1.

The manager of a nuclear power plant defended the claim that the plant was safe by citing the rate of injury for current workers: only 3,2 injuries per 200,000 hours of work, a rate less than half the national average for all industrial plants. The manager claimed that, therefore, by the standard of how many injuries occur, the plant was safer than most other plants where the employees could work. Which one of the following, if true, most calls into question the manager's claim? (A)Workers at nuclear power plants are required to receive extra training in safety precautions on their own time and at their own expense. (B)According to a survey, injuries caused to workers at nuclear power plants are much more severe and take longer time to heal than those caused to workers at other plants. (C)The exposure of the workers to radiation at the nuclear power plant was within levels the government considers safe. (D)Workers at nuclear power plants have filed only a few lawsuits against the management concerning unsafe working conditions. (E)Medical problems arising from work at a nuclear power plant are unusual, in that, they are not likely to appear until after an employee has left employment at the plant. 2.Determinism is the view that every event has a preceding cause sufficient for its occurrence. That is, if determinism is true, the events that are presently occurring could not have failed to occur, given the state of the universe a moment ago. Determinism, however, is a false view , because it. is impossible to know the complete state of the universe at any given time since it is impossible to measure accurately both the position and velocity of any given subatomic particle at a particular time. The physicist's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds? (A)That it is impossible to measure accurately both the position and velocity of any given subatomic particle does not imply that it is impossible to know either the position or the velocity of all subatomic particles. (B)That the complete state of the universe at any given time is unknowable does not imply that the states at that time of the individual subatomic particles making it up are unknowable. (C)That it is impossible to measure accurately both the position and the velocity of any given subatomic particle at a particular time does not imply that its position or velocity cannot be accurately measured separately. (D)That it is impossible to know the complete state of the universe at any given time does not imply that there is no complete state of the universe at that time. (E)That the position and the velocity of any given subatomic particle cannot be jointly measured with accuracy does not imply that this is the case for the position and velocity of all subatomic particles.

3.The dissemination of political theories is, in principle, able to cause change in existing social structures. However, all political theories, by virtue of being formulated in the educationally privileged setting of the university, are written in a convoluted language that alienates individuals outside academia who are important agents of change. It follows that, with respect to political theory, there is a special role for those outside the university context to render it into accessible, clear language. Which one of the following assumptions does the above argument depend on? (A)People outside academic settings are the most important agents of change to the social structure. (B)People within academic settings who formulate political theories attempt to change existing social structures. (C)People outside academic settings are better left out of the initial formulation of political theories. (D) People outside academic settings stand to gain more from the dissemination of political theories than the persons inside. (E) People within academic settings are less willing or less able than persons outside to write in a way that is easily understandable to the latter. 4.Last year's worldwide alarm about a computer "virus" - a surreptitiously introduced computer program that can destroy other programs and data was a fraud. Software companies sold millions of programs designed to protect computers against the virus by issuing warnings about the possibility that the destructive virus would be activated on a certain date. However, there was more smoke than fire: only a thousand cases of damage were reported around the world. So, the software companies' warning was clearly only an effort to boost their revenues. The reasoning in the above argument is flawed because this argument: (A)restates its conclusion without attempting to offer a reason to accept it. (B)fails to acknowledge that antivirus programs might protect against viruses other than the particular one described. (C)asserts that the occurrence of one event after another shows that the earlier event was the cause of the later one. (D)uses inflammatory language as a substitute for providing any evidence. (E)overlooks the possibility that antivirus programs actually prevented the virus from causing any damage. 5.Out of the 221 dead manatees, 128 have no obvious cause of death. Marine biologists have been unable to find the cause of these deaths. They suspect that the Red Tide, a bloom of flagellates deadly to marine life, off the coast of southwest Florida has some connection with these mysterious deaths. Another possible cause is a virus that is unknown to scientists. Which of the following would best help determine the cause of death?

