens as luxury or prestige items
(B) a highly successful automobile was introduced by the same company that had earlier
introduced a model that had been a dismal failure
(C) a once-successful manufacturer of slide rules reacted to the introduction of electronic
calculators by trying to make better slide rules
(D) one of the first models of modern accounting machines, designed for use in the banking
industry, was purchased by a public library as well as by banks
(E) the inventor of a commonly used anesthetic did not intend the product to be used by
dentists, who currently account for almost the entire market for that drug

24

Two decades after the Emerald River Dam was built, none of the eight fish species native to
the Emerald River was still reproducing adequately in the river below the dam. Since the dam
reduced the annual range of water temperature in the river below the dam from 50 degrees to
6 degrees, scientists have hypothesized that sharply rising water temperatures must be
involved in signaling the native species to begin the reproductive cycle.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most strengthen the scientists hypothesis?
(A) The native fish species were still able to reproduce only in side streams of the river below
the dam where the annual temperature range remains approximately 50 degrees.
(B) Before the dam was built, the Emerald River annually overflowed its banks, creating
backwaters that were critical breeding areas for the native species of fish.
(C) The lowest recorded temperature of the Emerald River before the dam was built was 34
degrees, whereas the lowest recorded temperature of the river after the dam was built has
been 43 degrees.
(D) Nonnative species of fish, introduced into the Emerald River after the dam was built, have
begun competing with the declining native fish species for food and space.
(E) Five of the fish species native to the Emerald River are not native to any other river in
North America.

10

25

Extinction is a process that can depend on a variety of ecological, geographical, and

physiological variables. These variables affect different species of organisms in different ways,
and should, therefore, yield a random pattern of extinctions. However, the fossil record shows
that extinction occurs in a surprisingly definite pattern, with many species vanishing at the
same time.
Which of the following, if true, forms the best basis for at least a partial explanation of the
patterned extinctions revealed by the fossil record?
(A) Major episodes of extinction can result from widespread environmental disturbances that
affect numerous different species.
(B) Certain extinction episodes selectively affect organisms with particular sets of
characteristics unique to their species.
(C) Some species become extinct because of accumulated gradual changes in their local
environments.
(D) In geologically recent times, for which there is no fossil record, human intervention has
changed the pattern of extinctions.
(E) Species that are widely dispersed are the least likely to become extinct.

26

Many breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin supplements. Some of these cereals provide
100 percent of the recommended daily requirement of vitamins. Nevertheless, a well-balanced
breakfast, including a variety of foods, is a better source of those vitamins than are such
fortified breakfast cereals alone.
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the position above?
(A) In many foods, the natural combination of vitamins with other nutrients makes those
vitamins more usable by the body than are vitamins added in vitamin supplements.
(B) People who regularly eat cereals fortified with vitamin supplements sometimes neglect to
eat the foods in which the vitamins occur naturally.
(C) Foods often must be fortified with vitamin supplements because naturally occurring
vitamins are removed during processing.
(D) Unprocessed cereals are naturally high in several of the vitamins that are usually added to
fortified breakfast cereals.
(E) Cereals containing vitamin supplements are no harder to digest than similar cereals
without added vitamins.

27

In opposing the 1970 Clean Air Act, the United States automobile industry argued that
meeting the acts standards for automobile emissions was neither economically feasible nor
environmentally necessary. However, the catalytic converter, invented in 1967, enabled
automakers to meet the 1970 standards efficiently. Currently, automakers are lobbying against
the governments attempt to pass legislation that would tighten restrictions on automobile
emissions. The automakers contend that these new restrictions would be overly expensive
and unnecessary to efforts to curb air pollution. Clearly, the automobile industrys position
should not be heeded.
Which one of the following, if true, lends the most support to the automakers current position?
(A) The more stringent the legislation restricting emissions becomes, the more difficult it
becomes for automakers to provide the required technology economically.
(B) Emissions-restriction technology can often be engineered so as to avoid reducing the
efficiency with which an automobile uses fuel.
(C) Not every new piece of legislation restricting emissions requires new automotive
technology in order for automakers to comply with it.
(D) The more automobiles there are on the road, the more stringent emission restrictions must
be to prevent increased overall air pollution.
(E) Unless forced to do so by the government, automakers rarely make changes in automotive
technology that is not related to profitability.
Strengthen the conclusion-3; All other choices except A do not support automakers position.

11

28

A severe drought can actually lessen the total amount of government aid that United States
farmers receive as a group. The government pays farmers the amount, if any, by which the
market price at which crops are actually sold falls short of a preset target price per bushel for
the crops. The drought of 1983, for example, caused farm-program payments to drop by $10
billion.
Given the information above, which of the following, if true, best explains why the drought of
1983 resulted in a reduction in farm-program payments?
(A) Prior to the drought of 1983, the government raised the target price for crops in order to
aid farmers in reducing their debt loads.
(B) Due to the drought of 1983, United States farmers exported less food in 1983 than in the
preceding year.
(C) Due to the drought of 1983, United States farmers had smaller harvests and thus received
a higher market price for the 1983 crop than for the larger crop of the preceding year.
(D) Due to the drought of 1983, United States farmers planned to plant smaller crops in 1984
than they had in 1983.
(E) Despite the drought of 1983, retail prices for food did not increase significantly between
1982 and 1983.

29

A public-service advertisement advises that people who have consumed alcohol should not
drive until they can do so safely. In a hospital study, however, subjects questioned
immediately after they consumed alcohol underestimated the time necessary to regain their
driving ability. This result indicates that many people who drink before driving will have
difficulty following the advertisements advice.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument above?
(A) Many people, if they plan to drink alcohol, make arrangements beforehand for a
nondrinker to drive them home.
(B) The subjects in the hospital study generally rated their abilities more conservatively than
would people drinking alcohol outside a hospital setting.
(C) Some people refrain from drinking if they will have to drive to get home afterward.
(D) The subjects in the hospital study were also questioned about the time necessary to
regain abilities that do not play an important role in driving safely.
(E) Awareness of the public-service advertisement is higher among the general population
than it was among the subjects in the hospital study.

30

In order to increase revenues, an airport plans to change the parking fees it charges at its
hourly parking lots. Rather than charging $2.00 for the first two-hour period, or part thereof,
and $1.00 for each hour thereafter, the airport will charge $4.00 for the first four-hour period,
or part thereof, and $1.00 for each hour thereafter.
Which of the following is a consideration that, if true, suggests that the plan will be successful
in increasing revenues?
(A) Very few people who park their cars at the hourly parking lot at the airport leave their cars
for more than two hours at a time.
(B) Over the past several years, the cost to the airport of operating its hourly parking facilities
has been greater than the revenues it has received from them.
(C) People who leave their cars at the airport while on a trip generally park their cars in lots
that charge by the day rather than by the hour.
(D) A significant portion of the money spent to operate the airport parking lot is spent to
maintain the facilities rather than to pay the salaries of the personnel who collect the parking
fees.
(E) The hourly parking lots at the airport have recently been expanded and are therefore
rarely filled to capacity.

12

31

Many companies now have employee assistance programs that enable employees, free of
charge, to improve their physical fitness, reduce stress, and learn ways to stop smoking.
These programs increase worker productivity, reduce absenteeism, and lessen insurance
costs for employee health care. Therefore, these programs benefit the company as well as the
employee.
Which of the following, if true, most significantly strengthens the conclusion above?
(A) Physical fitness programs are often the most popular services offered to employees.
(B) Studies have shown that training in stress management is not effective for many people.
(C) Regular exercise reduces peoples risk of heart disease and provides them with increased
energy.
(D) Physical injuries sometimes result from entering a strenuous physical fitness program too
quickly.
(E) Employee assistance programs require companies to hire people to supervise the various
programs offered.

32

The cotton farms of Country Q became so productive that the market could not absorb all that
they produced. Consequently, cotton prices fell. The government tried to boost cotton prices
by offering farmers who took 25 percent of their cotton acreage out of production direct
support payments up to a specified maximum per farm.
The governments program, if successful, will not be a net burden on the budget. Which of the
following, if true, is the best basis for an explanation of how this could be so?
(A) Depressed cotton prices meant operating losses for cotton farms, and the government lost
revenue from taxes on farm profits.
(B) Cotton production in several counties other than Q declined slightly the year that the
support-payment program went into effect in Q.
(C) The first year that the support-payment program was in effect, cotton acreage in Q was
5% below its level in the base year for the program.
(D) The specified maximum per farm meant that for very large cotton farms the support
payments were less per acre for those acres that were withdrawn from production than they
were for smaller farms.
(E) Farmers who wished to qualify for support payments could not use the cotton acreage that
was withdrawn from production to grow any other crop.

33

The level of lead contamination in United States rivers declined between 1975 and 1985.
Federal regulations requiring a drop in industrial discharges of lead went into effect in 1975,
but the major cause of the decline was a 75 percent drop in the use of leaded gasoline
between 1975 and 1985.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the claim that the major cause of the decline in
the level of lead contamination in United States rives was the decline in the use of leaded
gasoline?
(A) The level of lead contamination in United States rivers fell sharply in both 1975 and 1983.
(B) Most of the decline in industrial discharges of lead occurred before 1976, but the largest
decline in the level of river contamination occurred between 1980 and 1985.
(C) Levels of lead contamination in rivers fell sharply in 1975-1976 and rose very slightly over
the next nine years.
(D) Levels of lead contamination rose in those rivers where there was reduced river flow due
to drought.
(E) Although the use of leaded gasoline declined 75 percent between 1975 and 1985, 80
percent of the decline took place in 1985.

13

34

It has always been difficult to understand the basis of politics in the Peoples Republic of
China. Because the system is effectively closed, it is impossible to know with any degree of
confidence who is allied with whom and for what reasons. Yet Chinese politics does exhibit
many of the external characteristics of factional political systems, as found in more open
societies. It is legitimate to conclude, therefore, that China has a factional political system.
Which one of the following, if true, would confirm the authors conclusion that China has a
factional political system?
(A) All open political systems are factional political systems.
(B) All factional political systems are closed political systems.
(C) All closed political systems are factional political systems.
(D) Chinas political system is more open than many existing factional political systems.
(E) Chinas political system is more closed than all existing factional political systems.

35

An annually conducted, nationwide survey shows a continuing marked decline in the use of
illegal drugs by high school seniors over the last three years.
Which of the following, if true, would provide most support for concluding from the survey
results described above that the use of illegal drugs by people below the age of 20 is
declining?
(A) Changes in the level of drug use by high school seniors are seldom matched by changes
in the level of drug use by other people below the age of 20.
(B) In the past, high school seniors were consistently the population group most likely to use
illegal drugs and most likely to use them heavily.
(C) The percentage of high school seniors who use illegal drugs is consistently very similar to
the percentage of all people below the age of 20 who use illegal drugs.
(D) The decline revealed by the surveys is the result of drug education programs specifically
targeted at those below the age of 20.
(E) The number of those surveyed who admit to having sold illegal drugs has declined even
faster than has the number who have used drugs.

36

An experiment was done in which human subjects recognize a pattern within a matrix of
abstract designs and then select another design that completes that pattern. The results of the
experiment were surprising. The lowest expenditure of energy in neurons in the brain was
found in those subjects who performed most successfully in the experiments.
Which of the following hypotheses best accounts for the findings of the experiment?
(A) The neurons of the brain react less when a subject is trying to recognize patterns than
when the subject is doing other kinds of reasoning.
(B) Those who performed best in the experiment experienced more satisfaction when working
with abstract patterns than did those who performed less well.
(C) People who are better at abstract pattern recognition have more energy-efficient neural
connections.
(D) The energy expenditure of the subjects brains increases when a design that completes the
initially recognized pattern is determined.
(E) The task of completing a given design is more capably performed by athletes, whose
energy expenditure is lower when they are at rest than is that of the general population.

14

37

Dr. Sheila Porter plans to run an experiment using nursing students. Each student will be
shown either a pleasant nature film or a disturbing horror film. Each student will be observed
by someone wholooking only at the students facial expressionsmust ascertain which film
is being shown. Students shown the horror movie are told to hide their feelings in order to
convince the observer that they are watching a pleasant film. Dr. Porter hypothesizes that all
the students in the experiment who are convincing will be among the best at working with
patients. The hypothesis will be tested by comparing the convincing students and
unconvincing students in terms of their performance with patents.
Which one of the following incidents best illustrates Dr. Porters hypothesis?
(A) Niles, the most convincing student in the experiment, later went on to become a physician.
(B) After graduating, Yoshiro, a nursing student who was convincing in the experiment, helped
care for Bram, a patient at a hospital. Bram recovered from his operation.
(C) After graduating, Kim, a nursing student in the experiment who watched the nature film,
was removed from the staff of a hospital for unacceptable performance in patient care.
(D) Daria, a nursing student who was convincing in the experiment, later received As in
those classes in which working with patients in a teaching hospital was the sole basis of her
grades.
(E) Marite, a nursing student who was not convincing in the experiment, later quit nursing
school.

