Up to here used for gmat real test

The best answer is B. By stimulating T-cells and inhibiting the growth of certain viruses, rashes can aid the body in fighting infection. However, Binofram can eliminate the rash. Thus, as choice B states, Binofram can prolong a patient’s illness.

Besides the manager and owner, Antonio’s Pizza is staffed by 15 high school students who are paid minimum wage. The government passed a statute two month ago raising minimum wage by 9%. Though this led to a considerable increase in costs to Antonio’s Pizza, profits have increased markedly.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent paradox?

A. Over half of Antonio’s Pizza’s operating costs consist of payroll expenditures; yet only a small percentage of those expenditures go to pay the salaries of those that work in the kitchen.

B. Antonio’s Pizza’s customer base is made up primarily of people who earn, or who depend on the earnings of others who earn the minimum wage.

C. The operating costs, other than wages, increased substantially after the increase in the minimum wage rate went into effect.

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-E. The majority of Antonio’s Pizza employees work as cashiers, and most cashiers are paid the minimum wage.

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Before hiring staff that deals directly with food, employees must, by law, have a chest x-ray. Sometimes the results of the x-ray are inconclusive, though this is no reflection on the examinee. Rather, such a result means that the test has failed to show whether the examinee was healthy or not. Nevertheless, employers will sometimes refuse to hire a job applicant because of an inconclusive chest x-ray result.

Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn from the information above?

A. Most examinees with inconclusive chest x-ray results are in fact unhealthy.

B. Chest x-rays should not be used by employers in the consideration of job applicants.

C. An inconclusive chest x-ray result is sometimes unfairly held against the examinee.

D. A chest x-rays indicating that an examinee is unhealthy can sometimes be mistaken.

E. Some employers have refused to consider the results of chest x-rays when evaluating job applicant.

The best answer is C. The passage indicates that an inconclusive chest x-ray tells nothing about the person who has taken the test, and yet employers sometimes refuse to hire someone whose results from such a test are inconclusive. Treating lack of information as if it were unfavorable evidence about a person can reasonably be considered unfair.

Summerhill Community College found that, because the current curriculum has little direct relevance to skills required in order to succeed in the job market, they have been attracting fewer and fewer new students. So to attract students to their college, the board proposed a curriculum that emphasizes technology related to computers.

Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest reason to expect that the proposed curriculum will be successful in attracting students?

1st. Many technological principles can be applied to computers.

-C. Equipment that a large producer of computers has donated to the college could be used in the proposed curriculum.

D. The number of students interested in technology today is much lower than the number of students interested in technology 20 years ago.

E. In today’s world, the production and application of computers is of major importance in many places of business.

The best answer is E. For the proposed curriculum change to attract students to classes, computers must have direct relevance in order to succeed in the job market.

Choice E provides evidence that this is so, and thus is the best answer.

In the 1980’s, myopia was the most common eye problem in Ohio, followed hyperopia, or farsightedness, and glaucoma, in that order. The incidence for both hyperopia and glaucoma increases with age, but the incidence rate for myopia is the same for people of all ages. The average age of the population of Ohio residents is expected to increase between 1990 and 2010.

Which of the following conclusions can be most properly drawn about chronic medical conditions in Ohio from the information given above?

A. Myopia will be more common than either hyperopia or glaucoma by 2010 B. Hyperopia will be the most common eye condition in 2010.

C. The average age of people suffering from myopia will increase between 1990 and 2010.

D. Fewer people will suffer from myopia in 2000 than suffered from it in 1980.

E. A majority of the population will suffer from at least one of the medical conditions mentioned above by the year 2010.

The best answer is C. Given that the incidence rate for myopia is the same for people of all ages, and that the average age of the population will increase, it follows that the average age of people suffering from myopia will increase.

A New Mexico farm that grows hothouse tomatoes produces in 10 acres of space what it takes 20 acres of field area to produce. Expenses, such as electricity, are high, however, and the tomatoes harvested cost 60 % more than Florida field tomatoes.

Which of the following, if true, best supports a projection that the New Mexico tomato farm will be profitable?

A. Once the operators of the facility are experienced, they will be able to cut operating expenses by about 7%.

B. There is virtually no scope for any further reduction in the cost per pound for Florida tomatoes.

C. Unlike washed field tomatoes, the hothouse tomatoes are untainted by any pesticides or herbicides and thus will sell at very high prices to such customers as health food stores and organic produce outlets.

D. Since tomatoes ship relatively well, the market for the hothouse tomatoes is not more limited to the New Mexico area than the Florida tomatoes are to Florida.

E. A second hothouse facility is being built in Nevada, taking advantage of inexpensive electricity and high vegetable prices.

The best answer is C. Choice C presents an advantage to the hothouse tomatoes - it can be sold to certain customers who are prepared to pay very high prices for it. This supports the projection that the facility will be profitable.

