1、CRITICAL REASONING 1. Which of the following best completes the passage below? In a survey of job applicants, two-fifths admitted to being at least a little dishonest. However, the survey may underestimate the proportion of job applicants who are dishonest, because_. A. some dishonest people taking
2、the survey might have claimed on the survey to be honest B. some generally honest people taking the survey might have claimed on the survey to be dishonest C. some people who claimed on the survey to be at least a little dishonest may be very dishonest D. some people who claimed on the survey to be
3、dishonest may have been answering honestly E. some people who are not job applicants are probably at least a little dishonest 1. A is the best answer. If applicants who are in fact dishonest claimed to be honest, the survey results would show a smaller proportion of dishonest applicants than actuall
4、y exists. Therefore, this choice is the best answer. B is inappropriate because generally honest applicants who claimed to be dishonest could contribute to the overestimation, but not to the underestimation, of dishonest applicants. D is inappropriate because applicants who admitted their dishonesty
5、 would not contribute to an underestimation of the proportion of dishonest applicants. C and E are inappropriate because the argument is concerned neither with degrees of dishonesty nor with the honesty of non-applicants. 2. The average life expectancy for the United States population as a whole is
6、73.9 years, but children born in Hawaii will live an average of 77 years, and those born in Louisiana, 71.7 years. If a newlywed couple from Louisiana were to begin their family in Hawaii, therefore, their children would be expected to live longer than would be the case if the family remained in Lou
7、isiana. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion drawn in the passage? A. Insurance company statisticians do not believe that moving to Hawaii will significantly lengthen the average Louisianans life. B. The governor of Louisiana has falsely alleged that statistics
8、 for his state are inaccurate. C. The longevity ascribed to Hawaiis current population is attributable mostly to genetically determined factors. D. Thirty percent of all Louisianans can expect to live longer than 77 years. E. Most of the Hawaiian Islands have levels of air pollution well below the n
9、ational average for the United States. 2. C is the best answer. This choice suggests that a significant proportion of Hawaiis population is genetically predisposed to be long lived. Since Louisianans are not necessarily so predisposed, and since the Louisianans children will acquire their genetic ch
10、aracteristics from their parents, not from their birthplace, this choice presents a reason to doubt that Hawaiian born children of native Louisianans will have an increased life expectancy. Therefore, this choice is the best answer. Because the conclusion concerns people born in Hawaii, not the aver
11、age Louisianan, A does not weaken the conclusion. Because the governors allegation is false, it cannot affect the conclusion. D fails to weaken the conclusion because it is consistent with the information given and the conclusion about life expectancy. By suggesting that Hawaiis environment is in on
12、e respect particularly healthy, E supports the conclusion. 3. The average life expectancy for the United States population as a whole is 73.9 years, but children born in Hawaii will live an average of 77 years, and those born in Louisiana, 71.7 years. If a newlywed couple from Louisiana were to begi
13、n their family in Hawaii, therefore, their children would be expected to live longer than would be the case if the family remained in Louisiana. Which of the following statements, if true, would most significantly strengthen the conclusion drawn in the passage? A. As population density increases in
14、Hawaii, life expectancy figures for that state are likely to be revised downward. B. Environmental factors tending to favor longevity are abundant in Hawaii and less numerous in Louisiana. C. Twenty-five percent of all Louisianans who move to Hawaii live longer than 77 years. D. Over the last decade
15、, average life expectancy has risen at a higher rate for Louisianans than for Hawaiians. E. Studies show that the average life expectancy for Hawaiians who move permanently to Louisiana is roughly equal to that of Hawaiians who remain in Hawaii. 3. If B is true, the greater abundance of longevity-pr
16、omoting environmental factors it mentions is probably at least partly responsible for the higher life expectancy in Hawaii. Children born in Hawaii benefit from these factors from birth, and thus Louisianans who have children in Hawaii increase their childrens chances of living longer. Therefore, B
17、is the best answer. If life expectancy in Hawaii is likely to be falling, as A says, the argument is weakened rather than strengthened. C and E, in the absence of other relevant information, have no bearing on the conclusion; thus, they are inappropriate. D is irrelevant, because the information it
