Practice Questions

1. Samuel is obviously a bad fisherman. During the past season, in which he and the five members of his team spent four months on a boat together off Dutch Harbor, AK, he caught fewer fish than any of his teammates.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
A. Two seasons ago, Samuel fished on another boat off Dutch Harbor and caught more fish than any other member of that boat.
B. Before becoming a fisherman, Samuel piloted a fishing boat whose members regularly caught record numbers of fish.
C. While fishing this past season, Samuel fell sick for a week and did not catch any fish during this time.
D. Unlike the other fishermen on his boat, at the order of the captain, Samuel fished this past season with experimental bait.
E. Amongst the fishing community in Dutch Harbor, Samuel has a reputation for being an especially bad fisherman.

2. Virtually all health experts agree that second-hand smoke poses a serious health risk. After the publication of yet another research paper explicating the link between exposure to second-hand smoke and a shorter life span, some members of the State House of Representatives proposed a ban on smoking in most public places in an attempt to promote quality of life and length of lifespan.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the actions of the State Representatives?
A. The amount of damaging chemicals and fumes released into the air by cigarette smoke is far less than the amount released from automobiles, especially from older models.
B. Banning smoking in most public places will not considerably reduce the percent of the population in the state in question that smokes.
C. The state whose legislators are proposing the tough smoking legislation has a relatively high percent of its population that smoke.
D. Another state that enacted a similar law a decade ago saw a statistically significant drop in lung-cancer rates among non-smokers.
E. A nearby state up-wind has the highest number of smokers in the country.

3. Net Neutrality stipulates that Internet service providers (ISP) cannot partition their bandwidth such that different types of Internet communications have different maximum bandwidth capacities. For example, an ISP cannot relegate high bandwidth voice-over-IP (VoIP) traffic to a separate tunnel in an attempt to ensure that users of low-bandwidth functions such as plain-text email are not slowed down by the high-bandwidth users. Some individuals support implementing Net Neutrality on the principle that one group (i.e., users of high-bandwidth services) should not be effectively penalized for the actions of another group (i.e., users of slow-bandwidth services, who have a special traffic lane carved out for them, thereby slowing high-bandwidth users).
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument of the supporters of Net Neutrality mentioned above?
A. The jobs of many high-bandwidth users require these individuals to use high-bandwidth services.
B. Placing no restrictions on the bandwidth of individuals who use high-bandwidth services would force ISPs to purchase massive amounts of expensive additional bandwidth, disproportionately increasing the price of access for low-bandwidth users.
C. A strong and well respected lobbying firm recently revealed it has been hired by large telecommunications firms to oppose Net Neutrality on the grounds that it infringes upon a private company’s ability to do business.
D. One country that mandated Net Neutrality saw a decrease in satisfaction of Internet users.
E. A recent court ruling upheld the principle that technology companies cannot discriminate in whom they serve or how they serve users.

4. Eating beets significantly lowers the risk of cancer, according to an article in a nutritional magazine. The article refers to a study that found that people who consumed one or more beets per day were half as likely to be diagnosed with the disease as people who did not.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument in the magazine article?
A. Another study found that people who consumed one tablespoon of flax seed oil per day were more than four times less likely to be diagnosed with cancer as those who did not.
B. Participants in the study reported consuming no vegetables other than beets.
C. The study was only conducted in one city.
D. In another experiment, cancer patients who ate one or more beets per day were no more likely to recover than those who ate no beets.
E. The participants in the study who ate beets were more likely to exercise regularly than those who did not eat beets.
5. Wine Company Representative: The corks of red wine bottles pose a threat to the environment because they are treated with chemicals that are especially toxic in landfills. However, the new cork that our company developed, which will be adopted by the entire red wine industry, represents a solution. Since the new cork is natural and not treated with chemicals, when the industry completes its transition to the new cork, there will no longer be any threat to landfills from red wine corks.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
A. The industry’s transition to the new red wine corks will take years, allowing thousands of old corks to pollute landfills.
B. Even after the industry’s transition to new corks, a large number of wine bottles with old corks will continue to be consumed.
C. The new corks take considerably longer to produce.
D. Production of the new cork emits more toxic fumes than were emitted in the production of the old cork.
E. The new corks are more expensive than the old corks.

6. Political Commentator: In order for a democracy to flourish, it is essential that political and journalistic freedom of expression exist. Even if commentators voice ideas that do not support the current government, a society is strengthened by the variety of views expressed. Yet, our government continues to exercise a stranglehold on certain forms of speech. It is essential that the government loosen its control on the media. Despite the potential short-term instability this may cause the country, it will strengthen the long-term health of the country.
Which of the following expresses the conclusion of the argument?
A. The government is exercising too much control over the media.
B. The government needs to open the media and release its hold on certain forms of speech.
C. Democracy requires a strong and free press.
D. Even ideas not supportive of democracy can strengthen a government.
E. The future of the media lies in the hands of the government.

7. Authors writing detective stories frequently include a brilliant detective and an incompetent investigator who embark on separate paths in an attempt to solve a crime. The separate accounts frequently consist of the incompetent investigator becoming distracted by the criminals’ well-planned attempts and the competent detective solving the case after a violent confrontation. Many literary analysts believe authors often choose this storyline in an attempt to provide readers additional complexity and challenge in solving the investigation.
Which of the following most logically follows from the statements above?
A. A well-written detective story consists of an investigation being undertaken by a competent and incompetent investigator.
B. Some authors use an incompetent investigator to show the complexities of an investigation.
C. Authors never write stories with incompetent investigators who solve a case correctly.
D. Authors can use the separate investigative accounts to make predicting the correct outcome of the investigation more difficult.
E. Authors write stories with competent and incompetent investigators to show the complexity of real life.

8. Years ago, some in the government’s intelligence community feared the work of telecommunications researchers at then-emerging private security firms. The government experts concluded that these private firms posed the biggest risk to successful government espionage. As the private security firms began publicly releasing and advertising encryption algorithms and other security products, these government experts saw support for their conclusion when an encryption algorithm that government experts could not break began appearing in countless emails.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the conclusion of the government experts referred to above?
A. Shortly before the government experts reached their conclusions, two private security companies each claimed to have developed “the world’s strongest email encryption algorithm”
B. The private security firms’ decision to advertise their products and sell them publicly led to other members of the private sector and academia scrutinizing the encryption algorithms.
C. An open-source encryption algorithm, developed by an academic and freely available from popular websites, is recognized by numerous ex-government code breakers as the most unbreakable algorithm ever developed.
D. An enemy government recently succeeded in placing a spy within the government espionage operations referred to above.
E. To strengthen the reputation of the private security firms, employees of these firms publish information about the strength of their products and the benefits of using them.
9. As a result of implementing an experimental farming system that combined aggressive new fertilization, deep irrigation, and speculative pesticides, the yield on crops at a farm in central California grew consistently and considerably over the past six years. However, yields this year unexpectedly plummeted, causing the farm’s owners considerable financial difficulties.
Which of the following statements, if true, best explains the unexpected drop in yield?
A. As a result of a serious and recent economic recession, the market for the products the farm produced shrank in size during the past year.
B. Other farms that began using the experimental system at about the same time also reported an unexpected plummet in yields this year.
C. The central California region where the farm in question is located experienced a drought 9 years ago, 3 years ago, and this past year.
D. A different experimental system, used on a different crop, failed after two years at a farm in Iowa. Scientists later discovered that chemicals involved in this different system slowly poisoned the soil.
E. Significant and sustained increases in agricultural productivity eventually lead to an exhaustion of important nutrients in land.

