All practice questions

A recent study of municipal programs found that cities instituting "pay-as-you-throw" waste disposal systems—where residents are charged a fee based on the weight of their non-recyclable trash—saw a 40 percent increase in the total tonnage of materials collected in residential recycling bins during the first year. The study's authors conclude from this that the financial penalty successfully motivated residents to properly sort and recycle a much larger proportion of their eligible household waste.

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

Which of the following arguments contain a reasoning flaw that arises specifically from confusing a necessary condition with a sufficient condition? Select all that apply.

Agricultural researchers recently noted a strong statistical correlation in the region of Valesia over the last decade: during the years when farmers planted the highest percentage of the newly developed 'Sun-Yield' wheat variety, the region also experienced the most severe outbreaks of the locust plague. The researchers concluded that the unique biological makeup of the Sun-Yield wheat must be attracting the locusts to the region.

Which of the following, if true, most effectively demonstrates that the researchers' conclusion is flawed? (Select all that apply.)

A recent survey of corporate executives found that those who take frequent vacations are significantly more likely to receive promotions than those who take few vacations. The researchers concluded that taking time off from work reduces burnout, which in turn leads to career advancement.

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

An anthropologist studied several isolated farming communities in the Andean highlands. The study revealed that communities primarily cultivating a specific heirloom variety of quinoa have significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease than neighboring communities that cultivate standard commercial crops. Based on this observation, the anthropologist concluded that consuming this heirloom variety of quinoa provides unique protective benefits for cardiovascular health.

Which of the following are necessary assumptions required by the anthropologist's argument? (Select all that apply.)

Sociolinguist: In the isolated community of Vespera, young adults use traditional idioms far less frequently than older adults do. Based on this observation, some researchers conclude that traditional idioms in Vespera are inevitably dying out. This conclusion is unwarranted. Young adults in Vespera are systematically excluded from the Council of Elders, a prestigious governing body where the use of traditional idioms is both expected and heavily utilized during all proceedings.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the sociolinguist's argument?

Sociologist: A successful democracy requires an informed electorate. However, a populace can be considered truly informed only if a significant majority consumes media from a diverse array of ideological perspectives. Recent studies reveal that, driven by algorithmic curation, over 80 percent of voters in our nation consume news exclusively from sources that mirror their pre-existing political biases. Therefore, our nation's democratic institutions are inevitably headed for collapse.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the sociologist's argument?

Transportation Safety Board Director: A decade ago, mechanical failures accounted for $12\%$ of all commuter train cancellations nationwide. Last year, mechanical failures were responsible for $38\%$ of all commuter train cancellations. Because the standards for classifying a cancellation as due to a 'mechanical failure' have remained entirely unchanged throughout this ten-year period, it is clear that the actual number of commuter trains canceled because of mechanical issues has increased significantly.

The director's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it...

Agricultural Commissioner: Over the past five years, the proportion of our region's total farmed acreage dedicated to growing the new drought-resistant sorghum has increased from 10 percent to 30 percent. Since farmers typically only expand the cultivation of a crop when it proves highly profitable, the absolute number of acres dedicated to growing drought-resistant sorghum in our region must be exactly three times what it was five years ago.

Which of the following statements must be true in order for the Agricultural Commissioner's conclusion to be logically drawn? Select all that apply.

Public Health Official: A newly constructed water treatment facility in the county uses a chemical agent called Florazine to eliminate bacterial contaminants. Florazine has been proven in laboratory settings to neutralize beneficial aquatic microbes alongside harmful bacteria. Because these beneficial microbes are critical for breaking down heavy metals in the water supply, implementing this new treatment process will ultimately lead to a rise in neurological disorders among county residents.

Which of the following statements must be assumed for the public health official's conclusion to be logically drawn? Select all that apply.

Retail Executive: Our new digital advertising strategy, implemented at the beginning of last year, has been a resounding success in boosting our online sales. In the year before the strategy was implemented, online sales accounted for just 15 percent of our total revenue. Last year, however, online sales made up a full 35 percent of our total revenue. It is clear that the new strategy brought in significantly more online revenue than we generated previously.

Which of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the retail executive's reasoning?

Art historian: The newly discovered 16th-century painting *The Solitary Scholar* contains lapis lazuli, a blue pigment that was exorbitantly expensive at the time. Only artists backed by wealthy patrons could afford to use lapis lazuli extensively in their works. Given that historical records confirm the artist, Vincenzo, died in poverty and never secured a wealthy patron, *The Solitary Scholar* must have been a collaborative effort with an artist who could afford such materials.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the art historian's argument?

Analyze the following four arguments. Pair each argument with the abstract description that most accurately identifies its reasoning error.

Consider the four policy-related arguments presented below. Which universal principle must be assumed to definitively justify the conclusion of each respective argument?

Management Consultant: Any organization that achieves long-term market dominance must have continuously invested in research and development. VestraTech Industries has recently committed a substantial portion of its annual budget to continuous research and development. We can conclude, therefore, that VestraTech Industries is guaranteed to achieve long-term market dominance.

Which of the following best describes the flaw in the management consultant's reasoning?

Financial Regulator: The creators of the 'Equi-Loan' software claim their algorithm produces unbiased loan decisions. To prove this, they demonstrated that the system is trained exclusively on objective data: the strictly factual, verifiable historical records of bank loan approvals and denials over the past fifty years. Since the software's outputs are mathematically derived solely from this objective data, the regulator concludes that the algorithm's loan decisions are indeed objective and therefore unbiased.

The regulator's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it

Urban Sociologist: To foster a stronger sense of community, the city council is converting several downtown streets into pedestrian-only zones. Currently, residents rarely interact with one another in these areas because heavy vehicle traffic makes the streets excessively noisy and dangerous. By eliminating cars from these specific streets, the city will ensure that residents socialize more frequently, thereby successfully strengthening community bonds.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the urban sociologist's argument?

We can conclude that the majority of modernist civic centers designed in the mid-twentieth century suffer from severe thermal regulation issues. After all, most of these civic centers incorporate extensive raw concrete facades, and it is well documented that most structures incorporating extensive raw concrete facades suffer from such thermal issues.

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

Zoologist: In colonies of the red-crested macaque, individuals that regularly share food with non-kin spend significantly less time engaging in social grooming. Social grooming is the primary behavior through which macaques establish and maintain their position in the colony's hierarchy. Therefore, by regularly sharing food with non-kin, these macaques are actively diminishing their social standing.

Which of the following statements function as a valid supporter assumption required to bridge the logical gap in the zoologist's argument? (Select all that apply)

For each scenario provided on the left, identify the abstract description on the right that most precisely isolates the apparent logical discrepancy presented in the stimulus. One abstract description will remain unmatched.