-1-

Time35 minutes
25 Questions
Directions: The questions in this section are based on the reasoning contained in brief statements or passages. For some
questions, more than one of the choices could conceivably answer the question. However, you are to choose the best answer; that
is, the response that most accurately and completely answers the question. You should not make assumptions that are by
commonsense standards implausible, superfluous, or incompatible with the passage. After you have chosen the best answer,
blacken the corresponding space on your answer sheet.
1. Cool weather typically weakens muscle power in
cold-blooded creatures. In the veiled chameleon, a
cold-blooded animal, the speed at which the animal
can retract its tongue declines dramatically as the
temperature falls. However, the speed at which this
chameleon can extend its tongue does not decline
much as the temperature falls.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve
the apparent discrepancy in the information above?
(A)
(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Most cold-blooded animals are much more active

in warmer weather than in cooler weather.
Many cold-blooded animals, including the
veiled chameleon, have tongues that can
extend quite a distance.
Veiled chameleons are found in a wide range of
habitats, including ones with wide variations in
temperature and ones with moderate climates.
In the veiled chameleon, tongue retraction is
powered by muscles, whereas tongue
extension is driven by energy stored in a
rubber band-like sheath.
Compared with the muscles in the tongues of
most cold-blooded animals, the retraction
muscles in the veiled chameleons tongue are
considerably stronger.

2. Acmes bank loan must be immediately repaid in full

if Acmes earnings fall below $1 million per year. If
Acme has to repay the entire loan immediately, it will
have to declare bankruptcy. Acme had seemed safe
from bankruptcy, having reported annual earnings of
well over $1 million in each year it has had the
bank loan. However, Acme has now admitted
overstating its earnings for last year, so it will
have to declare bankruptcy.

3. Hospital patients generally have lower infection rates

and require shorter hospital stays if they are housed in
private rooms rather than semiprivate rooms. Yet in
Woodvilles hospital, which has only semiprivate rooms,
infection rates and length of stays are typically the
same as in several nearby hospitals where most of the
rooms are private, even though patients served by
these hospitals are very similar to those served by
Woodvilles hospital.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to
resolve the apparent conflict in the information above?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Many of the doctors who routinely treat patients

in Woodvilles hospital also routinely treat
patients in one or more of the nearby hospitals.
Most of the nearby hospitals were built within
the last 10 years, whereas Woodvilles hospital
was built about 50 years ago.
Infection is more likely to be spread where
people come into close contact with one
another than where they do not.
Woodvilles hospital has a policy of housing
one patient per room in semiprivate rooms
whenever possible.
Woodvilles hospital is located in its central
business district, whereas most of the nearby
hospitals are located outside their
municipalities business districts.

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The argument requires the assumption that

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

Acmes earnings for last year, when accurately

stated, are below $1 million
Acme has other debts besides the bank loan
last year is not the only year for which Acme
overstated earnings
Acmes earnings for the current year will fall
below $1 million
Acme would be able to avoid bankruptcy if it
did not have to repay the bank loan

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4. Economist: Unemployment will soon decrease. If total

government spending significantly increases next
year, the economy will be stimulated in the short
term and unemployment will decrease. If, on the
other hand, total government spending significantly
decreases next year, businesses will retain more
of their earnings in the short term and employ
more workers, thereby decreasing unemployment.
The conclusion drawn by the economist is properly
inferred if which one of the following is assumed?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)
(E)

Either total government spending will

significantly decrease next year or else total
government spending will significantly
increase next year.
Government officials are currently
implementing policies that are intended
to reduce unemployment.
If there is a significantly increased demand for
workers, then there will be a significant
decrease in unemployment.
A significant increase in total government
spending will slow the economy in the long run.
If the economy is not stimulated and businesses
do not retain more of their earnings, then
unemployment will not decrease.