10. On a recent expedition to a remote region of northern Canada, scientists uncovered skeletal remains from about 100,000 years ago. Surprisingly, all the skeletal remains, which included many species from differing biological families and spanned about two thousand years, showed evidence of experiencing temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit (or 538 degrees Celsius).
Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent paradox between the cold environment and the evidence of the bones experiencing hot temperatures?
A. Other scientific research released two years before the expedition showed that the remote region of northern Canada underwent considerable warming in the past 100,000 years.
B. Chemical changes that naturally occur during the process of decay in only one north Canadian species produce the same evidence of the species’ skeletons being exposed to hot temperatures as the expedition scientists found.
C. A little over 103,000 years ago, a large fire is known to have occurred in northern Canada.
D. Strong evidence exists that as early as 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens around the world relied heavily on fire to cook animals.
E. In the same expedition and in roughly the same layer of excavation, scientists found rudimentary wood cutting and hunting tools used by early humans.

11. Most scientists believe that the decay of the ozone layer is a cause of global warming. With a weaker ozone layer, additional wavelengths of light reach the earth. However, the danger posed by ozone decay is not limited to global warming. The decay of the ozone layer, which enables more harmful wavelengths of light to reach the earth’s surface, is also believed to cause permanent eye damage in some animals.
Which of the following is most strongly supported by the statements above?
A. All wavelengths of light from the sun that damage the eyes of animals are blocked by a healthy ozone layer.
B. Some animals do not experience damage to their eyes when exposed to unfiltered waves of light.
C. Only a handful of animal species live in places where they are exposed to the damaging light waves.
D. The rising temperature of the earth poses a severe threat to animals.
E. Some wavelengths of light that engender eye damage in certain animals are more likely to hit the earth due to ozone decay.

12. As a result of changes in cultural norms and dynamics, a boutique financial research company is considering implementing flex-time, which enables employees to work during any time of the day from any location as long as they are present at the office from 12:30pm to 3:30pm on weekdays. By comparison, workers currently must be in the office from 8am to 5pm. Firm management believes this change will help meet three key goals: decrease total costs, increase productivity, and improve product quality.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument of firm’s management?
A. Some new costs will arise as a result of telecommuting.
B. A similar firm tried a version of flex-time and abandoned it after a month for unknown reasons.
C. The firm in question performs work that requires frequent and extensive in-person collaboration.
D. The firm in question recently lost its most experienced research analyst due to his perception of the firm’s poor work-life balance.
E. The firm in question works on projects that often take weeks to complete.

13. Due to significant advances in biotechnology, experts predict that within years, doctors will be able to trace the genetic roots of common medical problems such as depression and bi-polar syndrome. As a result, some physicians predict that these conditions and others like them will be all but eliminated through early identification and genetic therapy.
The argument above is based most heavily upon which of the following assumptions?
A. There is one and only one strategy for eliminating common medical problems such as depression.
B. Common medical problems such as depression are based entirely on treatable genetic malformations.
C. Within years, genetics will be the only important scientific field in detecting and treating common medical problems such as depression.
D. Every member of the human race has at least one genetic defect.
E. Each human defect or sickness can be traced in part to genetics.

14. A political party considered by many citizens extreme and incompetent is working hard at overcoming what it perceives as an unfair and prejudiced public image. The group believes it is stereotyped simply because it opposes any preemptive military action, which is unpopular, and calls for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions, a cut far more severe than most citizens want.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the party’s belief about the source of its poor public image?
A. The current ruling political party, whose popularity is at near record levels, launched a preemptive military strike against a neighboring country three weeks ago.
B. A neighboring country recently suffered a surprise attack that devastated its country and polluted its environment.
C. A popular rival party bans unilateral attacks to defend the homeland and unconditionally supports a 60% reduction in carbon emissions.
D. A recent poll showed that a party whose most prominent candidate supports preemptive war and minimal carbon restrictions is quite popular.
E. Twenty years ago, a pacifist party successfully and popularly ruled the country.

15. After studying a random sample of 1024 individuals who had smoked daily for at least three years and comparing the results of this study with the results of a study of 1024 individuals who had never smoked, a group of researchers concluded that habitual smoking causes increased difficulties in concentrating.
Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens the researchers’ conclusion?
A. The addiction to smoking and the cravings this addiction engenders is often on the mind of habitual smokers.
B. Some non-smokers with attention deficit disorder (ADD), which causes an inability to concentrate, display even less ability to concentrate than some smokers.
C. A separate research study found that smokers and non-smokers exhibited statistically significant differences in their incarceration rates.
D. After developing a severe addiction to smoking for fifteen years, the ability of many individuals to concentrate is decreased.
E. A separate research study found that individuals with preexisting attention and concentration disorders exhibited significantly higher rates of trying cigarettes and subsequently becoming addicted to smoking.

16. Political Commentator: During the previous presidential administration, members of congress approved large tax cuts and yet the economy today stands in shambles. During the current economic crisis, those who espouse large tax cuts as an economic stimulus should consider the failure of tax cuts during the past eight years to prevent the current economic recession as conclusive evidence that tax cuts will not help the country escape from its current economic troubles.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
A. The large tax cuts of the past administration targeted the capital gains on the financial investments of the ultra-rich while proponents of tax cuts today suggest cutting payroll taxes for both employers and employees.
B. Economists from across the spectrum now agree that tax cuts helped stem the country’s most severe recession in history, which occurred about 70 years ago prior to industrialization in this country.
C. Economists from across the spectrum predict that if Congress fails to pass the tax-cut legislation, which also includes government spending and much more, it could well be 15 years before the economy escapes the current recession.
D. Economists from across the spectrum agree that these tax cuts will add less to the fiscal deficit than the tax cuts of the previous administration.
E. During the most recent political campaign cycle, which featured many deceptive political attacks, the governor of a prosperous state attacked those who opposed tax cuts by citing his own state’s ostensible prosperity.
17. A recent article in one of the nation’s leading newspapers noted that despite the government’s warning about peanut butter likely being contaminated by salmonella and the government’s subsequent recall of a limited amount of peanut butter, 90% of grocery store shoppers surveyed said that they did not plan to change their peanut butter purchasing habits. Nevertheless, roughly two months after the limited recall and one month after the leading newspaper published its article, the country’s peanut butter manufacturers reported that same-store sales to grocery store shoppers fell 75% year-over-year.
Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent paradox above?
A. The initial survey of shoppers failed to consider the effect of subsequent cuts in the price of peanut butter.
B. Fearing additional instances of contamination and subsequent lawsuits, many retailers that sold peanut butter removed the product voluntarily from their shelves.
C. A report similar to the report that appeared in the leading newspaper appeared in one of the nation’s tabloid magazines on the same day.
D. Days before the newspaper conducted its survey, a widely-respected bacterial research specialist published an op-ed article in a major newspaper arguing that the threat from salmonella-infected peanut butter was smaller than the government would later contend.
E. A study published after the government recall of some peanut butter stated that individuals intended to change the type of jelly and bread they purchased.

18. An advertisement for E-News, a subscription-only online newspaper with no ads accompanying its content, argued that individuals should subscribe to E-News so as to eliminate wasted time that results from seeing and ignoring advertisements while attempting to read newspapers that feature ads.
Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens E-News’ argument?
A. Individuals who currently read only print newspapers are much less likely to enjoy a subscription news website without first learning about reading online news through a free news website.
B. Free ad-sponsored news websites and blogs offer more content than E-News.
C. E-News partners with other e-content providers, many of which always show numerous ads alongside their content.
D. For regions of the country that lack adequate internet coverage, switching to an online subscription website is not logical.
E. E-News recently announced it would sell some of its content to ad-supported websites and print newspapers.

19. In an attempt to abate the pernicious decline in MicroChip’s revenue brought about by shrinking demand that is accompanying an economic recession, MicroChip is offering customers a 50% discount for the next three months on all purchases fully paid for within 15 days.
Which of the following assumptions most underlies the chip maker’s offer of a discount?
A. MicroChip expects this discount to help the company retain existing customers and gain new ones, enabling the firm to survive in the long-term.
B. There are no other competing chip companies with prices lower than the reduced price.
C. The government will provide massive technology tax credits to businesses, spurring them to purchase chips and other related products.
D. The government will not pursue MircoChip if in fact its behavior in offering a deep discount amounts to a violation of predatory pricing laws.
E. The decrease in revenue brought about by the reduction in price will be smaller than the anticipated increase in revenue brought about by the increase in demand (spurred by the reduction in price).