38

Adult female rats who have never before encountered rat pups will start to show maternal
behaviors after being confined with a pup for about seven days. This period can be
considerably shortened by disabling the females sense of smell or by removing the scentproducing glands of the pup.
Which of the following hypotheses best explains the contrast described above?
(A) The sense of smell in adult female rats is more acute than that in rat pups.
(B) The amount of scent produced by rat pups increases when they are in the presence of a
female rat that did not bear them.
(C) Female rats that have given birth are more affected by olfactory cues than are female rats
that have never given birth.
(D) A female rat that has given birth shows maternal behavior toward rat pups that she did not
bear more quickly than does a female rat that has never given birth.
(E) The development of a female rats maternal interest in a rat pup that she did not bear is
inhibited by the odor of the pup.

39

Half of the subjects in an experimentthe experimental groupconsumed large quantities of

a popular artificial sweetener. Afterward, this group showed lower cognitive abilities than did
the other half of the subjectsthe control groupwho did not consume the sweetener. The
detrimental effects were attributed to an amino acid that is one of the sweeteners principal
constituents.
Which of the following, if true, would best support the conclusion that some ingredient of the
sweetener was responsible for the experimental results?
(A) Most consumers of the sweetener do not consume as much of it as the experimental
group members did.
(B) The amino acid referred to in the conclusion is a component of all proteins, some of which
must be consumed for adequate nutrition.
(C) The quantity of the sweetener consumed by individuals in the experimental group is
considered safe by federal food regulators.
(D) The two groups of subjects were evenly matched with regard to cognitive abilities prior to
the experiment.
(E) A second experiment in which subjects consumed large quantities of the sweetener lacked
a control group of subjects who were not given the sweetener.

15

40

Advertisers are often criticized for their unscrupulous manipulation of peoples tastes and
wants. There is evidence, however, that some advertisers are motivated by moral as well as
financial considerations. A particular publication decided to change its image from being a
family newspaper to concentrating on sex and violence, thus appealing to a different
readership. Some advertisers withdrew their advertisements from the publication, and this
must have been because they morally disapproved of publishing salacious material.
Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument?
(A) The advertisers switched their advertisements to other family newspapers.
(B) Some advertisers switched from family newspapers to advertise in the changed
publication.
(C) The advertisers expected their product sales to increase if they stayed with the changed
publication, but to decrease if they withdrew.
(D) People who generally read family newspapers are not likely to buy newspapers that
concentrate on sex and violence.
(E) It was expected that the changed publication would appeal principally to those in a
different income group.

41

One variety of partially biodegradable plastic beverage container is manufactured from small
bits of plastic bound together by a degradable bonding agent such as cornstarch. Since only
the bonding agent degrades, leaving the small bits of plastic, no less plastic refuse per
container is produced when such containers are discarded than when comparable nonbiodegradable containers are discarded.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?
(A) Both partially biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastic beverage containers can be
crushed completely flat by refuse compactors.
(B) The partially biodegradable plastic beverage containers are made with more plastic than
comparable non-biodegradable ones in order to compensate for the weakening effect of the
bounding agents.
(C) Many consumers are ecology-minded and prefer to buy a product sold in the partially
biodegradable plastic beverage containers rather than in non-biodegradable containers, even
if the price is higher.
(D) The manufacturing process for the partially biodegradable plastic beverage containers
results in less plastic waste than the manufacturing process for non-biodegradable plastic
beverage containers.
(E) Technological problems with recycling currently prevent the reuse as food or beverage
containers of the plastic from either type of plastic beverage container.

42

Despite the approach of winter, oil prices to industrial customers are exceptionally low this
year and likely to remain so. Therefore, unless the winter is especially severe, the price of
natural gas to industrial customers is also likely to remain low.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the conclusion above?
(A) Long-term weather forecasts predict a mild winter.
(B) The industrial users who consume most natural gas can quickly and cheaply switch to
using oil instead.
(C) The largest sources of supply for both oil and natural gas are in subtropical regions
unlikely to be affected by winter weather.
(D) The fuel requirements of industrial users of natural gas are not seriously affected by the
weather.
(E) Oil distribution is more likely to be affected by severe winter weather than is the
distribution of natural gas.

16

43

Todays low gasoline prices make consumers willing to indulge their preference for larger cars,
which consume greater amounts of gasoline as fuel. So United States automakers are
unwilling to pursue the development of new fuel-efficient technologies aggressively. The
particular reluctance of the United States automobile industry to do so, however, could
threaten the industrys future.
Which of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the claim above about the
future of the United States automobile industry?
(A) A prototype fuel-efficient vehicle, built five years ago, achieves a very high 81 miles per
gallon on the highway and 63 in the city, but its materials are relatively costly.
(B) Small cars sold by manufacturers in the United States are more fuel efficient now than
before the sudden jump in oil prices in 1973.
(C) Automakers elsewhere in the world have slowed the introduction of fuel-efficient
technologies but have pressed ahead with research and development of them in preparation
for a predicted rise in world oil prices.
(D) There are many technological opportunities for reducing the waste of energy in cars and
light trucks through weight, aerodynamic drag, and braking friction.
(E) The promotion of mass transit over automobiles as an alternative mode of transportation
has encountered consumer resistance that is due in part to the failure of mass transit to
accommodate the wide dispersal of points of origin and destinations for trips.

44

Despite improvements in treatment for asthma, the death rate form this disease has doubled
during the past decade from its previous rate. Two possible explanations for this increase
have been offered. First, the recording of deaths due to asthma has become more widespread
and accurate in the past decade than it had been previously. Second, there has been an
increase in urban pollution. However, since the rate of deaths due to asthma has increased
dramatically even in cities with long-standing, comprehensive medical records and with little or
no urban pollution, one must instead conclude that the cause of increased deaths is the use of
bronchial inhalers by asthma sufferers to relieve their symptoms.
Each of the following, if true, provides support to the argument EXCEPT:
(A) Urban populations have doubled in the past decade.
(B) Records of asthma deaths are as accurate for the past twenty years as for the past ten
years.
(C) Evidence suggests that bronchial inhalers make the lungs more sensitive to irritation by
airborne pollen.
(D) By temporarily relieving the symptoms of asthma, inhalers encourage sufferers to avoid
more beneficial measures.
(E) Ten years ago bronchial inhalers were not available as an asthma treatment.

45

Male bowerbirds construct elaborately decorated nests, or bowers. Basing their judgment on
the fact that different local populations of bowerbirds of the same species build bowers that
exhibit different building and decorative styles, researchers have concluded that the
bowerbirds building styles are a culturally acquired, rather than a genetically transmitted, trait.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn by the
researchers?
(A) There are more common characteristics than there are differences among the bowerbuilding styles of the local bowerbird population that has been studied most extensively.
(B) Young male bowerbirds are inept at bower-building and apparently spend years watching
their elders before becoming accomplished in the local bower style.
(C) The bowers of one species of bowerbird lack the towers and ornamentation characteristic
of the bowers of most other species of bowerbird.
(D) Bowerbirds are found only in New Guinea and Australia, where local populations of the
birds apparently seldom have contact with one another.
(E) It is well known that the song dialects of some songbirds are learned rather than
transmitted genetically.

17

46

Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who work the same number
of hours per week. According to records maintained by each company, the employees of
Company O had fewer job-related accidents last year than did the employees of Company P.
Therefore, employees of Company O are less likely to have job-related accidents than are
employees of Company P.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
(A) Company P manufactures products that are more hazardous for workers to produce than
does Company O.
(B) Company P holds more safety inspections than does Company O.
(C) Company P maintains a more modern infirmary than does Company O.
(D) Company O paid more for new job-related medical claims than did Company P.
(E) Company P provides more types of health-care benefits than does Company O.

47

The proportion of manufacturing companies in Alameda that use microelectronics in their

manufacturing processes increased from 6 percent in 1979 to 66 percent in 1990. Many labor
leaders say that the introduction of microelectronics is the principal cause of the great
increase in unemployment during that period in Alameda. In actual fact, however, most of the
job losses were due to organizational changes. Moreover, according to new figures released
by the labor department, there were many more people employed in Alameda in the
manufacturing industry in 1990 than in 1979.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the labor leaders claim concerning the
manufacturing industry in Alameda?
(A) From 1979 to 1990, fewer employees of manufacturing companies in Alameda lost their
jobs because of the introduction of microelectronics than did employees of manufacturing
companies in the nearby community of Rockside.
(B) The figures on the use of microelectronics that were made public are the result of inquiries
made of managers in the manufacturing industry in Alameda.
(C) The organizational changes that led to job losses in all sectors of the manufacturing
industry in Alameda were primarily the result of the introduction of microelectronics.
(D) Figures on job losses in the manufacturing industry in Alameda for the late sixties and
early seventies have not been made available.
(E) A few jobs in the manufacturing industry in Alameda could have been saved if workers had
been willing to become knowledgeable in microelectronics.

48

Since 1975 there has been in the United States a dramatic decline in the incidence of
traditional childhood diseases such as measles. This decline has been accompanied by an
increased incidence of Petersons disease, a hitherto rare viral infection, among children. Few
adults, however, have been affected by the disease.
Which of the following, if true, would best help to explain the increased incidence of
Petersons disease among children?
(A) Hereditary factors determine in part the degree to which a person is susceptible to the
virus that causes Petersons disease.
(B) The decrease in traditional childhood diseases and the accompanying increase in
Petersons disease have not been found in any other country.
(C) Children who contract measles develop an immunity to the virus that causes Petersons
disease.
(D) Persons who did not contract measles in childhood might contract measles in adulthood,
in which case the consequences of the disease would generally be more severe.
(E) Those who have contracted Petersons disease are at increased risk of contracting
chicken pox.

18

49

Potato cyst nematodes are a pest of potato crops. The nematodes can lie dormant for several
years in their cysts, which are protective capsules, and do not emerge except in the presence
of chemicals emitted by potato roots. A company that has identified the relevant chemicals is
planning to market them to potato farmers to spread on their fields when no potatoes are
planted; any nematodes that emerge will soon starve to death.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the claim that the companys plan will be
successful?
(A) Nematodes that have emerged from their cysts can be killed by ordinary pesticides.
(B) The only part of a potato plant that a nematode eats is the roots.
(C) Some bacteria commonly present in the roots of potatoes digest the chemicals that cause
the nematodes to emerge from their cysts.
(D) Trials have shown that spreading even minute quantities of the chemicals on potato fields
caused nine-tenths of the nematodes present to emerge from their cysts.
(E) The chemicals that cause the nematodes to emerge from their cysts are not emitted all the
time the potato plant is growing.

50

The mayor boasts that the average ambulance turnaround time, the time from summons to
delivery of the patient, has been reduced this year for top-priority emergencies. This is a
serious misrepresentation. This reduction was produced simply by redefining top priority.
Such emergencies used to include gunshot wounds and electrocutions, the most timeconsuming cases. Now they are limited strictly to heart attacks and strokes.
Which one of the following would strengthen the authors conclusion that it was the
redefinition of top priority that produced the reduction in turnaround time?
(A) The number of heart attacks and strokes declined this year.
(B) The mayor redefined the citys financial priorities this year.
(C) Experts disagree with the mayors definition of top-priority emergency.
(D) Other cities include gunshot wound cases in their category o top-priority emergencies.
(E) One half of all of last years top-priority emergencies were gunshot wounds and
electrocution cases.

51

Many consumers are concerned about the ecological effects of wasteful packaging. This
concern probably explains why stores have been quick to stock new cleaning products that
have been produced in a concentrated form. The concentrated form is packaged in smaller
containers that use less plastic and require less transportation space.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the explanation offered above?
(A) Few consumers believe that containers of concentrated cleaning products are merely
small packages of regular cleaning products.
(B) The containers in which concentrated cleaning products are packaged are no harder to
recycle than those in which regular cleaning products are packaged.
(C) Those concentrated cleaning products that are intended to be used diluted have clear
instructions for dilution printed on their labels.
(D) The smaller containers of concentrated cleaning products enable supermarkets and
drugstores to increase their revenues from a given shelf space.
(E) Consumer pressure has led to the elimination of wasteful cardboard packaging that was
used for compact discs.

19

52

Many state legislatures are considering proposals to the effect that certain policies should be
determined not by the legislature itself but by public referenda in which every voter can take
part. Critics of the proposals argue that the outcomes of public referenda would be biased,
since wealthy special-interest groups are able to influence voters views by means of
television advertisements.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the critics argument?
(A) Many state legislators regard public referenda as a way of avoiding voting on issues on
which their constituents are divided.
(B) During elections for members of the legislature, the number of people who vote is
unaffected by whether the candidates run television advertisements or not.
(C) Proponents of policies that are opposed by wealthy special-interest groups are often
unable to afford advertising time on local television stations.
(D) Different special-interest groups often take opposing positions on questions of which
policies the state should adopt.
(E) Television stations are reluctant to become associated with any one political opinion, for
fear of losing viewers who do not share that opinion.

53

Both Writewell and Express provide round-the-clock telephone assistance to any customer
who uses their word-processing software. Since customers only call the hot lines when they
find the software difficult to use, and the Writewell hot line receives four times as many calls
as the Express hot line, Writewells word-processing software must be more difficult to use
than Expresss.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?
(A) Calls to the Express hot line are almost twice as long, on average, as are calls to the
Writewell hot line.
(B) Express has three times the number of word-processing software customers that Writewell
has.
(C) Express receives twice as many letters of complaint about its word-processing software as
Writewell receives about its word-processing software.
(D) The number of calls received by each of the two hot lines has been gradually increasing.
(E) The Writewell hot-line number is more widely publicized than the Express hot-line number.

