Critical Reasoning Mixed Practice - IV
Critical Reasoning Mixed Practice - IV
Questions
Some villages in the state are inhabited almost exclusively by farmers and contain few, if any, residents with other professions. Yet these villages are home to growing businesses specializing in the rental of computer hardware and internet access devices.
Which of the following, if true, best reconciles the seeming discrepancy described above?
- The businesses specializing in the rental of computer hardware and internet access devices buy their wares from outside the state very cheap.
- The few educated professionals who do reside in these villages all know each other well and often keep making visits to these businesses.
- Many residents of these villages who use internet frequently prefer renting the hardware to buying it outright.
- Many residents of these villages must provide for the net access requirements of visiting children and grandchildren who otherwise reside in cities but make frequent visits home.
- Computer hardware and internet access devices available for rental are of the same quality as that available for sale in the stores.
The sale of sports goods is higher in Sportiland than in Netiland. Therefore, the residents of Sportiland are physically more active than are the residents of Netiland.
Each of the following, if true, weakens the conclusion above EXCEPT:
- Sportiland has a larger population than Netiland.
- Most residents of Netiland work in Sportiland and buy their sports goods there.
- The average resident of Sportiland spends less time playing sports than does the average resident of Netiland.
- A weekly sports event for the local residents is held in Sportiland.
- The average price of sports goods sold in Sportiland is lower than the average price of sports goods sold in Netiland.
The steps undertaken to control the entry of spurious milk into the city were a failure last summer. Had the steps been successful, the wholesale price of milk and milk products would not have dropped so much last summer.
The argument in the passage would be most seriously weakened if it were true that
- last summer the suppliers of spurious milk, as a group, had a great deal more funds at their disposal than did the city’s food inspection wing
- city-based production of milk increased hugely last summer
- the statements above have been made in order to embarrass the city’s food inspection wing
- last summer spurious milk entered the city by a different modus operandi than it did the earlier summer
- the city’s residents spent a great deal more money on milk products last summer than they did the earlier summer
The city administration has proposed an entry charge of fifty rupees per day on cars entering the city, claiming that the charge will help improve the city’s traffic problem. The administration reasons that, since the charge exceeds the cost of shuttle bus fare from many nearby places, many residents will stop using their cars and take the bus instead.
Which of the following statements, if true, provides the best evidence that the reasoning presented by the administration is flawed?
- Projected increase in the price of petrol and diesel will increase the cost of taking a car into the city.
- The parking fees already make it considerably more expensive for most people to take a car into the city than to take a bus.
- Most of the residents currently taking the bus do not own cars.
- Many residents opposing the proposal have indicated that they would rather bear the traffic problems than pay the fifty rupees charge per day.
- On an average workday, cars owned and operated by the residents of the city account for no more than twenty percent of the city’s traffic.
Essay writing is an essential part of the MBA entrance selection procedure because, with it, aspirants who do not have the skills required for a managerial career will be eliminated from consideration.
The argument above logically depends on which of the following assumptions?
- MBA entrance selection procedure will be successful if it includes essay writing.
- Essay writing is a more important part of a successful MBA entrance selection procedure than the aptitude test.
- Examiners can accurately identify aspirants who do not have skills required for a managerial career.
- The only purpose of essay writing is to evaluate whether the aspirant has skills required for a managerial career.
- The fit of aspirant’s skills to the requirements of a managerial career was once the most important factor in making selection decisions.
The steps undertaken to control the entry of spurious milk into the city were a failure last summer. Had the steps been successful, the wholesale price of milk and milk products would not have dropped so much last summer.
The argument in the passage depends on which of the following assumptions?
- The supply of spurious milk and milk products fell a great deal last summer.
- The price paid for most milk products by the average customer did not fall a great deal last summer.
- City-based production of milk increased at a higher rate than the entry of spurious milk into the city.
- The wholesale price of some milk products increased a great deal last summer.
- A drop in demand for most milk products last summer was not the only cause of the drop in their wholesale price.
The legendary Indian king Vikramaditya, who greatly influenced literature, art and religion during his lifetime, was well cherished and highly admired by his subjects. We come to know of this from the intense devotion shown to him by his ministers and courtiers, as documented in literature composed during Vikramaditya's reign.
A questionable technique used in the argument is to
- cite facts that actually contradict the conclusion
- present proof that is theoretically impossible to question
- make a generalization from a sample that is unrepresentative
- rely on the vagueness of the term “legendary”
Which of the following best completes the passage below?
The rate of fatal industrial mishaps in the country fell from 11.3 percent in 1990 to 8.7 percent in 2000. We cannot, however, conclude from these facts that the number of deaths caused by industrial mishaps in 2000 was lower than in 1990 because______
- fatal industrial mishap related news items increased between 1990 and 2000
- many of the high-fatality industrial processes of the 1990s were replaced by more safe procedures in 2000, resulting in saving many precious lives
- in the most industrialized states of the country, the fatal industrial mishap rate was much higher in 2000 than in 1990
- the total number of industrial mishaps, including fatal and non-fatal, increased between 1990 and 2000
- the average cost of industrial mishaps borne by the employers dropped during the period 1990 to 2000
Lion habitats are almost extinct in the country. Even keeping this fact in mind, the most sensible strategy would be to desist from re-introducing lions in habitats where they have once been poached to death. Trying to bring lions back to habitats where they are likely to encounter a killer human contact is sinful.
The argument above depends on
- an appeal to human morality
- a belief that lions are dangerous to human beings and human beings are dangerous to lions
- the assumption that lion habitats can be established at will
- the assumption that future would unfold exactly the same way as the past did
- a covert threat to those presenting the opposing point of view
A company engaged in producing tooth-paste intends to raise its profits by enhancing its unit sales. While its customer base is stagnant, the average customer buys around twelve units of product per year. It is planning to achieve its objective by increasing the number of promotional pricing events to one every three months.
Which of the following, if it is a realistic possibility, casts the most serious doubt on the viability of the company's plan?
- New production capacity would not be required if the company achieves an increase in its unit sales.
- Pre-purchased stock of the tooth-paste would be high just before onset of promotional pricing events.
- The competitors of the company would match its promotional pricing, and its customers would learn to wait for these events to buy their wares.
- New flavors and variants would increase customers' interest in the product, but the customers' requirements for older flavors and variants would not be reduced.
Lion habitats are almost extinct in the country. Even keeping this fact in mind, the most sensible strategy would be to desist from re-introducing lions in habitats where they have once been poached to death. Trying to bring lions back to habitats where they are likely to encounter a killer human contact is sinful.
The argument above would be most significantly weakened if which of the following were true?
- Effective anti-poaching laws have been enacted.
- Cattle grazers, farmers, and villagers in general still have an inherent hostility towards lions.
- By 1960’s extensive poaching had made the lion almost extinct in the country.
- Steps taken to raise the numbers of the lion species do not have international approval which would have otherwise brought in funds as well.
- The steps taken to raise the numbers of the lion species have been criticized by conservationists and wild life enthusiasts.