20. Based upon the results of a recent study, the net value of assets held by young adults or for the benefit of young adults exceeds the net value of assets held by middle-age working professionals with children. The common notion that young adults or so-called “twenty somethings” are bigger spenders and smaller savers than middle-age adults is, therefore, false.
The argument is primarily flawed for which of the following reasons?
A. The argument does not properly consider the impact of the debt financing of assets.
B. The argument never discusses the effects of filing for bankruptcy and twenty somethings’ proclivity for deficit spending leading to bankruptcy.
C. The argument never discusses the role that the country’s tax code, which encourages financial investment on the part of twenty somethings, plays.
D. The argument does not specify the exact amounts of saving and spending on the part of each age group.
E. The argument never considers that the study compares assets held both by or for the benefit of young adults with assets held by working adults.

21. The New Deal in America began in 1933 and included widespread bank reforms, unprecedented government infrastructure spending, and unparalleled expansion in the size of government. Some political commentators and economic historians contend that President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal singlehandedly propelled the United States out of the Great Depression and into decades of uninterrupted prosperity. To support this claim, these economists note that during the years following 1933, GDP grew, unemployment shrunk, and optimism increased.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the above argument?
A. The considerable debt burden that the government assumed to fund the New Deal sparked fear in the minds of some economists, investors, and businessmen.
B. The considerable government expenditures and massive labor requirements engendered by America’s entry into World War II in late 1941 helped employ Americans and grow GDP.
C. On average, GDP per capita fell and unemployment rose in many foreign countries during the years after President Roosevelt announced his New Deal.
D. During 1939, the U.S. economy contracted sharply, unemployment jumped 5%, and America’s optimism fell.
E. U.S. GDP during the mid 1930s stood at levels much lower than 30 years later.

22. The strength of a suspension bridge rests in part on how deep the towers are anchored into the ground. During the first wave of suspension bridge construction, consistent with best-practices at the time, regulations required engineers to drill holes for the towers such that the portion of the tower below ground accounted for at least half of the height of the tower. After conducting an inspection into the depth of the holes drilled for the towers of the Watergate Bridge, constructed over 50 years ago during the first wave of suspension bridge construction, regulators noted that updated architectural norms and theory advised that the bridge’s towers should be reinforced to meet anticipated increases in usage.
Which of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?
A. In light of current architectural theory, the Watergate Bridge should be closed until reinforcements can be added.
B. The original regulations for the depth of the suspension tower failed to anticipate future changes in demand or architectural theory.
C. Even with the implementation of the reinforcements advocated by the new architectural norms, the bridge will still not be safe.
D. In light of the regulators’ findings, every suspension bridge built during the first wave of construction must be updated to provide additional strength and carrying capacity.
E. The action advocated by current architectural theory should not be undertaken since there is no evidence to guarantee that the reinforcements will be adequate or advisable in light of future architectural research.

23. Automation, the trademark of a modern economy, is essential to maximizing a country’s economic production while minimizing its costs. Health care executives want to increase revenues while reducing costs. Consequently, they propose significantly greater automation of health care. Yet, this should be rejected. Radical automation of health care would cause patients to lose trust in the system as the health care they would receive would lack the in-person care that studies show patients desire.
Which of the following expresses the main point of the argument?
A. Health care should not be heavily automated .
B. Patients desire customized in-person care .
C. Trends in the general economy do not apply to the health care industry .
D. Health care executives are becoming too greedy .
E. Due to economic forces, automation of health care is eventually inevitable.

24. For years, a considerable number of students on West County High School’s track team complained about shin splints (medial tibial syndrome). However, during the most recent season, the number of students who complained about shin splints dropped significantly. School officials assert that this reduction in complaints occurred entirely as a result of the school’s decision to build a new running track that provided a softer running surface, which absorbed much of the shock on the knees and shins that occurs when running and causes shin splints.
Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens the school officials’ explanation for the decrease in complaints about shin splints?
A. As a result of West County High School’s adoption of better medical staff and new medical scanning devices, many students whose complaints would have been diagnosed in years past as an instance of shin splints are now diagnosed with a different condition.
B. West County High School built its track after a number of neighboring schools with similar track teams built new tracks and each school saw the number of complaints about shin splints drop.
C. This past season, members of West County High School’s track team received and wore new and highly acclaimed shoes designed to soften the impact of running on the shin and knee.
D. This past season, the total number of students who complained of pain while running rose.
E. The maker of the new track claims that on average, complaints about shin splints fall 25% when its tracks are implemented.

25. After thousands of miles of use, the tread on many bike tires wears down. One common theory about why tires wear down contends that the perpetual friction and heat generated by the contact between the tire and pavement erode the material on the surface of the tire. However, a local scientist who is also an avid cyclist proposed a new theory for why bike tires wear down. This scientist contended that chemicals from the road’s composition and chemicals from rain residue wore down the surface of the tire.
Which of the following would best evaluate the veracity of the scientist’s proposed theory?
A. Ride a road bike aggressively through spring rain storms.
B. Place chemicals from rain water and pavement on a bike’s idle tires.
C. Ascertain whether chemicals from the road’s composition also reside within the bike’s frame.
D. Ascertain whether the bike’s frame is made of rust-resistant components.
E. Determine the number of miles that a bike tire can be used on a wet road before wearing down.

26. During the past 20 years, computer scientists focused increasingly on starting and running successful businesses. However, since businesses must be profitable, computer scientists must focus on developing products that generate profit. Consequently, computer science has lost its creative aspect.
Which of the following assumptions is most necessary in order for the conclusion above to be drawn from the argument above?
A. All computer programs must lack creativity in order to be well received.
B. Some computer scientists entirely disregarded creativity and chose instead to pursue profit.
C. A program cannot be both creative and profitable.
D. Computer scientists are obsessed with the profitability of their work.
E. Non-profit institutions use large amounts of software.

1. D
2. D
3. B
4. E
5. B
6. B
7. D
8. C
9. E
10. E
11. E
12. C
13. B
14. C
15. E
16. A
17. B
18. C
19. E
20. E
21. D
22. B
23. A
24. C
25. B
26. C

1. The conclusion to the argument is that “Samuel is obviously a bad fisherman” while the premise is Samuel’s poor fishing performance relative to the peers on his fishing boat this past season.

The argument is flawed as the conclusion does not follow from the premise. The line of reasoning fails to take into consideration other possibilities for Samuel’s performance this past season: perhaps Samuel fished with different bait. Similarly, just because Samuel caught fewer fish in one season than five other individuals does not mean that he is a bad fisherman. It simply means that he caught fewer fish than five individuals in one season. This season could have been an exception in Samuel’s career or his teammates could be far above average.

A. The same logical flaws are at play in this answer (except in reverse). Using one season and a comparison to the fishermen on one boat does not provide a wide enough basis to make a judgment about a fishermen’s ability relative to all other fishermen. Comparing this past season with another season still does not help to explain Samuel’s poor performance this season (whereas knowing that Samuel used experimental bait this season would provide a justification for why Samuel caught few fish yet was still not a terrible fisherman).
B. Samuel’s performance as a pilot does not relate to his ability as a fisherman. This answer is off topic.
C. On first glance, this looks like a good answer. However, it does not consider whether Samuel’s teammates were sick during the same period. Perhaps one of Samuel’s teammates was sick for two weeks.
D. This answer highlights something that made Samuel’s fishing performance uniquely different than his teammates. Moreover, Samuel did not make the choice to fish with alternative bait–his captain ordered him to do it. If Samuel made the choice to fish with alternative bait, it would be his poor fishing judgment that would be at fault. Similarly, the answer makes clear that no other fisherman on Samuel’s boat faced the same predicament.
E. If anything, this answer strengthens the argument.

