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[
"Societies that support free public libraries are more likely to support free public universities than are societies without free public libraries. Hence a society that wishes to establish a free public university should first establish a free public library.",
"Studies reveal that people who are regular users of libraries purchase more books per year than do people who do not use libraries regularly. Hence using libraries regularly does not reduce the number of books that library patrons purchase.",
"Since youngsters who read voraciously are more likely to have defective vision than youngsters who do not read very much, it follows that children who do not like to read usually have perfect vision.",
"Since surveys reveal that communities with flourishing public libraries have, on average, better-educated citizens, it follows that good schools are typically found in communities with public libraries."
] | Insurance industry statistics demonstrate that cars with alarms or other antitheft devices are more likely to be stolen or broken into than cars without such devices or alarms. Ttherefore antitheft devices do not protect cars against thieves. | 1 | train_3900 | The pattern of flawed reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following? |
[
"Two of the proposed ways of destroying disease-carrying capacity in the wild mosquito population would jeopardize the goal of the proposal.",
"Evidence is not presented to show that each alternative method has been successfully tested on a limited scale.",
"None of the three proposed alternatives would assure that there would be fewer mosquitoes in any given area.",
"It does not take into account positive roles that mosquitoes play in the environment, such as serving, in the larval stage, as food for fish."
] | It is proposed to introduce mosquitoes into the wild with genetic alterations that destroy their diseasecarrying capacity. In this way the dangerous wild population could eventually be replaced by a harmless one without leaving room for another disease-transmitting strain to flourish. One candidate gene would interfere with the mosquitoes' finding mates; another would cause the destruction of a disease parasite before the stage at which it could be transmitted; another would disable the mechanism of the mosquito' s own resistance to disease, so that it would die before transmitting the disease. | 0 | train_3901 | Which one of the following identifies a discrepancy in the proposal above? |
[
"Sharing the task of raising capital for a client with other investment banks",
"Monitoring the success or failure of analysts' current predictions about how companies will perform financially, in order to determine the value of future predictions",
"Ensuring that conflicts between analysts and those who raise capital for clients are carefully mediated and resolved by impartial arbitrators",
"Evaluating and rewarding the bank's analysts on the basis of recommendations made by managers who are solely engaged in raising capital for clients"
] | Investment banks often have conflicting roles. They sometimes act for a client company by raising capital from other investment institutions as advantageously as possible, but their analysts also sometimes send unfavorable reports on the financial health of companies for whom they are raising capital to other clients who wish to make investments. Analyses of companies' financial health need to be unbiased if an investment bank is to achieve long-term success. | 3 | train_3902 | If the statements above are true, which of the following practices, if adopted by an investment bank, would hinder its long-term success? |
[
"defends a certain practice on the basis that it has a certain benefit without considering whether an alternative practice has the same benefit",
"inappropriately introduces normative claims in support of a conclusion that is entirely factual",
"confuses an absence of evidence in support of a claim with the existence of evidence against a claim",
"draws a conclusion that simply restates a claim that is presented in support of that conclusion"
] | Melchior: Some studies have linked infants' consumption of formula made from cow' s milk to subsequent diabetes. Nonetheless, parents should feed cow' s milk formula to their infants. After all, cow' s milk is an excellent source of several nutrients important to infants' development. | 0 | train_3903 | The reasoning in Melchior's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
[
"When children have parents who help them with their homework, they usually do well in school. Ttherefore, having help with homework is probably the cause of high academic achievement.",
"When students have individual tutoring in math, they usually get good grades on their final exams. Celia had individual tutoring in math so she will probably get a good grade.",
"When children practice their piano scales for half an hour each day, they usually pass their piano exams. Sally practices scales for less than half an hour each day, so she will probably fail her piano exam.",
"When babies are taught to swim, they have more than the average number of ear infections as they grow up. Janice has more ear infections than any other person at the local swimming club, so she probably was taught to swim when she was a baby."
] | When girls are educated in single-sex secondary schools, they tend to do better academically than girls who attend mixed-sex schools. Since Alice achieved higher grades than any other woman in her first year at the university, she was probably educated at a single-sex school. | 3 | train_3904 | Which one of the following most closely parallels the flawed reasoning used in the argument above? |
[
"Those hunters who continue to defy the hunting ban do not, on average, shoot more birds than did those who hunted in the park before the ban.",
"Most swans that have perished in the refuge have died as a result of ingesting pellets scattered about the ground, which introduce lead into their bloodstreams.",
"Park rangers have been unable to cite all of the the hunters that enter the park despite the ban.",
"Eventually, there will be so few swan left in the refuge that the overall number of swan dying each month will decrease."
] | The number of Tundra swan in an arctic refuge has been steadily dwindling. It has been determined that the majority of the birds have died from lead poisoning, which is contained in the buckshot that hunters use to kill the swan. Local authorities have responded by banning hunting, and the number of hunters cited has since dropped dramatically, yet the number of birds that continue to die each month from lead poisoning has not changed. | 1 | train_3905 | Which of the following, if true, best resolves the discrepancy above? |
[
"People who own homes are more likely than those who rent to form support networks that help them to learn of local jobs.",
"People are more likely to buy homes when they are feeling economically secure.",
"Over the last few decades jobs have been moving from centralized areas to locations that are closer to homeowners.",
"Home ownership makes it more difficult to move to a place where jobs are more plentiful."
] | Home ownership is a sign of economic prosperity. This makes it somewhat surprising that across the various regions of Europe and North America, high levels of home ownership correspond with high levels of unemployment. | 3 | train_3906 | Which one of the following, if true, helps to resolve the apparent conflict described above? |
[
"large moths are proportionally much more common in warm climates than in cool climates",
"most predators of moths prey not only on several different species of moth but also on various species of other insects",
"large moths typically have wings that are larger in proportion to their body size than smaller moths do",
"large moths are generally able to maneuver better in flight than smaller moths"
] | Each species of moth has an optimal body temperature for effective flight, and when air temperatures fall much below that temperature, the moths typically have to remain inactive on vegetation for extended periods, leaving them highly vulnerable to predators. In general, larger moths can fly faster than smaller ones and hence have a better chance of evading flying predators, but they also have higher optimal body temperatures, which explains why __. | 0 | train_3907 | Which of the following most logically completes the passage? |
[
"A civic building that is located in a downtown area should, if possible, be located on an elevated site.",
"A city needs to have civic buildings if it is to have social cohesion.",
"The purpose of a civic building is to encourage social cohesion and to make a city more alive. 8",
"The downtown area of a city should be designed in a way that complements the area's civic buildings."
] | Critic: The perennial image of the "city on a hill" associates elevated locations with elevated purposes. The city' s concert hall -- its newest civic building -- is located on a spectacular hilltop site. But because it is far from the center of the city, it cannot fulfill the purpose of a civic building. An example of a successful civic building is the art museum, which is situated in a densely populated downtown area. It encourages social cohesion and makes the city more alive. | 2 | train_3908 | The critic's reasoning most closely conforms to which one of the following principles? |
[
"Soft-tissue cancers are frequently cured spontaneously when sources of nonionizing radiation are removed from the patient's home.",
"People will short-term exposure to nonionizing radiation are not at risk of developing soft-tissue cancers.",
"Soft-tissue cancers are more common than other cancers.",
"Certain electrical devices can pose health risks for their users."
] | Prolonged exposure to nonionizing radiation -- electromagnetic radiation at or below the frequency of visible light -- increases a person' s chances of developing soft-tissue cancer. Electric power lines as well as such electrical appliances as electric blankets and video-display terminals are sources of nonionizing radiation. | 3 | train_3909 | Which one of the following conclusions is best supported by the statements above? |
[
"All of the children who can copy angles can also copy curves.",
"All of the children who can copy curves can also copy straight lines.",
"The ability to discriminate angles must be developed before angles can be copied.",
"Some of the children who cannot copy curves can copy angles."
] | On the basis of research with young children, a developmental psychologist hypothesized that the skills involved in copying curves must be developed before the skills involved in copying angles can be developed. | 0 | train_3910 | Which one of the following, if true, supports the developmental psychologist's hypothesis? |
[
"Drivers who are ticketed for exceeding the speed limit are more likely to exceed the speed limit regularly than are drivers who are not ticketed.",
"Drivers on Maryland highways exceeded the speed limit more often than did drivers on other state highways not covered in the report.",
"Many of the vehicles that were ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were ticketed more than once in the time period covered by the report.",
"Drivers who equip their vehicles with radar detectors are less likely to be ticketed for exceeding the speed limit than are drivers who do not."
] | A recent report determined that although only 3 percent of drivers on Maryland highways equipped their vehicles with radar detectors, 33 percent of all vehicles ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were equipped with them. Clearly, drivers who equip their vehicles with radar detectors are more likely to exceed the speed limit regularly than are drivers who do not. | 0 | train_3911 | The conclusion drawn above depends on which of the following assumptions? |
[
"presumes, without providing justification, that smaller fish are somehow more susceptible to harm as a result of overabundant algae than are larger fish",
"ignores the possibility that the overabundance of algae and the deaths of smaller fish are independent effects of a common cause",
"ignores the possibility that the same cause might have different effects on fish of different sizes",
"fails to consider that the effects on smaller fish of overabundant algae may be less severe in larger bodies of water with more diverse ecosystems"
] | Local resident: An overabundance of algae must be harmful to the smaller fish in this pond. During the fifteen or so years that I have lived here, the few times that I have seen large numbers of dead small fish wash ashore in late summer coincide exactly with the times that I have noticed abnormally large amounts of algae in the water. | 1 | train_3912 | The local resident's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it |
[
"Although many small marsh birds fly in groups to several feeding areas each day, the marsh hen tends to be solitary and flies only when it is in danger.",
"The marsh hen's call is harsh and repetitive, whereas the calls of many other marsh birds are pleasant and melodious.",
"Unlike many small marsh birds, which dash along the banks of the marsh, the marsh hen remains completely still for long periods of time.",
"Many marsh birds are most active during daylight hours, but the marsh hen is usually most active at night."