54

At one time, European and Japanese companies tried to imitate their American rivals. Today,
American appliance manufacturers import European scientists to lead their research staffs;
American automakers design cars that mimic the styling of German, Italian, and French
imports; and American electronics firms boast in their advertising of Japanese-style devotion
to quality and reliability. In the world of high technology, America has lost the battle for
international prestige.
Each of the following statements, if true, would help to support the claim above EXCEPT:
(A) An American camera company claims in its promotional literature to produce cameras as
fine as the best Swiss imports.
(B) An American maker of stereo components designs its products to resemble those of a
popular Japanese firm.
(C) An American manufacturer of video games uses a brand name chosen because it sounds
like a Japanese word.
(D) An American maker of televisions studies German-made televisions in order to adopt
German manufacturing techniques.
(E) An American maker of frozen foods advertises its dinners as Real European-style entrees
prepared by fine French and Italian chefs.

20

55

The earths resources are being depleted much too fast. To correct this, the United States
must keep its resource consumption at present levels for many years to come.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?
(A) New resource deposits are constantly being discovered.
(B) The United States consumes one-third of all resources used in the world.
(C) Other countries need economic development more than the United States does.
(D) Other countries have agreed to hold their resource consumption at present levels.
(E) The United States has been conserving resources for several years.

56

In the industrialized nations, the last century has witnessed a shortening of the average
workday from twelve hours or longer to less than eight hours. Mindful of this enormous
increase in leisure time over the past century, many people assume that the same trend has
obtained throughout history, and that, therefore, prehistoric humans must have labored
incessantly for their very survival.
We cannot, of course, directly test this assumption. However, a study of primitive peoples of
today suggests a different conclusion. The Mbuti of central Africa, for instance, spend only a
few hours each day in hunting, gathering, and tending to other economic necessities. The rest
of their time is spent as they choose. The implication is that the short workday is not peculiar
to industrialized societies. Rather, both the extended workday of 1880 and the shorter
workday of today are products of different stages of the continuing process of industrialization.
Which of the following, if true, would most greatly strengthen the argument made in the
passage above?
(A) In recent decades, the economy of the Mbuti has been markedly affected by the
encroachment of modern civilization.
(B) The life-style of the Mbuti is similar to that of prehistoric humans.
(C) The Mbuti have no words in their language to express the distinction between work
activities and leisure activities.
(D) The workday of a European peasant in medieval times averaged between eleven and
fifteen hours.
(E) The members of the Shaklik tribe in central Asia have an average workday of ten to twelve
hours.

57

A newly discovered disease is thought to be caused by a certain bacterium. However, recently

released data notes that the bacterium thrives in the presence of a certain virus, implying that
it is actually the virus that causes the new disease.
Which of the following pieces of evidence would most support the datas implication?
(A) In the absence of the virus, the disease has been observed to follow infection by the
bacterium.
(B) The virus has been shown to aid the growth of bacterium, a process which often leads to
the onset of the disease.
(C) The virus alone has been observed in many cases of the disease.
(D) In cases where the disease does not develop, infection by the bacterium is usually
preceded by infection by the virus.
(E) Onset of the disease usually follows infection by both the virus and the bacterium.

21

58

In 1846 about 80 percent of the towns in New York State banned the sale of alcoholic
beverages. A recent article about the bans concludes that mid-nineteenth-century supporters
of the temperance movement were not residents of remote rural areas, as has often been
asserted; rather, they were concentrated in centers of economic opportunity.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the conclusion reached in the article?
(A) After 1846 the temperance movement grew rapidly and it flourished until the turn of the
century.
(B) Support for the ban on alcohol was strongest in New York towns where the economy was
based on new, growing industries.
(C) Many young New York State farmers supported the ban on alcohol.
(D) The most adamant opponents of the ban included several affluent factory and mill owners.
(E) In New York City, which was a commercial center in 1846, the sale of alcoholic beverages
was not banned.

59

Record companies defend their substitution of laser-read compact discs (CDs) for the much
less expensive traditional long-playing vinyl records in their catalogs by claiming that the audio
market is ruled by consumer demand for ever-improved sound reproduction rather than by
record manufacturers profit-motivated marketing decisions. But this claim cannot be true,
because if it were true, then digital audiotape, which produces even better sound than CDs,
would be commercially available from these same record companies, but it is not.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument against the record
companies claim?
(A) When CDs were first introduced in the audio-reproduction market, prices were high and
selection was poor.
(B) Record companies are reluctant to attempt commercial production of digital audiotape until
profits from the sales of CDs have enabled them to recover their investments in compact-disc
manufacturing technology.
(C) Some CDs have been so much in demand that consumers have experienced long delays
in obtaining copies.
(D) Because CDs work according to principles very different from those that govern
conventional recordings, commercial production of CDs requires new kinds of manufacturing
technology.
(E) Any valid comparison of CD audio reproductions to digital audiotape reproductions must
be based on identical performances played back on the highest quality disc or tape player.

60

Psychological research indicates that college hockey and football players are more quickly
moved to hostility and aggression than are college athletes in noncontact sports such as
swimming. But the researchers conclusionthat contact sports encourage and teach
participants to be hostile and aggressiveis untenable. The football and hockey players were
probably more hostile and aggressive to start with than the swimmers.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn by the
psychological researchers?
(A) The football and hockey players became more hostile and aggressive during the season
and remained so during the off-season, whereas there was no increase in aggressiveness
among the swimmers.
(B) The football and hockey players, but not the swimmers, were aware at the start of the
experiment that they were being tested for aggressiveness.
(C) The same psychological research indicated that the football and hockey players had a
great respect for cooperation and team play, whereas the swimmers were most concerned
with excelling as individual competitors.
(D) The research studies were designed to include no college athletes who participated in
both contact and noncontact sports.
(E) Throughout the United States, more incidents of fan violence occur at baseball games
than occur at hockey or football games.

22

61

Y has been believed to cause Z. A new report, noting that Y and Z are often observed to be
preceded by X, suggests that X, not Y, may be the cause of Z.
Which of the following further observations would best support the new reports suggestion?
(A) In cases where X occurs but Y does not, X is usually followed by Z.
(B) In cases where X occurs, followed by Y, Y is usually followed by Z.
(C) In cases where Y occurs but X does not, Y is usually followed by Z.
(D) In cases where Y occurs but Z does not, Y is usually preceded by X.
(E) In cases where Z occurs, it is usually preceded by X and Y.

62

Mr. Primm: If hospitals were private enterprises, dependent on profits for their survival, there
would be no teaching hospitals, because of the intrinsically high cost of running such
hospitals.
Ms. Nakai: I disagree. The medical challenges provided by teaching hospitals attract the very
best physicians. This, in turn, enables those hospitals to concentrate on nonroutine cases.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen Ms. Nakais attempt to refute Mr.
Primms claim?
(A) Doctors at teaching hospitals command high salaries.
(B) Sophisticated, nonroutine medical care commands a high price.
(C) Existing teaching hospitals derive some revenue from public subsidies.
(D) The patient mortality rate at teaching hospitals is high.
(E) The modern trend among physicians is to become highly specialized.

63

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
increasedby up to fifty percent in some areasbut then decreased sharply in 1984.
Which of the following statements, if true, would best explain the 1984 decrease in
productivity?
(A) Prices for palm fruit fell between 1980 and 1984 following the rise in production and a
concurrent fall in demand.
(B) Imported trees are often more productive than native trees because the imported ones
have left behind their pests and diseases in their native lands.
(C) Rapid increases in productivity tend to deplete trees of nutrients needed for the
development of the fruit-producing female flowers.
(D) The weevil population in Asia remained at approximately the same level between 1980
and 1984.
(E) Prior to 1980 another species of insect pollinated the Asian palm trees, but not as
efficiently as the species of weevil that was introduced in 1980.

64

Airline: Newly developed collision-avoidance systems, although not fully tested to discover
potential malfunctions, must be installed immediately in passenger planes. Their mechanical
warnings enable pilots to avoid crashes.
Pilots: Pilots will not fly in planes with collision-avoidance systems that are not fully tested.
Malfunctioning systems could mislead pilots, causing crashes.
The pilots objection is most strengthened if which of the following is true?
(A) It is always possible for mechanical devices to malfunction.
(B) Jet engines, although not fully tested when first put into use, have achieved exemplary
performance and safety records.
(C) Although collision-avoidance systems will enable pilots to avoid some crashes, the likely
malfunctions of the not-fully-tested systems will cause even more crashes.
(D) Many airline collisions are caused in part by the exhaustion of overworked pilots.
(E) Collision-avoidance systems, at this stage of development, appear to have worked better
in passenger planes than in cargo planes during experimental flights made over a six-month
period.

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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus revealed a pattern of debris
and collapsed buildings typical of towns devastated by earthquakes. Archaeologists have
hypothesized that the destruction was due to a major earthquake known to have occurred
near the island in A.D. 365.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists hypothesis?
(A) Bronze ceremonial drinking vessels that are often found in graves dating from years
preceding and following A.D. 365 were also found in several graves near Kourion.
(B) No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year
were found in abundance.
(C) Most modern histories of Cyprus mention that an earthquake occurred near the island in
A.D. 365.
(D) Several small statues carved in styles current in Cyprus in the century between A.D. 300
and 400 were found in Kourion.
(E) Stone inscriptions in a form of the Greek alphabet that was definitely used in Cyprus after
A.D. 365 were found in Kourion.

66

Marine biologists have long thought that variation in the shell color of aquatic snails evolved
as a protective camouflage against birds and other predators. Brown shells seem to be more
frequent when the underlying seafloor is dark-colored and white shells more frequent when
the underlying seafloor is light-colored. A new theory has been advanced, however, that
claims that shell color is related to physiological stress associated with heat absorption.
According to this theory, brown shells will be more prevalent in areas where the wave action of
the sea is great and thus heat absorption from the Sun is minimized, whereas white shells will
be more numerous in calmer waters where the snails will absorb more heat from the Suns
rays.
Evidence that would strongly favor the new theory over the traditional theory would be the
discovery of a large majority of
(A) dark-shelled snails in a calm inlet with a dark, rocky bottom and many predators
(B) dark-shelled snails in a calm inlet with a white, sandy bottom
(C) light-shelled snails in an inlet with much wave action and a dark, rocky bottom
(D) light-shelled snails in a calm inlet with a dark, rocky bottom and many predators
(E) light-shelled snails in a calm inlet with a white, sandy bottom and many predators

67

Most geologists believe oil results from chemical transformations of hydrocarbons derived
from organisms buried under ancient seas. Suppose, instead, that oil actually results from
bacterial action on other complex hydrocarbons that are trapped within the Earth. As is well
known, the volume of these hydrocarbons exceeds that of buried organisms. Therefore, our oil
reserves would be greater than most geologists believe.
Which of the following, if true, gives the strongest support to the argument above about our oil
reserves?
(A) Most geologists think optimistically about the Earths reserves of oil.
(B) Most geologists have performed accurate chemical analyses on previously discovered oil
reserves.
(C) Ancient seas are buried within the Earth at many places where fossils are abundant.
(D) The only bacteria yet found in oil reserves could have leaked down drill holes from surface
contaminants.
(E) Chemical transformations reduce the volume of buried hydrocarbons derived from
organisms by roughly the same proportion as bacterial action reduces the volume of other
complex hydrocarbons.

24

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The average level of fat in the blood of people suffering from acute cases of disease W is
lower than the average level for the population as a whole. Nevertheless, most doctors believe
that reducing blood-fat levels is an effective way of preventing acute W.
Which one of the following, if true, does most to justify this apparently paradoxical belief?
(A) The blood level of fat for patients who have been cured of W is on average the same as
that for the population at large.
(B) Several of the symptoms characteristic of acute W have been produced in laboratory
animals fed large doses of a synthetic fat substitute, though acute W itself has not been
produced in this way.
(C) The progression from latent to acute W can occur only when the agent that causes acute
W absorbs large quantities of fat from the patients blood.
(D) The levels of fat in the blood of patients who have disease W respond abnormally slowly
to changes in dietary intake of fat.
(E) High levels of fat in the blood are indicative of several diseases that are just as serious as
W.

69

Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacteria capable of surviving
antibiotic environments, the presence of resistant bacteria in people could be due to the
human use of prescription antibiotics. Some scientists, however, believe that most resistant
bacteria in people derive from human consumption of bacterially infected meat.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most significantly strengthen the hypothesis
of the scientists?
(A) Antibiotics are routinely included in livestock feed so that livestock producers can increase
the rate of growth of their animals.
(B) Most people who develop food poisoning from bacterially infected meat are treated with
prescription antibiotics.
(C) The incidence of resistant bacteria in people has tended to be much higher in urban areas
than in rural areas where meat is of comparable quality.
(D) People who have never taken prescription antibiotics are those least likely to develop
resistant bacteria.
(E) Livestock producers claim that resistant bacteria in animals cannot be transmitted to
people through infected meat.

