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GMAT - Critical Reasoning - Test 13

in Critical Reasoning

Read the passage and choose the option that best answer the question.

1. Are you still reading the other newspaper in town? Did you know that the Daily Bugle is owned by an out-of-town business syndicate that couldn't care less about the people of Gotham City ? Read the Daily Clarion, the only real voice of the people of Gotham City ! Which of the following most directly refutes the argument raised in the advertisement above?

A. Over half of the advertising revenues of the Daily Clarion come from firms whose headquarters are located outside of Gotham City .
B. The Daily Clarion usually devotes more of its pages to out-of-town news than does the Daily Bugle.
C. Nearly 40 percent of the readers of the Daily Clarion reside outside the limits of Gotham City .
D. The editor-in-chief and all the other members of the editorial staff of the Daily Bugle have lived and worked in Gotham City for ten years or more.
E. The Daily Bugle has been published in Gotham City for a longer time than has the Daily Clarion.

2. No nation can long survive unless its people are united by a common tongue. For proof, we need only consider Canada , which is being torn asunder by conflicts between French-speaking Quebec and the other provinces, which are dominated by English speakers. Which of the following, if true, most effectively challenges the author's conclusion?

A. Conflicts over language have led to violent clashes between the Basque-speaking minority in Spain and the Spanish-speaking majority.
B. Proposals to declare English the official language of the United States have met with resistance from members of Hispanic and other minority groups.
C. Economic and political differences, along with linguistic ones, have contributed to the provincial conflicts in Canada .
D. The public of India , in existence sine 1948, has a population that speaks hundreds of different, though related, languages.
E. Switzerland has survived for nearly a thousand years as a home for speakers of three different languages.

3. In a marketing study, consumers were given two unlabeled cartons of laundry detergent. One carton was bright green and yellow; the other was drab brown and gray. After using the detergent in the two cartons for one month, 83 percent of the consumers in the study reported that the detergent in the bright green and yellow carton cleaned better. This study shows that packaging has a significant impact on consumers' judgment of the effectiveness of a laundry detergent. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn in the marketing study?

A. The detergent in the bright carton contained bleach crystals; the detergent in the drab carton did not.
B. The detergents in the two cartons were the same.
C. The detergents in the two cartons were different, but they had both been laboratory tested.
D. The detergent in the drab carton was a popular name brand; the detergent in the bright carton was generic.
E. The detergent in the drab carton was generic; the detergent in the bright carton was a popular name brand.

4. Approximately two hundred brands of personal computers are being manufactured, but we currently limit our inventory to only the eight most popular brands. We plan to increase greatly the number of computers we sell by expanding our inventory to include the ten best-selling brands. Which of the following, if true, points out a major weakness of the plan above?

A. The capabilities of three most popular personal computers add to be approximately equivalent, with no brand having consistent superiority in all respects.
B. The seven most popular brands of personal computers account for almost all computers sold.
C. As the users of personal computers become more sophisticated, they are more willing to buy less well-known brands of computers.
D. Less popular brands of computers often provide less profit to the retailer because prices must be discounted to attract customers.
E. The leading brand of personal computer has been losing sales to less popular brands that offer similar capabilities for less money.

5. The city's public transportation system should be removed from the jurisdiction of the municipal government, which finds it politically impossible either to raise fares or to institute cost-saving reductions in service. If public transportation were handled by a private firm, profits would be vigorously pursued, thereby eliminating the necessity for covering operating costs with government funds. The statements above best support the conclusion that

A. the private firms that would handle public transportation would have experience in the transportation industry
B. political considerations would not prevent private firms from ensuring that revenues cover operating costs
C. private firms would receive government funding if it were needed to cover operating costs
D. the public would approve the cost-cutting actions taken by the private firm
E. the municipal government would not be resigned to accumulating merely enough income to cover costs

6. Residents of an apartment complex are considering two possible plans for collecting recyclable trash. Plan 1 - Residents will deposit recyclable trash in municipal dumpsters located in the parking lot. The trash will be collected on the first and the fifteenth days of each month. Plan 2 - Residents will be given individual containers for recyclable trash. The containers will be placed at the curb twice a week for trash collection. Which of the following points raised at a meeting of the residents, if valid, would most favor one of the recycling plans over the other?