] | The most common bird in Stillwater Marsh is a species of marsh hen, yet this species is rarely seen, even by experienced bird-watchers who seek it. In fact, this bird is seen far less frequently than any other bird inhabiting the marsh, including those that are much smaller and much less abundant. | 1 | train_3913 | Each of the following, if true, helps to reconcile the statements above EXCEPT: |
[
"Many forensic scientists do not believe that any miscarriage of justice occurred in the Barker case.",
"Most forensic scientists acknowledge a professional obligation to provide evidence impartially to both the defense and the prosecution.",
"Most prosecuting lawyers believe that forensic scientists owe a special allegiance to the prosecution.",
"Many instances of injustice in court cases are not of the same type as that which occurred in the Barker case."
] | The miscarriage of justice in the Barker case was due to the mistaken views held by some of the forensic scientists involved in the case, who believed that they owed allegiance only to the prosecuting lawyers. Justice was thwarted because these forensic scientists failed to provide evidence impartially to both the defense and the prosecution. Hence it is not forensic evidence in general that should be condemned for this injustice. | 1 | train_3914 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? |
[
"Improperly draws a hasty generalization.",
"Dismisses all evidence that contradicts the law student's argument.",
"Improperly uses extreme language.",
"Improperly relies on an inappropriate authority."
] | Law student: Law students cannot have a social life if they have any hope of succeeding academically. The daily reading and never-ending exam preparation frustrate all aspects of friendships. My friends sometimes invite me to watch a movie or go to a baseball game, but I can' t go. Our professors warned us of the workload and its affect on free time at the start of the semester. It' s completely impossible to budget fun into my busy schedule. I don' t know any law students who have any fun whatsoever. | 2 | train_3915 | The reasoning in the law student's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument: |
[
"More animal and plant life thrive near middle school X than at other middle schools in the state.",
"More students at middle school X suffer from allergies, commonly known to be caused by air pollution, than students at middle schools not located near pollution sources.",
"Middle school X, located near the oil well, is also farther from major highways and other sources of air pollution than the other middle schools in the state.",
"Prior to the oil well being built near middle school X, the air quality at middle school X was marginally better than the air quality of other middle schools in the state."
] | The existence of polluting industries near schools does not lead to a decrease in the air quality at those schools. Proof of this is shown at middle school X in southern California, where an oil well was built on middle school X' s campus. The air quality at middle school X is no worse than the air quality at other middle schools in the state, and the students at middle school X do not suffer more frequently from air pollution-related allergies than do students in other middle schools in the state. | 0 | train_3916 | Each of the following statements, if true, weakens the argument EXCEPT: |
[
"As a result of advancing technology and global communication, we will someday all share the same culture and the same values.",
"Anthropologists rely on inadequate translation techniques to investigate the values of cultures that use languages different from the anthropologists' languages.",
"The anthropologists who have studied various cultures have been biased in favor of finding differences rather than similarities between distinct cultures.",
"Although specific moral values differ across cultures, more general moral principles, such as \"Friendship is good, \" are common to all cultures."
] | Anthropological studies indicate that distinct cultures differ in their moral codes. Thus, as long as there are distinct cultures, there are no values shared across cultures. | 0 | train_3917 | Each of the following, if true, would weaken the argument EXCEPT: |
[
"Sickly birds are more likely than healthy birds to be killed by predators.",
"Small spleen size is one of the main causes of sickness in birds.",
"Most birds with smaller than average spleens are killed by predators.",
"Predators can sense whether a bird is sick."
] | The size of the spleen is a good indicator of how healthy a bird is: sickly birds generally have significantly smaller spleens than healthy birds. Researchers found that, in general, birds that had been killed by predators had substantially smaller spleens than birds killed accidentally. | 0 | train_3918 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above? |
[
"People who like to sing tend to sing Karaoke. If you like to sing, you should sing Karaoke.",
"People who eat cake tend to gain weight. If you want to lose weight, you should eat less cake.",
"People who work hard tend to make more money. If you work hard, you will make more money.",
"People who wear smaller size clothes tend to be thinner. If you want to be thinner, you should wear smaller size clothing."
] | People who live in large houses tend to make more money than people who live in small houses. If you desire to make more money, you should move into a larger house. | 3 | train_3919 | The reasoning in this argument most closely parallels which one of the following? |
[
"The first is evidence that has been used to support a position that the argument as a whole opposes; the second states the conclusion of the argument as a whole.",
"The first states the position that the argument as a whole opposes; the second is evidence that has been used to support the position being opposed.",
"The first states the position that the argument as a whole opposes; the second states the conclusion of the argument as a whole.",
"The first is evidence that has been used to support a position that the argument as a whole opposes; the second provides information to undermine the force of that evidence."
] | A prominent investor who holds a large stake in the Burton Tool Company has recently claimed that <b> the company is mismanaged </b>, citing as evidence the company' s failure to slow production in response to a recent rise in its inventory of finished products. It is doubtful whether an investor' s sniping at management can ever be anything other than counterproductive, <b> but in this case it is clearly not justified </b>. It is true that an increased inventory of finished products often indicates that production is outstripping demand, but in Burton' s case it indicates no such thing. Rather, the increase in inventory is entirely attributable to products that have already been assigned to orders received from customers. | 2 | train_3920 | In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles? |
[
"taking it for granted that an investigator is unlikely to report findings that are contrary to the interests of those funding the investigation",
"presenting as facts several assertions about the book under review that are based only on strong conviction and would be impossible for others to verify",
"using an attack on the character of the writer of the book as evidence that his person is not competent on matters of scientific substance",
"dismissing a scientific theory by giving a biased account of it"
] | In his new book on his complex scientific research, R frequently imputes bad faith to researchers disagreeing with him. A troubling aspect of R' s book is his stated conviction that other investigators' funding sources often determine what "findings" those investigators report. Add to this that R has often shown himself to be arrogant, overly ambitious, and sometimes plain nasty, and it becomes clear that R' s book does not merit attention from serious professionals. | 2 | train_3921 | The author of the book review commits which one of the following reasoning errors? |
[
"the proponents of the view cited would stand to gain if inflation rates become lower",
"a factor that affects people's savings behavior in a certain way could affect people's investment behavior quite differently",
"certain factors operating in the 1980's but not in the 1970's diminished people's incentive to save and invest",
"the population was larger in the 1980's than it was in the 1970's"
] | It is often said that high rates of inflation tend to diminish people's incentive to save and invest. This view must be incorrect, however, because people generally saved and invested more of their income in the 1970's when inflation rates were high than they did in the 1980's when inflation rates were low. | 2 | train_3922 | Of the following, the best criticism of the argument above is that it overlooks the possibility that |
[
"People with more fuel-efficient cars typically drive more than do those with less fuel-efficient cars.",
"Hybrid cars have already begun to gain popularity.",
"Not all air pollution originates from automobiles.",
"The future cost of gasoline and other fuel cannot be predicted with absolute precision or certainty."
] | Politician: Hybrid cars use significantly less fuel per kilometer than nonhybrids. And fuel produces air pollution, which contributes to a number of environmental problems. Motorists can save money by driving cars that are more fuel efficient, and they will be encouraged to drive hybrid cars if we make them aware of that fact. Ttherefore, we can help reduce the total amount of pollution emitted by cars in this country by highlighting this advantage of hybrid cars. | 0 | train_3923 | Which of the following, if true, would most indicate a vulnerability of the politician's argument? |
[
"Only claims that are true are of scientific interest.",
"Informative scientific claims cannot use terms in the way they are popularly used.",
"Popular slogans are seldom informative or of scientific interest.",
"The truth of a purported scientific claim is not sufficient for it to be of scientific interest."
] | The familiar slogan "survival of the fittest" is popularly used to express the claim, often mistakenly attributed to evolutionary biologists, that the fittest are most likely to survive. However, biologists use the term "fittest" to mean "most likely to survive, " so the slogan is merely claiming that the most likely to survive are the most likely to survive. While this claim is clearly true, it is a tautology and so is neither informative nor of scientific interest. | 3 | train_3924 | The argument above depends on assuming which one of the following? |
[
"Whether most of them violate at least some rules with which they are familiar",
"Whether most of them who inadvertently violate rules already feel resentful and uncooperative",
"Whether most of them would usually read with sufficient care the portions of the weekly newsletter that are reminders of rules",
"Whether most of them who regularly read the weekly newsletter are familiar with at least some rules"
] | Manager: Although our corporation lists rules in an orientation booklet, few employees read the booklet carefully enough to familiarize themselves with all the rules. Lecturing employees for inadvertent rule violations often makes them resentful and less cooperative. Thus, to improve employee adherence to rules, we plan to issue gentle reminders about various rules in each issue of our weekly newsletter. | 2 | train_3925 | Which of the following would it be most helpful to discover about the employees in the corporation in order to evaluate the likelihood that the plan will succeed? |
[
"A blog produces ten times the amount of content relative to its competitors. Thus, that blog produces more content than its competitors.",
"A tree produces more apples than any other tree. Thus, that tree is the best tree for growing apples.",
"A widget company produces more products per year than its competitors and sells each widget for the highest price in the industry. Thus, that widget company earns more revenue than any other widget company.",
"A building is twice as tall as any other building on the city's skyline. Thus, that building is the tallest building on the city's skyline."
