Critical Reasoning

1. Antoine: The alarming fact is that among children aged 19 years and younger, the number taking antipsychotic medicines soared
73 percent in the last four years. That is greater than the increase in the number of adults taking antipsychotic medicines during
the same period.
Lucy: But the use of antipsychotic drugs by adults is considered normal at the current rate of 11 adults per 1,000 taking the drugs.
In contrast, the number of children on antipsychotic medication last year was 6.6 per 1,000 children.
Lucy’s argument is structured to lead to which of the following as a conclusion?
A. The current level of antipsychotic drug use in children is abnormally high.
B. The fact that the number of children taking antipsychotic medicines increased 73 percent over the last four years is not an
indication that the current level of use is abnormally high.
C. If only 6.6 out of every 1,000 children are taking an antipsychotic medication, the increase in the use of such medicines cannot
be the percentage Antoine cites.
D. It is unlikely that the increase in the use of antipsychotic medicines by children will continue at the same rate.
E. If the number of children taking antipsychotic drugs is given as a certain number, the actual rate of such drug use is even
higher.

2. Antoine: The alarming fact is that among children aged 19 years and younger, the number taking antipsychotic medicines soared
73 percent in the last four years. That is greater than the increase in the number of adults taking antipsychotic medicines during
the same period.
Lucy: But the use of antipsychotic drugs by adults is considered normal at the current rate of 11 adults per 1,000 taking the drugs.
In contrast, the number of children on antipsychotic medication last year was 6.6 per 1,000 children.
Lucy’s argument relies on the assumption that ______.
A. normal levels of antipsychotic drug use are rarely exceeded.
B. the percentage of adults taking antipsychotic medication is always higher than the percentage of children on such medication.
C. the use of antipsychotic medication in children is no different from the use of such medications in adults.
D. Antoine is not consciously distorting the statistics he presents.
E. a rapid increase in the number of children taking antipsychotic drugs generates more fear of random violence by adolescents
than does knowledge of the absolute number of children on such medications.

3. The restaurant business wastes more energy than any other industry in the United States. Nearly 80 percent of the $10 billion
spent on energy by the restaurant industry each year is squandered by the use of inefficient equipment. At the same time,
approximately 70 percent of restaurants in the United States are small businesses that are usually too cash poor to invest in
energy-efficient technology. Which of the following statements draws themost reliable conclusion from the information above?
A. The availability of energy-efficient equipment will reduce the energy costs of the restaurant industry by approximately 30
percent.
B. No industry in the United States spends greater than $10 billion each year on energy.
C. By using energy-efficient technology, a small restaurant will reduce its expenses by a greater percentage than will a large
restaurant.
D. Approximately $2 billion of the amount spent on energy each year by the restaurant industry is not squandered.
E. The replacement of inefficient equipment represents the largest potential source of energy savings for the restaurant
industry.

4. To decrease the number of crimes in city Y, the city’s Police Commissioner proposed taking some police officers from low-crime
districts of the city and moving them to high-crime districts of the city. His proposal is based on city Y crime data that show that
the number of crimes in any district of the city decreases when additional police officers are moved into that district. The Police
Commissioner’s proposal depends on which of the following assumptions?
A. City X experienced a drastic reduction in crime after implementing a proposal similar to that proposed by the Police
Commissioner of city Y.
B. The severity of crimes committed in any district of the city decreases when additional police officers are moved into that
district.
C. The number of crimes committed in all high-crime districts of city Y is more than triple the number of crimes committed in all
low-crime districts of city Y.
D. Districts of the city from which police officers are removed do not experience significant crime increases shortly after the
removal of those officers.
E. There are more low-crime districts than high-crime districts in city Y.