5. Marisa: Existing zoning regulations must be loosened;

in some places the restrictions on development
are now so prohibitive as to reduce the property
values of undeveloped areas significantly.
Tyne: I disagree. Though it is true that the recent
increase in the stringency of zoning regulations
could be seen by developers as merely an
activists ploy to restrict development further,
the value of natural, undisturbed areas can only
be better preserved by such regulatory protection.
Tynes response to Marisa suggests that Tyne has
misinterpreted which one of the following words in
Marisas remarks?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

regulations
development
prohibitive
values
significantly

6. Scientist: Laboratory animals have access to ample

food, and they get relatively little exercise.
These factors can skew the results of research
using animals, since such studies often rely on the
assumption that the animal subjects are healthy.
For instance, animal studies that purport to show
that extreme caloric restriction can extend
lifespans take for granted that their subjects were
not overfed to begin with.
The scientists argument requires assuming which one
of the following?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Laboratory animals are healthy if they are

fed a carefully restricted diet and get plenty
of exercise.
Laboratory conditions that provide animals with
ample food but relatively little exercise can be
unhealthy for the animals.
It is not unusual for animals outside of
laboratory settings to have access to ample
food and get relatively little exercise.
Some animal studies take into consideration the
differences between the living conditions of
laboratory animals and those of other animals.
When provided with unlimited food over a long
period of time, animals show little day-to-day
variation in their eating habits.

7. Trade negotiator: Increasing economic prosperity in a

country tends to bring political freedom to its
inhabitants. Therefore, it is wrong for any
country to adopt trade policies that are likely to
seriously hinder growth in the prosperity of any
other country.
Which one of the following principles, if valid, would
most help to justify the trade negotiators reasoning?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Every country should adopt at least some

policies that encourage the development of
political freedom in other countries.
Both economic prosperity and political freedom
can contribute to the overall well-being of any
countrys inhabitants.
The primary reason that any country seeks
economic prosperity is to foster political
freedom in that country.
A country should not do anything that might
hinder the growth of political freedom in any
other country.
It is wrong for any country to adopt trade
policies that might diminish the prosperity of
its inhabitants.

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8. Whenever an artist endowed with both a high level of

artistic skill and a high degree of creativity combines
these two abilities in the process of creating an artwork,
the resulting product is a great work of art. Moreover,
no work of art can be great unless both of these
elements are combined in its execution. Thus, great
works of art are necessarily rare.

10. Journalist: Some critics argue that as the entertainment

value of news reporting increases, the caliber of
that reporting decreases. Yet the greatest
journalists have been the most entertaining.
So these critics are mistaken.
The journalists conclusion is properly drawn if which
one of the following is assumed?

Which one of the following is an assumption required

by the argument?

(A)

(A)

(B)

(B)

(C)

(D)
(E)

Not every artist possesses a high level of

artistic skill.
A high degree of creativity and a high level of
artistic skill are seldom combined in the
creation of a work of art.
An artist endowed with a high degree of
creativity and a high level of artistic skill will
necessarily produce great works of art.
Few artists are endowed with a high degree
of creativity.
Anyone endowed with both a high level of
artistic skill and a high degree of creativity
will produce only a few great works of art.

9. Cereal advertisement: Fitness experts say that regular

exercise is the most effective way to become
physically fit, and studies have shown that adults
who eat cereal every day exercise more regularly
than adults who do not eat cereal. So by eating
Fantastic Flakes every morning, you too will be
on the most effective path to physical fitness.
The argumentation in the advertisement is flawed in
that it
(A)
(B)

(C)

(D)
(E)

infers a cause from a mere correlation

presumes, without providing justification,
that Fantastic Flakes are more nutritious
than other cereals
infers that a given factor is the sole predictor of
a result merely on the grounds that the factor
has been shown to contribute to that result
draws a conclusion about all adults from a
sample that is too small to be representative
infers that some members of a group have a
particular characteristic merely from the fact
that the group as a whole has it

(C)
(D)
(E)

The news reporting of the greatest journalists

has been of the highest caliber.
The greatest journalists have been entertainers
who report the news.
Journalistic greatness involves producing news
that is very valuable in some sense.
Entertainment and news are not mutually
exclusive categories.
The worst journalists have been more
entertaining than informative.

11. Linguist: Three of the four subfamilies of the so-called

Austronesian languages are found only among
indigenous peoples in Taiwan, whereas the fourth
is found on islands over a huge area stretching
from Madagascar to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Since these subfamilies all originated in the same
language, which must have been originally
spoken in a single geographic location, these
facts suggest that Taiwan is the homeland where
Austronesian languages have been spoken
longest and, hence, that Austronesian-speaking
peoples originated in Taiwan and later migrated
to other islands.
Which one of the following most accurately expresses
the overall conclusion drawn in the linguists argument?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

The Austronesian family of languages has four

subfamilies, three of which are found only
among indigenous peoples in Taiwan.
Wherever most subfamilies of the Austronesian
family of languages have been spoken longest
is probably the homeland where Austronesian
languages originated.
Taiwan is probably the homeland where
Austronesian languages have been
spoken longest.
Austronesian-speaking peoples originated in the
homeland where Austronesian languages have
been spoken longest.
Austronesian-speaking peoples probably
originated in Taiwan and later migrated to
other islands.