Last year the unemployment rate in Milton, a small city, was 3.5 percent, but for the current year it has been 6 percent. We can conclude that inflation is on an upward trend and the rate will be still higher next year.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

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B. Last year, the closure of one of the largest plant in Milton brought unemployment above its recent stable annual level of 3.5 percent until the plant reopened 4 months later.

C. Increases in the number of jobs available are tied to the level of unemployment, and at an unemployment rate of 6 percent or above, these increases constitute a force causing further unemployment.

D. The 3.5 percent unemployment rate of last year represented a ten-year low.

E. Government intervention cannot affect the rate of unemployment to any significant degree.

The best answer is B. According to choice B, last year’s unemployment figure was an anomaly, and unemployment has returned to its recent stable level. There is thus less reason to conclude that unemployment will rise any further.

Poor management, not changes in the economy, is responsible for the low profits reported in Aztec Inc., a subsidiary of Wilson Industries, since its new CEO took control. Maya Inc., another subsidiary has had to function in the same economic conditions, but while Aztec’s profits have been falling, Maya’s profits have been rising.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

A. R & D at Aztec Inc. is also progressing at a slower rate.

B. Whereas the Aztec plant is located in a small town, Maya is situated in the industrial area of the largest city in the state.

C. Both companies have been functioning in a recessed economy.

D. The products that are produced by the Aztec subsidiary are different from those that have always been manufactured by the Maya subsidiary.

E. Aztec’s new CEO reorganized the breakdown of departments within the company with the intention of reducing the number of redundant positions.

The best answer is D. The argument assumes that production in the two companies would be affected in the same way by economic conditions. By pointing out that the products manufactured in the two subsidiaries differ, choice D undermines this assumption.

Caesarian sections are three times more common in the United States than they are in the Netherlands. To support a conclusion that much of the variation is due to

unnecessary surgical procedures, which of the following must be true?

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C. There are several categories of surgical procedures not related to birth that are often performed unnecessarily.

D. For certain surgical procedures, it is difficult to determine after the operation whether the procedures were necessary or whether alternative treatment would have succeeded.

E. With respect to how often they are performed unnecessarily, caesarian sections are representative of surgical procedures in general.

The best answer is B. To establish that much of the variation is due to unnecessary surgical procedures, it is necessary to eliminate the possibility that the difference between the U. S. and the Netherlands reflects a variation in the incidence of birth complications which legitimately necessitate the use of a caesarian section. Choice B, if established would eliminate this possibility and is thus the best answer.

Archeologists have recently unearthed a 250-page bible commentary in Safed. The document is undated but contains clues to when it was written. The first 130 pages are written by one hand, while the rest is written in a distinctively different hand.

Since a letter in the handwriting identified as that of the second writer reports on an earthquake that killed many people in Safed in 1759, the commentary was probably produced around that time.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the hypothesis that the commentary was produced around 1759?

A. Other than this commentary, there are no know samples of the handwriting of the first writer.

B. According to the account by the second writer, the earthquake caused the collapse of over fifty structures.

C. A commentary like the one unearthed would usually take between three to nine months to write.

D. There was only one earthquake in Safed in the 18^th century.

E. It is highly unusual for such a document to be written by more than one hand.

The best answer is D. Choice D is the best answer because if there had been other earthquakes in the relevant period, one of these, instead of the earthquake of 1759, might have been alluded to in the letter.

Baltimore Sweets sell their popular Chocbloc in a distinctive square package.

Sunshine Chocolates have recently introduced a new chocolate bar sold in a similarly shaped package. Baltimore Sweet believe it is likely that many customers intending to buy their Chocbloc candy bar will mistakenly buy the Sunshine product instead.

However, Sunshine Chocolates claims that this is not so because their label on their, but not on Chocbloc, is red.

Which of the following, if true, most undermines the response of Sunshine Chocolates?

A. Red is the background color on the label of many of the chocolate bars produced by Sunshine Chocolates.

B. When the chocolate bars are viewed side by side, the Sunshine Chocolates’ new bar is perceptibly thicker than the Baltimore Sweets bar.

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D. It is common for occasional purchasers to buy a chocolate bar on the basis of a general impression of the most obvious feature of the bar.

E. Many popular chocolate bars are sold in packaging of a standard shape.

The best answer is D. According to this choice, at least some of Baltimore Sweets’

occasional customers are likely to overlook the difference in labels and buy Sunshine Chocolates’ product instead of theirs, Sunshine Chocolates’ response to Baltimore Sweets’ complaint is undermined.

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Which of the following, if true, provides the best indication that the decision of the Indian government was well supported?

(A) Although during the previous year only one Transcontinental train crashed, competing manufacturers had a perfect safety record.

(B) The Transcontinental-built trains crashed due to sabotage, but because of the excellent quality of the trains, fire was averted increasing the number of survivors.

(C) The Indian Railway Commission issued new guidelines for trains in order to standardize safety requirements governing inspections.

(D) Consumer advocates pressured two major railway companies into purchasing safer trains so that the public would be safer.