(A)Move the manatees from their current habitat into a habitat that is similar but without the presence of the Red Tide. (B)Draw a DNA profile and match with all present viruses. (C)Restore the number of manatees to original levels through captive breeding. (D)Identify the companies that are injecting toxins into the water. (E)Compare the death of manatees with that of other species of mammals. 6.Business schools have compulsory "math remedial courses" before the beginning of the curriculum for students from non-mathematics academic backgrounds like literature, psychology and biology. Critics of these courses point to a recent study showing that during the course of the MBA program, despite completing the remedial courses, the performance of these students in areas that require a knowledge of mathematics is weaker than that of students from a mathematics background. They, thus, say that remedial courses for math should be done away with, as they serve no purpose. Which of the following studies presents the strongest counter-argument to this? (A)A study that shows that 80% of MBA students have mathematics backgrounds. (B)A study that shows that after the remedial course the performance of students from non-mathematics academic backgrounds in math-based tests was significantly better than in similar tests before the course. (C)A study, which shows that business school graduates do not need a significant mathematical aptitude in order to perform well in their professional lives. (D)A study showing that an increasing number of students at business schools are specializing in areas like operations and finance, which require a significant mathematical aptitude. (E)A study, which shows that the performance of students in areas like Human Resource Management that do not require a mathematical aptitude is not dependent on their academic background. 7.In the last ten years, there has been a significant decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked by teenagers. During the same time, there has been greater publicity about the harmful effects of smoking. From this, we can conclude that the reduction in number of cigarettes smoked by teenagers must be due to the increased publicity of its harmful effects. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above? (A)The number of teenagers taking up smoking has decreased by more than 20% in the last decade. (B)During the last ten years, the proportion of teenagers who consume alcohol has increased significantly. (C)During the last ten years, the sales of premium cigarettes have remained constant whereas those of lower-priced cigarettes have fallen significantly. (D)Due to increased taxation, prices of cigarettes have risen almost four-fold in the last decade, and they are no longer affordable to teenagers.

(E)Anti-smoking advertisements shown on television enjoy a lot of popularity among teenagers. 8.Generations of European History students have been taught that a political assassination caused the First World War. Without some qualification, however, this teaching is bound to mislead since the war would not have happened without the treaties and alliances that were already in effect and the military force that was already amassed. These were the deeper causes of the war, whereas the assassination was a cause only in a trivial sense. It was like the individual spark that happens to ignite a conflagration that was, in the prevailing conditions, inevitable. Which one of the following most accurately restates the main point of the passage? (A)The assassination did not cause the war since the assassination was only the last in a chain of events leading up to the war, each of which had equal claim to being called its "cause." (B)The war was destined to happen since the course of history up to that point could not have been altered. (C)Though the statement that the assassination caused the war is true, the term "cause" more fundamentally applies to the conditions that made it possible for that event to start the war. (D)If the assassination had occurred when it did but less military force had at that time been amassed, the war's outbreak might have been considerably delayed or the war might not have occurred at all. (E)Although the conditions prevailing at the time the war started made the war inevitable, if the war had not been triggered by the assassination, it would not have taken the course with which students of history are familiar. 9.Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. However, now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, doodling is becoming much less common. Some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to doodle and jot down outlandish ideas. Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts' reasoning depends? (A)The physical act of actually working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling. (B)Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than for typing outlandish ideas. (C)No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.