70

13. Surveys reveal that the vast majority of hotel guests in the United States resent the high
prices of the items in the mini-bars in their hotel rooms.These guests would prefer to have an
empty refrigerator in their rooms in order to have space to put their own food and beverages,
although a large percentage of these guests would still make at least one purchase from their
in-room mini-bar. After analyzing the results of the study, the management of Hotel T decided
that it would be more profitable to eliminate the mini-bar and install empty refrigerators in each
room. Which of the following, if true, would support Hotel Ts plan to increase profitability by
eliminating in room mini-bars in favor of empty refrigerators?
A) There is currently some space available in Hotel Ts in-room mini-bars for guests to put
their own items.
B) Hotel T is located in the United States.
C) Some guests of Hotel T do not make any purchases from their in-room minibars.
D) The money that Hotel T makes from the mini-bar purchases of its guests is less than the
money that Hotel T loses from discarding mini-bar items that have not sold by their expiration
dates.
E) It will cost Hotel T less money to maintain empty refrigerators in its guest rooms than to
maintain stocked mini-bars in those rooms.

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9. Officials of the Youth Hockey League and parents of players in the league have become
concerned with the number of flagrant fouls occurring during league games. This past season,
the number of flagrant fouls was double the number from the season before. League officials
plan to reduce the number of such fouls during the coming season by implementing
mandatory suspensions for players who commit flagrant fouls. Which of the following
statements, if true, provides the best evidence that the officials plan will be effective?
A) Most serious injuries occurring during league games are a direct result of flagrant fouls.
B) League referees have been trained to recognize flagrant fouls and to report incidents
involving such fouls.
C) Parents of players in the league are in support of mandatory suspensions for flagrant fouls.
D) A similar league suspends players for committing flagrant fouls; this league has a relatively
low incidence of flagrant fouls when compared with the Youth Hockey League.
E) Most players in the league strive to be selected for the All-Star team, and league rules state
that no player with a record of suspension shall be selected for the All-Star team.

72

The value of a product is determined by the ratio of its quality to its price. The higher the value
of a product, the better will be its competitive position. Therefore, either increasing the quality
or lowering the price of a given product will increase the likelihood that consumer will select
that product rather than a competing one.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn above?
(A) It is possible to increase both the quality and the price of a product without changing its
competitive position.
(B) For certain segments of the population of consumers, higher-priced brands of some
product lines are preferred to the lower-priced brands.
(C) Competing products often try to appeal to different segments of the population of
consumers.
(D) The competitive position of a product can be affected by such factors as advertising and
brand loyalty.
(E) Consumers perceptions of the quality of a product are based on the actual quality of the
product.

73

The fact that several of the largest senior citizens organizations are constituted almost
exclusively of middle-class elderly people has led critics to question the seriousness of those
organizations commitment to speaking out on behalf of the needs of economically
disadvantaged elderly people.
Which of the following generalizations, if true, would help to substantiate the criticism implicit
in the statement above?
(A) The ideology of an organization tends reflect the traditional political climate of its locale.
(B) The needs of disadvantaged elderly people differ in some ways from those of other
disadvantaged groups within contemporary society.
(C) Organized groups are better able to publicize their problems and seek redress than
individuals acting alone.
(D) Middle-class elderly people are more likely to join organizations than are economically
disadvantaged elderly people.
(E) People usually join organizations whose purpose is to further the economic, political, or
social interests of their members.

26

74

There is only one major road, Freeway Z, that links County X and County Y. The border of the
two counties is primarily defined by a mountain range, over which the construction of new
roads is severely restricted by environmental laws. A cost-effective solution to the problem of
traffic congestion on Freeway Z is to build a commuter train tunnel through the mountain
range. The successful implementation of this plan would cost far less than expanding the
existing freeway and would also reduce the number of cars clogging the roads in both
counties. Which of the following, if true, could proponents of the plan above most
appropriately cite as a piece of evidence for the soundness of their plan?
A) An effective commuter train tunnel between the counties would require major investment in
mass transit within both counties.
B) The majority of all vehicles on the nations freeways are traveling from one state to another.
C) 60% of the cars on Freeway Z are driven by people who live in County Y and work in
County X.
D) Many new freeways are being built in areas that are presently served by commuter trains.
E) A large proportion of the vehicles on Freeway Z are commercial trucks carrying
transcontinental shipments.

75

An advertisement designed to convince readers of the great durability of automobiles

manufactured by the Deluxe Motor Car Company cites as evidence the fact that over half of
all automobiles built by the company since 1970 are still on the road today, compared to no
more than a third for any other manufacturer.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the advertisements argument?
(A) After taking inflation into account, a new Deluxe automobile costs only slightly more than a
new model did in 1970.
(B) The number of automobiles built by Deluxe each year has not increased sharply since
1970.
(C) Owners of Deluxe automobiles typically keep their cars well maintained.
(D) Since 1970, Deluxe has made fewer changes in the automobiles it manufactures than
other car companies have made in their automobiles.
(E) Deluxe automobiles have been selling at relatively stable prices in recent years.

76

5. More and more companies have begun to consume less energy by making themselves
more efficient. Over time, these efforts could place the United States at the forefront of an
emerging global market for cleaner technologies. Such efforts are also essential to tackling
the two big energy-related issues of the age: global warming and the dependence on
precarious supplies of oil. The federal government should encourage these efforts by
providing the necessary incentives, whether as loans, direct grants or targeted tax breaks.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most effective support for the argument?
A) On the average, Canadian companies are more energy efficient than those in the United
States.
B) Experts believe that energy efficiency could lower the energy use of the United States to
the level of 1995.
C) In the past, government incentives have made advances in energy conservation feasible,
especially in the auto industry.
D) The dependence on foreign oil is a greater problem in the present than global warming.
E) The market for cleaner technologies is currently relatively small because of the
infrastructure requirements.

27

77

12. Wide dissemination of wireless networks in cities is a practical way to meet the needs of
city households, schools and businesses. Rural communities have found that wireless
networks are both more reliable and cheaper than land-based networks. Which of the
following would most likely be cited by a supporter of the argument?
A) Urban areas do not pose additional problems for the effective operation of wireless
networks.
B) Wireless networks work far better where population density is low.
C) Iceland, a very rural country, successfully uses wireless networks.
D) The expenses of wireless transmission in areas with large buildings is much higher.
E) Poor neighborhoods have less access to cable internet than do educators or businesses.

78

The West Indian manatee, a distant relative of the elephant, returned to the sea some 50
million years ago. These thousand-pound herbivores inhabit the warm coastal waters where
Americans like to play. Despite conservation efforts, criminal penalties for harming these
creatures, and an overabundance of SAVE THE MANATEE! bumper stickers, none of these
animals can be considered safe. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the
argument above?
A) Last year, several manatees were mysteriously killed by an unidentified toxin.
B) All manatees swim at depths than make them vulnerable to the blades of motorboat
engines.
C) Most tourists are unaware of the ongoing efforts to save the manatee.
D) The population of manatees in the wild has dwindled to fewer than 2,500 animals.
E) Although dozens of manatee deaths are documented each year, many more deaths go
unreported.

79

One feature of the global food economy is the simultaneous import and export of the same
items, a phenomenon known as redundant trade. In California, for example, domestic
cherries are exported to Canada and Japan, while a nearly equivalent number of cherries are
imported from Chile, Italy, and Germany. California also exports and imports nearly identical
amounts of lettuce and almonds. Although shipping fresh fruits and vegetables is an
expensive undertaking, there is a justifiable economic rationale for redundant trade. Which of
the following, if true, most strongly supports the conclusion above?
A) Establishing international ties through trade facilitates access to other desired goods that
are more efficiently produced abroad.
B) Undertaking free trade with ones political allies helps to maintain international goodwill.
C) In recent years, consumers in California boycotted domestic cherries, demanding better
working conditions for agricultural laborers in the state.
D) Local growers could sell their products at a premium in domestic markets.
E) The economic globalization of redundant trade allows for the sharing of cultural norms and
values.

80

Even if a crime that has been committed by computer is discovered and reported, the odds of
being both arrested and convicted greatly favor the criminal.
Each of the following, if true, supports the claim above EXCEPT:
(A) The preparation of computer-fraud cases takes much more time than is required for
average fraud cases, and the productivity of prosecutors is evaluated by the number of good
cases made.
(B) In most police departments, officers are rotated through different assignments every two or
three years, a shorter time than it takes to become proficient as a computer-crime investigator.
(C) The priorities of local police departments, under whose jurisdiction most computer crime
falls, are weighted toward visible street crime that communities perceive as threatening.
(D) Computer criminals have rarely been sentenced to serve time in prison, because prisons
are overcrowded with violent criminals and drug offenders.
(E) The many police officers who are untrained in computers often inadvertently destroy the
physical evidence of computer crime.

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81

Analyst: The pace of technological development brings a constant stream of new devices to
the market, and many of them enjoy commercial success. But announcing new technology too
soon after the introduction of a successful device can backfire. Once consumers hear about
the new device, they may stop buying the one currently on sale. So, if a company wishes to
announce the upcoming sale of a new device, it should wait until purchases of the old device
have begun to decline. Which of the following, if true, would best support the analysts main
assertion?
A) New technology often becomes less expensive after an initial surge in sales.
B) Media outlets, such as television programs and magazines, often report on the planned
introduction of new devices while the sales of old devices are still strong.
C) Many consumers are unable to determine whether new technology is superior to current
technology.
D) Surveys have shown that some consumers make only one or two technology purchases
per year, whereas others make more frequent purchases.
E) Consumers tend to be loyal to technology companies whose products they enjoy using.

82

In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was believed in many coastal American cities that the
waterfront was an undesirable location for residential buildings. As a result, much of the
waterfront in these cities was never developed aesthetically and instead was left to industry
and commerce. Today, however, waterfront properties are generally seen as prestigious, as
evidenced by the large sums paid for homes along the beach front. A developer who wishes to
make a large profit would be wise to buy urban waterfront lots and erect residential buildings
on them. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim made about urban
waterfront properties?
A) People today have more money, relatively speaking, to spend on real estate than they did
in previous centuries.
B) Homeowners will be willing to spend large sums on residential properties in traditionally
industrial or commercial districts.
C) Many urban waterfront lots are available for purchase.
E) Many coastal American cities are encouraging developers to rehabilitate the waterfront
through tax incentives.
E) Properties in interior residential districts in coastal American cities are significantly more
expensive than those along the waterfront.

83

Medical education in the United States has focused almost exclusively on curative medicine,
while preventive care has been given scant attention. This is misguided. Medical schools
should invest as much time in teaching their students how to prevent illness as in teaching
them how to cure it. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?
A) Many contagious diseases can be prevented with vaccines.
B) In 1988, for every three cents the United States spent on prevention, it spent 97 cents on
curative treatment.
C) The number of students enrolled in medical school is the highest it has ever been.
D) More people die each year from disease than from accidental causes.
E) As the population grows, the number of doctors in certain specialties has not been keeping
pace.

29

84

Some animals, such as dolphins, dogs, and African grey parrots, seem to exhibit cognitive
functions typically associated with higher-order primates such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and
humans. Some parrots, for example, have vocabularies of hundreds of words that they can
string together in a comprehensible syntax. This clearly shows that humans and primates are
not the only animals capable of using language to communicate. One parrot, named Alex, has
been known to ask to be petted or kissed and will exhibit aggression if the gesture offered is
not the specific one requested. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the
conclusion above?
A) Dolphins can be trained to assist divers in ocean rescues.
B) Gorillas in captivity often learn hand signals for food and water.
C) Dogs are capable of sensing their owners moods and often exhibit concern if they sense
sadness.
D) Chimpanzees can memorize long sequences of key punches on machines that dispense
food.
E) Alex does not exhibit aggression when offered a gesture that he specifically requested.

85

The United States government uses only a households cash income before taxes to
determine whether that household falls below the poverty line in a given year; capital gains,
non-cash government benefits, and tax credits are not included. However, yearly cash income
is not a fool-proof measure of a given households disposable income. For example, retirees
who live off of capital gains from an extensive portfolio could earn hundreds of thousands of
dollars, yet be classified by the government as living in poverty because this income is not
included in the calculation. Which of the following, if true, validates the contention that the
governments calculation methods must be altered in order to provide statistics that measure
true poverty?
A) For more than 99% of those classified as living in poverty, yearly cash income comprises
the vast majority of each households disposable income.
B) While the governments calculation method indicated a 12.5% poverty rate in 2003, the
same calculation method indicated anywhere from a 9% to a 16% poverty rate during the
preceding decade.
C) Most established research studies conducted by the private sector indicate that the number
of people truly living in poverty in the U.S. is less than that indicated by the governments
calculation method.
D) Several prominent economists endorse an alternate calculation method which incorporates
all income, not just cash income, and adjusts for taxes paid and other core expenses.
E) The governments calculation method also erroneously counts those who do not earn
income in a given year but who have substantial assets on which to live during that year.

86

Betting on sports, even for small stakes among friends, is a form of gambling. Therefore, no
police officer should ever bet on sports. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the
conclusion that no police officer should ever bet on sports?
A) Gambling is illegal in many states and countries.
B) Some people who bet on sports are convicted criminals.
C) People who bet on sports sometimes can ill afford to lose the amounts they wager.
D) No police officer should ever gamble.
E) Many philosophers consider gambling to be immoral.

