CEX–3015/18 Verbal Ability – 15
Critical Reasoning – 2 (Drill)
Answers and Explanations
1 E 2 B 3 A 4 A 5 E
11 B 12 C 13 B 14 B 15 E 16
1. E Choice E is the right answer here as it helps to
assuage one of the fears that people may have
regarding technological advancement. It refutes the
apprehension that mechanical equipment will
completely replace workers by stating that the very
process of developing advanced mechanical
equipment requires an extensive use of human labor.
Choice A can be eliminated as it speaks of “various
fears” while the argument just mentions one fear.
2. B As (B) states, without the help of Singh and Mathur,
the five clients of Singh and Mathur would have
achieved the same growth rate in sales. Therefore,
(B) is the best answer. Answer choice (C) is doubtful
because it does not question their claim; answer
choices (D) and (E) strengthen the argument of the
speaker. The first choice is irrelevant to the evaluation
of the argument.
3. A The reasoning followed by Nagendra is: early foal
hood castration leads to underdeveloped leg bones
which leads to arthritis with age. In order to find the
flaw in the argument offered by Nagendra, one has to
find the flaw while keeping the premises same. Now,
option (B) cannot be the answer as it talks about the
percentage of the horses suffering from improper
bone development due to castration in early foal hood.
The question statement mentions that this usually
happens with the horses. So, percentage will not
help the cause of finding flaw in the argument. Option
(C) is incorrect, as it does not take into account the
arguments given by Nagendra. Instead it is trying to
change the premises of the argument which makes it
incorrect. Option (D) is not a valid criticism as the
research does not say anything conclusively. Option
(A) is the correct answer as it takes into account all
the premises and questions the argument itself. It also
highlights that the argument of Nagendra is very
narrow. Option (E) strengthens the author’s argument
by pointing out the after effects of castration which
leads to arthritis.
4. A The argument clearly states the incompetence of
Gautam as a detective. To weaken the claim in the
argument, we would have to provide information that
proves Gautam to be a competent detective. Option
(A) fulfills this purpose, hence it becomes the correct
answer-choice. Option (B) is a far fetched assumption.
Options (C) and (D) strengthen the argument. Option
(E) lies beyond the scope of information given in the
argument as it talks of a situation which is distinctively
VA / Exercise – 15
GRE
6 B 7 D 8 E 9 E 10 C
D 17 C 18 B 19 E 20 A
different, hence it has no impact on the argument.
5. E The argument illustrates the root-cause of the failure
of the ban by highlighting the notion which smokers
harbour-“when it is there it is meant to be consumed”.
(E) correctly addresses the problem and provides a
foolproof solution to the problem. (A) has not been
effective as the premises suggest that the penalties
are already strict, yet smokers are smoking. (B) goes
against the argument. (C) does not provide any viable
cure to the problem as it is not necessary that children
might actually stop after this; also it falls out of the
scope of the argument. (D) is too radical in its import.
6. B The argument has a flaw in making a definite statement
on the basis of a small sample size. (B) correctly
identifies this flaw. (A) is irrelevant. (C) brings in a
completely new perspective which doesn’t affect the
argument (D) is a hypothesis that does not attack the
argument directly. (E) is a suggestion that critiques the
parochial focus of the book and does not affect the
argument.
7. D If many residents of these communities host visiting
grandchildren several weeks a year, as (D) states,
that in itself might generate sufficient demand for rented
children’s furniture to support thriving businesses.
Thus, (D) helps reconcile the apparent discrepancy
and is the best answer.
The few households mentioned in (B) are unlikely to
generate sufficient demand for rental businesses to
thrive. (A), though it provides information concerning
the furniture that is rented in these communities, does
not address the prior issue of why there should be
such demand for children’s furniture. (C) helps explain
why these communities have an unusually high
demand for rental furniture, but not why such a demand
would extend to children’s furniture. (E) would require
a lot of additional assumptions for it to be a good choice.
8. E The argument clearly states that ‘community pressure
is exerted’ on the people who win the jackpot
throughout the Kyakya Island community. It then goes
on to illustrate the differences in the behaviour of the
urbanites and people from the rural community while
spending their earnings from the jackpots. The question
asks us to provide a reason for the difference in the
behaviour of both the peoples. Option (A) to an extent,
weakens the argument. Options (B), (C) and (D) do
not provide any plausible reason for the difference
between the behaviour of the people from the two
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 communities. Option (E) conforms to the premise of
community pressure being exerted on the jackpot
winners. It can be safely concluded from the option
that the community pressure exerted on the rural
population is more than their urban counterparts,
which makes the people in the countryside to share
their ‘good fortune’ with their neighbours.