Hazratganj Centre: Princeton Business Park (Behind SIDBI), Ashok Marg (Near Jawahar Bhawan), Lucknow 226001
Aliganj Centre: B 5/18, Sector K (Near Axis Bank), Aliganj, Lucknow 226024
Mobile: 9838380700 Email: lawpreplucknow@gmail.com Website: www.lawpreptutorial.com
Critical Reasoning
5. Although there has been great scientific debate for decades over global warming, most scientists now agree that human activity is
causing the Earth’s temperature to rise. Though predictions vary, many global warming experts believe that average global
temperatures will rise between three and eight degrees Fahrenheit during the next century. Such an increase would cause an
alarming rise in sea levels, displacing millions of people by destroying major population centers along the world’s coastlines.
Which of the following is an assumption in support of the argument’s conclusion?
A. New technological developments in the next century will not divert rising seas from the world’s coastal cities.
B. Individuals will not become more aware of the steps they can take to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
C. Rising sea levels similarly affect all coastal population centers.
D. Some global warming experts predict a greater than eight degree Fahrenheit increase in global temperatures during the next
century.
E. Human activity is the sole cause of increasing global temperatures.

6. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed new federal requirements for driver’s licenses that would allow them to be
used as part of a national identification system. Using licenses for purposes not directly related to operating a motor vehicle is un-
American because it would require U.S. citizens to carry the equivalent of “papers.” Such a requirement would allow the
government to restrict their movements and activities in the manner of totalitarian regimes. In time, this could make other limits
on freedom acceptable. The author assumes which of the following?
A. The next presidential election will be dishonest, as has happened in eastern European countries.
B. The government will soon start curtailing the activities of those it considers “dissidents.”
C. Blanket restrictions on law-abiding individuals are contrary to the traditions of American culture and law.
D. The majority of Americans are not willing to give up their right to travel and move about without identification.
E. Americans should resist all government regulation of their lives.

7. In response to the increasing cost of producing energy through traditional means, such as combustion, many utility companies
have begun investing in renewable energy sources, chiefly wind and solar power, hoping someday to rely on them completely and
thus lower energy costs. The utility companies claim that although these sources require significant initial capital investment, they
will provide stable energy supplies at low cost. As a result, these sources will be less risky for the utilities than non-renewable
sources, such as gas, oil, and coal, whose prices can fluctuate dramatically according to availability.
The claim of the utility companies presupposes which of the following?
A. The public will embrace the development of wind and solar power.
B. No new deposits of gas, oil, and coal will be discovered in the near future.
C. Weather patterns are consistent and predictable.
D. The necessary technology for conversion to wind and solar power is not more expensive than the technology needed to
create energy through combustion.
E. Obtaining energy from nonrenewable sources, such as gas, oil and coal, cannot be made less risky.

8. A newly discovered painting on wooden panel by Michelangelo must have been completed after 1507 but before 1509. It cannot
have been painted earlier than 1507 because one of its central figures carries a coin that was not minted until that year. It cannot
have been painted after 1509 because it contains a pigment that Michelangelo is known to have abandoned when a cheaper
alternative became available in that year. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
A. No stocks of the abandoned pigment existed after 1509.
B. Michelangelo did not work on the painting over the course of several years.
C. The coin depicted in the painting was known to general public in 1507.
D. The wooden panel on which the painting was executed cannot be tested accurately for age.
E. Michelangelo’s painting style did not change between 1507 and 1509.

9. Advertisement: Avian Oculars are the newest in binocular technology for the professional bird watcher. For a price comparable to
that of traditional binoculars, Avian Oculars are specially designed with the features demanded by birding enthusiasts: they are
lightweight, compact and extremely durable. So, use Avian Oculars on your next bird watching excursion, and see some of the
world’s rarest species in all of their beautiful plumage.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the author of the advertisement relies?
A. Avian Oculars weigh less than traditional binoculars.
B. Avian Oculars should be used only by bird watchers.
C. The reader will travel through the habitats of rare species during his or her next bird watching trip.
D. Avian Oculars are similar in cost to traditional binoculars.
E. Birding enthusiasts often determine the specifications of new products.

Hazratganj Centre: Princeton Business Park (Behind SIDBI), Ashok Marg (Near Jawahar Bhawan), Lucknow 226001
Aliganj Centre: B 5/18, Sector K (Near Axis Bank), Aliganj, Lucknow 226024
Mobile: 9838380700 Email: lawpreplucknow@gmail.com Website: www.lawpreptutorial.com
Critical Reasoning
10. Smoking is a known cause of certain serious health problems, including emphysema and lung cancer. Now, an additional concern
can be added to the list of maladies caused by smoking. A recent study surveyed both smokers and nonsmokers, and found that
smokers are significantly more anxious and nervous than nonsmokers.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument rests?
A. Anxiety and nervousness can lead to serious health problems.
B. Anxiety and nervousness do not make individuals more likely to start smoking.
C. Equivalent numbers of smokers and nonsmokers were surveyed for the study.
D. Smokers are aware of the various health problems attributed to smoking, including lung cancer and emphysema.
E. Smokers who had smoked a cigarette immediately before responding to the survey were more anxious and nervous than
smokers who had not smoked for several hours.