] | An advertising agency employs ten times the number of employees relative to its competitors. Thus, any company should hire that advertising agency. | 1 | train_3926 | Which one of the following arguments contains the most similar reasoning to the argument above? |
[
"Blues musicians who do not draw on their personal tragedies are no more successful than blues musicians who do.",
"The irony and wit found in the blues provide a sense of perspective on life's troubles.",
"The conversion of personal sorrow into an artistic work can have a cathartic effect on artists and their audiences.",
"The sharing of blues music serves to create a cohesive, sympathetic social network."
] | The blues is a modern musical form whose lyrics usually address such topics as frustration, anger, oppression, and restlessness. Yet blues musicians claim to find joy in performing, and the musicians and fans alike say that the blues' overall effect is an affirmation of life, love, and hope. | 0 | train_3927 | Each of the following, if true, helps to resolve the apparent conflict in the passage EXCEPT: |
[
"The first is a generalization put forward by the paleontologist; the second presents certain exceptional cases in which that generalization does not hold.",
"The first is an explanation challenged by the paleontologist; the second is an explanation proposed by the paleontologist.",
"The first is a judgment advanced in support of a conclusion reached by the paleontologist; the second is that conclusion.",
"The first introduces the hypothesis proposed by the paleontologist; the second is a judgment offered in spelling out that hypothesis."
] | Paleontologist: About 2. 8 million years ago, many species that lived near the ocean floor suffered substantial population declines. These declines coincided with the onset of an ice age. The notion that cold killed those bottom-dwelling creatures outright is misguided, however; temperatures near the ocean floor would have changed very little. <b> Nevertheless, the cold probably did cause the population declines, though indirectly. </b> Many bottom-dwellers depended for food on plankton, small organisms that lived close to the surface and sank to the bottom when they died. <b> Most probably, the plankton suffered a severe population decline as a result of sharply lower temperatures at the surface, depriving many bottom-dwellers of food. </b> | 3 | train_3928 | In the paleontologist's reasoning, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? |
[
"overlooks a requirement that it states for the effectiveness of directions to the subconscious",
"takes for granted that the effectiveness of a direction to the subconscious is always directly proportional to the number of times the direction is repeated",
"concludes that hypnosis videos will be effective simply because they have never been proven to be ineffective",
"concludes that hypnosis is the most effective technique for altering behavior without considering evidence supporting other techniques"
] | Advertisement: Hypnosis videos work to alter behavior by subliminally directing the subconscious to act in certain ways. Directions to the subconscious must, however, be repeated many times in order to be effective. Hypnosis videos from Mesmosis, Inc. induce a hypnotic stale and then issue an initial command to the subject' s subconscious to experience each subsequent instruction as if it had been repeated 1, 000 times. Because of the initial instruction, the subsequent instructions on Mesmosis videos are extremely effective -- it is as if they had actually been repeated 1, 000 times! | 0 | train_3929 | The advertisement's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the advertisement |
[
"Any restoration of an archaeological site should represent only the most ancient period of that site's history.",
"The risk of losing evidence relevant to possible future theories should outweigh any advantages of displaying the results of theories already developed.",
"Only those with a true concern for an archaeological site's history should be involved in the restoration of that site.",
"The ownership of archaeological sites should not be under the control of business interests."
] | Archaeologist: A large corporation has recently offered to provide funding to restore an archaeological site and to construct facilities to make the site readily accessible to the general public. The restoration will conform to the best current theories about how the site appeared at the height of the ancient civilization that occupied it. This offer should be rejected, however, because many parts of the site contain unexamined evidence. | 1 | train_3930 | Which one of the following principles, if valid, justifies the archaeologist's argument? |
[
"Revision of the traditional code is underway that will eliminate the problematic rules.",
"The alternate code contains few provisions that have thus far been criticized as obscure or unnecessary.",
"Those who have adopted the alternate code sometimes attempt to use it to obscure their opponents' understanding of procedures.",
"It is not always reasonable to adopt a different code in order to maintain the public's confidence."
] | Council chair: The traditional code of parliamentary procedure contains a large number of obscure, unnecessary rules, which cause us to quibble interminably over procedural details and so to appear unworthy of public confidence. Admittedly, the code is entrenched and widely accepted. But success in our endeavors depends on the public' s having confidence in our effectiveness. Ttherefore, it is imperative that we adopt the alternate code, which has been in successful use elsewhere for several years. | 0 | train_3931 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the chair's conclusion? |
[
"In deep-tillage farming, the deeper one tills, the greater the susceptibility to topsoil erosion.",
"Topsoil erosion does not make farmers want to till more deeply.",
"The most expensive farming methods employ topsoil aeration techniques other than deep tillage.",
"Tilling by any method other than deep tillage is not a viable option."
] | Deep tillage is even more deleterious to the world' s topsoil supply than previously believed. For example, farmers who till deeply are ten times more likely to lose topsoil to erosion than are farmers who use no-till methods. Results like these make it clear that farmers who now till deeply should strive, by using other topsoil aeration techniques, to incorporate no-till methods instead. | 3 | train_3932 | The argument depends on assuming which one of the following? |
[
"On the subsequent day, the remaining three iced tea beverages all sold within the first hour after the store opened.",
"The cooler in question is the only place in the store where the cola and iced tea beverages are stocked.",
"At the beginning of the day, the cooler was stocked with at least as many of the iced tea beverages as of the cola beverages.",
"During that week, a special \"buy one, get one free\" sale was in effect for the cola beverage."
] | A convenience store manager noticed that a cooler which had been stocked with only a cola product and an iced-tea product had 15 colas left at the end of the day but only 3 iced-tea beverages. As a result, the manager reasoned that he should increase the amount of iced tea and decrease the amount of cola he ordered from the distributor. | 2 | train_3933 | Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the manager's rationale for ordering more iced tea and less cola? |
[
"A person is injured after tripping over a shopping bag that someone had left lying in the middle of the sidewalk.",
"A person is injured after stepping in a large hole in a city sidewalk, and the city administration had first learned of the need to repair that sidewalk minutes before.",
"A person who is heavily intoxicated is injured after falling on a perfectly even city sidewalk with no visible defects.",
"A person is injured after tripping on a badly uneven city sidewalk, and the city administration had been repeatedly informed of the need to repair the sidewalk for several years."
] | Currently, the city of Grimchester is liable for any injury incurred because of a city sidewalk in need of repair or maintenance. However, Grimchester' s sidewalks are so extensive that it is impossible to hire enough employees to locate and eliminate every potential danger in its sidewalks. Governments should be liable for injuries incurred on public property only if they knew about the danger beforehand and negligently failed to eliminate it. | 1 | train_3934 | Which one of the following describes an injury for which the city of Grimchester is now liable, but should not be according to the principle cited above? |
[
"The amount of money saved by eliminating the costs associated with toll collection would not be available to pay part of the total cost of maintaining the highways.",
"The total cost of maintaining the highways will be less if the highway tolls rather than the general taxes pay for the maintenance.",
"If the highway tolls are not eliminated, there will be no need to increase the general taxes.",
"If the highway tolls are eliminated and the general taxes are increased to pay for maintaining the highways, there will be less emphasis on preventive maintenance."
] | Drivers in the country of Holston want highway tolls eliminated. The cost of maintaining the highways is paid entirely out of revenue from the highway tolls. Holston must maintain its highways. Thus, it follows that if the tolls are eliminated, then the entire cost of maintaining the highways will have to be paid for by an increase in general taxes. | 0 | train_3935 | Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument? |
[
"It was below freezing during the week before his doctor's appointment, and Jacob did not wear his winter coat.",
"Jacob's flu was dormant and didn't show symptoms until after the doctor's visit.",
"Jacob's immune system did not worsen after the doctor's visit.",
"Jacob's doctor administered him several vaccines that temporarily weakened his immune system."
] | After years of good health, Jacob finally visited the doctor for the first time in a decade. Immediately after his doctor' s appointment, Jacob fell ill with the flu. | 2 | train_3936 | Each of the following, if true, explains the apparent paradox, EXCEPT: |
[
"If a character in a tragedy is idealized at the beginning of the action depicted in the tragedy, he or she must be debased at the end.",
"Some characters in comedies and tragedies are neither debased nor idealized.",
"In romance literature and satirical literature, characters' moral qualities do not change during the course of the action.",
"The visions of the world portrayed in works of tragedy and works of comedy change during the course of the action."