2. The State Representatives’ argument for banning smoking is based upon scientific research and the presence of a correlation between second-hand smoke and life expectancy. However, it could be strengthened if data existed to show that other regions that enacted tough anti-smoking reform experienced longer life spans. In other words, although we know there is a relationship between second-hand smoke and life expectancy, we do not know that enacting tough anti-smoking reform will influence second-hand smoke levels and thereby influence life expectancy.
A. The legislators’ argument is about protecting people from second-hand smoke, not about taking one action versus another (i.e., the legislators are not comparing sources of toxin, but rather attempting to prevent one source from entering the air).
B. The question at hand does not pertain to the percent of the population that smokes but the ability of the law to extend life expectancy. This answer fails to make a connection between the proposed law and extending life expectancy.
C. Although the percent of the state population that smokes will affect the extent of the impact made by the law, it does not support the merits of the law in and of itself. In other words, the argument is not based upon the number or percent of the population that smokes (and by corollary the number and percent of the population affected by second-hand smoke). Rather, the argument is based upon a connection between removing second-hand smoke inhalation via legislation and lengthening life span. This answer provides no direct evidence to strengthen the link between removing second-hand smoke via legislation and lengthening lifespan.
D. The evidence that passing a similar law reduced cancer rates supports the legislators’ case that banning smoking in many places will promote “length of lifespan” (i.e., with people dying of cancer less, they live longer).
E. The number of smokers in a nearby state does not influence whether banning second-hand smoke in the state in question will affect life expectancy. The large number of smokers up-stream will hurt air quality and length of life downstream (weakling the legislators’ argument if it effected it at all). Fundamentally, this answer is wrong because it fails to strengthen the connection between removing second-hand smoke via legislation and lengthening life-expectancy.

3. The Argument of Net Neutrality Supporters: No Net Neutrality means one group gets penalized for another group’s choice (i.e., high-bandwidth users get relegated to another lane that becomes slower due to congestion).

Supporters of Net Neutrality referenced in the original argument base their position on the principle that one group should not be penalized by the actions of another group. If this principle can be shown to give reason to oppose Net Neutrality, the argument in support of Net Neutrality mentioned above will be weakened. Note that it is not enough to weaken the overall argument in support of Net Neutrality—we must weaken “the argument of the supporters of Net Neutrality mentioned above.”

A. This answer does not undermine the fact that one group is being penalized for the actions of another group nor does it show how the argument is flawed. Simply because one group is required to use high-bandwidth services does not mean they (or another group) are being penalized for this requirement.
B. This answer uses the principle that supporters of Net Neutrality used and shows how the principle can also be used to argue against Net Neutrality, thereby seriously weakening the supporters’ argument. The cost of purchasing additional and expensive bandwidth will be passed on to low-bandwidth customers, “disproportionately increasing the price of access for low-bandwidth users.” In other words, the actions of one group (high bandwidth users benefiting from Net Neutrality) will harm another group (low bandwidth users who carry a disproportionate burden of the cost of Net Neutrality).
C. This answer may strengthen the overall public support for Net Neutrality (i.e., it is opposed by lobbyists paid for by big telecommunications firms). This answer does not weaken the argument mentioned above since that argument is based upon one group suffering for the actions of another.
D. Although this answer weakens the overall argument in support of Net Neutrality, it does not weaken the argument mentioned above since that argument is based upon one group suffering for the actions of another while the argument in this answer choice is based upon satisfaction among Internet users.
E. This answer actually strengthens not weakens the argument in favor of implementing Net Neutrality.