(D)Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work. (E)Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications. 10.Contemporary business firms need to recognize that avoiding social responsibility leads to the gradual erosion of power. This is Davis and Blomstrom's Iron Law of Responsibility: "In the long run, those who do not use power in a manner which society considers responsible will tend to lose it." The law's application to human institutions certainly stands confirmed by history. Though the "long run" may require decades or even centuries in some instances, society ultimately acts to reduce power when society thinks it is not being used responsibly. Therefore, a business that wishes to retain its power as long as it can, must act responsibly. Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the above argument? (A)Government institutions are as subject to the iron Law of Responsibility as business institutions. (B)Public relations programs can cause society to consider an institution socially responsible even when it is not. (C)The power of some institutions erodes more slowly than the power of others, whether they are socially responsible or not. (D)Since no institution is eternal, every business will eventually fail. (E)Some businesses that have used power in socially responsible ways have lost it. 11.The Mayor of New Hartfarmshire has blamed the new manufacturing plant set up in the county a few months ago for the sudden rise in the incidence of water-borne diseases in the county. The Mayor in his address to the people has said that the pollution, caused by the disposal of the industrial waste by the new manufacturing plant, of the river that runs through Hartfarmshire was the cause of the rise in water-borne diseases. Which of the following most strengthens the Mayor's argument against the manufacturing plant? (A)in a similar case filed in a neighbouring county, the local court had ruled in the favor of the local municipality. (B)The people of New Hartfarmshire have been badly affected by the water-borne diseases. (C)The rise in the pollution of the river has been due to a breakdown of the municipality garbage processing plant. (D)The manufacturing plant's sewage treatment process does not meet the latest safety standards released by the government a month ago. (E)The manufacturing plant has refused access to the municipal authorities to test the plant.

12.Judges in Country X recently ruled that the wire-tapping of phones by the federal intelligence agencies in order to obtain information that protects the country against terrorist attacks, is against the constitution as it violates the citizen's fundamental-right to privacy. The government has appealed against the ruling saying that intelligence information was crucial in foiling a recent terrorist plot against the country and wiretapping is a tool that is an absolute must for the government to protect its citizens. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the appeal made by the government? (A)No part of the information used in foiling the recent terrorist plot was either directly or indirectly gathered through wire-tapping. (B)Freedom is one of the first sacrifices that governments unjustly demand in the name of protecting the country. (C)Wire-tapping requires high-end technology, which will be a huge drain on the exchequer. (D)Country Y, which recently adopted the same strategy to counter threats to the safety of its citizens, has so far not foiled any terrorist threat after allowing the government wire-tapping rights. (E)Country X has not had any terrorist attacks on its soil in the last two years. 13.A total of 55 percent of IT professionals, aged 25 years or younger, say that they are actively or passively looking for a new job in a different company. By comparison, only 19 percent of those aged 45 years and older are likewise looking. So companies making a beeline to hire young talent should reconsider it because the under twenty-five youngster will not have as much loyalty as an over forty-five adult. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above? (A)People over forty five do not look for a new job as much as youngsters of twentyfive or below because they have much fewer opportunities in the job market than the latter. (B)The people who are now aged above forty five were once under twenty five and by rejecting a 25-year-old for a 45-year-old, companies will be in effect rejecting the same candidate. (C)Youngsters are often at variance with the tradition of the generation before them and, hence, bound to be portrayed in a negative light. (D)Youngsters often look for variety and, hence, they are constantly on the look out for newer things to do both in their personal and professional lives. (E)The survey does not make a distinction between actively looking for a job and doing so passively because if only the former is concerned, the percentage of youngsters looking out for a new job will drastically come down. 14.Last year, the innside Holiday group of hotels underwent a major transformation from being an upmarket hotel to an eco-hotel with environmentalism being its core driver as well as unique selling