] | Critic: The idealized world portrayed in romance literature is diametrically opposed to the debased world portrayed in satirical literature. Nevertheless, the major characters in both types of works have moral qualities that reflect the worlds in which they are presented. Comedy and tragedy, meanwhile, require that the moral qualities of major characters change during the course of the action. Ttherefore, neither tragedy nor comedy can be classified as satirical literature or romance literature. | 2 | train_3937 | The critic's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
[
"For almost any agricultural problem, there is at least one agricultural technique that does not use commercial products but that would solve that agricultural problem.",
"Most if not all government-sponsored agricultural research investigates agricultural techniques that do not use commercial products.",
"Most if not all investigations of agricultural techniques that use commercial products are sponsored by private for-profit corporations.",
"Investigations of agricultural techniques are rarely sponsored by individuals or by any entity other than private for-profit corporations or the government."
] | Farmer: Agricultural techniques such as crop rotation that do not use commercial products may solve agricultural problems at least as well as any technique, such as pesticide application, that does use such products. Nonetheless, no private for-profit corporation will sponsor research that is unlikely to lead to marketable products. Thus, for the most part, only government-sponsored research investigates agricultural techniques that do not use commercial products. | 3 | train_3938 | Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the farmer's argument? |
[
"Mosquitoes are no more successful in finding a bare human arm in darkness than in light.",
"Human skin gives off gaseous substances in greater amounts during the day than during the night.",
"Mosquitoes are not attracted to humans by body heat.",
"Human skin never gives off any gaseous substances that repel mosquitoes."
] | Human skin gives off an array of gaseous substances, including carbon dioxide and lactic acid, both of which attract mosquitoes. However, neither of these two substances, whether alone or combined with one another, will attract mosquitoes as much as a bare human arm will, even in complete darkness, where a mosquito has no visual cues. Ttherefore, some other gaseous substance given off by human skin also attracts mosquitoes. | 2 | train_3939 | The reasoning in the argument requires which one of the following assumptions? |
[
"If developers build apartment houses in Glen Hills, there will be substantial tax increases for the residents of Glen Hills.",
"If the rezoning proposal does not pass, the rural atmosphere in Glen Hills will not be lost.",
"If developers do not build apartment houses in Glen Hills, the schools of Glen Hills will not be overcrowded and roads will not be congested.",
"If developers do not build apartment houses in Glen Hills, the taxes of the residents of Glen Hills will not increase substantially."
] | Unless the residents of Glen Hills band together, the proposal to rezone that city will be approved. If it is, the city will be able to build the water and sewer systems that developers need in order to construct apartment houses there. These buildings would attract new residents, and the increased population would probably result in overcrowded schools and would certainly result in roads so congested that new roads would be built. Neither new roads nor additional schools could be built without substantial tax increases for the residents of Glen Hills. Ultimately, this growth might even destroy the rural atmosphere that makes Glen Hills so attractive. | 0 | train_3940 | Which one of the following can be properly concluded from the passage? |
[
"The number of hours per day that a person is willing to work depends on that person's financial needs.",
"People who are paid based on their production work more efficiently than those who are paid a fixed hourly wage.",
"People work longer when their effective hourly wage is high than when it is low.",
"Workers will accept a lower hourly wage in exchange for the freedom to set their own schedules."
] | Taxi drivers, whose income is based on the fares they receive, usually decide when to finish work each day by setting a daily income target; they stop when they reach that target. This means that they typically work fewer hours on a busy day than on a slow day. | 2 | train_3941 | The facts described above provide the strongest evidence against which one of the following? |
[
"Vegetables that are overcooked generally have few vitamins. Ttherefore, these carrots, which are overcooked, contain fewer vitamins than those peas, which are uncooked.",
"Canned foods always contain more salt than frozen foods do. Ttherefore, these canned peas contain more salt than those frozen peas do.",
"Some types of nuts make Roy's throat itch. These cookies contain a greater percentage of nuts than that pie contains. Ttherefore, these cookies are more likely to make Roy's throat itch.",
"The human body needs certain amounts of many minerals to remain healthy. Ttherefore, this distilled water, which has no minerals, is unhealthy."
] | Food that is very high in fat tends to be unhealthy. These brownies are fat-free, while those cookies contain a high percentage of fat. Ttherefore, these fat-free brownies are healthier than those cookies are. | 0 | train_3942 | Which one of the following exhibits flawed reasoning most similar to the flawed reasoning exhibited by the argument above? |
[
"conceding the suggested relationship between playing bridge and short-term memory, but questioning whether any conclusion about appropriate therapy can be drawn",
"arguing that the original conclusion relied on an inaccurate understanding of the motives that the people surveyed have for playing bridge",
"providing an alternative hypothesis to explain the data on which the original conclusion was based",
"challenging the representativeness of the sample surveyed"
] | A survey of a group of people between the ages of 75 and 80 found that those who regularly played the card game bridge tended to have better short-term memory than those who did not play bridge. It was originally concluded from this that playing bridge can help older people to retain and develop their memory. However, it may well be that bridge is simply a more enjoyable game for people who already have good short-term memory and who are thus more inclined to play. | 2 | train_3943 | In countering the original conclusion the reasoning above uses which one of the following techniques? |
[
"Highway speed limits are a justified restriction of freedom. For drivers who speed do not risk only their own lives; such drivers often injure or kill other people. Moreover, speed limits have been shown to significantly reduce highway accident and fatality rates.",
"Even though public smoking may lead to indirect harm to others, it should not be banned. There are several other ways to eliminate this harm that do not restrict the conduct of smokers and hence are preferable to a complete ban on public smoking.",
"The scientist who invented this technology is not the only one who should be allowed to profit from it. After all, there is no evidence that allowing others to profit from this technology will reduce the scientist's own profits.",
"It is not enough that consumable products containing harmful substances have warning labels. Many adults simply ignore such warnings and continue to consume these substances in spite of the harm it may cause them. This is why consuming such substances should be illegal."
] | Editorial: In order to encourage personal responsibility in adults, society should not restrict the performance of any of the actions of adults or interfere with the likely results except to prevent negative effects on others. | 3 | train_3944 | Which one of the following expresses a view that is inconsistent with the principle stated in the editorial? |
[
"The number of policyholders who have filed a claim in the past year is higher for Pro-Tect than for other insurance companies.",
"Currently, Pro-Tect cannot legally raise the premiums it charges for a given amount of insurance against car theft.",
"In one or two years, the discount that Pro-Tect is offering will amount to more than the cost of buying certain highly effective antitheft devices.",
"The amount Pro-Tect has been paying out on car-theft claims has been greater for some models of car than for others."
] | Pro-Tect Insurance Company has recently been paying out more on car-theft claims than it expected. Cars with special antitheft devices or alarm systems are much less likely to be stolen than are other cars. Consequently Pro-Tect, as part of an effort to reduce its annual payouts, will offer a discount to holders of car-theft policies if their cars have antitheft devices or alarm systems. | 2 | train_3945 | Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest indication that the plan is likely to achieve its goal? |
[
"fails to address the possibility that the amount of demeaning work eliminated by robots might be significantly greater than the amount they create",
"attempts to support its conclusion by an appeal to the emotion of fear, which is often experienced by people faced with the prospect of losing their jobs to robots",
"does not specify whether or not the engineers who design robots consider their work demeaning",
"assumes what it sets out to prove, that robots create demeaning work"
] | A fundamental illusion in robotics is the belief that improvements in robots will liberate humanity from "hazardous and demeaning work. " Engineers are designing only those types of robots that can be properly maintained with the least expensive, least skilled human labor possible. Ttherefore, robots will not eliminate demeaning work -- only substitute one type of demeaning work for another. | 0 | train_3946 | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that it |
[
"Prairie vole populations vary dramatically in size from year to year.",
"It is in the spring and early summer that prairie vole communities generally contain the highest proportion of young voles.",
"The prairie vole subsists primarily on broad-leaved plants that are abundant only in spring.",
"Snakes, a major predator of young prairie voles, are active only from spring through early autumn."
] | The prairie vole, a small North American grassland rodent, breeds year-round, and a group of voles living together consists primarily of an extended family, often including two or more litters. Voles commonly live in large groups from late autumn through winter; from spring through early autumn, however, most voles live in far smaller groups. The seasonal variation in group size can probably be explained by a seasonal variation in mortality among young voles. | 3 | train_3947 | Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the explanation offered? |
[
"It is a finding that the argument seeks to explain.",
"It is a judgment that the argument opposes.",
"It is an objection that has been raised against the main conclusion of the argument.",
"It is the main conclusion of the argument."
] | Hunter: Hunters alone are blamed for the decline in Greenrock National Forest' s deer population over the past ten years. Yet clearly, <b> black bears have also played an important role in this decline </b>. In the past ten years, the forest' s protected black bear population has risen sharply, and examination of black bears found dead in the forest during the deer hunting season showed that a number of them had recently fed on deer. | 3 | train_3948 | In the hunter's argument, the boldface portion plays which of the following roles? |
[
"So far only the best, most experienced drivers for Partorian trucking companies have been driving triple-trailer trucks.",
"Very few fatal collisions involving trucks in Partoria are collisions between two trucks.",
"In Partoria, the maximum legal payload of a triple-trailer truck is less than three times the maximum legal payload of the largest of the single-trailer trucks.",
"In Partoria, the safety record of the trucking industry as a whole has improved slightly over the past ten years."