4. The article draws a conclusion on the basis of the findings of a single study. However, the link between eating beets and cancer prevention cannot be verified without ruling out other variables. If the participants who ate beets were also similar in another way that distinguished them from the group that did not, it would become impossible to prove that beets – and not the other factor – were responsible for reducing the risk of cancer on the basis of this study alone.
A. The effectiveness of flax seed oil in reducing the risk of cancer has no bearing on the effectiveness of beets in doing so. This answer is off topic.
B. This answer strengthens, rather than weakens, the argument. If the subjects ate only beets and no other vegetables, there is more evidence for the fact that beets – and no other vegetable – were responsible for reducing the risk of cancer.
C. The study would be more convincing if it had been conducted in more than one city. However, this fact alone does not do the most to weaken the argument.
D. This other experiment is about the role of beets in the recovery rates of cancer patients, rather than in the risk of diagnosis. Therefore, it does not weaken the conclusion of the article, which focuses on cancer prevention, not recovery.
E. Because study participants who ate beets were also more likely to exercise regularly than those who did not eat beets, it is impossible to determine whether beets or regular exercise were more influential in preventing cancer. This is the correct answer.
5. The conclusion to the argument is that “when the industry completes its transition to the new cork, there will no longer be any threat to landfills from red wine corks.” The conclusion omits an important fact: even after manufacturers stop making the old wine corks, there will still be thousands of old bottles in circulation. Individuals who purchased red wine bottles years ago will consume them and discard the old corks in landfills, thereby continuing to pollute landfills. Consequently, we cannot conclude that “there will no longer be any threat to landfills from red wine corks.”
To further see that this is the conclusion, consider the points of the argument and which points support a conclusion versus which point is a conclusion supported by other points. The points of the argument are:
(1) red wine corks pose a threat to the environment
(2) a solution has been found
(3) when the industry adopts the solution, the threat will be gone
Notice that it makes no sense to say that since (3) is true, therefore (1) must be true, as would be the case if (3) were a premise and (1) were a conclusion. Instead, it makes sense to say that since (1) and (2) are true, therefore we conclude (3). Now the task at hand is to see how even though (3) is the conclusion, it is not an extremely sound conclusion.
A. The timing of the industry’s transition is irrelevant due to the qualifier in the conclusion: “when the industry completes its transition to the new cork.”
B. This statement properly identifies a weakness in the conclusion.
C. The time taken to produce a cork does not impact matters of pollution.
D. At first glance, this answer has some appeal. However, the conclusion relates to pollution in a landfill–not fumes omitted into the air during production.
E. The cost to produce the new cork is not pertinent in a consideration of landfill pollution.
6. The conclusion of the commentator’s argument is: “It is essential that the government loosen its control on the media.”
To see this, consider the points that the author makes:
(1) political and journalistic freedom are essential for democracy
(2) society is strengthened by many views being expressed
(3) our government stifles free speech
(4) government must loosen speech controls
(5) loosening control of the media leads to long-term strength
Notice that the logical progression of the argument is as follows:
(2) -> (1) -> (3) -> (5) -> (4)
To see the relationship between premises and conclusion, notice how awkward the argument would become if a point such as 1, 2, or 3 were to be the conclusion.
It makes no sense to say: since “government must loosen speech controls,” therefore “political and journalistic freedom are essential for democracy.”
Rather, it makes sense the other way around:
Since “political and journalistic freedom are essential for democracy,” therefore “government must loosen speech controls.”
Some test-takers believe that the conclusion is the last sentence of the paragraph. However, this is incorrect since, in this argument, the last sentence serves as a premise to the conclusion. To see this, try to allow the second to last sentence to serve as a premise to the last sentence and it should be clear that this is not the way the sentences are functioning in the argument.
A. Although this statement is true, it is a premise not a conclusion. It is because the government is exercising too much control that “it is essential that the government loosen its control on the media.”
B. This is a paraphrase of the conclusion. Every other sentence or major idea in the argument serves as a premise to this statement, which is the conclusion or main point of the author’s argument.
C. This mirrors the first sentence of the paragraph. However, it functions as a premise not as a conclusion. It is because democracy requires a free press that “it is essential that the government loosen its control on the media.”
D. Although this is similar to the last sentence of the paragraph, it is not the conclusion. The line of reasoning in the paragraph is:
democracy –> long term health –> government must open press
The reasoning is NOT:
government must open press –> democracy –> long term health (it makes no sense to say that since the government must open the press, therefore we will have long term health)
Moreover, the last sentence deals with the health of the country, not the strength of the government.
E. Although this is true, it is not the main thrust of the argument. The author is not trying to make this point. Instead, he is granting that this is true and then trying to argue that the government needs to open the press.
7. This question asks you to take the statements and draw a conclusion. One major trap in this type of question is an answer that is logical, but not supported by the statements in the stimulus.
A. The stimulus does not define what constitutes a well written story nor does it speak about what is a poorly written story. Consequently, it is difficult to make a statement like this that will logically follow from the stimulus.
B. Although this statement is probably true, it does not follow from the stimulus. Instead, the stimulus states that authors use an incompetent investigator to add complexity to the storyline (thereby making the reader’s attempts to solve the case more challenging) not to show that investigations are complex.
C. While the stimulus states that stories “frequently” include an incompetent investigator who does not solve the case correctly, we cannot conclude an incompetent investigator “never” solves a case correctly.
D. This statement is quite similar to the final sentence of the stimulus and it logically follows from the stimulus. The statement that authors write in the way they do “to provide readers additional complexity and challenge in solving the investigation” provides the basis to conclude that authors write “to make predicting the correct outcome of the investigation more difficult.”
E. Although this statement is probably true, there is no evidence of it in the stimulus. Instead, the stimulus indicates that the complexity is added not for its resemblance to real life but for its ability to increase the challenge posed to readers seeking to solve the case correctly.
8. The government experts concluded that “private firms posed the biggest risk to successful government espionage” and they supported this conclusion by assuming that the unbreakable encryption algorithm in emails came from the private security firms, which had just begun selling encryption algorithms. In order to weaken the conclusion of the government experts, you need to find evidence supporting the belief that the unbreakable algorithm did not come from the private security firms but from another source (such as free open-source developers).
A. This answer strengthens the conclusion of the government experts by bolstering the claim that the products developed by the private security firms were very difficult to break—and this was the fear of some government experts.
B. This answer does not state that the “other members of the private sector and academia” broke the encryption algorithm and we cannot assume this. If this were true, the algorithm would not be as strong as the government experts suspected and it would almost certainly not be “encryption algorithm that government experts could not break.”
C. This answer undermines the government experts’ conclusion that the private security firms posed “the biggest risk” as ex-government code breakers admitted that a public-sector open-source freely-available product posed the most difficulty in breaking.
D. This answer is not relevant since a foreign government’s ability to infiltrate an espionage operation is not related to the conclusion that the difficulty experienced in breaking email encryption occurred because of products released by private telecommunications companies. Further, this answer provides no basis to conclude or even assume that the private security firms were not the source of the unbreakable algorithm.
E. The publication of information about the strength and benefit of the privately-developed encryption algorithms would not disprove that private security firms were behind the difficult to break email encryption algorithm experienced by the government.
9. The yield at a central Californian farm dropped significantly after 6 years of consistent growth. Clearly, something of importance to the yield changed. Some possibilities include: (1) a storm decimated the crop (although this level of storm could have only hit this year, as the crops grew “consistently and considerably over the past six years”) (2) the farmer stopped using the technique (3) over a period of six years, the technique overused natural soil nutrients and drained important chemicals that the farm crops needed to grow.
A. The original argument pertains to a decline in the yield of the farm, not a decline in the buyers. The farm’s yield has no relationship with the number of buyers as yield simply refers to the ratio of seeds planted to crops available for harvest.
B. Although this confirms that the drop the farm in central California experienced is not unique, it does not explain the drop in yield.
C. Since a drought occurred 9 years ago prior to the experimental system and during the experimental system (3 years ago) without any affect on yields, it is not logical to conclude that the drought caused the decline in yields this year. In other words, since the yield grew “consistently” even during the drought 3 years ago and 6 years ago, it is illogical to conclude that the drought caused the decline in yield this year.
D. The circumstances between the two experimental systems are too different to allow comparisons and a logical deduction that the errors of the Iowa system explain the errors of the central California system. Specifically: (1) the length of time before declines in yields occurred differed considerably (2) the crops the farm produced differed (3) the geographic region of the farm (and climate) differed considerably.
E. The sustained (6 years, “consistently”) and significant (“considerably”) expansion in productivity (“yield”) led to exhaustion of nutrients, meaning crops could not attain the chemical compounds they needed to grow. This answer explains why the crop yield dropped after so many years and why it dropped after years of growth.
10. The paradox: Northern Canada is quite cold and yet skeletal remains show evidence of experiencing very hot temperatures. This paradox could be explained by finding evidence that fires regularly occurred that would have subjected the bones to excruciatingly hot temperatures. If evidence existed that early humans from this time period hunted animals and started fires (implicitly for the purpose of cooking the animals–thereby creating skeletons of animals that experienced hot temperatures), a large step in explaining the paradox would be taken.
A. Unraveling the paradox depends on providing an explanation of how the skeletal remains experienced such hot temperatures yet this answer only heightens the paradox as it provides evidence that the skeletons’ environment was much colder (not warmer) many years ago.
B. Although this provides an explanation of how “exactly one north Canadian species'” skeletons showed evidence of exposure to hot temperatures, it fails to account for why “many species from differing biological families [that] spanned about two thousand years showed” the same evidence of exposure to hot temperatures.
C. This answer provides an explanation for skeletons showing evidence of experiencing hot temperatures. However, this answer does not explain why this evidence appeared among skeletons whose date “spanned about two thousand years.” Further, the fire occurred “a little over 103,000 years ago” while the original argument makes clear that some of the skeletons which showed evidence of experiencing hot temperatures dated after this fire (i.e., the skeletons were from 100,000 years ago and “spanned about two thousand years” while the fire occurred “over 103,000 years ago”).
D. The paradox exists in skeletons dating back to 100,000 years ago. Consequently, explaining how a fire (and thus hot temperatures) could have existed “as early as 70,000 years ago” does not explain the paradox. In other words, this answer does not explain how the skeletons of animals 100,000 years old experienced hot temperatures (although it would explain how skeletons 70,000 years old experienced hot temperatures).
E. While this answer does not prove what caused the chared skeletal remains, it “best explains” how the skeletons experienced hot temperatures (i.e., the hunters cut wood and, implied in this, they started fires to cook animals).
11. Due to the question being asked, the correct answer must follow closely from the statements in the stimulus. An answer that intuitively appears correct yet fails to follow closely from the statements in the stimulus is incorrect.
A. This answer snags a significant number of test takers. However, it is wrong because it draws too broad of a conclusion. The stimulus never indicates that “all” wavelengths that damage the eyes of animals are blocked by a healthy ozone layer. Further, notice the words “which enables more.” The word “more” seems to indicate that a healthy ozone enables some wavelengths to pass through.
B. The fact that the decay in the ozone layer is believed to cause permanent eye damage in some animals does not mean other animals do not experience damage. Similarly, a decay of the ozone layer does not mean that wavelengths are entirely unfiltered. It simply means that less filtering of light exists.
C. The location of the animals that are damaged is never discussed and has no relevancy on the issue at hand.
D. Although this statement is true, it is not the main (or even a main) point of the argument. Similarly, the word “severe” is too strong and not supported by the statements in the stimulus.
E. This statement captures the main argument from the stimulus. Further, it is a near rephrase of “which enables some harmful wavelengths of light to reach the earth’s surface.”
12. Firm management believes that flex-time will help meet three goals: (1) decrease total costs (2) increase productivity (3) improve product quality.

