All practice questions

The city council should not approve the proposed zoning changes that would allow high-density residential buildings in the historic district. Sylvia Vance, a globally recognized and award-winning classical pianist who has lived in the district for a decade, argues passionately that such zoning changes will inevitably lead to a severe decline in municipal tax revenues.

Which one of the following arguments contains a flaw in reasoning that is most similar to the flaw in the argument above?

Sociologist: Analysts argue that corporate "right to disconnect" policies cause employee anxiety by compressing workloads into fewer hours. They cite a survey showing employees at companies with these policies report significantly higher anxiety than those at companies without them. These analysts are mistaken. The survey data reveals these policies were adopted almost exclusively by companies in the notoriously high-stress financial sector. Therefore, the elevated anxiety levels reported by employees subject to these policies are attributable to the demanding nature of their industry, not to the policies themselves.

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

Match each argument (composed of a premise and a conclusion) with the sufficient assumption required to make its conclusion logically follow.

Records from the coastal region of Veltierra show that over the last twenty years, the rate of structural failure among seawalls constructed using a newly introduced synthetic material, Duracrete, is significantly higher than the structural failure rate for seawalls built with traditional concrete during the exact same period. Based on these records, a civil engineering task force concluded that Duracrete is inherently less resilient to Veltierra's corrosive marine environment than traditional concrete is.

The task force's conclusion depends on which one of the following assumptions?

A biological organism possesses phenomenal consciousness only if it can encode episodic memories of its surroundings. Field observations establish that cephalopods, particularly octopuses, consistently demonstrate multi-stage problem-solving behaviors when navigating novel enclosures. Therefore, it follows that octopuses must be capable of encoding episodic memories of their surroundings.

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

An artificial intelligence cannot truly understand human emotional responses unless it is capable of experiencing somatic markers—the physical sensations that accompany emotional states in biological organisms. Because no currently existing silicon-based neural network possesses the biological hardware necessary to generate somatic markers, it is clear that no existing silicon-based neural network can effectively replicate human empathy. After all, complex cognitive states depend heavily on their underlying physical architecture.

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

A comprehensive analysis of fossilized hominid dental remains from the Pleistocene epoch reveals a distinct pattern: populations residing in high-altitude environments exhibited significantly greater enamel thickness compared to their low-altitude contemporaries. Because thicker enamel provides increased resistance to the rapid abrasive wear caused by masticating tough, fibrous vegetation, anthropologists conclude that the harsh conditions of high-altitude environments must have forced these hominids to rely heavily on such vegetation for their caloric needs.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the anthropologists' argument depends?

In the 1920s, several textile factories switched their primary power source from steam engines to newly available electric motors. Over the following year, the factories that made this switch reported a substantial drop in the rate of workplace accidents. Based on this record, labor historians concluded that electric motors are inherently safer to operate than steam-powered machinery.

The labor historians' argument depends on which one of the following assumptions?

Match each flawed argument to the abstract description that best identifies its specific sampling or survey error.

Read the following argument:

Recently, a major commercial airline switched from standard aluminum cargo containers to containers made from a newly developed carbon composite. In the first year of using the composite containers, the airline reported a 12 percent reduction in overall fuel consumption per flight. The airline's management concluded that the lighter weight of the new composite containers caused the reduction in fuel consumption.

Statement: For the management's conclusion to be logically drawn, the argument must assume that the airline did not simultaneously implement new fuel-efficient flight routing procedures during that same year.

City Planner: To reduce traffic congestion in our downtown area, we must implement a new zoning policy that restricts the construction of new commercial office buildings exclusively to the city's periphery. Since the majority of downtown traffic is generated by commuters traveling to and from office buildings, limiting new offices downtown will naturally halt the increase in traffic. Furthermore, this policy will eventually lead to a significant reduction in overall downtown traffic as older downtown office buildings are repurposed for other uses.

Which of the following are necessary assumptions on which the city planner's argument depends? (Select all that apply)

Analyze each of the logically flawed arguments below. Pair each argument with the abstract description that most precisely identifies its specific error in reasoning regarding the relationship between parts and wholes.

If agricultural yields are to be sustained over the next century, topsoil erosion must be drastically reduced. Drastically reducing topsoil erosion requires the widespread adoption of no-till farming techniques. The government’s new agricultural subsidy program will ensure the widespread adoption of these no-till techniques. Therefore, the new subsidy program will guarantee that agricultural yields are sustained over the next century.

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

Mayor: Over the last two decades, the population of our city has steadily increased by exactly 5 percent every year. The city is currently facing a housing shortage. Based on this historical data, we can conclude that the city's population will definitely grow by 5 percent next year, exacerbating the housing shortage.

Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the mayor's reasoning?

Bilinguals consistently exhibit enhanced executive function compared to monolinguals. Many cognitive scientists attribute this to the continuous mental suppression of a secondary language. However, a recent study demonstrates that monolingual individuals who frequently engage in complex strategic board games exhibit a comparable degree of executive function enhancement to lifelong bilinguals. This clearly demonstrates that the constant suppression of a secondary language is not the primary mechanism responsible for the executive function advantage observed in bilingual individuals.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

Match each argument excerpt below with the abstract description of the logical flaw it commits.

A five-year epidemiological study tracked the neurological health and self-selected dietary habits of two large cohorts of elderly individuals. Cohort A maintained diets highly concentrated in flavonoid-rich berries, while Cohort B consumed diets nearly devoid of them. At the conclusion of the study, Cohort A exhibited a statistically significant lower rate of age-related cognitive decline than Cohort B. Because the researchers rigorously controlled for baseline neurological health at the study's onset, as well as for genetic predispositions and overall cardiovascular fitness, they concluded that the regular consumption of flavonoid-rich berries actively impedes neurological degradation.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the researchers' argument depends?

A multinational corporation recently introduced a voluntary wellness program for its employees. After one year, an independent consulting firm evaluated the program's effectiveness by surveying employees who had actively participated in the program for at least six months. Over 85 percent of the surveyed employees reported significant improvements in their physical health and a reduction in workplace stress. Based on these results, the consulting firm concluded that the wellness program is highly effective at improving employee well-being and should be implemented across all branches of the corporation.

Which one of the following is the most serious flaw in the consulting firm's argument?

Below are four distinct arguments that rely on statistical, survey, or polling data. Each argument commits a specific methodological fallacy. Pair each argument with the abstract logical description that best characterizes its underlying vulnerability.

In a recent study of elementary school students, researchers found that children who play a musical instrument score significantly higher on math tests than children who do not. Based on this finding, the researchers concluded that learning to play a musical instrument improves a child's mathematical ability.

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