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87

To prevent overcrowding, last month the town zoning board limited the number of new
buildings that can be constructed in the town in any given year. The board claims that doing
so will preserve open spaces and lessen the strain on municipal resources such as schools
and garbage disposal. Critics of the changes argue that the plan will harm the community or,
at the very least, will fail in its purpose. Which of the following most supports the claims of the
critics of the plan?
A) Other towns have had mixed success with similar zoning plans.
B) No new schools have been built in the town in ten years.
C) Property taxes in the town are higher than in neighboring towns.
D) Under the new plan, developers may still erect apartment buildings.
E) The nearest garbage dump is several miles away from the town

88

At any given time, approximately fifteen percent of all homes in Florida are on the market. In
Texas, however, only seven percent of all homes are on the market at any given time.
Therefore, one will have a wider selection of homes to choose from if one looks for a home in
Florida rather than in Texas. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously strengthen
the argument above?
A) Homes in Florida tend to be less expensive than those in Texas.
B) Mortgages are easier to obtain for homes in Florida than for homes in Texas.
C) The construction industry in Texas has reported significant growth over the past year.
D) The cost of constructing new homes in Texas is higher than in Florida.
E) The total number of homes in Florida is three times greater than the total number in Texas.

89

State X recently decided to cut state funding for the public library system in County X. To help
counteract this cut in funding, the county library system has increased library late fees from
$.10 per day to $.12 per day. Since the fee increase, library administrators have seen no
decline in the number of overdue books. The director of the county library system concludes
that the fee hike has helped to counteract the cut in state funding. Which of the following
statements, if true, most strengthens the directors claim?
A) Since the fee increase, library administrators have noted a significant decrease in the
number of books borrowed each day.
B) The library system incurred minor costs to make its visitors aware of the late fee increase.
C) Since the fee increase, there has been no significant change in the average number of
days that books are overdue before they are returned.
D) The library system in County X tracks its books through a very advanced database system,
allowing library administrators to have access to very accurate statistics on the number of
overdue books at any given time.
E) Since the reduction in state funding, the library system in County X has eliminated 10% of
its staff, creating a 2% reduction in costs.

90

Ethanol is a derivative of corn and other grains. When burned as fuel, it emits significantly
lower levels of carbon monoxide, a major atmospheric pollutant, than does gasoline. For that
reason, environmentalists claim that ethanol is a better source of energy than gasoline. Which
of the following, if true, most strongly supports the environmentalists claim?
A) When burned as fuel, ethanol does not release any pollutants at higher levels than does
gasoline.
B) Ethanol is comparable in price to gasoline.
C) Available supplies of corn are sufficient to supply several years worth of ethanol.
D) Most gasoline companies already possess the technology to produce ethanol.
E) Ethanol can be used as heating fuel.

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91

In tests for pironoma, a serious disease, a false positive result indicates that people have
pironoma when, in fact, they do not; a false negative result indicates that people do not have
pironoma when, in fact, they do. To detect pironoma most accurately, physicians should use
the laboratory test that has the lowest proportion of false positive results.
Which of the following, if true, gives the most support to the recommendation above?
(A) The accepted treatment for pironoma does not have damaging side effects.
(B) The laboratory test that has the lowest proportion of false positive results causes the same
minor side effects as do the other laboratory tests used to detect pironoma.
(C) In treating pironoma patients, it is essential to begin treatment as early as possible, since
even a week of delay can result in loss of life.
(D) The proportion of inconclusive test results is equal for all laboratory tests used to detect
pironoma.
(E) All laboratory tests to detect pironoma have the same proportion of false negative results.

92

Almost every modern kitchen today is equipped with a microwave oven, mainly because
microwave ovens offer a fast and convenient way of cooking and reheating food. Indeed, it
has become a standard appliance in most households. Studies have shown, however, that
microwave ovens are not completely safe and their use has occasionally resulted in serious
injury. Because of this, some consumer advocates argue that microwave ovens should not be
so readily accepted as a standard appliance until they can be certified to be completely safe.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument of the consumer
advocates?
A) Microwave ovens have taken much of the joy out of cooking.
B) There have been many reported incidences of people who have been scalded by liquids
superheated in microwave ovens.
C) Absolute safety is the only criterion by which an appliance should be judged to be
acceptable as standard.
D) There is no such thing as a completely safe appliance.
E) Stoves and ovens that use natural gas consume energy much more efficiently than
microwave ovens.

93

Historically, the drug industry promoted its products to physicians by educating them in their
offices or at industry conferences. In the last 10 years, it has become much more
commonplace for drug companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers, via
television advertising and other media. Some public health advocates have become
concerned that patients, encouraged by advertising, may pursue the use of prescription drugs
that may be inappropriate for the individual patient or situation. However, since physicians
must prescribe these medications, there is no reason for such concern. Which of the following
pieces of information would be most helpful in addressing the concern articulated by the
public health advocates?
A) Certain over-the-counter medications are as effective for many common medical conditions
as more powerful nonprescription medications.
B) Prescription medication television advertisements directed at the general public only
appear on certain programs and are not seen by many potential consumers.
C) Physicians are also subject to prescription drug advertisements that are directed toward
consumers.
D) Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate
courses of treatment, including drug prescriptions.
E) Prescription medicines have been proven to be safe and effective treatments for many
patient conditions.

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94

Charter schools are independent public schools that are given greater autonomy in exchange
for increased accountability. Charter school operators are freed from many of the regulations
of the traditional public school bureaucracy, thereby allowing them to pursue more innovative
educational ideas than non-charter public schools can pursue. At the same time, charter
schools are held accountable for achieving specific educational outcomes and are closed
down if those outcomes are not met. Which of the following, if true, best supports the
assertion that students attending charter schools will, on average, perform better on
assessments of writing ability than students attending traditional public schools?
A) Students who attend schools that emphasize order and discipline perform worse on
assessments of writing ability than students who attend schools that do not emphasize order
and discipline.
B) The majority of students who score in the 99th percentile on assessments of writing ability
attend charter schools.
C) Public schools that operate outside of the traditional public school bureaucracy spend more
time teaching students writing than do traditional public schools.
D) Students who attend schools that are allowed to experiment with their writing curricula
perform better on assessments of writing ability than students who attend schools that have
less flexible curricula.
E) There are far more students attending non-charter public schools than students attending
charter schools.

95

Studies in restaurants show that the tips left by customers who pay their bill tend to be larger
when the bill is presented with the servers name handwritten on the bill. Psychologists
hypothesize that simply seeing a handwritten name makes many consumers feel more of a
personal identification with the server, encouraging larger tips. Which of the following, if true,
most strongly supports the psychologists interpretation of the studies?
A) The effect noted in the studies applies to patrons paying with either credit cards or cash.
B) Nametags for servers have not been shown to have any effect on the size of the bill.
C) Greeting card companies have found that charities which send holiday cards with
handwritten signatures are more likely to receive donations than those which send cards with
printed signatures.
D) The studies indicated much larger average tips if the customer ordered alcoholic
beverages with his or her meal.
E) Many of the restaurants in which the studies were conducted are located in tourist areas,
where people are traveling for leisure activities.

96

In January of last year, Fastfood King started using a new lowfat oil to cook its Fast Fries,
instead of the less healthful corn oil that it had been using. Now Fastfood King is planning to
switch back, saying that the change has hurt sales of Fast Fries. However, this claim is
incorrect, since according to Fastfood Kings own sales figures, Fastfood King sold 10 percent
more Fast Fries last year than in the previous year. Which of the following, if true, most
strongly supports the argument against Fastfood Kings claim?
A) Total sales of all foods at Fastfood Kings locations increased by less than 10 percent last
year.
B) Fastfood King enjoys higher profit margins on its Soft Drinks than it does on Fast Fries.
C) Fastfood Kings customers prefer the taste of Fast Fries cooked in corn oil to Fast Fries
cooked in lowfat oil.
D) The number of customers that visited Fastfood King locations was more than 20 percent
higher last year than the year before.
E) The year before last, Fastfood King experienced a 20 percent increase in Fast Fries sales
over the previous year.

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97

As an experienced labor organizer and the former head of one of the nations most powerful
labor unions, Grayson is an excellent choice to chair the new council on business-labor
relations.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
(A) The new council must have the support of the nations labor leaders if it is to succeed.
(B) During his years as a labor leader, Grayson established a record of good relations with
business leaders.
(C) The chair of the new council must be a person who can communicate directly with the
leaders of the nations largest labor unions.
(D) Most of the other members of the new council will be representatives of business
management interests.
(E) An understanding of the needs and problems of labor is the only qualification necessary
for the job of chairing the new council.

98

When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a certain action is taken, they
believe that they have learned that the prediction is correct when the action is taken and the
result occurs. On reflection, however, it often becomes clear that the result admits of more
than one interpretation.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the claims above?
(A) Judging the success of an action requires specifying the goal of the action.
(B) Judging which action to take after a prediction is made requires knowing about other
actions that have been successful in similar past situations.
(C) Learning whether a certain predictive strategy is good requires knowing the result using
that strategy through several trials.
(D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and
ineffective action is often impossible.
(E) Making a successful prediction requires knowing the facts about the context of that
prediction.

99

Federal agricultural programs aimed at benefiting one group whose livelihood depends on
farming often end up harming another such group.
Which of the following statements provides support for the claim above?
I. An effort to help feed-grain producers resulted in higher prices for their crops, but the higher
prices decreased the profits of livestock producers.
II. In order to reduce crop surpluses and increase prices, growers of certain crops were paid
to leave a portion of their land idle, but the reduction was not achieved because improvements
in efficiency resulted in higher production on the land in use.
III. Many farm workers were put out of work when a program meant to raise the price of grain
provided grain growers with an incentive to reduce production by giving them surplus grain
from government reserves.
(A) I, but not II and not III
(B) II, but not I and not III
(C) I and III, but not II
(D) II and III, but not I
(E) I, II and III

34

10
0

There are far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt.
Two million couples are currently waiting to adopt, but in 2005, the last year for which figures
exist, there were only some 50,000 adoptions.
Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the authors claim that there are
far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt?
(A) The number of couples waiting to adopt has increased significantly in the last decade.
(B) The number of adoptions in the current year is greater than the number of adoptions in
any preceding year.
(C) The number of adoptions in a year is approximately equal to the number of children
available for adoption in that period.
(D) People who seek to adopt children often go through a long process of interviews and
investigation by adoption agencies.
(E) People who seek to adopt children generally make very good parents.

10
1

A recent survey of all auto accident victims in Dole County found that, of the severely injured
drivers and front-seat passengers, 80 percent were not wearing seat belts at the time of their
accidents. This indicates that, by wearing seat belts, drivers and front-seat passengers can
greatly reduce their risk of being severely injured if they are in an auto accident.
The conclusion above is not properly drawn unless which of the following is true?
(A) Of all the drivers and front-seat passengers in the survey, more than 20 percent were
wearing seat belts at the time of their accidents.
(B) Considerably more than 20 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers in Dole County
always wear seat belts when traveling by car.
(C) More drivers and front-seat passengers in the survey than rear-seat passengers were very
severely injured.
(D) More than half of the drivers and front-seat passengers in the survey were not wearing
seat belts at the time of their accidents.
(E) Most of the auto accidents reported to police in Dole County do not involve any serious
injury.

10
2

Mr. Lawson: We should adopt a national family policy that includes legislation requiring
employers to provide paid parental leave and establishing government-sponsored day care.
Such laws would decrease the stress levels of employees who have responsibility for small
children. Thus, such laws would lead to happier, better-adjusted families.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
(A) An employees high stress level can be a cause of unhappiness and poor adjustment for
his or her family.
(B) People who have responsibility for small children and who work outside the home have
higher stress levels than those who do not.
(C) The goal of a national family policy is to lower the stress levels of parents.
(D) Any national family policy that is adopted would include legislation requiring employers to
provide paid parental leave and establishing government-sponsored day care.
(E) Most children who have been cared for in daycare centers are happy and well adjusted.

35

10
3

Black Americans are, on the whole, about twice as likely as White Americans to develop high
blood pressure. This likelihood also holds for westernized Black Africans when compared to
White Africans.
Researchers have hypothesized that this predisposition in westernized Blacks may reflect an
interaction between western high-salt diets and genes that adapted to an environmental
scarcity of salt.
Which of the following statements about present-day, westernized Black Africans, if true,
would most tend to confirm the researchers hypothesis?
(A) The blood pressures of those descended from peoples situated throughout their history in
Senegal and Gambia, where salt was always available, are low.
(B) The unusually high salt consumption in certain areas of Africa represents a serious health
problem.
(C) Because of their blood pressure levels, most White Africans have markedly decreased
their salt consumption.
(D) Blood pressures are low among the Yoruba, who, throughout their history, have been
situated far inland from sources of sea salt and far south of Saharan salt mines.
(E) No significant differences in salt metabolism have been found between those people who
have had salt available throughout their history and those who have not.