A. Residents will be required to exercise care in separating recyclable trash from nonrecyclable trash.
B. For trash recycling to be successful, residents must separate recyclable bottles and cans from recyclable paper products.
C. Penalties will be levied against residents who fail to sort their trash correctly.
D. Individual recycling containers will need to be made of a strong and durable material.
E. Recyclable trash that is allowed to accumulate for two weeks will attract rodents.

7. Many companies now have employee assistance programs that enable employees, free of charge, to improve their physical fitness, reduce stress, and learn ways to stop smoking. These programs increase worker productivity, reduce absenteeism, and lessen insurance costs for employee health care. Therefore, these programs benefit the company as well as the employee. Which of the following, if true, most significantly strengthens the conclusion above?

A. Physical fitness programs are often the most popular services offered to employees.
B. Studies have shown that training in stress management is not effective for many people.
C. Regular exercise reduces people's risk of heart disease and provides them with increased energy.
D. Physical injuries sometimes result from entering a strenuous physical fitness program too quickly.
E. Employee assistance programs require companies to hire people to supervise the various programs offered.

8. Crops can be traded on the futures market before they are harvested. If a poor corn harvest is predicted, prices of corn futures rise; if a bountiful corn harvest is predicted, prices of corn futures fall. This morning meteorologists are predicting much-needed rain for the corn-growing region starting tomorrow. Therefore, since adequate moisture is essential for the current crop's survival, prices of corn futures will fall sharply today. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?

A. Corn that does not receive adequate moisture during its critical pollination stage will not produce a bountiful harvest.
B. Futures prices for corn have been fluctuating more dramatically this season than last season.
C. The rain that meteorologists predicted for tomorrow is expected to extend well beyond the corn-growing region.
D. Agriculture experts announced today that a disease that has devastated some of the corn crop will spread widely before the end of the growing season.
E. Most people who trade in corn futures rarely take physical possession of the corn they trade.

9. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?a noninvasive diagnostic procedure?can be used to identify blockages in the coronary arteries. In contrast to angiograms?the invasive procedure customarily used?MRI's pose no risk to patients. Thus, to guarantee patient safety in the attempt to diagnose arterial blockages, MRI's should replace angiograms in all attempts at diagnosing coronary blockages. Which of the following, if true, would most support the recommendation above?

A. Angiograms can be used to diagnose conditions other than blockages in arteries.
B. MRI's were designed primarily in order to diagnose blockages in the coronary arteries.
C. Angiograms reveal more information about the nature of a blockage than an MRI can.
D. An MRI is just as likely as an angiogram to identify an arterial blockage.
E. Some patients for whom an angiogram presents no risk are unwilling to undergo an MRI.

10. Samples from a ceramic vase found at a tomb in Sicily prove that the vase was manufactured in Greece . Since the occupant of the tomb died during the reign of a Sicilian ruler who lived 2,700 years ago, the location of the vase indicates that there was trade between Sicily and Greece 2,700 years ago. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A. Sicilian potters who lived during the reign of the ruler did not produce work of the same level of quality as did Greek potters.
B. Sicilian clay that was used in the manufacture of pottery during the ruler's reign bore little resemblance to Greek clay used to manufacture pottery at that time.
C. At the time that the occupant of the tomb was alive, there were ships capable of transporting large quantities of manufactured goods between Sicily and Greece .
D. The vase that was found at the Sicilian tomb was not placed there many generations later by descendants of the occupant of the tomb.
E. The occupant of the tomb was not a member of the royal family to which the Sicilian ruler belonged.