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GMAT - Critical Reasoning - Test 39

in Critical Reasoning

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

1. It is often thought that our own modern age is unique in having a large number of people who live into old age. It has frequently been assumed that plagues, wars, and harsh working conditions killed off most people in previous ages before they could reach old age. However, recent research shows that in 17th century Europe, for example, people over sixty comprised 10 percent of the population. The studies also revealed that although infant mortality remained high until the 20th century in Europe, people who survived to adulthood could expect to live to be old.

The portions in boldface play which of the following roles in the argument above?

A. The first is a conclusion that the author supports. The second is data that contradicts that conclusion.
B. The first is a finding that the author contests. The second is a finding that the author accepts.
C. The first is an assumption that the author thinks is invalid. The second is data that validates that assumption.
D. The first is a position that the author opposes. The second is a finding that supports the author?s position.
E. The first is a position that the author opposes. The second is an assumption which, if valid, negates the author?s view.

2. Which of the following best completes the passage below? In opposing government regulation of business, conservatives often appeal to the Jeffersonian ideal of limited government, expressing the wish that government would ?get off the backs of the American people.? Yet, paradoxically, many of these same conservatives address questions of private morality, such as those dealing with sexual behavior, by calling for______

A. a return to the restrictive sexual morality of the Victorian era
B. a strengthening of the role of the family in setting moral norms for society
C. a limitation on the amount of sexually provocative material appearing in books, motives, and television shows
D. greater freedom for individuals to choose their own way of handling sexual issues
E. an increased governmental role in the regulation and control of private sexual behavior

3. Reva : Using extraneous incentives to get teenagers to change their attitude toward school and schoolwork won't work. Take the program in West Virginia , for instance, where they tried to reduce their dropout rate by revoking the driving licenses of kids who left school. The program failed miserably. Anne: It's true that the West Virginia program failed, but many schools have devised incentive programs that have been very successful in improving attendance and reducing discipline problems. According to Anne, the weak point in Reva's claim is that it

A. fails to consider the possibility that the majority of potential dropouts in West Virginia do not have driving licenses
B. doesn't provide any exact figures for the dropout rate in West Virginia before and during the program
C. ignores a substantial body of evidence showing that parents and employers have been using extrinsic incentives with positive results for years
D. assumes that a positive incentive?a prize or a reward?will be no more effective than a negative incentive, like the revoking of a driving license
E. is based on a single example, the incentive program in West Virginia , which may not be typical

4. In the effort to fire a Civil Service employee, his or her manager may have to spend up to $100,000 of tax money. Since Civil Service employees know how hard it is to fire them, they tend to loaf. This explains in large part why the government is so inefficient. It can be properly inferred on the basis of the statements above that the author believes which of the following? I. Too much job security can have a negative influence on workers. II. More government workers should be fired. III. Most government workers are Civil Service employees.

A. I only
B. I and III only
C. II only
D. I, II, and III
E. III only

5. A proposed ordinance requires the installation in new homes of sprinklers automatically triggered by the presence of a fire. However, a home builder argued that because more than ninety percent of residential fires are extinguished by a household member, residential sprinklers would only marginally decrease property damage caused by residential fires. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the home builder's argument?

A. Most individuals have no formal training in how to extinguish fires.
B. Since new homes are only a tiny percentage of available housing in the city, the new ordinance would be extremely narrow in scope.
C. The installation of smoke detectors in new residences costs significantly less than the installation of sprinklers.
D. In the city where the ordinance was proposed, the average time required by the fire department to respond to a fire was less than the national average.
E. The largest proportion of property damage that results from residential fires is caused by fires that start when no household member is present.

6. Increases in the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the human bloodstream lower bloodstream-cholesterol levels by increasing the body's capacity to rid itself of excess cholesterol. Levels of HDL in the bloodstream of some individuals are significantly increased by a program of regular exercise and weight reduction. Which of the following can be correctly inferred from the statements above?

A. Individuals who are underweight do not run any risk of developing high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.
B. Individuals who do not exercise regularly have a high risk of developing high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream late in life.
C. Exercise and weight reduction are the most effective methods of lowering bloodstream cholesterol levels in humans.
D. A program of regular exercise and weight reduction lowers cholesterol levels in the bloodstream of some individuals.
E. Only regular exercise is necessary to decrease cholesterol levels in the bloodstream of individuals of average weight.

7. The First Banking Group's decision to invest in an electronic network for transferring funds was based on a cost advantage over a nonelectronic system of about ten dollars per transaction in using an electronic system. Executives reasoned further that the system would give them an advantage over competitors. Which of the following, if it is a realistic possibility, most seriously weakens the executives' projection of an advantage over competitors?

A. The cost advantage of using the electronic system will not increase sufficiently to match the pace of inflation.
B. Competitors will for the same reasons install electronic systems, and the resulting overcapacity will lead to mutually damaging price wars.
C. The electronic system will provide a means for faster transfer of funds, if the First Banking Group wishes to provide faster transfer to its customers.
D. Large banks from outside the area served by the First Banking Group have recently established branches in that area as competitors to the First Banking Group.
E. Equipment used in the electronic network for transferring funds will be compatible with equipment used in other such networks.

8. Politician: Fewer people are entering the labor market now than previously. If the economy grows, the demand for motivated and educated people will far outstrip the supply. Some companies have already started to respond to this labor-market situation by finding better ways to keep their current employees. Their concern is a sure indicator that the economy is growing. Which of the following is the best criticism of the politician's reasoning?

A. The fact that companies are making prudent preparations for a possible future development does not mean that this development is already taking place.
B. The fact that some companies now try harder to keep their employees does not mean that they used to be indifferent to employee morale.
C. The fact that demand will outstrip supply does not mean that there will be no supply at all.
D. The fact that the number of new entrants into the labor market is declining does not mean that the number of new entrants is lower than it has ever been.
E. The fact that current employees have become more valuable to some companies does not mean that those employees will do their jobs better than they used to.

9. Many consumers are concerned about the ecological effects of wasteful packaging. This concern probably explains why stores have been quick to stock new cleaning products that have been produced in a concentrated form. The concentrated form is packaged in smaller containers that use less plastic and require less transportation space. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the explanation offered above?

A. Few consumers believe that containers of concentrated cleaning products are merely small packages of regular cleaning products.
B. The containers in which concentrated cleaning products are packaged are no harder to recycle than those in which regular cleaning products are packaged.
C. Those concentrated cleaning products that are intended to be used diluted have clear instructions for dilution printed on their labels.
D. The smaller containers of concentrated cleaning products enable supermarkets and drugstores to increase their revenues from a given shelf space.
E. Consumer pressure has led to the elimination of wasteful cardboard packaging that was used for compact discs.

10. Advertisement: Of the many over-the-counter medications marketed for the relief of sinus headache. SineEase costs the least per dose. And SineEase is as effective per dose as the most effective of those other medications. So for relief from sinus headaches, SineEase is the best buy. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

A. Most of the over-the-counter medications marketed for the relief of sinus headache are equally effective per dose in providing such relief.
B. Many of the over-the-counter medications marketed for the relief of sinus headache contain the same active ingredient as SineEase .
C. People who suffer from frequent sinus headaches are strongly advised to consult a doctor before taking any over-the-counter medication.
D. An over-the-counter medication that is marketed for the relief of symptoms of head cold is identical in composition to SineEase but costs less per dose.
E. The per dose price for any given over-the-counter medication marketed for the relief of sinus headache is higher for smaller packages than it is for larger packages.