18、mentions about rates would already have been incorporated into the statistics cited in the passage. 4. Insurance Company X is considering issuing a new policy to cover services required by elderly people who suffer from diseases that afflict the elderly. Premiums for the policy must be low enough to
19、 attract customers. Therefore, Company X is concerned that the income from the policies would not be sufficient to pay for the claims that would be made. Which of the following strategies would be most likely to minimize Company Xs losses on the policies? A. Attracting middle-aged customers unlikely
20、 to submit claims for benefits for many years. B. Insuring only those individuals who did not suffer any serious diseases as children C. Including a greater number of services in the policy than are included in other policies of lower cost D. Insuring only those individuals who were rejected by othe
21、r companies for similar policies E. Insuring only those individuals who are wealthy enough to pay for the medical services 4. Insurance companies can improve the ratio of revenues to claims paid, thus minimizing losses, if they insure as many people belonging to low-risk groups as they can. Because
22、the strategy described in A adds a low-risk group to the pool of policyholders, this choice is the best answer. B is irrelevant, since no link is established between childhood diseases and diseases affecting the elderly. C is inappropriate, since increasing the number of services covered is unlikely
23、 to minimize losses. D is inappropriate, since it would increase the likelihood that claims against the policy will be made. Because policyholders will file claims against the policy for services covered rather than pay for the cost of the services themselves, E is irrelevant.5. A program instituted
24、 in a particular state allows parents to prepay their childrens future college tuition at current rates. The program then pays the tuition annually for the child at any of the states public colleges in which the child enrolls. Parents should participate in the program as a means of decreasing the co
25、st for their childrens college education. Which of the following, if true, is the most appropriate reason for parents NOT to participate in the program? A. the parents are unsure about which public college in the state the child will attend. B. The amount of money accumulated by putting the prepayme
26、nt funds in an interest-bearing account today will be greater than the total cost of tuition for any of the public colleges when the child enrolls. C. The annual cost of tuition at the states public colleges is expected to increase at a faster rate than the annual increase in the cost of living. D.
27、Some of the states public colleges are contemplating large increases in tuition next year. E. The prepayment plan would not cover the cost of room and board at any of the states public colleges. 5. The passage recommends that parents participate in a tuition prepayment program as a means of decreasi
28、ng the cost of their childrens future college education. If B is true, placing the funds in an interest bearing account would be more cost-effective than participating in the prepayment program. Therefore, B would be a reason for NOT participating and is the best answer. A is not clearly relevant to
29、 deciding whether to participate since the program applies to whatever public college the child might attend. C and D, by stating that tuition will increase, provide support for participating in the program. E is not clearly relevant to deciding whether to participate, since the expenses mentioned f
30、all outside the scope of the program.6. Company Alpha buys free-travel coupons from people who are awarded the coupons by Bravo Airlines for flying frequently on Bravo airplanes. The coupons are sold to people who pay less for the coupons than they would pay by purchasing tickets from Bravo. This ma
31、king of coupons results in lost revenue for Bravo.To discourage the buying and selling of free-travel coupons, it would be best for Bravo Airlines to restrict the A. number of coupons that a person can be awarded in a particular year B. use of the coupons to those who were awarded the coupons and me
32、mbers of their immediate families C. days that the coupons can be used to Monday through Friday D. amount of time that the coupons can be used after they are issued E. number of routes on which travelers can use the coupons 6. Restricting use of the coupons to the immediate families of those awarded
33、 them, as B suggests, would make the coupons valueless for anyone else, so that marketing the coupons would no longer be possible. The coupons, however, would still allow the people to whom Bravo gives them to enjoy free travel. Thus, awarding coupons would remain a strong incentive to frequent trav