9. E The paradox is best resolved by Choice E. E gives a
reason for the lack of evidence. (A) and (B) totally
negates the central belief of Fermi’s paradox that
‘technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations
exist’. Option (C) is too far-fetched. Option (D) is
irrelevant to the argument.
10. C (A) is a very generalised opinion. We cannot comment
on the status of migrant workers in general based on
a specific argument. (B) cannot be concluded on the
basis of the argument. (C) encapsulates the theme of
the argument. (D) cannot be concluded. (E) is not
correct because the workers are still in the process
of finding safe ways to send money home.
11. B (A) is an illogical argument. (B) truly highlights the
essence of Taosim, hence is the true inference from
the passage. (C) is an excessive conclusion as the
paragraph does not mention “non-confirmity to rules
and order”. (D) and (E) digress from the core of the
passage.
12. C The enforcement of any law does not necessarily
imply that in its absence all people will act against the
intention of that law, so (A) is wrong. The passage
does not correlate the price or size of a car with its
fuel efficiency. So (B) is wrong. The first line of the
passage contradicts (D). (C) can be inferred. The
legislation increases eco-friendliness and so it is
imposing taxes.
13. B (A) is incorrect because the passage does not tell us
the aims of the Human Development Report. (C) is not
correct because it goes against the tone of the
passage. (D) is also wrong because it deals with
issues that the passage makes no reference to. In a
conclusion question, we cannot look beyond the
passage given. (E) cannot be concluded from the
passage. (B) flows directly from the passage that
defines ‘human development’.
14. B From the passage, we know that a legislation required
is overdue and yet to come into force. Hence, (A) is
incorrect because it talks of the required legislation
already being in existence, albeit loosely. (C) is
irrelevant to our passage because it does not in any
manner talk of legally justified practice of storing human
organs. (D) again is not contained even remotely in
the passage. It does not talk of the way people of
Liverpool have responded. (B) is a logical inference.
Note that we are required to draw indirect references
here. As a solution to stop Alder Hay kind of activities,
legislation or policing is suggested. It appears that
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people will not indulge in illegal trade not because it is
wrong to do so but because they will be punished on
doing so. Choice (E) does not follow from the
paragraph. Even if parental consent is there we cannot
definitely conclude that storing of fetuses is legal.
15. E (B) is too general in nature. The passage does not
encompass all that is real; it talks of food alone. The
comparison in (C) goes beyond the scope of the
passage. (D) has a time-reference but the passage
has none. Moreover, the passage does not say that it
is altogether impossible to attain the food that is shown
in a photograph. (E) is a valid conclusion. The first part
follows from the averment that food looks very tasty
in photographs. The second part follows from the
assertion that these photos leave people dissatisfied
after they actually eat that what was shown in the
photograph. (A) cannot be concluded as the scope of
the paragraph is narrow.
16. D (D) is the appropriate answer. Options (A) and (B)
assume too much and make a definitive conclusion
from a specific example, hence it can be eliminated.
(C) is irrelevant to the argument. (E) again is a generic
statement that goes beyond the scope of the specific
case being discussed here.
17. C (C) is the correct option because it reaffirms the fact
that IMF has changed its role according to the changing
requirements of the world economy. (A), (B), and (D)
are not supported by the information given in the
passage. (E) is too vague.
18. B Option (B) seems like a summary/outcome of the
passage and hence is strengthened by it.
19. E The paragraph says that we give illusions the status
of truth because we are blind to accuracy. This when
taken with the last line of the paragraph leads easily to
option (E) as the correct option.
20. A The argument restricts the rest-house owners to only
two ways for increasing profits- either by adding more
rooms or by enhancing the already existing
infrastructure. Then, the argument also rules out the
expansion of rest-house capacity. This leaves the
owners with only one way- ‘improving what is already
there’. To complete the argument, a reason must be
provided for the guest-house owners’ inability to
increase their profits. Option (A) provides an apt
reason as it states that the rest houses are in their
best shape and offer luxury to the extent, beyond
which even the wealthy customers would not pay.
Thus, it rules out maximizing profitability through any
improvement to the already existing structures. In option
(B) ‘Increasing the occupancy’ is not one of the two
given ways of increasing profitability. Option (C) does
not address the issue of profitability. Option (D) is a
wayward assumption that lies beyond the scope of
the argument. Option (E) does not address the key
issue in the argument and lies beyond the theme of the
argument.
VA / Exercise – 15
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