11. Over the past 5 years, Company X has posted double-digit growth in annual revenues, combined with a substantial improvement
in operating margins. Since this growth is likely to persist in the future, the stock of Company X will soon experience dramatic
appreciation. The argument above is based on which of the following assumptions?
A. Company X has a large market share in its industry.
B. Prior to the last 5 years, Company X had experienced similarly dramatic growth in sales associated with stable or improving
operating margins.
C. The growth of Company X is likely to persist in the future.
D. The current price of the stock of Company X does not fully reflect the promising growth prospects of the firm.
E. The stock of Company X will outperform other stocks in the same industry.

12. An oil field prospector and developer reported a large oil deposit in southwestern Texas. As a result, a large oil and gas company
purchased the field with the intention of drilling oil wells in the area soon afterwards. However, the company found that what
had been reported to be a large oil deposit was actually much smaller than had been indicated. Thus, the methods that the
prospector had used to determine the size of the oil deposit must have been inaccurate.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
A. The company’s methods of measuring the size of the oil deposit were determined by a third party to be more accurate than
those used by the prospector.
B. The prospector did not purposefully fabricate or misrepresent the size of the oil deposit.
C. Though smaller than originally thought, the oil deposit contained enough oil to make drilling commercially feasible.
D. The prospector did not explore other oil fields and use the same methods to determine the magnitude of the oil present, if
any.
E. The company had successfully drilled for oil in other large oil fields in Texas throughout the early twentieth century.

13. When the human development report was first published, its attraction was the very idea of “human development”. That well-
being was not just about higher income and consequently, that a nation’s well-being depended on the per capita income alone.
Human development also deals with people’s choices to live a healthy and productive life.
It can be correctly concluded on this basis that:
A. The human development report aims at increasing the per capita income of any other country.
B. One of the basic premises of human development is that what is important is not only a higher average income but also to
what use a society can put this income to.
C. The first human development report was published when it occurred to social scientists that well-being implied income and
more income.
D. A man’s productivity is indirectly proportioned to his average annual income.
E. The attraction of the first human development report was short-lived.

14. Classical economists were in favour of “Balanced Budget”. In their view, surplus budget is undesirable. Surplus generated through
additional taxation stabilizes government expenditure and takes away the resources, which would otherwise have been spared,
for productive investment in the private sector.
Which of the following, if true, would further strengthen the classical economist’s view?
A. Fresh doses of taxation imply flow of resources from private sector to the public sector.
B. Monetary benefits occuring from additional taxation will be helpful for public sector funding.
C. Government backed enterprises should not rely upon surplus budgeting for their fiscal requirements.
D. Modern economists also believe that balanced budget is better than surplus or deficit budget.
E. Most of the economists these days are not classical economists in the true sense.

Hazratganj Centre: Princeton Business Park (Behind SIDBI), Ashok Marg (Near Jawahar Bhawan), Lucknow 226001
Aliganj Centre: B 5/18, Sector K (Near Axis Bank), Aliganj, Lucknow 226024
Mobile: 9838380700 Email: lawpreplucknow@gmail.com Website: www.lawpreptutorial.com
Critical Reasoning
15. The trend towards downsizing has left many experienced professionals without a worthwhile regular job. But the good news is,
that work continues to grow and fewer jobs does not mean less work. Instead, of having a lot of people on the payroll, earning
their keep, in busy times, but being a dead weight in the overhead in slack times, organizations will turn to “as and when” human
resourcing. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the above argument?
A. Busy time in most organizations, is not more than 5- 6 months.
B. Most organizations give poor remuneration to freelancers
C. Most organizations get only about 10 percent of their work done through freelancing
D. Organizations prefer to squeeze in the busy time jobs into the calendars of the regular employees.
E. Freelancers do not enjoy many of the benefits enjoyed by the employees on payroll.