If the firm’s research work requires considerable in-person collaboration, three hours a day of time together will not be sufficient and the firm’s plan will lead to decreases in productivity and product quality. This will weaken the management’s argument since its plan will not achieve two of its three goals.
A. The presence of new costs associated with flex-time does not weaken the argument that flex-time will decrease total cost as it may well be the case that cost savings outweigh cost increases. In other words, this answer only deals with one side of the equation (cost increases) and not the other side (cost decreases). Consequently, the answer does not enable us to conclude that the argument is weakened since it is entirely possible that on balance, costs will be reduced.
B. Since the firm abandoned it for “unknown reasons,” we cannot make a conclusion about the affect of flex-time on costs, productivity, and product quality. It is entirely possible that the competitor abandoned flex-time for reasons not related to these three reasons and, therefore, for reasons not relevant to the argument of the management of the boutique research firm.
C. Since the firm in question performs work that requires frequent and in-person collaboration, it is reasonable to infer that cutting the time spent together at work down from 9 to 3 hours will have a considerable affect on productivity and quality as workers will have severely restricted access to a crucial component of their work (i.e., co-workers).
D. This answer strengthens the argument instead of weakening it. Further, using one employee’s situation as an example is not the best grounds to critique an argument.
E. The duration of the project (in and of itself) has nothing to do with costs, productivity, or product quality. Given the information in the question and in this answer, an argument could be made that flex-time will increase quality (employees enjoy their work more with flex-time and work harder).
13. The argument concludes that “common medical problems such as depression” “will be all but eliminated through early identification and genetic therapy.” This is based upon the assumption that the only cause of these common medical problems is a treatable genetic deformity. If this assumption proves false (and problems arise from non-genetic issues), the argument’s conclusion is not logical as the genetic therapy would not stop common medical problems that were caused by non-genetic factors.
A. The original argument does not pertain to the number of treatments for common medical problems but rather pertains to the ability of early identification and genetic therapy to eliminate common medical problems. Consequently, whether there is only one method (the one described) or one million methods is irrelevant.
B. This answer points out that if common medical problems arise either in part or in whole for reasons that are not genetic, early genetic detection and therapy will not rectify the problem. The assumption that these common medical problems are based entirely on treatable genetic malformations is an essential part of the argument.
C. This may be a logical result (or consequence) if the original argument proves to be true. However, it is not a necessary assumption for the original argument to be true.
D. The original argument pertains to the ability of doctors to treat “common medical problems” when they exist not whether these “common medical problems” exist in everyone. Further, the original argument hinges on the assumption that these problems are rooted in genetic defects and treatable via genetic therapy.
E. The original argument pertains to common medical problems such as depression and not to “each human defect or sickness.” Further, the original argument assumes that genetic therapy alone is sufficient to treat the problem while this answer simply states that all human defects or sickness can be traced in part to (and not necessarily treated by) genetics.
14. If the political party’s belief about the source of its public image is correct (i.e., “it is stereotyped simply because” [i.e., only because] of its position on military action and carbon emissions), any other political party that holds these two views (or more extreme versions of them) will have the same public image (or worse). If it can be shown that another political party hold these same two views (or views citizens consider more extreme) and yet this other party is popular, the argument is weakened. Note that the citizens do not consider the 50% carbon reduction extreme because they view it as too small but because they view it as too large (i.e., “a cut far more severe than most citizens want”).
A. In order to undermine the original argument, we must show that a popular party supports both preemptive war and 50+% reductions in carbon emissions. It could be that the electorate will tolerate preemptive war, unless it is accompanied by large carbon cuts—in which case the public cannot tolerate the political party anymore.
B. This answer provides information that is not relevant to the country in question. Although we might be tempted to believe that the attack on the neighboring country changed the attitudes toward preemptive war among citizens of the country in question, we cannot make this assumption, especially since the original question explicitly states that preemptive war “is unpopular” among the despised party’s constituents. Further, this does not directly address the carbon reduction issue.
C. This answer shows that a party that is even more extreme on the two issues in question is popular. Consequently, it cannot “simply” be the unpopular party’s stance on these two issues that causes the poor public image. Note as well that “unilateral attacks to defend the homeland” include preemptive attacks.
D. The original question implies that the party with a bad public image is unpopular because of its stance against preemptive military action and for environmentalism. If anything, this answer strengthens the original argument instead of weakening it since it provides some evidence that the party’s positions on these two issues are a source of unpopularity.
E. This answer only deals with the “preemptive military action” and not the reduction in carbon emissions. Since the original argument depends “simply” (i.e., only) on these two issues and yet this answer only addresses one (and it addresses the one issue by referring back to 20 years ago, when the electorate and country no doubt were much different), this answer does not seriously weaken the original argument.
15. The researchers’ conclusion is: “habitual smoking causes increased difficulties in concentrating”.

The group of researchers confuses correlation with causation. In other words, the group concludes that a correlation between smoking and an inability to concentrate implies that smoking causes an inability to concentrate. Perhaps it is the other way around and an inability to concentrate causes individuals to become distracted and take up smoking. Evidence to support this counter theory would weaken the researchers’ conclusion.
A. This answer strengthens (not weakens) the original argument as it provides an explanation for how habitual smoking increases difficulties in concentrating after becoming hooked.
B. The answer deals only with some ADD non-smokers and some smokers so it does not provide any solid evidence and justification to weaken or reject the original argument. Further, it is not logical to compare the concentration ability of individuals with an attention deficit condition to other individuals who do not have an attention deficit condition.
C. The incarceration rate is irrelevant in determining the relationship between concentration and smoking. Whether smokers are incarcerated at higher or lower rates does not enable us to strengthen or weaken the causal relationship between smoking and concentration proposed in the original argument.
D. This strengthens (not weakens) the original argument as it intensifies the causal relationship between smoking and subsequent difficulties concentrating.
E. This additional study pinpoints that individuals with preexisting (or already established) concentration difficulties subsequently became addicted to smoking. This pinpoints that the smoking could not have caused the attention and concentration difficulties (as these difficulties already existed prior to becoming addicted).
16. The political commentator’s argument is: “tax cuts will not help the country escape from its current economic troubles.” The commentator’s evidence for this is the failure of the past administration’s tax cuts to prevent the economic recession.
A. This answer identifies that the argument illogically compares apples and oranges (i.e., it compares entirely different types of tax cuts). It is not reasonable to assume that capital gains tax cuts for the ultra-rich will have the same effect as cuts on salary taxes.
B. This answer does not weaken the political commentator’s argument since the tax cuts referred to occurred under such radically different circumstances. Further, this answer simply states that tax cuts “helped stem” a recession while the commentator states that tax cuts will “help the country escape” from a recession. Simply helping stem (or slow down) a recession is considerably different (and less impressive) than actually turning around an entire economy in recession.
C. This answer notes that a piece of legislation is widely considered essential to escaping the current recession. However, it does not break down what in the legislation is considered essential (is it tax cuts alone, in which case the commentator’s argument is undermined—or is it government spending alone, in which case the commentator’s argument is strengthened—or is it both). Without more information, it is impossible to ascertain whether the economists feel the tax cuts currently being proposed will be simulative, anti-simulative, or neither.
D. The political commentator’s argument pertains to the tax cuts ability to “help the country escape from its current economic troubles” not the tax cut’s effect on the government deficit. Consequently, the effect on the deficit has no bearing on the argument about tax cuts and economic recovery.
E. This answer explicitly states that the campaign contained “many deceptive” political attacks and arguments. Consequently, the credibility of the governor’s claim is severely questioned. Further, even if the governor’s comments were true, we cannot conclude that the correlation between his state’s prosperity and his tax proposals also has a causal relationship (i.e., we cannot conclude that the governor’s philosophy of tax cuts caused the state to be prosperous). In other words, correlation does not imply causation. Further, the macroeconomic dynamics of a state are different than the macroeconomic dynamics of a country.
17. The paradox: After a government recall of some peanut butter, shoppers indicated that they would not change their peanut butter purchasing habits. However, same-store-sales of peanut butter subsequently fell dramatically.

