Tuesday, February 27, 2007

CR Questions 37, 38

38). In experiments in which certain kinds of bacteria were placed in a generous supply of nutrients, the populations of bacteria grew rapidly, and genetic mutations occurred at random in the populations. These experiments show that all genetic mutation is random.

Which one of the following, if true, enables the conclusion to be properly drawn?

(A) Either all genetic mutations are random or none are random.

(B) The bacteria tested in the experiments were of extremely common forms.

(C) If all genetic mutations in bacteria are random, then all genetic mutations in every other life form are random also.

(D) The kind of environment in which genetic mutation takes place has no effect on the way genetic mutation occurs.

(E) The nutrients used were the same as those that nourish the bacteria in nature.

38). 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.

Answer choices :

(A) I only
(B) I and III only
(C) II only
(D) I, II, and III
(E) III only



Answers --

37). OA - A - The genetic mutations in the experiment were random and therefore all genetic mutations have to be random, drawing the conclusion that all genetic mutations are random.

B - incorrect - what if the impact of environment is greater than the type of bacteria used.

C - incorrect - If all genetic mutations in bacteria are random, then all genetic mutations in every other life form are random also --- The experiment does not show that all genetic mutations in bacteria are random and therefore the conclusion that all genetic mutations are random can't be drawn.

D - incorrect - there may be other factors apart from environment which may affect the way mutations occur in other instances.

E - incorrect - What if the bacteria is different in nature than from that given in the experiment?

38). It is A

Premise: It is hard to fire Civil Service Employees.

Conclusion: This explains in large part why the government is so inefficient.

Assumption: The total number of civil service employees in the goverment is large/more

III.Most government workers are Civil Service employees - this is just the reverse of assumption - hence incorrect.

CR FUNDAMENTAL -- The inference must always be drawn from the premises and it must not be dependent on the assumption.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

CR Questions 35, 36

35). A medical journal used a questionnaire survey to determine whether a particular change in its format would increase its readership. Sixty-two percent of those who returned the questionnaire supported that change. On the basis of this outcome, the decision was made to introduce the new format.

Which one of the following, if it were determined to be true, would provide the best evidence that the journal's decision will have the desired effect?

(A) Of the readers who received questionnires, 90 percent returned them.
(B) Other journals have based format changes on survey results.
(C) The percentage of surveyed readers who like the format change was almost the same as the percentage of the entire potential readership who would like format change.
(D) It was determined that the new format would be less costly than the old format.
(E) Ninety percent of the readers who were dissatisfied with the old format and only 50 percent of the readers who like the old format returned their questionnaires.

36). Odysseus answered well when the priests showed him a picture of those who had honored the gods and then escaped shipwreck, and asked him whether he did not now acknowledge the power of the gods—"Yes," he asked, "but where are those pictured who were drowned after their prayers?" And such is the way of all superstitions; wherein humans, having a delight in such vanities, mark the events where they are fulfilled, but where they fail, though this happens much oftener, neglect and pass them by.

Which one of the following contains the error of reasoning described by the author in the passage?

(A) I have discovered that Friday the 13th really is a day of misfortune. Just this past Friday, the 13th, I locked myself out of the house.
(B) Although Napoleon and Alexander the Great were short, Abraham Lincoln and Charles de Gaulle were tall. So short people seek leadership in order to overcome feelings of inferiority.
(C) Every semester for the past 15 years, an average of 10 percent of Ms. Elliot's history students have dropped her course before the exam. So, it seems likely that we can expect 10 percent to drop out this year.
(D) No reliable observer has ever actually seen a yeti. The strongest evidence seems to be some suspicious tracks. So I think this search for a yeti is probably a wild-goose chase.
(E) I cannot trust my lucky shirt any longer. I wore it to the game today and our team lost.


Answers --

35). OA - C

1st premise -- 90% of those who returned the questionnaire were unhappy with the old format.

2nd premise -- 50% of those who returned the questionnaire were happy with the old format.

A - incorrect - 90% of those surveyed does not mean that they subscribe to the journal

E - incorrect - Those who did not like old format could have represented only 1% of the surveyed people and those who liked it, the other 99%. Therefore, the conclusion could have been too largely biased towards those who wanted to keep the old format and thus inconclusive. Conversely, those who did not like the old format could have represented 99% of the surveyed people and those who liked it, the other 1%. In this case, the conclusion could have been too largely biased towards those who did not want to keep the old format. Therefore, E is inconclusive

A quick glance tip - Only C addresses the opinions of non-readers so only C can possibly support the conclusion

36). OA - A

We know if A => B and not B => not A (contrapositive).