16. According to McNeill, a Brahmin priest was expected to be able to recite at least one of the Vedas. The practice was essential for
several centuries when the Vedas had not yet been written down. It to memorize long passages. It must have helped in the
dissemination of the work, since a memorized passage can be duplicated many times. Which of the following can be inferred from
the above passage?
A. Reciting the Vedas was a Brahmin’s obligation.
B. The Vedic priest was like a recorded audio cassette.
C. McNeill studied the behaviour of Brahmin priests.
D. Vedic hymns had not been scripted.

17. Various studies have shown that our forested and hilly regions and, in general, areas where biodiversity — as reflected in the
variety of flora — is high, are the places where poverty appears to be high. And these same areas are also the ones where
educational performance seems to be poor. Therefore, it may be surmised that, even disregarding poverty status, richness in
biodiversity goes hand in hand with educational backwardness. Which one of the following statements, if true, can be said to best
provide supporting evidence for the surmise mentioned in the passage?
A. In regions where there is little variety in flora, educational performance is seen to be as good as in regions with high variety
in flora, where poverty levels are high.
B. Regions which show high biodiversity also exhibit poor education performance, at low levels of poverty.
C. Regions which show high biodiversity reveal high levels of poverty and poor educational performance.
D. In regions where there is low biodiversity, at all levels of poverty, educational performance is seen to be good.

18. Animals, in general, are shrewd in proportion as they cultivate society. Elephants and beavers show the greatest signs of this
sagacity when they are together in large numbers, but when man invades their communities they lose all their spirit of industry.
Among insects, the labours of the bee and the ant have attracted the attention and admiration of naturalists, but all their sagacity
seems to be lost upon separation, and a single bee or ant seems destitute of every degree of industry. It becomes the most stupid
insect imaginable, and it languishes and soon dies. Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?
A. Humankind is responsible for the destruction of the natural habitat of animals and insects.
B. Animals, in general, are unable to function effectively outside their normal social environment.
C. Naturalists have great admiration for bees and ants, despite their lack of industry upon separation.
D. Elephants and beavers are smarter than bees and ants in the presence of human beings.

19. Millions of female bats rear pups in Bracken Cave. Although the mothers all leave the cave nightly, on their return each mother is
almost always swiftly reunited with her own pup. Since the bats’ calls are their only means of finding one another, and a bat pup
cannot distinguish the call of its mother from that of any other adult bat, it is clear that each mother bat can recognize the call of
her pup. The argument seeks to do which one of the following?
A. derive a general conclusion about all members of a group from facts known about representative members of that group
B. establish the validity of one explanation for a phenomenon by excluding alternative explanations
C. support, by describing a suitable mechanism, the hypothesis that a certain phenomenon can occur
D. conclude that members of two groups are likely to share a certain ability because of other characteristics they share
E. demonstrate that a general rule applies in a particular case

20. Someone who gets sick from eating a meal will often develop a strong distaste for the one food in the meal that had the most
distinctive flavour, whether or not that food caused the sickness. This phenomenon explains why children are especially likely to
develop strong aversion to some foods. Which one of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the explanation?
A. Children are more likely than adults to be given meals composed of goods lacking especially distinctive flavors
B. Children are less likely than adults to see a connection between their health and the foods they eat
C. Children tend to have more acute taste and to become sick more often than adults do
D. Children typically recover more slowly than adults do from sickness caused by food
E. Children are more likely than are adults to refuse to eat unfamiliar foods.