34、el on Bravo. Therefore, B is the best answer. A would do nothing to reduce the resale value of the coupons. C, D and E all not only fail to prevent Alphas coupon sales from competing with Bravos own ticket sales, but also potentially reduce the usefulness of the coupons to the people to whom they ar
35、e awarded. 7. The ice on the front windshield of the car had formed when moisture condensed during the night. The ice melted quickly after the car was warmed up the next morning because the defrosting vent, which blows on the front windshield, was turned on full force. Which of the following, if tru
36、e, most seriously jeopardizes the validity of the explanation for the speed with which the ice melted? A. The side windows had no ice condensation on them B. Even though no attempt was made to defrost the back window, the ice there melted at the same rate as did the ice on the front windshield. C. T
37、he speed at which ice on a window melts increases as the temperature of the air blown on the window increases D. The warm air from the defrosting vent for the front windshield cools rapidly as it dissipates throughout the rest of the car. E. The defrosting vent operates efficiently even when the hea
38、ter, which blows warm air toward the feet or faces of the driver and passengers, is on. 7.The speed with which the ice on the windshield melted is attributed to the air blowing full force from the defrosting vent onto the front windshield. This explanation of B is undermined if, as B states, no atte
39、mpt was made to defrost the back window and the ice on the back window melted as quickly as did the ice on the windshield. Therefore, B is the best answer. In the absence of other information, the lack of ice condensation on the side windows that is mentioned in A is irrelevant to the validity of th
40、e explanation. C might support the explanation, since the air from the defrosting vent was warm. Neither of D and E gives a reason to doubt that air from the vent caused the ices melting, and thus neither jeopardizes the explanations validity. 8. To prevent some conflicts of interest, Congress could
41、 prohibit high-level government officials from accepting positions as lobbyists for three years after such officials leave government service. One such official concluded, however, that such a prohibition would be unfortunate because it would prevent high-level government officials from earning a li
42、velihood for three years. The officials conclusion logically depends on which of the following assumptions? A. Laws should not restrict the behavior of former government officials. B. Lobbyists are typically people who have previously been high-level government officials. C. Low-level government off
43、icials do not often become lobbyists when they leave government service. D. High-level government officials who leave government service are capable of earning a livelihood only as lobbyists. E. High-level government officials who leave government service are currently permitted to act as lobbyists
44、for only three years. 8. The official argues that prohibiting high-level government officials from accepting positions as lobbyists for three years would prevent the officials from earning a livelihood for that period. The reasoning tacitly excludes the possibility of such officials earning a living
45、 through work other than lobbying. Therefore, D, which expresses this tacit assumption, is the best answer. The officials argument does not depend on the assumption in A, since the argument would not be invalidated if some restrictions on the behavior of government officials were desirable. The offi
46、cials argument does not depend on the assumption in B, since the argument would not be invalidated if lobbyists were not typically former high-level government officials. The officials argument does not depend on the assumption in C, since the argument would not be invalidated if former low-level go
47、vernment officials did often become lobbyists. The officials argument does not depend on the assumption in E, since the argument would not be invalidated if former high-level government officials could act as lobbyists indefinitely. 9. A conservation group in the United States is trying to change th
48、e long-standing image of bats as frightening creatures. The group contends that bats are feared and persecuted solely because they are shy animals that are active only at night. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most serious doubt on the accuracy of the groups contention? A. Bats are s
49、teadily losing natural roosting places such as caves and hollow trees and are thus turning to more developed areas for roosting. B. Bats are the chief consumers of nocturnal insects and thus can help make their hunting territory more pleasant for humans. C. Bats are regarded as frightening creatures not only in the United States but also in Europe, Africa, and South America. D. Raccoons and owls are shy and active only at night; yet they are not generally feared and persecuted. E. People know more about the behavior of other greatly feared animal species, such as li