proposition. One year after the transformation, Innside Holiday revealed that its average occupancy rate is down from 80% to 60% but revenues have increased by nearly 20%. All of the following, if true, explain the rise in revenues of Innside Holiday, EXCEPT: (A)The Innside Holiday Group has increased tariffs for its rooms by more than 50%. (B)The Innside Holiday Group's revenues from its restaurant and spa increased after its transformation to an eco-hotel and compensate for the decrease in occupancy rate. (C)The Innside Holiday Group reduced the cost of its operations by 40%. (D)The Innside Holiday Group generated significant revenues from the sale of products made from its recycled waste. (E)The Innside Holiday Group has increased the number of rooms available at its hotels by more than 50%. 15.According to a survey conducted by an independent health organization, the survival rate in the case of patients who are advised surgery in the event of a cardiac arrest is 6 out of 10 whereas the survival rate in case of patients who do not undergo surgery is 8 out of ten. Based on the survey, the organization contends that in the event of a cardiac arrest, doctors should not advise surgery. Which of the following if true weakens the argument made by the independent health organization? (A)Patients who undergo surgery in the event of a cardiac arrest recover faster than patients who do not undergo surgery. (B)Patients who undergo any form of surgery never fully return to their pre-surgery health. (C)Out of all surgeries, those relating to cardiac arrests have the highest rate of success. (D)In the last decade, the number of surgeries conducted in the event of a cardiac arrest has decreased by 50%. (E)In cases of cardiac arrests, surgery is advised only if the patient's condition is critical and his chance of survival is low. 16.Though the number of bottles of mayonnaise sold has decreased in the last one year by 10% after the government launched a campaign to promote healthy eating, the percentage of households who have a bottle of mayonnaise in their fridge now, has risen from 75% to 90%. Which of the following, if true, best helps to explain this discrepancy? (A)The average rate of consumption of a bottle of mayonnaise before the government's campaign was much faster than it is now, after the campaign. (B)Many families gave their bottles of mayonnaise to their neighbors because they stopped consuming mayonnaise after the campaign.

(C)During the last one year, obesity has overtaken heart disease as the illness affecting the maximum number of people. (D)in the last one year, the number of brands of mayonnaise sold decreased by 15%. (E)In the last one year, the percentage of people switching from using butter to using mayonnaise has actually increased. Explanatory Answers 1.(A) This option provides information that does not question or refute the claim that the plant is safer than other plants. (B)Safety is defined by the manager on the basis of rate of injury or frequency of injuries and not the severity of injuries. Hence, this option does not weaken the argument. (C)This option does not weaken the manager's claim. It indirectly supports the manager's claim. (D)This option does not weaken the manager's claim. It indirectly supports the manager's claim. (E)Correct. This option gives information that refutes the claim, which is based on the current rate of injury, by showing that the actual rate of injury is greater than that claimed by the manager. 2.The author is refuting the correctness of determinism on the grounds that it cannot be practically implemented. If X + Y = Z is a theory or a geometrical proposition, it cannot be refuted on the grounds that it is impossible to determine the values of X and Y. Hence, (D) is the correct answer. 3.The argument is that people outside the university should make the language of political theory accessible. (A)The option restates what is already stated in the passage. (B)The argument is based on the ability of the theories to initiate social change not on whether those inside the university want to change existing social structures or not. (C)If an assumption is false, the argument fails. If this option is false, it does not affect the argument in any way. (D)If an assumption is false, the argument fails. If this option is false, it does not affect the argument in any way. (E)Correct. Since political theories can cause social change and because they are written by those inside universities in a convoluted language, the author calls on those outside to simplify them and make them accessible. The assumption clearly being those inside, either cannot or are not willing to write it in a simple way. Option (E) states this correctly. If this statement is false, the argument fails. 4.The argument says that the alarm about the computer virus was a hoax to sell antivirus programs. The supporting evidence used is the fact that there was negligible damage caused by the virus. It fails to see that the damage might have been negligible because the antivirus programs were effective. Option (E) states this flaw. Hence, (E) is the correct answer.