] | In the nation of Partoria, large trucks currently account for 6 percent of miles driven on Partoria' s roads but are involved in 12 percent of all highway fatalities. The very largest trucks-those with three trailers-had less than a third of the accident rate of single- and double-trailer trucks. Clearly, ttherefore, one way for Partoria to reduce highway deaths would be to require shippers to increase their use of triple-trailer trucks. | 0 | train_3949 | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
[
"people with low self-esteem more frequently think that they are being treated disrespectfully than do people with high self-esteem",
"people with low self-esteem are usually right when they think they have been treated disrespectfully",
"a person with low self-esteem will be more inclined to treat others disrespectfully than will a person with high self-esteem",
"if an individual has been treated disrespectfully, it is probably because the individual was perceived to have low self-esteem"
] | A person with low self-esteem will be treated disrespectfully more often than will a person with high self-esteem. Moreover, a recent experiment found that, when people with low self-esteem and those with high self-esteem are both confronted with the same treatment by others, people with low self-esteem are much more likely to feel that they have been treated disrespectfully. Thus, __. | 0 | train_3950 | Which one of the following most logically completes the argument? |
[
"At least one type of flavonoid helps to prevent heart disease.",
"Eating at least one apple each day will prevent heart disease.",
"Flavonoids are essential to preventing heart disease.",
"A diet composed largely of fruits and vegetables will help to prevent heart disease."
] | Flavonoids are a common component of almost all plants, but a specific variety of flavonoid in apples has been found to be an antioxidant. Antioxidants are known to be a factor in the prevention of heart disease. | 0 | train_3951 | Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage? |
[
"Most insomniacs sleep better in a new environment, and the new drug has no effect on an insomniac's ability to sleep.",
"Some insomniacs cannot reliably determine how much sleep they have had or how well they have slept.",
"The psychological comfort afforded by the belief that one has taken a sleep-promoting drug is enough to prevent most episodes of insomnia.",
"The new drug is very similar in chemical composition to another drug, large doses of which have turned out to be less effective than expected."
] | Fifty chronic insomniacs participated in a one-month study conducted at an institute for sleep disorders. Half were given a dose of a new drug and the other half were given a placebo every night before going to bed at the institute. Approximately 80 percent of the participants in each group reported significant relief from insomnia during the first two weeks of the study. But in each group, approximately 90 percent of those who had reported relief claimed that their insomnia had returned during the third week of the study. | 0 | train_3952 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain all the data from the study? |
[
"fails to consider that even infrequent aerobic exercise may have some beneficial effect on people's health",
"concludes merely from the fact that two things are correlated that one causes the other",
"ignores anecdotal evidenee and bases its conclusion entirely on scientific research",
"presumes, without providing justffication, that anyone who does not have lung disease is in good health"
] | A survey published in a leading medical journal in the earty 1970s found that the more frequently people engaged in aerobic exercise, the lower their risk of lung disease tended to be. Since other surveys have confirmed these results, it must be the case that aerobic exercise has a significant beneficial effect on people' s health. | 1 | train_3953 | The reasoning above is questionable because the argument |
[
"Inez believes that the book's title should not mention matter without mentioning energy.",
"Inez and Antonio disagree on whether matter and energy are related.",
"Inez and Antonio disagree about the overall value of the book.",
"Antonio believes that there are no differences between matter and energy."
] | Inez: The book we are reading, The Nature of Matter, is mistitled. A title should summarize the content of the whole book, but nearly half of this book is devoted to discussing a different, albeit closely related subject: energy. Antonio: I do not think that the author erred; according to modern physics, matter and energy are two facets of the same phenomenon. | 0 | train_3954 | Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the conversation above? |
[
"The chemical components of galanin are present in both fatty foods and lean foods.",
"The rats that preferred fatty foods had the higher concentrations of galanin in their brains before they were offered fatty foods.",
"Rats that metabolize fat less efficiently than do other rats develop high concentrations of galanin in their brains.",
"The brains of the rats that consistently chose to eat fatty foods did not contain significantly more fat than did the brains of rats that consistently chose lean foods."
] | Galanin is a protein found in the brain. In an experiment, rats that consistently chose to eat fatty foods when offered a choice between lean and fatty foods were found to have significantly higher concentrations of galanin in their brains than did rats that consistently chose lean over fatty foods. These facts strongly support the conclusion that galanin causes rats to crave fatty foods. | 1 | train_3955 | Which one of the following, if true, most supports the argument? |
[
"Music that opposes current popular conceptions of music is less likely to be enjoyed by audiences than is music that accords with such conceptions.",
"Musicians whose music has no meaning do not preface their performances with explanations of their intentions.",
"The fact that music is distinguishable from a random series of sounds only when it has meaning makes music with meaning more appealing to audiences than music without meaning.",
"The human ability to think symbolically and to invest anything with meaning makes it very difficult to create music that has no meaning."
] | According to a theory embraced by some contemporary musicians, music is simply a series of sounds, bereft of meaning. But these musicians, because they understand that their theory is radically nonconformist, encourage audience acceptance by prefacing their performances with explanations of their intentions. Thus, even their own music fails to conform to their theory. | 1 | train_3956 | Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the argument's conclusion to be properly drawn? |
[
"Cabbage soup contains important nutrients other than vitamin C.",
"The amount of vitamin C provided by a serving of the advertised soup is less than the amount furnished by a serving of fresh apples.",
"Few people depend exclusively on mango and broccoli to supply vitamin C to their diets.",
"Mango and fresh broccoli are widely known to be nutritious, but their contribution consists primarily in providing a large amount of vitamin A, not a large amount of vitamin C."
] | Our cabbage soup provides good nutrition; a warm bowl of it contains more units of vitamin C than does a serving of mango or fresh broccoli! | 3 | train_3957 | The advertisement is misleading if which one of the following is true? |
[
"the federal government is willing to provide additional funding to the transit authority now",
"the transit authority should continue operating without cutting service or increasing fares until it has exhausted its funds",
"the transit authority can afford to operate for the next twelve months without cutting service even if it does not receive additional funding",
"the federal government should provide additional funding to the transit authority"
] | Enrique: The city' s transit authority does not have enough money to operate for the next twelve months without cutting service or increasing fares, and the federal government has so far failed to provide additional fending. Nonetheless, the transit authority should continue operating without service cuts or fare increases until it has exhausted its funds. At that point, the federal government will be willing to provide funding to save the authority. Cynthia: If the transit authority tries that maneuver, the federal government will probably just Jet the authority go out of business. The transit authority cannot risk allowing that to happen. | 1 | train_3958 | The dialogue most strongly supports the claim that Enrique and Cynthia disagree over whether |
[
"The first states the conclusion of the economists' argument: the second supports that conclusion.",
"The first supports the conclusion of the economists' argument, the second calls that conclusion into question.",
"Each supports the conclusion of the economist's argument.",
"The first states the conclusion of the environmentalists' argument; the second states the conclusion of the economist's argument"
] | Economist: Tropicorp, which constantly seeks profitable investment opportunities, has been buying and clearing sections of tropical forest for cattle ranching, although pastures newly created there become useless for grazing after just a few years. The company has not gone into rubber tapping, even though greater profits can be made from rubber tapping, which leaves the forest intact. Thus, some environmentalists argue that <b> Tropicorp's actions do not serve even its own economic interest. </b> However, the initial investment required for a successful rubber-tapping operation is larger than that needed for a cattle ranch; there is a shortage of workers employable in rubber-tapping operations; and taxes are higher on profits from rubber tapping than on profits from cattle ranching. Consequently, <b> the environmentalists' conclusion is probably wrong. </b> | 3 | train_3959 | In the economist's argument, the two <b> boldface </b> portions play which of the following roles? |
[
"Government institutions are as subject to the Iron Law of Responsibility as business institutions.",
"Since no institution is eternal, every business will eventually fail.",
"Public relations programs can cause society to consider an institution socially responsible even when it is not.",
"The power of some institutions erodes more slowly than the power of others, whether they are socially responsible or not."
] | Speaker: 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. Ttherefore, a business that wishes to retain its power as long as it can must act responsibly. | 2 | train_3960 | Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the speaker's argument? |
[
"it confuses a condition necessary for increasing product sales with a condition that will ensure increased sales",
"it takes for granted that LRG's sales would not have been lower still in the absence of the competitor's advertising campaign",
"it fails to consider that economic factors unrelated to the advertising campaign may have caused LRG's low sales figures",
"it takes for granted that in LRG's industry, new products should outsell established products"
] | Marketing consultant: Last year I predicted that LRG' s latest advertising campaign would be unpopular with customers and ineffective in promoting new products. But LRG ignored my predictions and took the advice of a competing consultant. This season' s sales figures show that sales are down and LRG' s new products are selling especially poorly. Thus, the advertising campaign was ill conceived. | 2 | train_3961 | The marketing consultant's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that |
[
"Many of the most active presidential fund-raisers and backroom strategists are themselves politicians.",
"Some of the skills needed to become a successful lawyer are different from some of those needed to become a successful military leader.",
"Some hierarchically structured companies have been major financial supporters of candidates for president.",
"Military leaders are generally no more comfortable with compromises and power-sharing than are business executives."
] | Prominent business executives often play active roles in United States presidential campaigns as fund-raisers or backroom strategists, but few actually seek to become president themselves. Throughout history the great majority of those who have sought to become president have been lawyers, military leaders, or full-time politicians. This is understandable, for the personality and skills that make for success in business do not make for success in politics. Business is largely hierarchical, whereas politics is coordinative. As a result, business executives tend to be uncomfortable with compromises and power-sharing, which are inherent in politics. | 3 | train_3962 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the proposed explanation of why business executives do not run for president? |
[
"Some social issues could be definitely settled on the basis of evidence if the opposing sides would give all the available evidence a fair hearing.",
"Many scientific issues have important political implications and cannot be definitely settled on the basis of the available evidence.",
"No scientific issues raised by the claims of environmentalists have important political implications.",
"There are often more than two opposing views on an issue that cannot be definitely settled on the basis of available evidence."