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12. West: Of our companys three quality control inspectors,

Haynes is clearly the worst. Of the appliances that
were returned to us last year because of quality
control defects, half were inspected by Haynes.
Young: But Haynes inspects significantly more than
half the appliances we sell each year.
Young responds to Wests argument by
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

contending that the argument presupposes what

it is trying to prove
questioning the relevance of Wests conclusion
disputing the accuracy of one of the arguments
stated premises
arguing for a less extreme version of
Wests conclusion
denying one of the arguments presuppositions

14. Psychology researchers observed that parents feel

emotion while singing to their infants. The researchers
hypothesized that this emotion noticeably affects the
sound of the singing. To test this hypothesis the parents
were recorded while singing to their infants and while
singing with no infant present. They were instructed to
make the two renditions as similar as possible. These
recordings were then played for psychologists who had
not observed the recordings being made. For 80 percent
of the recordings, these psychologists were able to
correctly identify, by listening alone, which recordings
were of parents singing to their children. The
researchers concluded that their hypothesis was correct.
Which one of the following, if true, would most
strengthen the researchers reasoning?
(A)

13. While playing a game with a ball, both Emma and John
carelessly ignored the danger their game posed to
nearby objects. An errant throw by John struck and
broke a neighbors window. Because his throw broke
the window, John, but not Emma, should be required
to perform chores for the neighbor as compensation
for the damage.
Which one of the following conforms most closely to
the principle illustrated above?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

While looking after her neighbors pets, Laura

left the door to her neighbors house unlocked.
Fortunately, nothing bad happened as a result.
But her neighbor should not trust Laura to
look after her pets in the future.
Gerald hired Linda and Seung to move his
furniture to a new residence. Linda and Seung
carefully followed Geralds instructions, but
not all of the furniture fit in the moving truck.
Gerald should still be required to pay Linda
and Seung for the work they did.
Terry and Chris were racing their cars on a
public street. Chris lost control of his car and
struck a parked car. Chris, but not Terry, should
be required to pay to repair the damage.
Alexis and Juan rented a boat for the afternoon.
Because of improper use by the previous renter,
the boats engine malfunctioned during their
excursion. The boats owner should be required
to refund Alexiss and Juans rental fees.
Susan and Leland disregarded posted warnings
in order to skate on a frozen pond. When the
ice broke, Susans ankle was injured. Susan
cannot hold the ponds owners responsible
for her injuries.

(B)

(C)
(D)

(E)

A separate study by the same researchers found

that parents feel more emotion when singing
to their own children than when singing to
other children.
Some, but not all, of the parents in the study
realized that their song renditions were
being recorded.
Parents displayed little emotion when singing
with no child or adult present.
When a person feels emotion, that emotion
provokes involuntary physiological responses
that affect the vocal cords and lungs.
Most of the parents who participated in the
study believed that the emotion they felt while
singing to their infants affected their singing.

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15. Many scholars claim that Shakespeares portrayal of

Richard III was extremely inaccurate, arguing that he
derived that portrayal from propagandists opposed to
Richard III. But these claims are irrelevant for
appreciating Shakespeares work. The character of
Richard III as portrayed in Shakespeares drama is
fascinating and illuminating both aesthetically and
morally, regardless of its relation to historical fact.
Which one of the following principles, if valid, most
helps to justify the reasoning in the argument above?
(A)

(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

In historical drama, the aesthetic value of the

work is not necessarily undermined by
historical inaccuracies.
In dealing with real people, dramatists should
reflect their lives accurately.
Shakespeares historical importance puts him
beyond the scope of all literary criticism.
History is always told by propagandists from
the winning side.
Historical inaccuracies should be corrected
only when they impugn the reputations of
good people.