5.(A) Correct. This would help determine the cause of death. If manatees survive in the similar new habitat, the cause of death is the Red Tide in the previous habitat; if they (B)Since it is an unknown virus, drawing the DNA will not yield any result. (C)Captively breeding manatees has no relation to determining the cause of death. (D)This option also presents information that is irrelevant to the question. (E)Since the passage does not talk about other species comparing the death of manatees with that of other species will not reveal the cause of death of the former. 6.(A)The statistic presented in the argument is irrelevant to the question since the passage talks about the usefulness of the math-remedial courses to students who do not have a mathematical academic background and constitute 205 of the total number of students. (B)Correct. This option counters the argument made in the passage by showing that there is a significant improvement in the math skills of students taking the remedial courses, so they are useful. While they may not bring them at par with other students, a significant improvement is still reason enough to not do away with them. (C)This option presents information that is irrelevant to the question. If anything, it indirectly strengthens the argument in the passage. (D)This option does not address the central issue, which is the usefulness of the remedial courses and, hence, is incorrect. (E)This option presents information that is irrelevant to the question. 7.(A)This option provides statistics that indirectly support the argument. (B)This option presents information that is irrelevant to the question since the passage is about smoking and not about alcohol consumption. (C)This option discusses the pattern of cigarette sales, which throws no light on the argument at all. (D)Correct. This option offers an alternative explanation for the drop in the number of cigarettes smoked by teenagers. It suggests that the decrease is due to cigarettes becoming unaffordable for teenagers. (E)The popularity of anti-smoking advertisements among teenagers does not mean that they would follow the advice and give up smoking or smoke less; that is an assumption that we would have to make. Hence, this option is incorrect. 8.The author makes three points in the passage: i] ii] iii] the war was inevitable the assassination was only the spark that triggered the war the actual cause lay in the circumstances that had built up by then.

(A)The option labels all the events as being equally responsible for the war, including the assassination. (B)This option does not include the point about the assassination not being the cause. Also, the author does not mention that the events leading up to the war were inevitable. He only says that the war was inevitable. (C)Correct. This option aptly restates the three points made by the author.

(D)The author does not speak about the conjectures (if less force had been amassed...) mentioned in this option. (E)This option states the exact opposite of the author's contention. 9.(A) Correct. The author is assuming that doodling with paper and pencil and doodling on a simulated notepad are not different in their role in helping the engineers generate creative ideas. Option (A) states this. (B)This is not related to the argument that simulated notepads will help engineers retain their creativity through doodling. (C)The passage states that many engineers now use computers and doodling has become less common; the experts are not assuming that nobody doodles anymore. (D)This is not related to the argument that simulated notepads will help engineers retain their creativity through doodling. (E)This option restates what is already stated in the passage. 10.(A) This option presents information that is irrelevant to the question. (B)Correct. The argument claims that businesses must act responsibly. This option weakens the argument by saying that businesses need not necessarily act responsibly; they can just pretend to do so and can get away since society cannot differentiate. (C)The passage does not say that social responsibility in itself is sufficient. (D)This option is a generalized statement that does not refute the argument logically. (E)The passage says social responsibility is a necessary condition; in refuting it, option (E) assumes it to be a sufficient condition. There might have been other things wrong with the businesses that led to their losing power despite being socially responsible; hence, this option does not weaken the argument. 11.(A) Just because both the cases are similar, it does not logically follow that the verdict of the court will also be the same. For example, just because one individual accused of murder was found to be guilty, it does not mean that everyone accused of murder is guilty. (B)This option just restates the information given in the passage; it does not strengthen the Mayor's argument that the new manufacturing plant is to be blamed for the rise in water-borne diseases. (C)This option weakens the argument by showing another probable reason for the incidence of water-borne diseases. (D)Correct. This directly strengthens the Mayor's argument by showing that the plant's waste treatment process does not conform to the government's norms and hence it has caused water-borne diseases in New Hartfarmshire. (E)Not allowing access to municipal authorities does not provide any logical evidence in support of the Mayor's claims. There is no information to ascertain whether the plant is under the jurisdiction of the municipal authorities. 12.(A) Correct. The government is demanding wire-tapping rights by arguing that intelligence information was crucial in thwarting recent terrorist attacks. Option (A) refutes the argument by saying that wire-tapping had no direct or indirect role to