] | It has been claimed that television networks should provide equal time for the presentation of opposing views whenever a television program concerns scientific issues -- such as those raised by the claims of environmentalists -- about which people disagree. However, although an obligation to provide equal time does arise in the case of any program concerning social issues, it does so because social issues almost always have important political implications and seldom can definitely be settled on the basis of available evidence. If a program concerns scientific issues, that program gives rise to no such equal time obligation. | 1 | train_3963 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
[
"Tiktaalik is not the ancestor of any currently surviving fish species.",
"Tiktaalik's fingers were its only feature to play a significant role in the development of modern land animals.",
"The evolutionary significance of Tiktaalik could not be determined just through comparison to fish species of its time.",
"No fish without fingers would ever be able to move on land."
] | The prehistoric fish Tiktaalik is the earliest known animal with fingers. Since variations were so great among prehistoric fish species, Tiktaalik would not have stood out as unusual at the time. However, Tiktaalik' s fingers were an important development in animal evolution because it is likely that Tiktaalik is an ancestor to the many land animals with fingers. | 2 | train_3964 | The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? |
[
"In most of the species in which exposure to small doses of stressors increases longevity, the increase is so small that it is barely measurable.",
"Repeated exposure to a stressor is much more likely than a single exposure to cause permanent damage to an organism.",
"Exposure to a given dose of a poison or other stressor may cause more serious damage to some members of a species than to others.",
"Exposure to small doses of stressors stimulates an organism's natural repair mechanisms to fix any damage caused by the stressors as well as some unrelated damage."
] | Exposure to a large dose of something that causes bodily damage -- such as excessive heat, poison, or nuclear radiation -- is of course harmful to an organism. But, surprisingly, exposure to small doses of such stressors has been shown to extend life span in various species, including fruit flies, protozoans, worms, and rodents. | 3 | train_3965 | Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the surprising phenomenon described above? |
[
"The first is an observation that the editorial disputes; the second is a conclusion that was drawn from that observation.",
"The first is a finding that was used in support of a proposal that the editorial opposes; the second is a judgment that was based on that finding and in turn was used to support the proposal.",
"The first is a conclusion, the evidence for which the editorial evaluates; the second is part of the evidence cited in favor of that conclusion.",
"The first is a finding introduced to support the main conclusion of the editorial; the second is that main conclusion."
] | Editorial: An arrest made by a Midville police officer is provisional until the officer has taken the suspect to the police station and the watch commander has officially approved the arrest. Such approval is denied if the commander judges that the evidence on which the provisional arrest is based is insufficient. A government efficiency expert has observed that <b> almost all provisional arrests meet the standards for adequacy of evidence that the watch commanders enforce </b>. The expert has ttherefore recommended that because <b> the officers' time spent obtaining approval is largely wasted </b>, the watch commander' s approval no longer be required. This recommendation should be rejected as dangerous, however, since there is no assurance that the watch commanders' standards will continue to be observed once approval is no longer required. | 1 | train_3966 | In the editorial, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? |
[
"It is claimed that we have the unencumbered right to say whatever we want. It is also claimed that we have the obligation to be civil to others. But civility requires that we not always say what we want. So, it cannot be true both that we have the unencumbered right to say whatever we want and that we have the duty to be civil.",
"Some politicians could attain popularity with voters only by making extravagant promises; this, however, would deceive the people. So, since the only way for some politicians to be popular is to deceive, and any politician needs to be popular, it follows that some politicians must deceive.",
"If we extend our business hours, we will either have to hire new employees or have existing employees work overtime. But both new employees and additional overtime would dramatically increase our labor costs. We cannot afford to increase labor costs, so we will have to keep our business hours as they stand.",
"If we put a lot of effort into making this report look good, the client might think we did so because we believed our proposal would not stand on its own merits. On the other hand, if we do not try to make the report look good, the client might think we are not serious about her business. So, whatever we do, we risk her criticism."
] | Suppose I have promised to keep a confidence and someone asks me a question that I cannot answer truthfully without thereby breaking the promise. Obviously, I cannot both keep and break the same promise. Ttherefore, one cannot be obliged both to answer all questions truthfully and to keep all promises. | 0 | train_3967 | Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to the argument above? |
[
"If the government pursues policies that do not increase the demand for fuel, gasoline prices tend to remain stable.",
"The government has an obligation to ensure that demand for fuel does not increase excessively.",
"The government can bear responsibility for that which it indirectly causes.",
"Consumer demand for gasoline cannot increase without causing gasoline prices to increase."
] | Consumer advocate: There is no doubt that the government is responsible for the increased cost of gasoline, because the government' s policies have significantly increased consumer demand for fuel, and as a result of increasing demand, the price of gasoline has risen steadily. | 2 | train_3968 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the consumer advocate's argument? |
[
"Lopez and Simmons should not both have applied for jobs at Evritech Corporation",
"Lopez and Simmons would be unwise to reveal their marriage to Evritech Corporation without already having started to work there",
"Evritech Corporation's rule against hiring more than one member of the same family is often not enforced",
"Evritech Corporation is not likely to discover the marital status of Lopez and Simmons if they do not volunteer the information"
] | Willett: Lopez and Simmons, a married couple, have both been offered jobs at Evritech Corporation. Because Evritech has a rule against hiring more than one member of the same family, Lopez and Simmons have decided to reveal their marriage to Evritech. Their decision is foolish, however, since it will mean that one of them will have a job offer withdrawn. After all, they could easily keep their marriage secret initially and, if they want, later claim to have married after they were hired: Evritech has no policy of terminating one of two employees who marry each other. | 1 | train_3969 | The main conclusion of Willett's argument is that |
[
"account for why most people still do not believe in the Yeti",
"consider the absence of photographs of the Yeti",
"evaluate historical evidence for the existence of the Yeti",
"consider alternative explanations for the reported sightings"
] | Over the past few decades dozens of people have claimed to have sighted the Yeti in the Himalayas. This provides strong evidence that the creature exists. | 3 | train_3970 | The reasoning in the argument is questionable because the argument fails to |
[
"Amusia results more from an inability to discern pitch than from an inability to discern timing.",
"The ability to tell melodies apart depends on the discernment of pitch alone and not at all on the perception of timing.",
"People who are unable to tell pitches apart in isolation are able to do so in the context of a melody by relying upon timing.",
"Whereas perception of timing can apparently be learned, discernment of pitch is most likely innate."
] | Neuroscientists subjected volunteers with amusia -- difficulty telling different melodies apart and remembering simple tunes -- to shifts in pitch comparable to those that occur when someone plays one piano key and then another. The volunteers were unable to discern a difference between the tones. But the volunteers were able to track timed sequences of musical tones and perceive slight changes in timing. | 0 | train_3971 | The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following hypotheses? |
[
"Not all living beings have the ability to biologically produce methane.",
"Earth is the only planet whose atmosphere is known to contain methane.",
"There are other ways of detecting the presence of life on a planet.",
"Some living beings biologically produce only very small amounts of methane."
] | The most reliable way to detect the presence of life on a planet would be by determining whether or not its atmosphere contains methane. This is because methane completely disappears from a planet' s atmosphere through various chemical reactions unless it is constantly replenished by the biological processes of living beings. | 0 | train_3972 | Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
[
"bats use echolocation to catch insects and ttherefore gain no advantage from the fact that insects flying in the vicinity of streetlights are visible at night",
"in the absence of local concentrations of the flying insects on which bats feed, the bats expend much more energy on hunting for food, requiring much larger quantities of insects to sustain each bat",
"the bats do not begin to hunt until after sundown",
"the bats are unlikely to feed on insects that do not fly"
] | When mercury-vapor streetlights are used in areas inhabited by insect-eating bats, the bats feed almost exclusively around the lights, because the lights attract flying insects. In Greenville, the mercury-vapor streetlights are about to be replaced with energy-saving sodium streetlights, which do not attract insects. This change is likely to result in a drop in the population of insect-eating bats in Greenville, since __ | 1 | train_3973 | Which of the following most logically completes the argument below? |
[
"Chemicals other than nicotine present in chewing tobacco but not present in cigarette smoke can cause cancer.",
"People who smoke but do not chew tobacco tend to exercise less than those who chew tobacco but do not smoke.",
"Chemicals other than nicotine present in cigarette smoke but not present in chewing tobacco raise blood pressure.",
"Chemicals other than nicotine present in chewing tobacco but not present in cigarette smoke mitigate the effects that nicotine has on the cardiovascular system."