10
4

A recent spate of launching and operating mishaps with television satellites led to a
corresponding surge in claims against companies underwriting satellite insurance. As a result,
insurance premiums shot up, making satellites more expensive to launch and operate. This, in
turn, has added to the pressure to squeeze more performance out of currently operating
satellites.
Which of the following, if true, taken together with the information above, best supports the
conclusion that the cost of television satellites will continue to increase?
(A) Since the risk to insurers of satellites is spread over relatively few units, insurance
premiums are necessarily very high.
(B) When satellites reach orbit and then fail, the causes of failure are generally impossible to
pinpoint with confidence.
(C) The greater the performance demands placed on satellites, the more frequently those
satellites break down.
(D) Most satellites are produced in such small numbers that no economies of scale can be
realized.
(E) Since many satellites are built by unwieldy international consortia, inefficiencies are
inevitable.

10
5

Technological improvements and reduced equipment costs have made converting solar
energy directly into electricity far more cost-efficient in the last decade. However, the threshold
of economic viability for solar power (that is, the price per barrel to which oil would have to rise
in order for new solar power plants to be more economical than new oil-fired power plants) is
unchanged at thirty-five dollars.
Which of the following, if true, does most to help explain why the increased cost-efficiency of
solar power has not decreased its threshold of economic viability?
(A) The cost of oil has fallen dramatically.
(B) The reduction in the cost of solar-power equipment has occurred despite increased raw
material costs for that equipment.
(C) Technological changes have increased the efficiency of oil-fired power plants.
(D) Most electricity is generated by coal-fired or nuclear, rather than oil-fired, power plants.
(E) When the price of oil increases, reserves of oil not previously worth exploiting become
economically viable.

36

10
6

There is a great deal of geographical variation in the frequency of many surgical procedures
up to tenfold variation per hundred thousand between different areas in the numbers of
hysterectomies, prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies.
To support a conclusion that much of the variation is due to unnecessary surgical procedures,
it would be most important to establish which of the following?
(A) A local board of review at each hospital examines the records of every operation to
determine whether the surgical procedure was necessary.
(B) The variation is unrelated to factors (other than the surgical procedures themselves) that
influence the incidence of diseases for which surgery might be considered.
(C) There are several categories of surgical procedure (other than hysterectomies,
prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies) that are often performed unnecessarily.
(D) For certain surgical procedures, it is difficult to determine after the operation whether the
procedures were necessary or whether alternative treatment would have succeeded.
(E) With respect to how often they are performed unnecessarily, hysterectomies,
prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies are representative of surgical procedures in general.

10
7

Human beings can see the spatial relations among objects by processing information
conveyed by light. Scientists trying to build computers that can detect spatial relations by the
same kind of process have so far designed and built stationary machines. However, these
scientists will not achieve their goal until they produce such a machine that can move around
in its environment.
Which of the following, if true, would best support the prediction above?
(A) Human beings are dependent on visual cues from motion in order to detect spatial
relations.
(B) Human beings can often easily detect the spatial relations among objects, even when
those objects are in motion.
(C) Detecting spatial relations among objects requires drawing inferences from the information
conveyed by light.
(D) Although human beings can discern spatial relations through their sense of hearing, vision
is usually the most important means of detecting spatial relations.
(E) Information about the spatial relations among objects can be obtained by noticing such
things as shadows and the relative sizes of objects.

10
8

In Swartkans territory, archaeologists discovered charred bone fragments dating back 1

million years. Analysis of the fragments, which came from a variety of animals, showed that
they had been heated to temperatures no higher than those produced in experimental
campfires made from branches of white stinkwood, the most common tree around Swartkans.
Which of the following, if true, would, together with the information above, provide the best
basis for the claim that the charred bone fragments are evidence of the use of fire by early
hominids?
(A) The white stinkwood tree is used for building material by the present-day inhabitants of
Swartkans.
(B) Forest fires can heat wood to a range of temperatures that occur in campfires.
(C) The bone fragments were fitted together by the archaeologists to form the complete
skeletons of several animals.
(D) Apart from the Swartkans discovery, there is reliable evidence that early hominids used
fire as many as 500 thousand years ago.
(E) The bone fragments were found in several distinct layers of limestone that contained
primitive cutting tools known to have been used by early hominids.

37

Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43

D
B
B
B
B
E
A
B
E
B
E
E
E
E
B
A
B
C
A
A
D
E
C
A
A
A
A
C
B
A
C
A
B
C
C
C
D
E
D
C
B
B
C

38

44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93

A
B
A
C
C
D
E
D
C
B
E
B
B
C
B
B
A
A
B
C
C
B
D
E
C
A
D
E
E
E
C
B
C
A
B
A
D
B
B
A
E
C
D
D
E
C
A
E
C
D

39

94
95
96
97
98
99
10
0
10
1
10
2
10
3
10
4
10
5
10
6
10
7
10
8

D
C
A
E
D
C
C
A
A
A
C
C
B
A
E

40

Explanation
1

If MRI poses no risk, as opposed to angiograms, but are equally effective in

identifying an arterial blockage, this supports the recommendation that MRIs should
replace angiograms.

If the detergents in the two cartons were different, then clearly there was reason for
consumers to rate one detergent higher than the other. However, if the detergent
was the same, then we can easily conclude that packaging was the only reason
why consumers reported differently.

If a couple from Louisiana were to begin their family in Hawaii and their children
were to live longer, there 'must' be reasons other than heredity responsible for this.
If heredity were the cause, then whether a child lives in Louisiana or Hawaii (or
anywhere else for that matter), it would be inconsequential.
It has to be 'environmental factors' in Hawaii that favors longetivity.

The solution (high-speed ground transportion between major cities lying 200 to 500
miles apart) would relieve airport congestion, only if a lot of travellers boarding
flights currently are destined towards a location in the 200-500 mile range. This is
exactly what choice B states.

The suggestion that Affirmative action (more diversity in workforce by way of

inducing more minority and women workers) is good for business, can only be
ascertained if businesses with large percentages of minority and women workers
are those that have been the most innovative and profitable.

All other options actually weaken the conclusion (open air fires and wood burning
stoves should be banned).
Choice A says that the overall consumption of sugarcane decreased. This clearly
does not tell us why the profits of sugarcane growers increased during last three
years.

Choice B provides a benefit of nonhierarchical culture, owing to which people might

want to keep working in Summit. We have to support the claim that attrition is low
'because' people 'value' working in 'nonhierarchical work environment'.
Now imagine that you are working in Summit. According to D, it is not that you are
'happy' working in 'nonhierarchical work environment'; just that you 'avoid
discussing' your unhappiness. As you would appreciate, this fact (of avoiding
discussion of unhappiness) is not a factor why you would want to 'stay at Summit'.
So, D does not contribute to the higher employee retention at Summit.

Choice E mentions that people in Accounting are using the supplies of Billing.
Clearly that provides a reason that Billing is not wasting supplies.
Couple of reasons why C is not preferable:
a) C says that the work of Billing "now" requires a wider variety of clerical supplies
than it did in the past. But the argument does not mention specifically that only
"now" is the Billing expenditure for clerical supplies higher.
b) C says: "wider variety of clerical supplies"; but we cannot assume that wider

41

"variety" would translate into more expenditures. More "volumes" can translate into
more expenditures, but wider "variety" may definitely not translate into more
expenditures.
10

If funds are currently available for nonessential services, then the cuts would
obviously reduce these nonessential services only. B is addressing the core issue in
a more 'direct' direct manner. As per B, schools have e+n funds available right now
(e=funds for essential services; n=funds for non-essential services). This gives
reason to believe that further cuts would take away some or all the portion of n, but
hopefully leave funds for essential services (in other words, e would be intact).
C does not give any information about whether there are any funds 'n' left with
schools for non-essential services. If n=0, then any further cuts would directly force
schools to reduce expenditures for essential services, even if "price estimates" for
nonessential services have not increased substantially.

11

If what is mentioned in E is true, the congestion would reduced.

12
13

Note that E is also the assumption as it bridges the gap between todays world
(premise) and analyzing visual images (conclusion).
Note that this is also an assumption.

14

The sequence from the argument seems to be:

Iron-ore -> Process iron-ore -> scrap-iron -> Process scrap-iron -> steel
Notice scrap iron and iron ore are two different products here. The premise says
that iron ore can be mined cheaply; but E says that while that might be true,
building furnaces to process iron ore would be much more expensive than building
furnaces to process iron scrap.
Note that the entire argument is centered around the merits/demerits of scrap-iron
Vs iron-ore. D does not even mention iron-ore, so there is no way for us to compare
and figure out that processing iron-ore would make sense for country Y. D is
mentioning that scrap-iron would become increasingly important to build steel;
country Y is anyway using scrap iron. The point is whether it should "buy" scrap-iron
or should it "process" iron-ore itself to make scrap-iron. This issue is not getting
addressed at all in D.

15
16
17

Only B makes the conclusion valid.

The choice A would clearly achieve the intention of the premise.
If coins bearing the image of emperor who lived around A.D. 410 have been
discovered in the ruins of Cephesa, which were preserved by the cinders and ashes
that buried the city, then clearly city of Cephesa would not have buried in A.D.310.

18

If every current member of the U.S. Senate was elected as the candidate of one of
the two major parties, then clearly the imminent demise of the two-party system
does not look likely.

19

choice a suggests that a 'variable' compensation, where salaries depend upon the
performance of the athletes works better. In other words, million-dollar contracts
tend to weaken an athletes desire to excel.

20

The stimulus talks about money and human lives; choice a is not immediately
relevant to either of these attributes.
Choice d directly supports the stimulus that low pay and poor working conditions are
responsible for staffing shortage.

21

42

22

As per choice e, private airplanes not equipped with radar systems are primarily
responsible for midair collisions around centrally located airports. This statistic
strengthens the argument that reduction in the amount of private-plane traffic would
reduce the risk of midair collision around the centrally located airports.

23

Choice c illustrates how an established company just tried to cling to its product line
and continued to ignore innovation (calculator).
At places where the temperature range is still 50 degrees, the native fish species
are still able to reproduce (as per choice a). This supports the hypothesis that
sharply rising water temperatures must be involved in signaling the native species
to begin the reproductive cycle.

24

25

The argument suggests that many species have become extinct at the same time.
Choice a offers a possible explanation that some environmental disturbances affect
multiple species (and hence many species become extinct at the same time).

26

While the 'quantity' of vitamins in fortified cereals is sufficient (100% of

recommendated daily requirement), it is the 'quality' (as suggested by choice a) of
vitamin supplements that is an issue. Hence, the conclusion that natural well
balance breakfast is a better source of those vitamins.

27
28

All other choices except A do not support automakers position.

As choice C states, the market price for the crop increased. Farm program payment
= (Target price -Market price ). Since Market price increased, Farm program
payment dropped.

29

As per choice B, the subjects in the hospital study generally rated their abilities
more conservatively, but the hospital still found that those subjects still
underestimated the time, subjects outside the hospital would underestimate the time
even more (as per choice B). Hence, this supports the argument.

30

Because all those who park will have to pay a minimum of $4 ($2 more than earlier)
and A states that most of them park for less than 2 hours. or part thereof implies
that even if the parking is for less than 2hrs/4 hrs, people have to pay $2/$4
minimum charges.

31
32

Benefits mentioned in Choice C clearly benefit both the employee and employer.
Choice A states that because of depressed cotton prices, govt. was loosing
revenue. So, now that the cotton prices would rise because of govt. support, the
payments for govt.

33

Choice B shows that decline in Industrial discharges was not the reason for the
decline in level of river contamination. So, it must be because of decrease in use of
leaded gasoline.

34

Choice C states that All closed political systems are factional political systems.
Stimulus says that China is a closed system. So, clearly, it must be factional.
Note that the premise talks about decline in the use of illegal drugs by high school
seniors. The conclusion talks about decline in the use of illegal drugs by people
below the age of 20. So, we have to bridge this gap between high school seniors
and people below the age of 20. Choice C neatly bridges this gap by stating that
high school seniors are representative of the behavior of all people below 20.

35

36
37
38

Choice C states the reason why less energy in neurons was expended by people
who performed better.
Choice D clearly is an example that illustrates that the hypothesis worked.
Choice E clearly states that the odor of the pup inhibits maternal interest from
developing.

43

39

Clearly, if the experimental groups cognitive abilities were lesser than the control
groups cognitive abilities even before the experiment started, we cant conclude
anything about the experiments results.

40

Given that the advertisers expected their product sales to increase if they stayed
with the changed publication (as per choice C), but the advertisers still withdrew
their advertisement, gives an indication that they morally disapproved of publishing
salacious material.
How about A? A would in fact weaken the conclusion. The stimulus already says
that after changing the publication's content, the publication "appealed to a different
readership". A then mentions that advertisers switched to other family newspapers.
This clearly means that advertisers switched because the changed readership of
the publication was "not" the target audience of those advertisers. In other words,
advertisers did not switch because of "morality" issues, but because of the changed
profile of readers of the publication.

