The Alphabet

GRE Big Book Critical Reasoning Test 36

Jimmy Wang
09/24/2024

GRE Critical Reasoning

Directions

Critical Reasoning questions test the ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate arguments. Some of the abilities tested by specific questions include identifying the roles played by specific phrases or sentences in an argument, recognizing the point of an argument, recognizing assumptions on which an argument is based" drawing conclusions and forming hypotheses, identifying methods of argumentation, evaluating arguments and counter-arguments, and analyzing evidence.

Each of the Critical Reasoning questions is based on a short argument, a set of statements, or a plan of action. For each question, select the best answer of the choices given.

Jones: Because he is a superb athlete, Bob is qualified for admission to the Hall of Fame.

Smith: But because Bob has used illegal drugs, he is a poor role model for young people. Therefore, Bob should not be admitted to the Hall of Fame.

#1

Smith's conclusion depends on which of the following assumptions?

Bob’s use of illegal drugs has had a negative effect on his athletic performance.

Being an adequate role model for young people should be one of the criteria for admission to the Hall of Fame.

All athletes who are good role models for young people are qualified for admission to the Hall of Fame.

Superb athletes usually do not use illegal drugs.

Bob is interested in being admitted to the Hall of Fame.

The population of peregrine falcons declined rapidly during the 1950’s and 1960’s and reached an all-time low in the early 1970’s. The decline was attributed by scientists to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT in rural areas.

#2

Which of the following, if true, gives the strongest support to the scientists' claim?

DDT was not generally in use in areas devoted to heavy industry.

In the time since the use of DDT was banned in 1972, the population of peregrine falcons has been steadily increasing.

Starlings, house sparrows, and blue jays——birds the peregrine falcon preys on——were not adversely affected by DDT in their habitats.

Other birds of prey, such as the osprey, the bald eagle, and the brown pelican, are found in the same areas as is the peregrine falcon.

Peregrine falcons, like other birds of prey, abandon eggs that have fallen out of the nest, even if the eggs remain intact.

Last summer one out of every five teen-agers who sought employment failed to find it. This is hard to understand, since during this same time employers were searching for teen-agers to fill an abundance of summer jobs. Many employers had been offering good pay and, in some cases, medical benefits.

#3

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain why teen-age unemployment was high when there were many job openings?

A small percentage of teen-agers either attend summer school or go away to camp and thus have no time for a job.

During the summer, some teen-agers continue to work at jobs that they have held during the school year.

Many summer jobs offer training that will help the teen-ager secure a full-time position after graduation.

Most summer jobs are located in suburban areas that are inaccessible to the high proportion of teen-agers who live in cities.

Many state programs that have been developed to help teen-agers find summer employment have recently had their budgets increased.

According to official government records, in Green- land the suicide rate (suicides per 1,000 people) was seventeen times greater in 1987 than in 1960. Because Greenland changed from a hunting and fishing society to an industrial society between 1960 and 1987, the dramatic increase in suicide must be a result of this societal change.

#4

Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the conclusion drawn above?

According to official government records, most of those who committed suicide in Greenland in 1987 were male.

In 1987 most suicides that occurred in Green- land were reported as suicides to the appropriate government office, whereas in 1960 most were not.

Even in a hunting and fishing society, some proportion of the society’s members will choose to commit suicide.

The change from a hunting and fishing society to an industrial society sometimes causes a dramatic increase in a society’S crime rate.

The life expectancy of Greenland’s inhabitants was not much greater in 1987 than it was in 1960, before the societal change occurred.

It is a general rule of economics that as the price of an item rises, demand for that item falls and that when the price falls, demand rises. Yet in the United States in 1980, after the price of canned soup rose, demand for canned soup also rose.

#5

Which of the following, if true about the period when prices for canned soup were rising, best resolves the discrepancy described above?

Dehydrated soup gained in sales at the expense of canned soup.

Because the retail prices and demand for most other foodstuffs remained stable, demand for them decreased relative to demand for canned soup.

Because the retail prices of other foodstuffs rose faster than the price of canned soup, canned soup became cheaper relative to other food- stuffs.

Consumers became increasingly concerned about the adverse effects of high salt content in many canned soups.

Because retail prices fell for both meat and vegetables, the major ingredients of most canned soups, canned soup became more expensive than foods that could be prepared at home with these ingredients.

New employees of Ace Industries are complaining about discomfort caused by excessive noise inside Ace’s factory. Experienced Ace factory employees, however, do not suffer any such discomfort. Although Ace accepts responsibility for the health of its employees, it has decided not to issue earplugs to new employees. Ace reasoned that the new employees would also become accustomed to the noise without using earplugs,

#6

Which of the following, if true, indicates a flaw in Ace's decision not to issue earplugs to new employees?

The machines in Ace’s factory have not become any noisier since the experienced workers were originally hired.

Many of the new employees interviewed said they would not wear earplugs on the job,

The experienced employees’ lack of discomfort is attributable to hearing loss caused by the factory noise.

Issuing earplugs to all new employees would be a less effective method of reducing employees’ exposure to noise than altering the machinery to be less noisy would be.

Because the noise in Ace’s factory is absorbed by soundproof walls, it cannot be heard by Ace executives in their offices.