(E) Many Transcontinental Train employees had to be replaced because they found jobs with the competition.

The best answer is B. If the train crashes were caused by a factor that had nothing to do with the train itself, such as sabotage, and the quality of the train decreased the number of fatalities, then there is good reason to purchase additional trains from Transcontinental.

Recently, a court ruled that current law allows tour operators that travel to potentially dangerous locations, such as the Amazon, to reject a potential customers if there is a 50 percent chance that the traveler would contract malaria on the trip. The presiding judge justified the ruling, saying that it protected both travelers and tour operators.

This use of his court ruling as part of the law could not be effective if which of the following were true?

(A) The best interests of travelers often conflict with the interests of tour operators.

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(D) Travelers who have a 50 percent chance of contracting malaria may be unaware that their risk is so great.

(E) The number of people signing up to take trips with a tour company might decline if the company, by screening applicants for risk of malaria, seemed to suggest that the trip entailed high risk of getting the disease.

The best answer is B. The use of the court ruling as part of the law could not be effective if there were no accepted way of determining who the people susceptible to malaria were. Choice b states that there is no accepted method of calculating the risk of contracting malaria.

Since the national postal service in country X was privatized six months ago, delays in the delivery of mail have increased by 20 percent. To combat this problem, more sorting and delivering staff must be hired in the busiest regions of the country.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the effectiveness of the solution proposed above?

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(B) Since privatization began, the number of employees has increased by 25 percent.

(D) After a small post sorting facility doubled its staff, the number of delays that were reported decreased by 50 percent.

(E) Since privatization, the average length of delay in the nation's busiest regions has doubled.

The best answer is A. The conclusion that postal service must add to their staff is based on an assumption that the problem lies in that area. Choice A indicates that the delay were due to two other factors – bad weather and old equipment, therefore hiring additional staff is unlikely to be an effective solution.

Employees that get a thorough medical examination twice a year take fewer sick days.

Even employees who get examined only once a year take less sick time than those who do not get checked. Therefore, if companies instituted in-house medical examination programs, the absentee rate in those companies would decrease significantly.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

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(B) Employees who are frequently absent are the least likely to cooperate with a corporate medical program.

(C) Employees who get a thorough medical examination once a week in their company's medical program usually also get checked by their private doctor.

(D) Employees who get examined in their company's in-house medical program use their working time no more productively than those who do not get examined.

(E) Employees who get medical examinations during working hours take slightly longer lunch breaks than employees who do not get examinations.

The best answer is B. The argument states that absenteeism would decrease if an in-house medical program were instituted. However, if those employees who are most frequently absent are least likely to get examined, then the program is unlikely to solve the problem of absenteeism.

In an attempt to discourage the widespread acceptance of clothing manufactured in sweatshops, the council of a small town plans to ban the sale of sweatshop goods for which substitutes manufactured under humane conditions exist. The council argues that non-sweatshop apparel is morally preferable.

Which of the following, if true, indicates that the plan to ban the sale of sweatshop goods is ill suited to the town council's moral objectives?

(A) Although clothing manufactured in sweatshops is now available, members of the town council believe non-sweatshop apparel is better for workers in the clothing manufacturing business.

(B) The clothing factory at which most of the townspeople are employed plans to improve their working conditions.

(C) After other towns enacted similar bans on the sale of clothing manufactured in sweatshops, the benefits to workers in the clothing manufacturing business were not discernible for several years.

(D) Since most townspeople prefer clothing manufactured in sweatshops in many instances, they are likely to purchase them in neighboring towns where such goods are available for sale.

(E) Sweatshops sometimes produce items other than apparel.

The best answer is D. If the town’s residents are likely to purchase the same items from another town, then the town council's objectives of limiting purchases of sweatshop manufactured clothing will not be met.

Holden’s Ltd. two subsidiaries performed with remarkable consistency over the past five years: in each of those years, Lexton has accounted for roughly 30 percent of dollar sales and 60 percent of profits, and Stillmore for the balance.

Which of the following can properly be inferred regarding the past five years from the statement above?

(A) Total dollar sales for each of the subsidiaries have remained roughly constant.

(B) Lexton has faced stiffer competition in its markets than has Stillmore.

(D) The product mix offered by each of the company's divisions has remained unchanged.

(E) Highly profitable products accounted for a higher percentage of Stillmore's sales than of those of Lexton.

The best answer is C. If Lexton has accounted for roughly 30 percent of dollar sales and 60 percent of profits, then it has realized more profit per dollar of sales than Stillmore. There are not enough facts to support the inferences reached in the other answers.

Shereen cosmetics sometimes discounts the price of its premium eye shadows to retailers for a promotion period when the product is advertised to consumers. Such promotions often result in a dramatic increase in amount of premium eye shadows sold by the manufacturers to retailers. Nevertheless, the manufacturers could often make more profit by not holding the promotions.

In document Critical Reasoning Practice (Page 38-64)