41

42

43
44
45
46
47

48
49

If biodegradable plastic beverage containers are made with more plastic than
comparable non-biodegradable plastic beverage containers (as stated in choice B),
and the plastic is not biodegradable (as mentioned in stimulus), then the conclusion
(no less plastic refuse per container is produced when such containers are
discarded than when comparable non-biodegradable containers are discarded) is
correct.
If industrial users can easily switch from potentially expensive natural gas to the
cheaper alternative of oil, natural gas prices would clearly remain low (less demand
for natural gas).
If world oil prices are predicted to rise, automakers elsewhere in the world would be
much more ready to introduce fuel-efficient technologies.
Note that the stimulus talks about rate of deaths and not number of deaths. Hence,
choice A is irrelevant.
Perhaps best arrived at by Process of elimination. Note that C merely re-iterates
what is already stated in the premisesthat the nests of bowers are different.
Perhaps best reached by Process of elimination; all other options are irrelevant to
the conclusion.
Premise says that most of the job losses were due to organizational changes.
However, choice D says that microelectronics was the reason for organizational
changes.
Since measles has declined, children are not developing immunity to Petersons
disease (as stated by C).
Stimulus mentions that chemicals emitted by potato roots cause the nematodes to
emerge. A company has identified (and manufactured) that chemical. However, for
this to be effective, we need some evidence that the synthetic chemical
manufactured by the company will be as effective as naturally occurring chemical
(produced by potato root) . Choice D provides that evidence.

50

Stimulus mentions that gunshot wounds and electrocutions are the most timeconsuming cases. So, we need to know how much of emergencies last year
involved gunshot wounds and electrocutions, to properly arrive at the conclusion
that excluding these will actually reduce the average ambulance turnaround time.
Choice E provides us that data.

51

Stimulus says that concern of consumers is probably the reason why stores have
started using smaller container. Choice D however, states that increase in revenues
because of smaller containers is the actual reason for stores to use smaller
containers. Hence, choice D undermines the explanation of the stimulus.

44

52

Stimulus says that wealthy special-interest groups are able to influence voters
views by means of television advertisements. However, for this to be effective, it
must also be true that people who take a an opposite stand cannot afford to run the
television advertisements.

53

Writewell hot line receives four times as many calls as the Express hot line despite
the fact that Express has three times the number of word-processing software
customers that Writewell has (as per choice B). This clearly strengthens the
conclusion that Writewells word-processing software must be more difficult to use
than Expresss.

54

The stimulus talks about 'high technology' while frozen foods, as mentioned in
choice e, are not in scope of this discussion.
While the issue at hand is with "earth's" resources, the stimulus argues that US
should exercise frugality in its resource consumption. For frugality of US
consumption to make any difference to earth's resources, it must be that US should
be consuming a significant proportion of world's resources.

55

56

Note that the agument first mentions that prehistoric humans must have labored
incessantly for their very survival and then depicts the life-style of the Mbuti to
conclude that perhaps this is not the case. The assumption (which strengthens the
conclusion as well) is that life-style of the Mbuti is similar to that of prehistoric
humans.

57

This is a tricky question. Note that the stimulus mentions that bacterium thrives in
the presence of the virus; we should 'not' infer from this that virus -> bacteria ->
virus (Hence, b is not correct).

58
59

Since both virus and bactria have been found in many cases (as per the stimulus
which says that bacteria thrives in the presence of virus) and virus 'alone' has been
found in many cases (option c), it must be true that virus is the cause of the
disease.
See how little choice b says, but looking at various other options, it is clear that the
only option that is 'definitely' true is option b.
Note what the recording companies say: "audio market is ruled by consumer
demand for ever-improved sound reproduction rather than by record manufacturers
profit-motivated marketing decisions". In other words, profit is not the motivation of
recording companies. However, choice b states that it is not just quality of sound but
also profit that contributes to the decision of the recording companies.

60

a shows that "aggressive sports" athletes became more aggressive during and after
the season. It also shows that the swimmers did not become more aggressive after
the swimming season. Therefore, it definitely strengthens the conclusion that certain
sports makes athletes more aggressive than other sports.

61

Cases where Y does not occur but X does (followed by Z), clearly suggest that X
may be the cause of Z.
Again, this is more of an "assumptions" question. Remember that these type of
assumption questions (that relates to "bridging the gap between the premise and
the conclusion") fit in very well with the "conclusion strengthening" questions as
well.

62

Primm basically says that teaching hospitals would not earn profits.
Nakai disagrees by saying that teaching hospitals have the ability to concentrate on
non-routine cases.
So, the assumption (in Nakai's statement) clearly is that if hospitals concentrate on

45

non-routine cases, they would be able to earn profits. In other words,

"Sophisticated, nonroutine medical care commands a high price" (option B).
Mr. Primm's point was that there would be no teaching hospitals, since teaching
hospitals have high cost of running. Ms. Nakai's argument combined with choice b
clarifies that while the 'cost' of running teaching hospitals might be high, the
'revenues' of such hospitals would also be high, since non-routine cases command
high price and so, profits would not be negatively effected.
63
64

Choice c provides a clear explanation for the decrease in palm fruit productivity,
after an initial increase.
Crashes that can occur due to absence of collision-avoidance systems and crashes
that can occur as a result of malfunctioning collision-avoidance systems are being
compared here. As choice c suggests, the risks with the latter are greater.

65

Since no coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before
that year were found in abundance, it must be that the city ceased to exist after A.D.
365.

66

As per traditional theory, snails in a inlet with a dark bottom and many predators,
should be dark-shelled, to camouflage against predators. However, light-shelled
snails in a calm inlet with a dark, rocky bottom and many predators, would support
the new theory.

67

Both produce same oil through transformation while passage says, number of
hydrocarbons acted by bacteria is more. So obviously oil estimates by geologists
are low.

68

Choice C explains both why fat in the blood of people suffering from acute cases of
disease W is lower (agent that causes acute W absorbs fat from blood) and why
reducing blood-fat levels is an effective way of preventing acute W (agent will not
have enough fat to absorb)

69

Constant exposure to antibiotics causes Resistance in bacteria. If antibiotics are

injected into all meat for consumption, then, if any meat is infected with bacteria,
those bacteria will develop resistance to the antibiotics. On consumption of such
infected meat, those resistant bacteria will be transmitted to humans.

70

Hotel T wants to increase profitability by eliminating in-room mini-bars and replacing

them with empty refrigerators. To increase Hotel T's profitability, the information
provided must demonstrate that the difference between Hotel T's revenues and
costs will increase as a result of the plan. (D) Correct. This fact establishes that
Hotel T is currently losing money on the mini-bars. While it makes money on the
mini-bar purchases of its guests, Hotel T actually loses more money because it
must discard mini-bar items that have not sold by their expiration dates. By
eliminating the mini-bars in favor of refrigerators, Hotel T will lose the income from
mini-bar purchases but save even more money because it no longer will have to
discard old mini-bar items. This will increase Hotel T's profitability.

71

League officials plan to reduce the number of flagrant fouls by implementing

mandatory suspensions for players who commit such fouls. This plan will work only
if the punishment serves to deter players from committing flagrant fouls. (E) Correct.
If players want to make the All-Star team, and if a record of suspension precludes
these players from being selected for the team, then players are less likely to
commit fouls that will lead to suspensions.

72

Note that this can also be an Assumption. Many a times, the assumption, when
stated as an answer choice, strengthens the conclusion.

46

73

Several of the largest senior citizens' organizations have elderly people therefore
critics state that .. though there are many elderly middle class people the
seriousness of the those people towards economically disadvantaged is in question.
thus conclusion is "the members are not serious towards economically
disadvantaged people" . E goes against saying that these people do have a good
purpose..

74

Since construction of new roads between County X and County Y is severely

restricted, this argument claims that building a commuter train between the counties
is a more cost-effective way to reduce congestion on Freeway Z than expanding the
existing freeway or building a new one. This plan will work only if people currently
driving on the freeway are likely to use the new commuter train. If the congestion is
caused largely by people driving between the two counties, then some of these
people would likely choose to use the train instead, decreasing traffic congestion on
the freeway. (C) Correct. This statement shows that a majority of the cars on
Freeway Z are driven by commuters. Commuters are more likely than other groups
to use the proposed train tunnel; if so, fewer cars would travel on the freeway, and
traffic congestion would decrease.
The definition of "commuter" is: a passenger train that is ridden primarily by
passengers who travel regularly from one place to another.
C clearly strengthens this by citing evidence that the current car congestion is due
to people who perhaps daily travel from County Y to X and vice versa.
Also, in Critical reasoning questions, please do use "process of elimination" very
effectively. Even if you did not figure out that C was the right answer, if you read
closely, none of the other options makes much sense.

75

Take an extreme example. Say number of automobiles built by Deluxe were only 10
in 1970 and 100 in 2008 (say). Then the companys claim that over half of all
automobiles built by the company since 1970 are still on the road today would mean
that 55 automobiles (half of 10+100) are on road, but this clearly does not mean
that automobiles built by Deluxe are highly durable, since most of the automobiles
were manufactured just in 2008. Hence, for Deluxes argument to be true, B must
also be true.

76

The argument claims that federal incentives should be provided to encourage

energy efficiency. The argument also notes that companies are already working in
this direction and that this trend will ease the environmental and energy pressures
that currently trouble the world. Supporting this argument could involve providing
evidence of possible success for these efforts toward their goals. (C) Correct. This
choice provides evidence that government incentives are effective. Thus, this
choice confirms an assumption that the conclusion is feasible.

77

The argument claims that wide dissemination of wireless access is now a practical
way to meet urban needs, based on the evidence of its successful use in rural
areas. The author then must assume that urban areas provide no additional
problems for wireless use. (A) Correct. This choice confirms an assumption of the
argument and thus strengthens the conclusion.

78

The argument concludes that, despite numerous protections, none of the manatees
can be considered safe. The Correct answer choice must support the assertion that
all manatees are threatened. (B) Correct. This choice explicitly states that all
manatees put themselves in harms way by swimming at depths that make them
vulnerable to the blades of motorboat engines.

47

79

The argument explains that certain domestic foods are exported to certain countries
and then imported from others, a practice that is seemingly redundant. The
argument then concludes, however, that there is a justifiable economic rationale for
this practice. The best answer must bolster this economic rationale. (A) Correct.
This choice explains that redundant trade allows for easier access to other desired
goods that are more efficiently produced abroad. This is an explicitly economic
rationale for redundant trade.

80

The argument is saying that computer criminals are not often arrested and
convicted. To be arrested, it involves police. To be convicted, it involves prosecutor.
All of the options point out that either police or prosecutor are incapable of doing
his/her job. In D, however, criminals are already convicted, but because of facility,
they aren't going to jail.

81

The conclusion is that a company should wait until purchases of an old device have
begun to decline before announcing a new device. The basis for this claim is that
consumers stop buying the old device. We are asked to strengthen the argument.
(B) Correct. This choice states that media outlets such as television and magazines
often report on the planned introduction of new devices while sales of old devices
are still strong. The argument requires that consumers "hear about the new device";
stories in the media provide a means for consumers to do so.

82

The conclusion is that a developer who wishes to make a large profit would be wise
to buy urban waterfront lots and erect residential buildings on them. The basis for
that claim is that people pay large sums for beach front homes. We are asked to
strengthen this argument. (B) Correct. This choice states that homeowners will be
willing to spend large sums of money on residential properties in traditionally
industrial or commercial districts. Since we know from the argument that urban
waterfronts have traditionally been industrial, this fact strengthens the claim that a
developer can make a profit on urban waterfront properties.

83

The conclusion is that medical schools are misguided. The basis for this claim is
that they pay little attention to preventive medicine. The argument would be made
stronger by a statement concerning the benefits of preventive medicine. (A) Correct.
Vaccines are a type of preventive medicine that have known benefits, i.e.,
preventing contagious diseases.

84

The conclusion of the argument is that humans and primates are not the only
animals capable of communicating with language. The basis for this claim is that a
parrot named Alex becomes upset when he is not given the gesture he verbally
requests. We are asked to strengthen the claim. (E) Correct. If Alex does not exhibit
aggression when offered a gesture that he specifically requested, it suggests that
Alex can tell the difference between the gestures that he requests and those that he
does not. In other words, he is a non-primate / non-human but he is communicating
via language. If he also exhibited aggression when offered the gestures he
requested, it would be more difficult to claim that he was communicating via
language.

48

85

86

The conclusion of the argument is that the government's calculation methods must
be altered in order to provide statistics that measure true poverty. To support this
position, the author first explains how the governments method works and then
introduces a hypothetical example that would return a "false positive" - that is, a
person who has a large income, yet is classified by the government as living in
poverty. One example, however, is generally not enough to invalidate an entire
method; no method is perfect and there are always a few results that are not
consistent with the overall conclusion. In order to validate, or strengthen, the
conclusion, we need to show that the governments method is fundamentally inferior
to some alternative that would produce more valid results. (C) Correct. If this
statement is true, then the governments calculation method seems to overstate the
number of people living in poverty, while the various private sector studies generally
agree with each other that the number of people is lower. Thus, the methods used
in the private sector are likely to be more valid than the governments method,
lending credence to the author's contention that the governments method should
change.
The conclusion of the passage is that no police officer should bet on sports. The
premise is that betting on sports is a form of gambling. In order for this conclusion to
follow logically from this premise, there must be an assumption identifying gambling
as something that no police officer should ever do. The most effective way to
strengthen the conclusion is to show that this assumption is true. (D) Correct. This
choice best strengthens the argument by making explicit the assumption upon
which the conclusion is logically dependent.