Hazratganj Centre: Princeton Business Park (Behind SIDBI), Ashok Marg (Near Jawahar Bhawan), Lucknow 226001
Aliganj Centre: B 5/18, Sector K (Near Axis Bank), Aliganj, Lucknow 226024
Mobile: 9838380700 Email: lawpreplucknow@gmail.com Website: www.lawpreptutorial.com
Critical Reasoning
21. Premiums for automobile accident insurance are often higher for red cars than for cars of other colors. To justify these higher
charges, insurance companies claim that, overall, a greater percentage of red cars are involved in accidents than are cars of any
other color. If this claim is true, then lives could undoubtedly be saved by banning red cars from the roads altogether.
The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument
A. Accepts without question that insurance companies have the right to charge higher premiums for higher-risk clients
B. Fails to consider whether red cars cost the same to repair as cars of other colors
C. Ignores the possibility that drivers who drive recklessly have a preference for red cars
D. Does not specify precisely what percentage of red cars are involved in accidents
E. makes an unsupported assumption that every automobile accident results in some loss of life

22. A certain credit-card company awards its customer bonus points for using its credit card. Customers can use accumulated points
in the purchase of brand name merchandise by mail at prices lower than the manufactures’ suggested retail prices. At any given
time, therefore, customers who purchase merchandise using the bonus points spend less than they would spend if they
purchased the same merchandise in retail stores. Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
A. The merchandise that can be ordered by mail using the bonus points is not offered at lower prices by other credit-card
companies that award bonus points
B. The bonus points cannot be used by the credit-card customers in the purchase of brand name merchandise that is not
available for purchase in retail stores
C. The credit-card company does not require its customers to accumulate a large number of bonus points before becoming
eligible to order merchandise at prices lower than the manufacturers’ suggested retail price
D. The amount credit-card customer pay for shipping the merchandise ordered by mail does not increase the amount customers
spend to an amount greater than they would spend if they purchased the same merchandise in retail stores
E. The merchandise available to the company's credit-card customers using the bonus points is frequently sold in retail stores at
prices that are higher than the manufacturers‘ suggested retail prices?

23. It is probably not true that colic in infants is caused by the inability of those infants to tolerate certain antibodies found in cow’s
milk, since it is often the case that symptoms of colic are shown by infants that are fed breast milk exclusively.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
A. A. A study involving 500 sets of twins has found that if one infant has colic, its twin will probably also have colic
B. B. Symptoms of colic generally disappear as infants grow older, whether the infants have been fed breast milk exclusively or
have been fed infant formula containing cow’s milk
C. C. In a study of 5,000 infants who were fed only breast milk eliminate cow’s milk, over 4,000 of the infants never displayed
any symptoms of colic.
D. D. When mothers of infants that are fed only breast milk eliminate cow’s and all products made from cow’s milk from own
diets, any colic symptoms that their infants have manifested quickly disappear
E. (E) Infants that are fed breast milk develop mature digestive systems at an earlier age than do those that are fed infant
formulas, and infants with mature digestive systems are better able to tolerate certain proteins and antibodies found in
cow’s milk.

Directions for Question 24 & 25: Read the information given below and answer the questions that follow.
Yolanda: Gaining access to computers without authorization and manipulating the data and programs they contain is comparable to
joyriding in stolen cars; both involve breaking into private property and treating it recklessly. Joyriding, however, is the more dangerous
crime because it physically endangers people, whereas only intellectual property is harmed in the case of computer crimes.
Arjun: I disagree! For example, unauthorized use of medical records systems in hospitals could damage data systems on which human
lives depend, and therefore computer crimes also cause physical harp to people.
24. An issue in dispute between Yolanda and Arjun is
A. Whether Joyriding physically endangers human lives
B. Whether the unauthorized manipulation of computer data involves damage to private properly
C. Whether damage to physical property is more criminal than damage to intellectual property
D. Whether the unauthorized use of computers is as dangerous to people as to joyriding.
E. whether treating private property recklessly is ever a dangerous crime

25. The reasoning in Arjun’s response is flawed because he

A. fails to maintain a distinction made in Yolanda’s argument
B. denies Yolanda’s conclusion without providing evidence against it
C. relies on the actually of a phenomenon that he has only shown to be possible.
D. mistakes something that leads to his conclusion for something that is necessary for his conclusion
E. uses as evidence a phenomenon that is inconsistent with his own conclusion

Hazratganj Centre: Princeton Business Park (Behind SIDBI), Ashok Marg (Near Jawahar Bhawan), Lucknow 226001
Aliganj Centre: B 5/18, Sector K (Near Axis Bank), Aliganj, Lucknow 226024
Mobile: 9838380700 Email: lawpreplucknow@gmail.com Website: www.lawpreptutorial.com