All practice questions

Financial Analyst: In 2021, investments in renewable energy startups accounted for 22 percent of all venture capital funding deployed in the energy sector. By 2025, that figure had dropped to 14 percent. Conversely, the share of energy sector venture funding going to traditional fossil fuel companies rose from 8 percent to 15 percent over the same period. This proportional shift demonstrates a change in investor focus. Therefore, it is clear that venture capitalists are funneling a smaller absolute amount of money into renewable energy startups today than they were in 2021.

Which of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the financial analyst's reasoning?

An art historian is evaluating several necessary assumptions underlying a controversial proposal to restore a Renaissance sculpture. To test the validity of these assumptions using the Negation Technique, match each candidate assumption on the left with the logically precise negated statement on the right that would be used to evaluate whether the argument's conclusion is destroyed.

Consider the following argument:

Nutritionist: Many office workers consume heavily sweetened energy drinks to improve their focus during afternoon slumps. However, these drinks contain high levels of refined sugars, which lead to a rapid spike in blood glucose followed by a severe crash. This crash leaves workers feeling significantly more fatigued than they were before consuming the beverage. Therefore, drinking these energy drinks actually decreases a worker's overall productivity during the workday.

It is a necessary assumption of the nutritionist's argument that the initial improvement in focus from the energy drink does not result in a productivity gain that outweighs the productivity lost during the subsequent crash.

A recent study of manufacturing firms revealed that those adopting AI-driven predictive maintenance on their assembly lines experienced a 30 percent reduction in unexpected equipment failures over two years, compared to firms relying on traditional scheduled maintenance. The analysts conducting the study concluded that the AI software directly causes this reduction by detecting microscopic wear and tear before it leads to critical breakdowns.

The analysts' argument depends on assuming which one of the following?

Software Executive: Over the past three years, the percentage of our company's total revenue generated by mobile applications has steadily declined. In contrast, the percentage of our total revenue generated by enterprise software has grown. Therefore, it is clear that our mobile applications are bringing in less money than they did three years ago.

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

Identify the specific logical gap present in each scenario by pairing the causal argument with the unstated premise required for its conclusion to hold true.

Mayor: The historical preservation board claims we should not approve the new skyscraper because it would destroy the unique character of the downtown district. However, building this skyscraper requires a massive collaborative effort, a commitment to overcoming immense engineering challenges, and a dedication to improving our city's future. These are all qualities that undeniably build strong character. Thus, the board is mistaken; the skyscraper project will actually enhance, not destroy, character.

The reasoning in the mayor's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument...

Materials Scientist: A new synthetic polymer, Elastium, is being adopted for manufacturing outdoor climbing ropes. Laboratory tests demonstrate that individual Elastium fibers are 30 percent more resistant to physical abrasion than the nylon fibers currently used in standard climbing ropes. Therefore, climbing ropes constructed entirely from Elastium will have a significantly longer safe-usage lifespan than current nylon climbing ropes.

Which of the following are assumptions on which the materials scientist's argument depends? (Select all that apply)

Recent excavations at the ancient city of Veridia have uncovered massive quantities of elaborate bronze weaponry. This cache was found concentrated entirely within a single ceremonial structure dating to the late period of the city's occupation. Because surviving historical texts indicate that Veridia underwent a significant cultural shift toward militarism during this era, archaeologists have concluded that the discovery of this weaponry proves Veridia must have maintained a massive, active standing army during its late period.

Which one of the following would be most useful to determine in order to evaluate the archaeologists' argument?

City Council Member: A municipality will halt the rapid escalation of its residential property values only if it successfully enacts stringent zoning deregulation. Consequently, because the neighboring district of Oakhaven has just finalized the most aggressive zoning deregulation package in our state's history, we can be certain that Oakhaven's residential property values will halt their escalation in the near future.

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

Read the following argument and evaluate the statement below it.