16. Voter: Our prime minister is evidently seeking a job at

an international organization. Anyone seeking a
job at an international organization would surely
spend a lot of time traveling abroad, and our
prime minister has spent more days abroad than
at home so far this year.
Which one of the following arguments is most similar
in its flawed reasoning to the voters argument?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Kao must be a golfer. Kao is planning to run

for office, and most people who run for office
play golf.
Franklin will lose the coming election. The
opposing candidate has better policy ideas and
brings more relevant experience to the job.
Ramirez is evidently able to control the traffic
signals. Just now, as Ramirez approached
the curb, the traffic signal changed from red
to green.
Thompson must be negotiating a personal loan.
Thompson was at the bank yesterday, and
people who are negotiating a personal loan go
to the bank to meet with a loan agent.
McKinsey must have committed a crime at
some point. After all, despite extensive
background checks no one has been able to
show that McKinsey has never committed
a crime.

17. It is pointless to debate the truth of the law of

noncontradiction, a fundamental logical principle
according to which two statements that contradict each
other cannot both be true. For a debate to be productive,
participants must hold some basic principles in common.
But the principles held in common in a debate over the
law of noncontradiction would be much less certain
than that law, so it matters little whether the law of
noncontradiction can be defended on the basis of
those principles.
Which one of the following most accurately expresses
the overall conclusion drawn in the argument?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

(E)

It is pointless to debate the truth of the law

of noncontradiction.
Statements that contradict each other cannot
both be true.
The participants in a productive debate must
hold at least some basic principles in common.
The law of noncontradiction is a principle that
the participants in a productive debate must
hold in common.
Any principles that could be used to defend
the law of noncontradiction are less certain
than it is.

18. Pundit: For many high school graduates, attending a

university would be of no help in getting a
corporate job. The attributes corporations value
most in potential employees are initiative,
flexibility, and the ability to solve practical
problems. Many new high school graduates
have these attributes already.
The pundits argument is most vulnerable to criticism
on the grounds that it
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

fails to establish that university graduates do

not have initiative, flexibility, and the ability
to solve practical problems
overlooks the possibility that corporations may
require an attribute that potential employees
can obtain only by attending a university
provides no justification for the presumption
that corporations only hire employees who
have initiative, flexibility, and the ability to
solve practical problems
takes for granted that the only reason that high
school graduates go on to attend university is
to improve their job prospects
takes for granted that initiative, flexibility,
and the ability to solve practical problems are
attributes that can be acquired through study

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19. Archaeologist: Neanderthals, a human-like species

living 60,000 years ago, probably preserved meat
by smoking it. Burnt lichen and grass have been
found in many Neanderthal fireplaces. A fire of
lichen and grass produces a lot of smoke but
does not produce nearly as much heat or light
as a wood fire.
Which one of the following, if true, would most
weaken the archaeologists argument?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

In close proximity to the fireplaces with lichen

and grass are other fireplaces that, evidence
suggests, burned material that produced more
heat than smoke.
In the region containing the Neanderthal
fireplaces in which lichen and grass were
burnt, no plants that could be burned more
effectively to produce heat or light were
available 60,000 years ago.
Some of the fireplaces containing burnt lichen
are in regions in which lichen is not believed
to have been plentiful and so would have had
to have been brought in from some distance.
There is clear evidence that at least some
groups of Neanderthals living more recently
than 60,000 years ago developed methods of
preserving meat other than smoking it.
The ability to preserve meat through smoking
would have made the Neanderthal humans less
vulnerable to poor periods of hunting.

21. Only engineering is capable of analyzing the nature of

a machine in terms of the successful working of the
whole; physics and chemistry determine the material
conditions necessary for this success, but cannot express
the notion of purpose. Similarly, only physiology can
analyze the nature of an organism in terms of organs
roles in the bodys healthy functioning. Physics and
chemistry cannot ascertain by themselves any of these
operational principles.
Which one of the following is an assumption required
by the analogy?
(A)
(B)

(C)

(D)
(E)

The functioning of the human organism is

machine-like in nature.
Physics and chemistry determine the material
conditions required for good physiological
functioning.
The notion of purpose used by engineers to
judge the success of machinery has an analog
in organisms.
Physiology as a science is largely independent
of physics and chemistry.
Biological processes are irreducible to
mechanical or chemical processes.