play in the process. Hence, the demand for wire-tapping, which breaches the privacy of the people, is not an indispensable tool for intelligence agencies. (B)This is a generalization that does not refute the argument logically. The argument assumes that all demands are "unjust". (C)The argument is about the ethics of wire-tapping and whether it is an absolute necessity; its cost is not a point of discussion, at least in the context of the given argument. (D)There is no information about the way terror networks operate in Country X and Country Y; what might not work in Country Y can work in Country X. Hence, on account of the fact that the strategy has not worked in Country Y, it cannot be said that the same strategy would not work for Country X. (E)'No terrorist attacks' does not mean no threat from terrorism. The government has clearly stated that it has recently foiled a terrorist threat. Hence, the absence of terrorist attacks does not mean that the government is unjustified in its demands. 13.(A) Correct. The argument uses the evidence that older employees are less likely to look out for a new job than younger ones to conclude that the older employees are loyal and, hence, older people should be hired. Option (A) states that the reason is not loyalty but lack of opportunity. So if all companies follow the argument and start hiring older people then because of the increased opportunity even older employees will start looking out for jobs. Hence, by showing that the argument has incorrectly attributed loyalty as the reason for older employees not looking out for a new job, option (A) weakens the argument. (B)This option does not refute the argument because it still does not prove that a person is as loyal if not more when he is twenty-five or below than when he is fortyfive or above. So, unless the person has the same levels of loyalty at twenty-five and forty-five years of age, companies are not rejecting the "same" candidate. (C)This option is a generalized statement that does not refute the argument logically. (D)This option indirectly strengthens the argument rather than weakening it. (E)This option does not weaken the argument as the survey has compared both groups, youngsters and older people, on the parameters, i.e., actively or passively looking for a job. There is no information on how the percentage of older employees looking for a new job will change if only the ones actively doing so are considered. 14.All options, EXCEPT (C), explain the increase in revenues despite the fall in occupancy rates. (A)Decrease in occupancy compensated by an increase in price leads to an increase in turnover. (B)Increased revenues from other services accounts for the rise in revenues. (C)Correct. Decrease in costs does not explain the rise in revenues. If it were profits that rose instead of revenues then a decrease in costs would definitely explain it. (D)Increased revenue from other services accounts for the rise in revenues. (E)Despite a decrease in occupancy rates, an increase in the total number of rooms by more than 50% means that more rooms were .rented out and, hence, revenues increased. 15.(A) This option talks about recovery, which is not related to survival rate, the statistic

that the independent health organization uses. (B)This option talks about pre-surgery health, which is not related to the argument. (C)The argument does not refer to other surgeries. Hence, the information presented in this option is irrelevant to the argument. (D)The decrease in the number of surgeries does not weaken the argument that patients are better off not undergoing a surgery. (E)Correct. The option points out that the argument is not comparing apples with apples by comparing patients who undergo surgery with those who do not. Patients who are advised surgery are as it is in a critical condition and have a low chance of survival. Hence, surgery is not the cause of the low survival rate of cardiac patients who undergo surgery. 16.(A) Correct. The facts clearly state that the number of pounds of mayonnaise sold has decreased. It means people have decreased their overall consumption. The author is surprised that despite this decrease, the percentage of people who had a bottle of mayonnaise in their fridge, when they were being surveyed, rose from 75% to 90%. Consider this, if a person has decreased the number of bottles he consumes per month from 10 to 5, but is having the same amount per serving or rather finishing a bottle in the same time as he used to earlier, the chances of there being a bottle at home decreases. On the other hand, if he decreases the number of bottles he consumes and has them at a much slower rate then the chances of there being a bottle of mayonnaise in the fridge increases. (B)The increase by one household, that is receiving the bottle of mayonnaise, is compensated by the decrease by one household, that is giving the bottle. (C)The relationship between obesity and consumption of mayonnaise is not mentioned. (D)This option is not relevant to either the question or the answer as it does not explain anything. (E)This will not explain the paradox unless we have information about the number of families who have stopped consuming mayonnaise after the campaign.