] | Nicotine has long been known to cause heart attacks and high blood pressure. Yet a recent study has shown that the incidence of heart attacks and high blood pressure is significantly higher among cigarette smokers who do not chew tobacco than among nonsmokers exposed to an equal amount of nicotine through tobacco chewing. | 0 | train_3974 | Which one of the following, if true, helps LEAST to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above? |
[
"whether the cost of preserving plant species outweighs the cost of artificially synthesizing chemicals that could otherwise be derived from those species",
"whether it is prudent to conserve natural resources",
"whether the benefits humans derive from exploiting nonhuman species provide a good reason for preserving nonhuman species",
"whether humans should make efforts to prevent the extinction of living species"
] | X: Since many chemicals useful for agriculture and medicine derive from rare or endangered plant species, it is likely that many plant species that are now extinct could have provided us with substances that would have been a boon to humanity. Ttherefore, if we want to ensure that chemicals from plants are available for use in the future, we must make more serious efforts to preserve for all time our natural resources. Y: But living things are not our "resources. " Yours is a selfish approach to conservation. We should rather strive to preserve living species because they deserve to survive, not because of the good they can do us. | 2 | train_3975 | Which one of the following is an issue about which X and Y disagree? |
[
"There is just one meaning that Smith intends her work to have.",
"Smith's theory about the relation of social circumstances to the understanding of meaning lacks insight.",
"Smith lacks insight into her own social circumstances.",
"The intended meaning of an author's work is not always good evidence of its true meaning."
] | Speaker: Like many contemporary critics, Smith argues that the true meaning of an author' s statements can be understood only through insight into the author' s social circumstances. But this same line of analysis can be applied to Smith' s own words. Thus, if she is right we should be able, at least in part, to discern from Smith' s social circumstances the "true meaning" of Smith' s statements. This, in turn, suggests that Smith herself is not aware of the true meaning of her own words. | 2 | train_3976 | The speaker's main conclusion logically follows if which one of the following is assumed? |
[
"There would be fewer shows rated with one gun than with four guns.",
"Parents would read and pay attention to the ratings listed in the newspapers.",
"The local television station has an obligation to forewarn parents of the level of violence in television shows.",
"The rating system described in the passage is the most effective system available."
] | A local television station is considering a plan to create a panel of child psychologists to review programs in advance of their airing and rate the level of violence. A program that portrays a high level of violence would be listed in newspapers with four guns after the title. On the other hand, if a show has little violence, one gun would appear after its listing. The station believes that this remedy would forewarn parents about the level of violence in any given program. | 1 | train_3977 | Which one of the following must the television station assume in order to conclude that the plan will meet its stated purpose? |
[
"Nothing that can be felt by only one subject can be studied scientifically.",
"Every physical phenomenon can be explained by physics, chemistry, or neurophysiology.",
"Whatever is not a physical phenomenon is an emotional one.",
"Whatever is not a physical phenomenon cannot be explained by science."
] | Science cannot adequately explain emotional phenomena such as feeling frustrated, falling in love, or being moved by a painting. Since they cannot be explained by physics, chemistry, or neurophysiology, human emotions must not be physical phenomena. | 1 | train_3978 | The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed? |
[
"Since the majority of firms specialize in certain kinds of cases, they are able to assess accurately their chances of winning each potential case",
"Some litigation can last for years before any decision is reached, and, even then the decision may be appealed.",
"Firms working under the contingency-fee arrangement take in fewer cases per year than do firms working under the hourly rate arrangement.",
"Firms that work exclusively under the hourly rate arrangement spend, on average, fewer hours on cases that are won than on cases that are lost."
] | More and more law firms specializing in corporate taxes are paid on a contingency-fee basis. Under this arrangement, if a case is won, the firm usually receives more than it would have received if it had been paid on the alternate hourly rate basis. If the case is lost, the firm receives nothing. Most firms are likely to make more under the contingency-fee arrangement. | 0 | train_3979 | Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the prediction above? |
[
"Other erosion patterns that appear on the body of the Sphinx are of a sort that could be caused by wind and sand alone",
"The face of the Sphinx bears a resemblance to the faces on certain stylized statues dating from both before and after the reign of Khafre.",
"Other than the Sphinx, there are no surviving sculptures that have been claimed to portray the face of Khafre.",
"The face of the Sphinx is small relative to the rest of the head, indicating that the face may have been recarved long after the Sphinx was built."
] | The Great Sphinx is a huge statue in Egypt that has a lion' s body with a man' s head. The face of the Sphinx has long been claimed to be that of pharaoh Khafre, who lived around 2600 B. C. , but it cannot be: erosion patterns recently discovered on the lion' s legs can only have been caused by heavy rains, and the Sahara has not had heavy rains in over 10, 000 years. | 3 | train_3980 | Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
[
"Anyone who has a deficiency in the active form of vitamin D also has a calcium deficiency.",
"Older people's drinking one glass of milk per day does not contribute to a deficiency in the active form of vitamin D needed in order for the body to absorb the calcium in that milk.",
"People who consume high quantities of calcium together with the active form of vitamin D and any other substances needed in order for the body to absorb calcium have normal blood pressure.",
"There is in milk, in a form that older people can generally utilize, enough of the active form of vitamin D and any other substances needed in order for the body to absorb the calcium in that milk."
] | Physician: The rise in blood pressure that commonly accompanies aging often results from a calcium deficiency. This deficiency is frequently caused by a deficiency in the active form of vitamin D needed in order for the body to absorb calcium. Since the calcium in one glass of milk per day can easily make up for any underlying calcium deficiency, some older people can lower their blood pressure by drinking milk. | 3 | train_3981 | The physician's conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed? |
[
"Bach wrote many compositions that were considered mediocre in his lifetime, and a large proportion of these compositions have been forgotten.",
"Several of Bach's contemporaries who produced more works than he did have been largely forgotten.",
"The exact number of Bach's compositions is not known, since many of them have been lost to posterity.",
"There are a few highly regarded composers who wrote a comparatively small number of compositions."
] | The reason J. S. Bach is remembered is not that he had a high ratio of outstanding compositions to mediocre compositions. It is rather because he was such a prolific composer. He wrote more than a thousand full-fledged compositions, so it was inevitable that some of them would be outstanding and, being outstanding, survive the ages. | 1 | train_3982 | Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? |
[
"The product mix offered by each of the company's divisions has remained unchanged.",
"The chemicals division has realized lower profits per dollar of sales than has the pharmaceuticals division.",
"Total dollar sales for each of the company's divisions have remained roughly constant.",
"The pharmaceuticals division has faced stiffer competition in its markets than has the chemicals division."
] | A company' s two divisions performed with remarkable consistency over the past three years: in each of those years, the pharmaceuticals division has accounted for roughly 20 percent of dollar sales and 40 percent of profits, and the chemicals division for the balance. | 1 | train_3983 | Regarding the past three years, which of the following can properly be inferred from the statement above? |
[
"Loren claims to like the taste of the fish at the Diggin's Diner. However, since according to everyone who knows anything about food, the fish at the Diggin's Diner tastes dreadful. Loren's claim must be false.",
"Alice claims to have completed her assignment. According to her supervisor, however, the task that Alice was assigned to do has not yet been completed. Alice's claim, ttherefore, must be false.",
"Morris claims to have seen the famous fire at the Charles Theater. According to all the news reports, however, that fire took place in 1982 and Morris was out of the country during all of 1982. Morris's claim, ttherefore, must be false.",
"Douglas claims to have climbed the tallest mountain in the country. According to the atlas, however, the county contains two other mountains that are taller than the one Douglas climbed. Douglas's claim, ttherefore, must be false."
] | Donna claims to have found the museum' s current exhibition of bronzes from Benin less interesting than many of the other exhibitions recently put on by the museum. According to all the critical reviews, however, the Benin exhibition is more interesting than any other exhibition that the museum has put on in years. Ttherefore, Donna' s claim must be false. | 0 | train_3984 | Which one of the following arguments contains flawed reasoning that is most similar to the flawed reasoning in the argument above? |
[
"a form of speech can be restricted only if it is certain that it would lead directly to serious harm",
"all but one of several possible reasons for restricting freedom of speech are unjustified",
"it is legitimate to prohibit some forms of speech on the grounds that they are likely to lead directly to serious harm",
"in all but a few cases, restricting speech eventually leads directly to serious harm"
] | Politician: The legal right to free speech does not protect all speech. For example, it is illegal to shout "Fire! " in a crowded mall if the only intent is to play a practical joke; the government may ban publication of information about military operations and the identity of undercover agents; and extortion threats and conspiratorial agreements are also criminal acts. The criminalization of these forms of speech is justified, since, although they are very different from each other, they are all likely to lead directly to serious harm. | 2 | train_3985 | In the statements above, the politician argues that |
[
"introduces an irrelevant comparison between overloaded circuits and faulty wiring",
"does not show that the benefits that would follow from Frieda's recommendation would be offset by any disadvantages",
"does not offer any additional way of lessening the risk associated with lightning",
"appeals to Frieda's emotions rather than to her reason"
] | Frieda: Lightning causes fires and damages electronic equipment. Since lightning rods can prevent any major damage, every building should have one. Erik: Your recommendation is pointless. It is true that lightning occasionally causes fires, but faulty wiring and overloaded circuits cause far more fires and damage to equipment than lightning does. | 1 | train_3986 | Erik's response fails to establish that Frieda's recommendation should not be acted on because his response |
[
"Drivers with a large number of demerit points but no conviction for a serious driving-related offense should receive driver reeducation rather than jail.",
"Drivers with a large number of demerit points who have been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should be sent to jail.",
"Driver re-education is not harsh enough punishment for anyone convicted of a serious driving-related offense who has also accumulated a large number of demerit points.",
"Driver re-education should not be recommended for those who have committed no serious driving-related offenses."