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20. Edgar: Some of the pumps supplying water to our

region have been ordered shut down in order to
protect a species of small fish. But it is absurd to
inconvenience thousands of people for the sake
of something so inconsequential.
Rafaela: Youre missing the point. The threat to that
fish species is a sign of a very serious threat to
our water supply.
The dialogue provides the most support for the claim
that Edgar and Rafaela disagree over whether
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

shutting down the pumps will actually

inconvenience a large number of people
the survival of the fish species is the only
reason for shutting down the pumps
species of small fish are inconsequential
the order to shut down the pumps was legal
shutting down the pumps will be sufficient to
protect the fish species

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22. After a hepadnavirus inserts itself into a chromosome

of an animal, fragments of the virus are passed on to
all of that animals descendants. A hepadnavirus
fragment is present in a chromosome of the zebra finch
and in precisely the same location in a corresponding
chromosome of the dark-eyed junco. The fact that
these two bird species diverged from each other about
25 million years ago therefore means that the
hepadnavirus is at least 25 million years old.
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens
the argument?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Viruses can affect the evolution of an organism

and can thereby influence the likelihood of
their diverging into two species.
The chromosomes of the zebra finch and the
dark-eyed junco contain fragments of no virus
other than the hepadnavirus.
When a virus inserts itself into an animals
chromosome, the insertion occurs at a
random spot.
Many bird species other than the zebra finch
and the dark-eyed junco contain fragments of
the hepadnavirus.
The presence of a hepadnavirus in an animal
species does not affect the likelihood of that
species survival.

23. The diet of Heliothis subflexa caterpillars consists

entirely of fruit from plants of the genus Physalis.
These fruit do not contain linolenic acid, which is
necessary to the growth and maturation of many insects
other than H. subflexa. Linolenic acid in an insects diet
is also necessary for the production of a chemical called
volicitin. While most caterpillar species have volicitin
in their saliva, H. subflexa does not.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred
from the statements above?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

H. subflexa caterpillars synthesize linolenic acid

within their bodies.
Most species of caterpillar have sources of
linolenic acid in their diets.
Any caterpillar that has linolenic acid in its diet
has volicitin in its saliva.
A food source containing linolenic acid would
be poisonous to H. subflexa caterpillars.
No caterpillars other than H. subflexa eat fruit
from plants of the genus Physalis.

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24. Politician: Democracy requires that there be no

restrictions on the ability of citizens to share
their ideas freely, without fear of reprisal.
Therefore the right to have private conversations,
unmonitored by the government, is essential to
democracy. For a government to monitor
conversations on the Internet would thus be a
setback for democracy.
Which one of the following most accurately describes
the role played in the argument by the claim that
democracy depends on the ability of citizens to share
their ideas freely, without fear of reprisal?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

It is a claim for which no support is provided,

and which is used to support only the
arguments main conclusion.
It is a claim for which no support is provided,
and which is used to support a claim that
is itself used to support the arguments
main conclusion.
It is a claim for which support is provided,
and which is in turn used to support the
arguments main conclusion.
It is the arguments main conclusion and is
inferred from two other statements in the
argument, one of which is used to support
the other.
It is the arguments main conclusion and is
inferred from two other statements in the
argument, neither of which is used to support
the other.

25. One way to compare chess-playing programs is to

compare how they perform with fixed time limits per
move. Given any two computers with which a
chess-playing program is compatible, and given fixed
time limits per move, such a program will have a better
chance of winning on the faster computer. This is
simply because the program will be able to examine
more possible moves in the time allotted per move.
Which one of the following is most strongly supported
by the information above?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

If one chess-playing program can examine more

possible moves than a different chess-playing
program run on the same computer under the
same time constraints per move, the former
program will have a better chance of winning
than the latter.
How fast a given computer is has no effect on
which chess-playing computer programs can
run on that computer.
In general, the more moves a given
chess-playing program is able to examine
under given time constraints per move, the
better the chances that program will win.
If two different chess-playing programs are
running on two different computers under the
same time constraints per move, the program
running on the faster computer will be able
to examine more possible moves in the
time allotted.
If a chess-playing program is run on two
different computers and is allotted more time
to examine possible moves when running on
the slow computer than when running on the
fast computer, it will have an equal chance
of winning on either computer.

S T O P
IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, YOU MAY CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS SECTION ONLY.
DO NOT WORK ON ANY OTHER SECTION IN THE TEST.

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