Since consumers did not publicly signal any intention to change their behavior, another explanation must exist. Multiple possible explanations exist: the stores voluntarily removed peanut butter, subsequent and more damaging information about peanut butter contamination became public, or consumers responded to the survey in a biased manner (e.g., denying that they will change their purchasing habits so as to appear as if they never fell for purchasing contaminated products).
A. This answer heightens the paradox by making the subsequent fall in sales of peanut butter even more unexplainable since a price cut would have stimulated sales (not provided an explanation for their decline).
B. This answer identifies a correct explanation for the paradox. With stores fearful about lawsuits, they removed peanut butter and consequently “same-store sales to customers fell.”
C. Although a tabloid is a much less respected source than a leading newspaper, the fact still remains that the article appeared in a leading newspaper. Further, the source of the news does not explain the discrepancy between individuals’ stated intent to continue purchasing peanut butter and the subsequent poor sales figures. If the tabloid as a source were a problem, it would only further increase the paradox over why sales declined (why would consumers seemingly base their decisions upon a tabloid).
D. When the individuals took the survey where they stated their intent to continue purchasing peanut butter, they knew about the op-ed piece as it appeared “days before the newspaper conducted its survey.” Consequently, the op-ed cannot explain individuals’ switch in behavior (i.e., intending to purchase peanut butter but then deciding not to).
E. The original argument notes that “the country’s peanut butter manufacturers” (i.e., every manufacturer accounted for—not limited to the specific type of peanut butter recalled) reported a drop in sales. Although consumers’ intention to change the type of jelly and bread they purchased could imply that consumers would change the type of peanut butter they purchased, it does not explain why sales would virtually stop altogether. There is a difference between changing the type of jelly purchased (and by correlation, the type of peanut butter purchased) and stopping purchasing jelly altogether (and by correlation, stopping purchasing peanut butter altogether).
18. E-News argues that its subscription service will eliminate the presence of all ads for individuals attempting to read the news. The advertisement implies that this is appealing to news readers since it saves them time. However, there are possible problems with this argument. For example, if E-News partnered with other online content providers, who themselves served up ads, the user would not truly avoid advertisements and would still waste time “seeing and ignoring advertisements while attempting to read.”
A. This answer pertains to enjoying reading a news website while the original argument centers on avoiding the “wasted time” that comes from seeing and ignoring advertisements.
B. The original argument centers around “wasted time” not volume of content. Consequently, this answer weakens a point (volume of content) that serves as no support or justification for the original argument (which is based upon “wasted time”).
C. Since users of E-News will not be able to entirely (or perhaps even considerably) “eliminate wasted time that results from seeing and ignoring advertisements” since these ads will be part of the online newspaper reading experience through the content network, the argument that users should sign up in order “to eliminate” ads is weakened.
D. This answer does not weaken the crux of the original argument (i.e., avoiding ads eliminates “wasted time”). The original argument is not weakened, it is simply deemed irrelevant to a certain portion of the country.
E. This does not weaken the argument about the user’s experience and ability to save time with E-News. The original argument pertains to signing up with E-News in order to save time and this answer does not pertain to signing up with E-News.
19. In answering this question, we must keep separate revenue and profit. Further, we must separate revenue from all other aspects of the business. It is important to keep in mind that MicroChip’s efforts are aimed at increasing revenue so any assumption that does not pertain to revenue is almost certainly unnecessary.
A. This answer addresses “enabling the firm to survive in the long-term.” However, the original argument deals with “an attempt to abate the pernicious decline in MicroChip’s revenue.” In other words, this answer deals with the ability of the firm to survive in the long-term and retain customers instead of addressing how the company will increase its revenue (which is different from the number of customers or the level of profitability). It is not necessary to make an assumption about long-term survival in order to make a conclusion about increasing revenue.
B. Even if there were other companies with lower prices, as long as the other companies do not further lower their prices, it will not affect MicroChip’s ability to increase its demand and revenue. Further, the original argument only deals with MicroChip’s attempt to increase its revenue. In other words, the original argument deals with MicroChip’s ability to raise its revenue on absolute terms—not its ability to raise revenue more than rivals. It is not necessary to make an assumption about other firms’ prices in order to make a conclusion about increasing MicroChip’s revenue.
C. Although this would improve MicroChip’s revenue, it is not a necessary assumption underlying MicroChip’s strategy of offering a discount as the company did not need to offer a discount to increase revenue if it assumed the government would stimulate demand on its own. In other words, if MicroChip assumed the government would stimulate demand, MicroChip would not have offered a discount for the discount would not have been necessary.
D. This answer does not address an assumption that underlies increasing revenue, but rather legality. Further, the answer does not state that MicroChip’s actions violate a law. Finally, even if the government pursued charges, this would not necessarily decrease revenue (although it would certainly decrease profit as MicroChip would incur legal fees etc.).
E. This answer contains the assumption that directly relates to MicroChip’s attempt to increase its revenue. In order for the decrease in price to increase total revenue, the volume of sales must increase as total revenue equals price multiplied by volume.
20. The fundamental flaw in the argument is that it is comparing unlike parts. Specifically, the argument is comparing the net value of assets held by or in the name of a group with the net value of assets held by (and not in the name of) another group. It is quite possible that the large value of assets held for children or beneficiaries (e.g., trusts and estates) comprise large amounts of money.
A. The argument notes that the study considered “the net value of assets” (i.e., assets minus liabilities). Consequently, the study did adequately account for the role of debt in acquiring assets.
B. Eliminating one’s debt via bankruptcy would not be unique to the twenty something demographic nor would debt spending change the value of net assets held in one’s name.
C. The information about the tax code does not undermine the conclusion of the study. Instead, it simply provides an explanation for why the value of assets (not necessarily net assets) is larger than expected among twenty somethings (i.e., tax incentives fueled it).
D. The argument is not based upon the exact amount of spending between age groups. Rather, the argument is based upon relative spending and saving between age groups.
E. The argument compares the assets held by and for the benefit of someone with the assets held by (and not for) a different type of person. This unlike comparison is not sufficient logical grounds to make an argument comparing the two groups.
21. The argument’s claim is: the “New Deal singlehandedly propelled the United States out of the Great Depression and into decades of uninterrupted prosperity.

The argument’s evidence for this is: “during the years following 1933, GDP grew, unemployment shrunk, and optimism increased.

There are two major ways to undermine the claim that the “New Deal singlehandedly propelled the United States out of the Great Depression and into decades of uninterrupted prosperity.” (1) Show that another event propelled the United States out of the depression. (2) Show that the New Deal did not propel the Unites States out of the depression.