] | Editorialist: Drivers with a large number of demerit points who additionally have been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should either be sentenced to jail or be forced to receive driver re-education, since to do otherwise would be to allow a crime to go unpunished. Only if such drivers are likely to be made more responsible drivers should driver re-education be recommended for them. Unfortunately, it is always almost impossible to make drivers with a large number of demerit points more responsible drivers. | 1 | train_3987 | If the editorialist's statements are true, they provide the most support for which one of the following? |
[
"The cost of an advertising campaign capable of maximizing initial sales of the new chip would be no greater than campaigns previously undertaken by Plexis.",
"Advertising the new chip now will significantly decrease sales of Plexis' current line of computer chips.",
"Plexis' major rivals in the computer chip manufacturing business are developing a chip with capabilities that are comparable to those of Plexis' new chip.",
"Some computer users are reluctant to purchase new computer products when they are first released."
] | The Plexis Corporation, a leading computer chip manufacturer, is currently developing a new chip, which is faster and more efficient than any computer chip currently in use. The new chip will be released for sale in twelve months. Plexis' market research has shown that initial sales of the new chip would be maximized by starting to advertise it now, but the company has decided to wait another six months before doing so. | 1 | train_3988 | Which of the following, if true, provides the Plexis Corporation with the best reason for postponing advertising its new chip? |
[
"fails to say whether reptiles other than alligators were examined for the same developmental abnormalities that were discovered in the alligators",
"fails to address the possibility that industrial by-products were contained in food the alligators ate",
"provides no explanation for developmental abnormalities that do not result from elevated hormonal activity",
"fails to consider whether elevated hormonal activity can result from factors other than the presence of industrial by-products"
] | In the bodies of reptiles, some industrial by-products cause elevated hormonal activity. Hormones govern the development of certain body parts, and in reptiles abnormal development of these parts occurs only with elevated hormonal activity. Recently, several alligators with the telltale developmental abnormalities were discovered in a swamp. So, apparently, industrial by-products have entered the swamp' s ecosystem. | 3 | train_3989 | The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument |
[
"Removing helmets would reduce head collisions by fifty percent.",
"The NFL's popularity will naturally decline as tastes change, like the decline in popularity of boxing and horse racing.",
"Scientific studies of brain trauma are inconclusive as to long-term effects.",
"No matter the danger, there will always be players willing to sign waivers and play."
] | Football is unsafe regardless of the precautions undertaken or rule changes implemented. Repeated head trauma always leads to long-term head injury. Parents are already refusing to allow their children to play youth football. Eventually, nobody will want to play football due to safety concerns. Ttherefore, the NFL will dramatically decline in popularity. | 3 | train_3990 | Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument? |
[
"making a case for the conclusion of one argument by showing that argument's resemblance to another, presumably cogent, argument",
"attempting to show that one piece of reasoning is incorrect by comparing it with another, presumably flawed, piece of reasoning",
"arguing that because something has a certain group of characteristics, it must also have another, closely related, characteristic",
"arguing that a type of human cognition is unreliable in one instance because it has been shown to be unreliable under similar circumstances"
] | Professor: One cannot frame an accurate conception of one' s physical environment on the basis of a single momentary perception, since each such glimpse occurs from only one particular perspective. Similarly, any history book gives only a distorted view of the past, since it reflects the biases and prejudices of its author. | 0 | train_3991 | The professor's argument proceeds by |
[
"Most water companies keep detailed records of the quantity of water used by different customers.",
"Federal authorities limit the range of policies that can be enforced by the water companies.",
"Most water companies reduce the cost per unit of water as the amount of water used by a customer increases.",
"The price per unit of water charged by the water companies has risen steadily in the last 10 years."
] | Although many customers do not make a sufficient effort to conserve water, water companies must also be held responsible for wasteful consumption. Their own policies, in fact, encourage excessive water use, and attempts at conservation will succeed only if the water companies change their practices. | 2 | train_3992 | Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the view above? |
[
"Qualified technicians installed the heating systems to be upgraded.",
"Technicians who lack certification are not qualified technicians.",
"The contractor hired by the city has personal ties to city officials.",
"There are no contractors with fewer than 40 percent of their technicians certified."
] | Editorial: The city has chosen a contractor to upgrade the heating systems in public buildings. Only 40 percent of the technicians employed by this contractor are certified by the Heating Technicians Association. So the city selected a contractor 60 percent of whose technicians are unqualified, which is an outrage. | 1 | train_3993 | Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument in the editorial? |
[
"When librarians choose books for the library, they choose the kinds that they enjoy reading, not the kinds of books that serve the interests of the community.",
"When senior executives choose to promote junior executives, they tend to favor those who share their professional interests, not those who have had the most education.",
"When television executives choose programs to air, they choose the ones with the most sex and violence because that is what viewers want, not the shows with the highest artistic merit.",
"When supermarkets choose foods, they choose the kinds that can be sold for the most profit, not the kinds of foods that are the most healthful for consumers."
] | Our computer experts are asked from time to time to allocate funds for new hardware and software for our company. Unfortunately, these experts favor cutting-edge technologies, because that is what excites them, despite the fact that such experimental technologies are highly expensive, full of undiscovered "bugs, "and thus are not the most profitable investments. | 0 | train_3994 | Of the following, which one conforms most closely to the principle illustrated by the situation described above? |
[
"Blake, Tina, and Sara were the only athletes lined up in the park this afternoon.",
"Neither Tina nor Sara is a professional runner.",
"None of the athletes lined up in the park this afternoon had ever participated in a charity run.",
"Everyone in the park this afternoon was an amateur athlete."
] | All of the athletes lined up in the park this afternoon were waiting to participate in a charity run. Blake, Tina, and Sara had all signed up to participate in the charity run. No professional runners would sign up to participate in a charity run. | 1 | train_3995 | If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true? |
[
"Wildlife populations that have been harmed by the excessive spraying of insecticides on croplands are likely to recover if the amount of insecticides sprayed on those croplands is reduced even slightly.",
"Crops that have been genetically engineered to resist insect pests are never sprayed with insecticides that harm wildlife populations.",
"Use of the crops that have been genetically engineered to resist insect pests in place of crops that have been sprayed with insecticides will cause less harm to wildlife populations.",
"If a wider use of certain crops that have been genetically engineered to resist insect pests is likely to help at least some wildlife populations to recover, it is likely to have that effect only because its use will prevent excessive and ineffective spraying of insecticides on croplands."
] | Farmer: Crops genetically engineered to produce toxins that enable them to resist insect pests do not need to be sprayed with insecticides. Since excessive spraying of insecticides has harmed wildlife populations near croplands, using such genetically engineered crops more widely is likely to help wildlife populations to recover. | 2 | train_3996 | Which one of the following is an assumption the farmer's argument requires? |
[
"It relies on evidence from a group of volunteers that is too small to provide any support for any inferences regarding people in general.",
"It fails to adequately address the possibility that many of the volunteers may not have understood what the psychological questionnaire was designed to measure.",
"It overlooks the possibility that people with very high levels of self-esteem may tend to have a less accurate perception of the strength of their own social skills than do people with moderate levels of self-esteem.",
"It overlooks the possibility that factors other than level of self-esteem may be of much greater importance in determining the strength of one's social skills."
] | Psychologist: In a study, researchers gave 100 volunteers a psychological questionnaire designed to measure their self-esteem. The researchers then asked each volunteer to rate the strength of his or her own social skills. The volunteers with the highest levels of self-esteem consistently rated themselves as having much better social skills than did the volunteers with moderate levels. This suggests that attaining an exceptionally high level of self-esteem greatly improves one's social skills. | 2 | train_3997 | The psychologist's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which of the following grounds? |
[
"The linkage between oceans and eccentricity predates the European Renaissance.",
"The linkage between oceans and eccentricity explains the European Renaissance custom of using ships as asylums.",
"People have never attributed the same qualities to oceans and eccentrics.",
"Oceans have always been viewed as mysterious and unpredictable."
] | Tina: For centuries oceans and human eccentricity have been linked in the literary and artistic imagination. Such linkage is probably due to the European Renaissance practice of using ships as asylums for the socially undesirable. Sergio: No. Oceans have always been viewed as mysterious and unpredictable -- qualities that people have invariably associated with eccentricity. | 0 | train_3998 | Tina's and Sergio's statements lend the most support to the claim that they disagree about which one of the following statements? |
[
"Most people who undertake do-it-yourself renovation projects do so for the satisfaction of doing the work themselves and so are unlikely to hire a professional to do that sort of work.",
"Most homeowners know whether or not the walls of their houses are painted with lead-based paint, even if the walls were painted by previous owners.",
"Whenever information on do-it-yourself home renovation is published, many people who would otherwise hire professionals decide to perform the renovations themselves, even when there are risks involved.",
"When professionally done home renovations are no more expensive than do-it-yourself renovations, most people choose to have their homes renovated by professionals."
] | Large quantities of lead dust can be released during renovations in houses with walls painted with lead-based paint. Because the dust puts occupants at high risk of lead poisoning, such renovations should be done only in unoccupied houses by contractors who are experienced in removing all traces of lead from houses and who have the equipment to protect themselves from lead dust. Even when warned, however, many people will not pay to have someone else do renovations they believe they could do less expensively themselves. Ttherefore, Homeowners' Journal should run an article giving information to homeowners on how to reduce the risk of lead poisoning associated with do-it-yourself renovation. | 2 | train_3999 | Which one of the following, if true, argues most strongly against the passage's recommendation about an article? |