87

The Correct answer is D. The plan limits the number of new buildings that can be
constructed in the town in any given year. The rationale for the plan is that it will
preserve open spaces and relieve the pressure on schools and other municipal
resources. Critics claim that the plan will backfire or fail. We are asked to support
this prediction. If the goal of the plan is to prevent overcrowding, then choice D
supports the claims of the critics: apartment buildings will draw more residents to
the town than would private houses and thus the plan's goals would likely be
threatened.

88

The Correct answer is E. The conclusion is that "one will have a wider selection of
homes to choose from if one looks for a home in Florida rather than in Texas." Why?
Because 15% of all homes in Florida are on the market whereas only 7% of all
homes in Texas are on the market. This argument confuses percentages with
specific numbers. It is possible that 15% of the number of homes in Florida is
actually smaller than 7% of the number of homes in Texas. If the number of homes
in both states were the same, or if the number of homes in Florida were greater
than the number in Texas, the argument would be stronger. Choice E tells us that
the number of homes in Florida is greater, thus making the argument stronger.

49

89

The director concludes that the fee hike has helped to counteract the cut in state
funding. In other words, the director believes that increasing the late fees has led to
increased revenue from late fees. While the size of the fee itself is one important
factor, there are other factors that also have an effect on the amount of revenue
generated from late fees: the number of overdue books and the number of days that
books are overdue before they are returned. Its very possible that the fee increase
would prompt more borrowers to return their books on time; this would reduce the
number of late fees being paid, reducing revenue from late fees. Further, its
possible that the fee increase would prompt more borrowers to return their already
overdue books sooner than they would otherwise. This would reduce the average
amount of each late fee, reducing revenue from late fees. The argument explicitly
states that there has been no decline in the number ofoverdue books, but it says
nothing about the number of days that books are overdue before they are returned.
A statement that rules out the possibility that borrowers are returning their already
overdue books sooner than they would have if they were still being charged the
original lower overdue fee would strengthen the directors claim. (C) Correct. This
statement rules out the possibility that the library system is losing revenue as a
result of borrowers returning overdue books earlier than they would otherwise.

90

The environmentalists claim that ethanol is superior to gasoline because it emits

lower levels of carbon monoxide, a known pollutant. This claim, however, assumes
that ethanol does not release any other pollutants at levels greater than does
gasoline. If ethanol released twenty times more sulfur into the environment than
does gasoline, for example, perhaps it would be a less attractive alternative. (A)
Correct. This establishes that ethanol is less polluting than gasoline.

91

The most ideal test would perhaps have been the test which has the least false
negative, since we dont want the test to indicate that a person does not have
pironoma, when he has. However, since all tests have same proportion of false
negative results, the best option is to use the tests that have the lowest proportion
of false positive results.

92

The passage makes the premise that microwave ovens are not completely safe.
This is followed by a conclusion by the consumer advocates that microwave ovens
should not be accepted as standard appliances. Since there is nothing in the
passage that provides an explicit link between the safety of microwave ovens and
their acceptability as standard appliances, the consumer advocates conclusion is
based on an assumption (i.e., an implied premise) that an appliance should be
accepted as standard only if it is found to be completely safe. The most effective
way to strengthen such a conclusion is to show that such an assumption is indeed
true. (C) Correct. This choice best strengthens the argument by making explicit the
assumption upon which the consumer advocates argument was based.

93

The public health advocates are concerned that patients are subjected to
advertisements about prescription drugs, and may pursue these drugs even though
the drugs may not be clinically appropriate. It is argued that, because physicians
must prescribe the drugs in question, patient pursuit of these prescription drugs is
irrelevant. However, patients who pursue and request particular prescription drugs
may be able to encourage or induce a physician to prescribe drugs that he or she
might not have in the absence of such encouragement. (D) Correct. This answer
choice directly addresses the public health advocates concern by establishing that
physicians are not susceptible to patient pressure in prescribing inappropriate
drugs. As a result, drugs will be prescribed according to the objective clinical
judgment of the prescribing physician, mitigating the danger of inappropriate use.

50

94

The question asks for information that will support the conclusion that students
attending charter schools will, on average, perform better on assessments of writing
ability than students attending traditional public schools. The passage specifies that
charter schools differ from non-charter public schools in that charter schools have
more freedom to innovate and that they are held accountable for meeting specific
educational outcomes. One way to support the conclusion is to demonstrate that
one of the two differences cited between charter and non-charter public schools is
somehow tied to higher performance on writing assessments. (D) Correct. The
passage specifies that charter schools have more freedom to pursue innovative
educational ideas than non-charter public schools. It follows that charter schools are
allowed to experiment with their curricula to a greater degree than non-charter
public schools. This choice links this difference to higher student achievement on
assessments of writing ability.

95

This argument concerns a potential explanation for larger tips on the part of
restaurant patrons. The explanation provided is that customers are more generous
toward servers that leave their hand-written name on the bill due to a greater
degree of personal identification with the server, which encourages larger tips. The
correct answer will either support the fact that a hand-written name strengthens
personal identification, or that personal identification encourages larger tips. (C)
Correct. This answer choice provides further evidence that a handwritten name or
signature generates a greater form of personalization and emotional connection
among recipients, leading to more donations. (D) The impact of alcoholic beverages
on tipping behavior is irrelevant.

96

This argument concerns the impact of the change in cooking oil used by Fastfood
King, and whether or not this change had an adverse impact on sales. It is given
that sales of Fast Fries increased by 10 percent subsequent to the change. The
issue is whether or not this 10 percent increase compares favorably to the increase
one would expect taking other factors into account, including in particular the
percentage increase enjoyed by Fastfood Kings other offerings. A. Correct. This
statement indicates that Fastfood Kings total food sales increased by less than 10
percent. As the sales of Fast Fries increased at a higher rate of 10 percent, this
strongly suggests that the change to lowfat oil did not adversely impact the sales of
Fast Fries.

97

This is a tricky problem. Notice that if e were to be the only qualification

(understanding of the needs and problems of labor) required, Grayson would be
perfectly suited.

98

Basically action - result1,result2 (multiple results from the same action)

A prediction is regarded correct if an action can be mapped to a result.
So action - result 1 (correct prediction)
Action - result 2 (in-correct prediction)
So basically for the statements to be true, there should be a way to distinguish what
effective action produces what result and does this combination make an effective
prediction.
Basically, the "claim" that we need to support is that "the result admits of more than
one interpretation". The stimulus details out how when people see that when a
result occurs (and the action is taken), people believe that their prediction is correct.
The author of the stimulus however claims that the result itself is "subjective" and
can be interpreted any which way.
And D supports the author's claim by stating that indeed, there is no "objectivity"

51

(Distinguishing between X and Y is often impossible) in either the prediction or the

action.
99

Choice II does not explicitly suggest that any group was harmed, and hence, is not
correct.

10
0

Note that choice c is an assumption as well. The stimulus talks about two things: 1.
No. of couples waiting to adopt and 2. No. of adoptions. By providing figures for
these two parameters, the stimulus concludes that no. of children available for
adopton are fewer than the no. of couples who want to adopt. This conclusion will
only be correct if choice c is true.
Otherwise, it is possible that there are children waiting to be adopted, but couples
have (say) a specific choice and so, are not willing to adopt the children available
for adoption.

10
1

Let us say survey was conducted on 100 auto accident victims. Let us say out of
these 100 auto accident victims, 10 were seriously injured. The survey found that
out of the 10 seriously injured people, 8 were not wearing seatbelts and only 2 were
wearing seatbelts. On the basis of these statistics, the survey concludes that seat
belts can greatly reduce the risk of being severely injured.
For example, suppose just 10 of the accident victims were wearing seat belt at the
time of the accident. In that case,
% of people wearing seat belt, who were seriously injured = 20% (2/10)
% of people not wearing seat belt, who were seriously injured = 8.9% (8/90)
So, we find that % of people wearing seat belt who were seriously injured is actually
even more than % of people not wearing seat belt who were seriously injured.
The conclusion of the stimulus would be correct only if more than 20 people were
wearing seat belts at the time of their accidents.

10
2

Carefully read the stimulus. It says that such laws would decrease the stress levels
of employees who have responsibility for small children. "Thus", such laws would
lead to happier, better-adjusted families.
This is more an assumption question and the assumption clearly is that an
employees high stress level can be a cause of unhappiness and poor adjustment
for his or her family.
Remember, the Assumptions that fill the gap between premise and conclusion, help
"strengthen the conclusion".
Let us say, the stimulus says: George is 6 feet tall. Hence, he should be in the
basket-ball team.
An option that will strengthen this conclusion (that George should be in the basketball team) would be: Everyone 6 feet tall and more is in the basketball team.
(Please note that this is also the assumption in this stimulus).
Similarly in this question. The stimulus basically says:
Such laws would decrease the stress levels of employees who have responsibility
for small children. Thus, such laws would lead to happier, better-adjusted families.

52

The assumption is clearly: Stress levels can contribute to unhappiness and poorlyadjusted families.
This is a typical Type-1 Assumption question (one that fills the gap between premise
and conclusion), and hence neatly fits into "Strengthen the Conclusion" category.
Let us put this assumption as "part" of the premise.
An employees high stress level can be a cause of unhappiness and poor
adjustment for his or her family. The proposed law would decrease the stress levels
of employees who have responsibility for small children. Now we can safely
conclude: Thus, such laws would lead to happier, better-adjusted families.
In other words,
Stress levels cause unhappiness (option A); laws would decrease stress levels =>
laws would lead to happier families.
Basically, the premise talks about laws that would decrease the "stress levels".
Conclusion suddenly takes a big "jump" and mentions "happiness". So, we have to
look for an option that establishes a relationship between "stress levels" and
"happiness". Option A establishes this link.
On the other hand, B would not be correct because the entire argument is not about
"comparing" the stress levels of people who work outside their home Vs people who
do not work outside their home. That is also where the we need to understand the
"scope" of the argument. Here, the scope of the argument is limited to people who
work and have small children. Now, how do these people fare against people who
don't work; this is irrelevant to the argument. Also, B does not establish any
relationship between "stress levels" and "happiness".
10
3

The stimulus says that the genes of the Blacks perhaps adapted to scarcity of salt,
but when they interacted with high-salt diets, they developed high blood pressure.
Choice a corroborates this, since blood pressure of people from places where there
was no scarcity of salt, was found to be low.
Hence for other Blacks, it must be the (adaptation of genes to) scarcity of salt that
contributes to high blood pressure.

10
4

10
5

10
6

The stimulus says that the insurance premiums have shot up, making satellites
more expensive to launch and operate. Since not many satellistes are being
launched, there is pressure to squeeze more performance out of currently operating
satellites.
In view of this information, if choice c is true, currently operating satellistes will more
frequently break down, leading to an increase in the cost of television satellites.
Choice A says that the oil price fell dramatically. If this were true, the threshold value
for solar power would go up dramatically. But in the argument, it says that the
threshold value has been steady at 35. Therefore A has to be incorrect.
Also, the threshold value hasn't gone down. This must mean that the relative
difference between the efficiencies of solar and oil remain the same. We know that
the efficiency of solar has increased. Hence the efficiency of oil HAS to increase.
Basically we have to look at an answer choice that provides some evidence that
many surgical procedures are unnecessary.
A however, says exactly the opposite: According to A, a local board of review at

53

each hospital examines the surgical procedure to ensure that surgical procedure
was necessary. So, if A is true, then chances are actually "minimal" that there would
be unnecessary surgical procedures. What we have to prove is the opposite: many
surgical procedures "are" unnecessary.
Now coming to B. Let us forget surgical procedures for now. Consider the premise
that every 20 people out of 100 people in Bangalore are prescribed "anti-allergy"
medicine by the Doctors in Bangalore, while only 2 people out of 100 people in
Delhi are prescribed "anti-allergy" medicine by the Doctors in Delhi. So, basically a
tenfold variation (2 Vs 20) in the number of people being prescribed "anti-allergy"
medicine by the Doctors.
For us to "strengthen the conclusion" that much of the "anti-allergy" medicine
prescribed by the Doctors in Bangalore is "un-necessary", we would have to prove
that there is no other factor/difference between Bangalore and Delhi, that "justifies"
prescripiton of so many "anti-allergy" medicine by the Doctors in Bangalore. For
example, since we know that Bangalore does have an allergic weather (pollens in
the atmosphere), we know that Doctors in Bangalore are not perhaps prescribing so
many "anti-allergy" medicines unnecessarily.
Hence, to establish that medicine prescribed by the Doctors in Bangalore is "unnecessary", we have to make sure that there are no factors (such as weather etc.)
that influence the incidence of disease (in this case cold).
This is exactly what B says: The variation is unrelated to factors that influence the
incidence of diseases for which surgery might be considered.
10
7

Since human beings use cues from motion to detect spatial relations, and
computers are also modeled to use same kind of process, then computers should
also move.

10
8

We already know from the text that these charred bones came from animals. we
also know that they were heated to high temperatures and most probably branches
of trees in question had been used. We only have to find the agents of the action.
And only E gives the best choice.

54