Critical Reasoning

Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another record? Well, **any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company.** Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last year’s record pace. At the same time, there is considerable evidence that the number of new companies starting up this year will be no higher than it was last year, and **there is no reason to think that the new companies starting up this year will create more jobs per company than did last year’s start-ups.** So clearly, the number of new jobs created this year will fall short of last year’s record. In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another record? Well, **any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company.** Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last year’s record pace. At the same time, there is considerable evidence that the number of new companies starting up will be no higher this year than it was last year, and there is no reason to think that the new companies starting up this year will create more jobs per company than did last year’s start-ups. So clearly, **the number of new jobs created this year will fall short of last year’s record.** In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

In Stenland, many workers have been complaining that they cannot survive on minimum wage, the lowest wage an employer is permitted to pay. The government is proposing to raise the minimum wage. Many employers who pay their workers the current minimum wage argue that if it is raised, unemployment will increase because they will no longer be able to afford to employ as many workers. Which of the following, if true in Stenland, most strongly supports the claim that raising the minimum wage there will not have the effects that the employers predict?

Biologists with a predilection for theory have tried—and largely failed—to define what it is that makes something a living thing. Organisms take in energy-providing materials and excrete waste products, but so do automobiles. Living things replicate and take part in evolution, but so do some computer programs. We must be open to the possibility that there are living things on other planets. Therefore, we will not be successful in defining what it is that makes something a living thing merely by examining living things on Earth—the only ones we know. Trying to do so is analogous to trying to specify __________. Which of the following most logically completes the passage?

For the period from the eighth century through the eleventh century, the shifting boundaries between Kingdom F and Kingdom G have not been well charted. Although a certain village in a border region between the two kingdoms usually belonged to Kingdom G, ninth-century artifacts found in the village were in the typical Kingdom F style of that time. It is unclear whether the village was actually a part of Kingdom F in the ninth century or whether it was a part of Kingdom G but had merely adopted Kingdom F’s artistic styles under Kingdom F’s cultural influence. Which of the following would, if found in ninth-century sites in the village, best help in determining whether the village was a part of Kingdom F or Kingdom G in the ninth century?

Sammy: For my arthritis, I am going to try my aunt’s diet: large amounts of wheat germ and garlic. She was able to move more easily right after she started that diet. Pat: When my brother began that diet, his arthritis got worse. But he has been doing much better since he stopped eating vegetables in the nightshade family, such as tomatoes and peppers. Which of the following, if true, would provide a basis for explaining the fact that Sammy’s aunt and Pat’s brother had contrasting experiences with the same diet?

In the 1960s, surveys of Florida’s alligator population indicated that the population was dwindling rapidly. Hunting alligators was banned. By the early 1990s, the alligator population had recovered, and restricted hunting was allowed. Over the course of the 1990s, reports of alligators appearing on golf courses and lawns increased dramatically. Therefore, in spite of whatever alligator hunting went on, the alligator population must have increased significantly over the decade of the 1990s. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

Infotek, a computer manufacturer in Katrovia, has just introduced a new personal computer model that sells for significantly less than any other model. Market research shows, however, that very few Katrovian households without personal computers would buy a computer, regardless of its price. Therefore, introducing the new model is unlikely to increase the number of computers in Katrovian homes. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Canatria. Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants. Since the average age of the Canatrian population is gradually rising and will continue to do so, the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

Last year a chain of fast-food restaurants, whose menu had always centered on hamburgers, added its first vegetarian sandwich, much lower in fat than the chain’s other offerings. Despite heavy marketing, the new sandwich accounts for a very small proportion of the chain’s sales. The sandwich’s sales would have to quadruple to cover the costs associated with including it on the menu. Since such an increase is unlikely, the chain would be more profitable if it dropped the sandwich. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

Transportation expenses accounted for a large portion of the total dollar amount spent on trips for pleasure by residents of the United States in 1997, and about half of the total dollar amount spent on transportation was for airfare. However, the large majority of United States residents who took trips for pleasure in 1997 did not travel by airplane but used other means of transportation. If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true about United States residents who took trips for pleasure in 1997?

Voters commonly condemn politicians for being insincere, but politicians often must disguise their true feelings when they make public statements. If they expressed their honest views—about, say, their party’s policies—then achieving politically necessary compromises would be much more difficult. Clearly, the very insincerity that people decry shows that our government is functioning well. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines this reasoning?

One summer, floods covered low-lying garlic fields situated in a region with a large mosquito population. Since mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, flooded fields would normally attract mosquitoes, yet no mosquitoes were found in the fields. Diallyl sulfide, a major component of garlic, is known to repel several species of insects, including mosquitoes, so it is likely that diallyl sulfide from the garlic repelled the mosquitoes. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

The population of desert tortoises in Targland’s Red Desert has declined, partly because they are captured for sale as pets and partly because people riding all-terrain vehicles have damaged their habitat. Targland plans to halt this population decline by blocking the current access routes into the desert and announcing new regulations to allow access only on foot. Targland’s officials predict that these measures will be adequate, since it is difficult to collect the tortoises without a vehicle. Which of the following would it be most important to establish in order to evaluate the officials’ prediction?

Yeasts capable of leavening bread are widespread, and in the many centuries during which the ancient Egyptians made only unleavened bread, such yeasts must frequently have been mixed into bread doughs accidentally. The Egyptians, however, did not discover leavened bread until about 3000 B.C. That discovery roughly coincided with the introduction of a wheat variety that was preferable to previous varieties because its edible kernel could be removed from the husk without first toasting the grain. Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest evidence that the two developments were causally related?

In parts of the Caribbean, the manatee, an endangered marine mammal, has long been hunted for food. Having noted the manatee hunters’ expert knowledge of manatees’ habits, local conservationists are encouraging the hunters to stop hunting and instead to take tourists on boat rides to see manatees. Many tourists are interested, so the plan has promise of achieving the twin goals of giving the former hunters a good income and helping ensure the manatees’ survival. Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt about the plan’s chance of success?

That the application of new technology can increase the productivity of existing coal mines is demonstrated by the case of Tribnia’s coal industry. Coal output per miner in Tribnia is double what it was five years ago even though no new mines have opened. Which of the following can be properly concluded from the statement about coal output per miner in the passage?

The quality of an unrefined olive oil is not actually defined in terms of acidity, yet extensive tests have shown that the less free oleic acid an unrefined olive oil contains per liter, the higher its quality. The proportion of free oleic acid that an olive oil contains is an accurate measure of the oil’s acidity. If the statements above are all true, which of the following conclusions is best supported by them?

Shipping clerk: The five specially ordered shipments sent out last week were sent out on Thursday. Last week, all of the shipments sent out on Friday consisted entirely of building supplies, and the shipping department then closed for the weekend. Four shipments were sent to Truax Construction last week, only three of which consisted of building supplies. If the shipping clerk’s statements are true, which of the following must also be true?

In Kravonia, the average salary for jobs requiring a college degree has always been higher than the average salary for jobs that do not require a degree. Current enrollments in Kravonia’s colleges indicate that over the next four years, the percentage of the Kravonian workforce with college degrees will increase dramatically. Therefore, the average salary for all workers in Kravonia is likely to increase over the next four years. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?