Argument: A pharmaceutical company can receive expedited regulatory approval for a new drug only if the drug treats a life-threatening condition and demonstrates significant clinical improvement over existing therapies. Vaxica's new drug demonstrates significant clinical improvement over existing therapies, yet the regulatory board denied it expedited approval. Therefore, Vaxica's new drug must not treat a life-threatening condition.

Statement: The argument's reasoning relies on assuming that treating a life-threatening condition and demonstrating significant clinical improvement over existing therapies are sufficient conditions for receiving expedited regulatory approval.

Marine engineer: A newly developed hull coating, AquaShield, prevents barnacle and algae accumulation significantly more effectively than the current industry standard. Since biological accumulation on a ship's hull increases hydrodynamic drag, ships must burn more fuel to maintain their scheduled speeds. Therefore, shipping companies that adopt AquaShield for their fleets will inevitably see a reduction in their overall operational expenses.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the marine engineer's argument depends?

Industry Analyst: In $2024$, software engineers accounted for $45\%$ of all new hires at major tech firms, while product managers accounted for $25\%$. In $2025$, software engineers accounted for $55\%$ of all new hires at these same firms, and product managers accounted for $15\%$. Clearly, these firms hired a greater total number of software engineers and a smaller total number of product managers in $2025$ than they did in $2024$.

The analyst's conclusion depends on assuming which of the following? Select all that apply.

Over the past five years, the average temperature of the surface waters in the Coral Gulf has risen significantly. Nevertheless, marine biologists have documented that a specific species of thermal-sensitive algae—which thrives exclusively in cooler waters and perishes rapidly when exposed to warmer temperatures—has expanded its habitat significantly closer to the surface of the Coral Gulf during this exact same period.

Determine whether the following statement is true or false:
The additional premise that 'the warming of the surface waters in the Coral Gulf has completely eliminated a surface-dwelling predatory fish that previously served as the primary consumer of this thermal-sensitive algae' successfully resolves the apparent discrepancy presented above.

Read the following stimulus carefully:

Economist: A currency cannot be considered truly stable unless it is backed by a tangible commodity, such as gold or silver. Historical records indicate that the currency of the ancient Empire of Valoria was fully backed by vast reserves of silver. Furthermore, Valoria's economy experienced nearly three centuries of uninterrupted growth and high trade volume. Therefore, we can confidently conclude that the Valorian currency was truly stable.

Determine whether the following description of the argument's flaw is true or false: The argument is vulnerable to criticism because it concludes that a condition is necessary for a currency to be considered truly stable on the grounds that this condition is sufficient to establish such stability.

Biologist: The recent 40 percent decline in our region's honeybee population is likely caused by the pesticide Hexa-Trol, which local orchards began using two years ago. Laboratory studies have definitively shown that the active chemical in Hexa-Trol is highly toxic to honeybees.

True or False: The biologist's argument logically requires the assumption that the honeybees in the region forage in areas where they are exposed to the pesticide applied by the local orchards.

Match each paradoxical scenario on the left with the additional piece of information on the right that most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy.

Five years ago, a government grant program helped farmers in the arid Oakhaven region install advanced drip-irrigation systems. These systems deliver water directly to plant roots, reducing the volume of water required per acre by over 40 percent compared to the previously used flood-irrigation methods. Today, even though over 90 percent of Oakhaven's farmers use drip-irrigation and there has been no shift toward more water-intensive crop varieties, the total volume of water drawn annually from the region's aquifers for agricultural use is 15 percent higher than it was five years ago.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above?

Sociologist: In a recent study of office workers, those who independently opted to take frequent, short breaks throughout the workday reported significantly higher levels of job satisfaction than those who took a single, longer break. Therefore, to improve overall employee morale, corporate management should implement a policy mandating that all employees take frequent short breaks rather than a single long one.

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

Evaluate the flawed causal claims, predictions, and historical hypotheses presented below. Which specific piece of new evidence provides the most robust logical support for each argument's main conclusion? Match each argument (left) to its strongest supporting evidence (right).