In order to weaken the argument, it would be helpful to weaken the evidence cited in the argument (“economists note that during the years following 1933, GDP grew, unemployment shrunk, and optimism increased”).
A. The stimulus never states that the fear sparked in “some” (note that we do not know how many) by debt spending actually exceeded the fear of not debt spending on infrastructure etc.. Further, this answer never states that the fear actually translated into a reduction in GDP or an increase in unemployment (the two main factors used to support the argument).
B. This answer merely states that World War II “expanded” economic prosperity. There is a difference between expanding prosperity and propelling a country out of a recession (i.e., the New Deal may have propelled the USA out of the depression while World War II strengthened the already growing economy). This answer does not state that World War II “propelled the United States out” of a depression and so it does not weaken the argument that it was the New Deal (not another program or event) that propelled the United States out of the Great Depression.
C. This answer speaks to the global condition while the argument pertains only to what “propelled the United States out” of the depression.
D. This answer undermines the notion that the New Deal “singlehandedly propelled the United States out of the Great Depression and into decades of uninterrupted prosperity” since the recession came back six years later.
E. This answer fails to weaken the original argument that the New Deal “singlehandedly propelled” the country out of the Great Depression since numerous other events could have propelled the country out of the depression between 1933 and 30 years after the mid-1930s.
22. The conclusion of the stimulus is: “regulators noted that updated architectural norms and theory advised that the bridge’s towers should be reinforced to meet anticipated increases in usage”.
A. Since the bridge “should be reinforced to meet anticipated increases in usage,” the author implies that the bridge is currently safe but should be reinforced to prepare for future changes in usage.
B. Two reasons are given for reinforcing: (1) “updated architectural norms” (2) “to meet anticipated increases in usage.” Since the changes must be made for these two reasons, we can conclude that the original standards did not anticipate these two reasons/factors.
C. This answer states that the bridge still “will not be safe.” The passage never states or implies that the bridge will not be safe. In fact, the words “to meet” seem to imply that the bridge will be safe with the changes.
D. The new architectural norms advocate the addition of supplemental reinforcements for the Watergate Bridge “to meet anticipated increases in demand.” We cannot conclude that the historic regulations are faulty or that the situation with the Watergate Bridge mirrors that of every other bridge (i.e., since not every bridge is like the Watergate in its “anticipated increases in usage,” we cannot conclude that every bridge needs the same reinforcements as the Watergate does).
E. The action should be undertaken because it is advised by regulators and is consistent with current design theory. The bridge was originally constructed “consistent with best-practices at the time” and the new reinforcements will help “meet anticipated increases in usage.” The stimulus gives no indication that current best-practices should be abandoned simply because it is impossible to predict future theory.
23. When a question asks about the “main point,” it is asking for the conclusion (i.e., thesis) of an argument. In answering this question, it is essential to separate the conclusion from the premises that support and lead up to the conclusion.

The argument can be broken up sentence-by-sentence and dissected, enabling us to ascertain the role that each sentence plays in the overall argument.

Breakdown by Argument
There are five major points:
(1) automation maximizes profit
(2) health care executives want to maximize profit
(2b) as a result of 2, health care executives propose automation
(3) 2b should be rejected
(3b) reasoning for 2b being rejected is decline in quality of care
Every point leads to and supports point 3, which is the conclusion of the argument.
Breakdown by Sentence
“Automation, the trademark of a modern economy, is essential to maximizing a country’s economic production while minimizing its costs.” This is a premise since it is used later to make a point (i.e., reject automation in health care). It is simply stated as a fact and does not draw on other premises.
“Health care executives want to increase profits while reducing costs.” This is a premise since it is used later to make a point. It is simply stated as a fact and does not draw on other premises.
“Consequently, they propose significantly greater automation of health care.” Some students falsely assume that this is the main point. Although this statement does draw on the two aforementioned premises, it is not the conclusion because it is not the argument that the author is trying to make (as we shall see).
“Yet, this should be rejected.” This is the argument that the author is making and it is the main point. To see this, notice that all the statements before (and after) build on this statement.
“Radical automation of health care would cause patients to lose trust in the system as the health care they would receive would lack the in-person care that studies show patients desire.” This is a premise since it is evidence that the author is using to support the conclusion that automation should be rejected.
A. This is the main point or argument of the statement. The author indicates, “Yet, this should be rejected,” where this refers to “significantly greater automation of health care.”
B. The author argues against automation since it will “lack the in-person care that studies show patients desire.” The argument is against automation, not for in-person care. In other words, “patients desire customized in-person care” is used as a premise to support the rejection of automation.
C. Although this is a possible inference that can be made by piecing together the premises, it is not the argument that is being advocated.
D. The statement says nothing about executives becoming too greedy. Automation “should be rejected” because it “would cause patients to lose trust in the system.”
E. The statement says nothing about automation becoming inevitable. The author argues not for inevitability of automation of health care but rejection of excessive automation of health care.
24. The school authorities argue that the new track “entirely” caused the reduction in “complaints” about shin splints. There are two important points about this argument.
(1) The argument of the school administrators is based upon a reduction in the number of complaints about shin splints, which is not the same as a reduction in the number of actual instances. It is entirely possible that students complain about shin splints and yet actually have other problems.
(2) The argument of the school administrators established a causal relationship (i.e., the new track caused the reduction). This is a much more assertive and broad claim than simply noticing that the two are correlated (i.e., occurred together).
A. The argument made by West County High School officials is based upon the fact that “the number of students who complained about shin splints dropped significantly.” This answer would weaken an argument that dealt with the number of diagnosed instances of shin splints. However, the school administrators make their argument only because of a reduction in the number of “claims.”
B. This answer significantly strengthens the argument of the high school administrators by noting that other schools experienced a link between a new track and a decrease in claims about shin splints.
C. This answer calls into question the school’s assertion that the new track was “entirely” responsible for the reduction in claims of shin splints. The answer does this through providing an alternative and viable (but not necessarily competing) explanation of the reduction in claims of shin splints.
D. The original argument pertains to complaints about shin splints in particular (not the number of students who “complained of pain while running”). This answer confuses complaints in general with complaints about shin splints in particular.
E. This answer strengthens the school officials’ claim instead of weakening it as it provides more evidence that the new track helped decrease complaints of shin splints.
25. There are two different proposed causes of tire decay on bikes: (1) “contact between the tire and pavement” (2) “chemicals from the road’s composition and chemicals from rain residue”

In order to ascertain which theory is correct, we must separate the two proposed causes. This can be done by applying chemicals from rain water and pavement (theory 2) onto a bike’s idle tires. It is important that the bike is idle as this rules out theory 1.
A. This method does not isolate the new and proposed theory for why bike tires wear down as the testing method exposes the tires to both potential causes (i.e.: (1) tire and pavement contact (2) chemicals from the road’s composition and rain residue).
B. This method isolates the two competing sources of explanations for the tires’ erosion. If the tires erode under this scenario, we know that it was not riding on the pavement that caused the erosion but rather it was the exposure to chemicals.
C. This method does not account for both the potential influence of chemicals from the road’s composition and chemicals from rain residue on the surface of the bike tire. Simply because the manufacturer used or did not use chemicals from the road’s composition within the bike’s frame does not enable us to conclude that the same chemicals will or will not have a corrosive effect if applied to the bike’s tires. In other words, testing effects on the bike’s frame is entirely unrelated to testing effects on the bike’s tires as these two components (i.e., frame and tire) are made of entirely different materials.
D. This method does not account for the potential influence of chemicals from the road’s composition and chemicals from rain residue on the surface of the bike tire. Simply because the manufacturer used or did not use rust-resistant components for the bike’s frame does not enable us to conclude what effect water may have on the bike’s tires. In other words, testing effects on the bike’s frame is entirely unrelated to testing effects on the bike’s tires as these two components are made of entirely different materials.
E. Without any useful frame of reference (such as the number of miles a tire can be used on a dry road or the number of miles a tire can be used in a grass field without the chemicals of a typical road), it is impossible to make any logical conclusion about whether friction or chemicals are causing the decay of the tire.
26. The argument’s conclusion is: “computer science has lost its creative aspect”
The argument draws the false dichotomy that the writing of profitable programs requires forgoing the writing of creative applications. In other words, it assumes that profitable and creative programs are mutually exclusive. Further, it assumes that all computer scientists are pursuing writing profitable programs.
A. There is a difference between being well received and being profitable. The argument assumes that only non-creative programs can be profitable. However, this does not mean creative programs will not be well-received. It just means they will not be profitable.
B. Even if some computer scientists disregarded creativity, we cannot (as the original argument and this answer do) assume that creativity and profit are mutually exclusive.
C. This answer identifies a crucial assumption in the original argument. If writing creative and profitable programs were not mutually exclusive, then one could write profitable programs without “computer science [having] lost its creative aspect.”
D. The extent to which a computer scientist is obsessed with the profitability of his work has no influence on whether profitability drives away creativity (as the original argument assumes).
E. The users of software have influence on whether software can be both profitable and creative.