All practice questions

Match each conditional statement regarding corporate merger regulations on the left with its logically valid contrapositive on the right.

Epidemiologist: Some policymakers advocate restricting our limited antiviral stockpiles exclusively to the most vulnerable demographics, reasoning that this approach most efficiently reduces immediate mortality. This restriction strategy, however, will ultimately compromise the safety of the very population it aims to shield. Allowing a pathogen to circulate unabated among low-risk groups ensures an exponentially higher number of viral replication events than would occur under a universal distribution model. Consequently, the targeted restriction strategy will dramatically accelerate the pathogen's overall rate of mutation. Genetic errors, after all, occur at a fixed frequency per replication event. And an accelerated mutation rate drastically increases the likelihood that a treatment-resistant strain will emerge to render the stockpiled antivirals useless.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the epidemiologist's argument by the statement that the targeted restriction strategy will dramatically accelerate the pathogen's overall rate of mutation?

An art historian is analyzing a disputed Renaissance-style painting to determine its true origin. To resolve the debate, the historian employs an argument by elimination, systematically testing four competing hypotheses against forensic and historical evidence. By ruling out each proposed origin using mutually exclusive physical or stylistic contradictions, the historian aims to isolate the single valid explanation. Match each of the four proposed hypotheses regarding the painting's origin with the specific piece of evidence the historian uses to successfully eliminate it.

According to the newly established directives by the Orbital Commerce Commission, a commercial satellite launch qualifies for priority scheduling only if the launching corporation submits a comprehensive debris mitigation plan and at least one of the following occurs: the payload serves a registered humanitarian function, or an independent aerospace auditor certifies the vehicle's structural integrity.

Which of the following statements must be logically true based on the directives above?

Construct a logically sound, multi-step argument by placing the following claims in their correct sequential order, starting with foundational premises and building through intermediate deductions to the ultimate conclusion.

All amphibians that inhabit the alpine tundra rely on the nectar of the *Saxifraga* plant during their larval stage. Most species that rely on *Saxifraga* nectar during their larval stage are capable of surviving sub-zero temperatures. Furthermore, any species capable of surviving sub-zero temperatures possesses elevated levels of blood glucose.

Based on the information provided, which of the following must be true? (Select all that apply)

According to the planetary geology archives:

- Every meteorite classified as a Type C chondrite contains elevated levels of iridium.
- Any meteorite containing elevated levels of iridium is designated as a Class-1 research priority by the Astromaterials Board.
- No meteorite recovered from the Antarctic glacial surface is designated as a Class-1 research priority unless it is a newly discovered fragment that has not been previously cataloged.
- Some meteorites classified as Type C chondrites were recovered from the Antarctic glacial surface, and most of these are exceptionally well-preserved.

Based on the information provided, which of the following statements must be true? (Select all that apply.)

Match each ethical principle of scientific data sharing to the factual scenario it most strictly governs based on its conditional logic.

During a public symposium on the integration of artificial intelligence in the judicial system, various panelists presented arguments regarding the proposed 'Auto-Magistrate' system. Which of the following arguments presented at the symposium contain an illegitimate appeal to authority, emotion, or majority? (Select all that apply)

Biologist: The presence of xylotoxin in the venom of the deep-sea viperfish has traditionally been explained as an evolutionary adaptation for immobilizing highly evasive prey. However, we now know that the viperfish's primary food source, the sluggish abyssal slug, possesses complete immunity to xylotoxin. Given that the viperfish only rarely encounters highly evasive species in its deep-sea habitat, the xylotoxin must actually serve a strictly non-predatory physiological function.

Evaluate the following statement regarding the argument above:

The biologist's argument logically depends on the assumption that an evolutionary trait cannot be maintained in a species exclusively for a predatory function that is utilized only on rare occasions.

Literary Critic: The newly unearthed manuscript attributed to the 16th-century playwright Thomas Kyd is undoubtedly a modern forgery. We can be certain of this because Marcus Vance, the world’s most celebrated abstract painter, has read the text and publicly stated that its emotional depth feels entirely modern.

Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the reasoning of the literary critic's argument?

Match each of the following argument excerpts to the precise abstract description of the logical fallacy it commits.

Match each of the logically flawed arguments below to the abstract description that most accurately identifies its specific error in reasoning regarding the relationship between parts and wholes.

Match each logical argument to the specific statement that, if assumed, enables the argument's conclusion to be properly drawn.

Archaeologist: The abandonment of the thriving ancient settlement of Kelior is generally attributed to a century-long regional drought. However, isotopic analysis of soil strata indicates that less than a decade before the abandonment, Kelior's farmers abruptly transitioned from cultivating teff, a highly drought-resistant grain, to a variety of water-intensive marsh-rice. Therefore, it was actually this ill-advised agricultural pivot, rather than the drought alone, that precipitated the settlement's collapse by engineering a catastrophic famine.

The archaeologist's argument relies on which one of the following assumptions?

Consider the following argument:

'Dr. Varma, a prominent economist, argues that abolishing the capital gains tax will increase overall wealth equality. However, Dr. Varma is extremely wealthy and would personally save millions of dollars if the tax were abolished. Given this glaring financial bias, we must conclude that her economic projections regarding wealth equality are false.'

Statement: The argument above is logically sound because a proponent's massive personal financial conflict of interest provides sufficient logical grounds to deduce that their empirical claims are false.

Match each of the following flawed arguments (Left) with the abstract logical description of its specific sampling or survey error (Right).

Every painting acquired by the city museum before 1900 is considered part of the permanent collection. Therefore, every painting acquired by the museum before 1900 must be displayed on the first floor of the building.

Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the argument's conclusion to be properly drawn?

Review the following four scenarios, each containing a distinct methodological error related to data collection. Pair each scenario with the corresponding logical flaw description.

Match each flawed argument with the abstract description that best identifies the specific type of source-based reasoning error (ad hominem) it commits.