The logic in the stem -- if A leads to B, then B must lead to A.
If all the people survived have prayed, then praying must be sure to make you survive. This is logically WRONG. In fact, B (praying) may or may not lead to A (survive). It is the same with choice A. Friday the thirteen may or may not leads to unlucky events even if one unlucky event happened on Friday the thirteenth.

CR Questions 33, 34

33). Critic: People today place an especially high value on respect for others; yet, in their comedy acts, many of today's most popular comedians display blatant disrespect for others. But when people fail to live up to the very ideals they hold in highest esteem, exaggeration of such failings often forms the basis of successful comedy. Thus the current popularity of comedians who display disrespect in their acts is hardly surprising.

The critic's argument depends on which one of the following assumptions?

(A) People who enjoy comedians who display disrespect in their acts do not place a high value on respect for others.
(B) Only comedians who display blatant disrespect in their acts are currently successful.
(C) Many people disapprove of the portrayal of blatant disrespect for others in comedy acts.
(D) People who value an ideal especially highly do not always succeed in living up to this ideal. (E) People today fail to live up to their own ideals more frequently than was the case in the past.

34). In the course of her researches, a historian recently found two documents mentioning the same person, Erich Schnitzler. One, dated May 3, 1739, is a record of Schnitzler's arrest for peddling without a license. The second, undated, is a statement by Schnitzler asserting that he has been peddling off and on for 20 years.

The facts above best support which of the following conclusions?

(A) Schnitzler started peddling around 1719.
(B) Schnitzler was arrested repeatedly for peddling.
(C) The undated document was written before 1765.
(D) The arrest record was written after the undated document.
(E) The arrest record provides better evidence that Schnitzler peddled than does the undated document.



Answers --

33). OA - D

The passage explains the popularity of comedians: "...when people fail to live up to the very ideals they hold in highest esteem, exaggeration of such failings often forms the basis of successful comedy". So, the success of comedy is connected with the fact that COMEDIANS FAIL TO LIVE UP TO THE IDEALS THEY VALUE HIGHLY. This situation is possible only if we assume D, i.e. that there are people who fail to live up to the ideals they value highly

34). OA - C

A - If the undated document was dated 1750, then it cannot be said that Schnitzler started peddling in 1719
B - In 1739, Schnitzler could have been arrested only once
C - The most reasonable answer. If the documents were written before 1765, it would account for the fact that Schnitzler was peddling on and off for the past 20 years.
D - As stated above in C, the document could have been written in 1750. We cannot assert that it was written after the undated document.
E - Nothing supports the truthness of each document.

CR Questions 31, 32

31). "If the forest continues to disappear at its present pace, the koala will approach extinction," said the biologist. "So all that is needed to save the koala is to stop deforestation," said the politician.

Which one of the following statements is consistent with the biologist's claim but not with the politician's claim?

(A) Deforestation continues and the koala becomes extinct.
(B) Deforestation is stopped and the koala becomes extinct.
(C) Reforestation begins and the koala survives.
(D) Deforestation is slowed and the koala survives.
(E) Deforestation is slowed and the koala approaches extinction

32). The postal service is badly mismanaged. Forty years ago, first-class letter delivery cost only three cents. Since then, the price has increased nearly tenfold, with an actual decrease in the speed and reliability of service.

Each of the following statements, if true, would tend to weaken the argument above EXCEPT:

(A) The volume of mail handled by the postal service has increased dramatically over the last forty years.
(B) Unprecedented increases in the cost of fuel for trucks and planes have put severe upward pressures on postal delivery costs.
(C) Private delivery services usually charge more than does the postal service for comparable delivery charges.
(D) The average delivery time for a first-class letter four decades ago was actually slightly longer than it is today.
(E) The average level of consumer prices overall has increased
more than 300 percent over the last forty years.

Answers --

31). OA - B

Let A=Deforestation continues

Let B=Koala becomes extinct


If A then B


We know the only consistent true result equivalent to this is its contrapositive i.e if not B then not A.


Biologists claim -- if deforestation continues koala will definitely extinct.
Hence if deforestation stops, the koala may or may not extinct.

Politician's claim - if deforestation stops then koala will not extinct.

E -- states if deforestation is stopped koala will extinct, consistent with Biologists claim but not with the politician's claim

D is consistent with the politician's claim.

32). OA - E

Conclusion-- Postal service is mismanaged.

Argument -- The Price has increased, whereas at the same time in reality reliability and speed has decreased.

E states Inflation had increased 3 folds i.e 300 but Prices have risen 10 times..

So, the postal service is mismanaged..hence supports the argument.

D is weakening the argument from the service point of view. It states it is better now (faster).

C - incorrect - implies private services are more costly; post office services are less expensive....Hence postal services are better than private services as they are less expensive than other comparable services.