LOKESH CR 99

This file comprises a wide range of quality Critical Reasoning

questions from topics including Assumptions, Inference,
Strengthening, Weakening, Summary, Conclusion etc. After
every 3-4 questions, you will find the link to the practice
session in which I have thoroughly explained these questions in
a live class. Hence, be assured that you have the video
solutions to all of these 99 questions. I suggest that you
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week, depending on your stamina and maturity as an aspirant.
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1. Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the early editors of Dickinson’s poetry often
distorted her intentions. Yet Johnson’s own, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms
of distortion. To standardize Dickinson’s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the
use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely
never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinson chose the dash as her typical mark of
punctuation when, in fact, she apparently never made any definitive choice at all.

Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main point?

(A) Although Johnson is right in criticizing Dickinson’s early editors for their distortion ofher
work, his own text is guilty of equally serious distortions.
(B) Johnson’s use of the dash in his text of Dickinson’s poetry misleads readers about the poet’s
intentions.
(C) Because Dickinson never expected her poetry to be published, virtually any attempt at editing
it must run counter to her intentions.
(D) Although Johnson’s attempt to produce a more faithful text of Dickinson’s poetry is well-
meaning, his study of the material lacks sufficient thoroughness.
(E) Dickinson’s editors, including Johnson, have failed to deal adequately with the problem of
deciphering Dickinson’s handwritten manuscripts.

2. Mr. Janeck: I don’t believe Stevenson will win the election for governor. Few voters are
willing to elect a businessman with no political experience to such a responsible public office.

Ms. Siuzdak: You’re wrong. The experience of running a major corporation is a

valuablepreparation for the task of running a state government.

M. Siuzdak’s response shows that she has interpreted Mr. Janeck’s remark to imply which of
the following?

(A) Mr. Janeck considers Stevenson unqualified for the office of governor.
(B) No candidate without political experience has ever been elected governor of a state.
(C) Mr. Janeck believes that political leadership and business leadership are closely analogous.
(D) A career spent in the pursuit of profit can be an impediment to one’s ability to run a state
government fairly.
(E) Voters generally overestimate the value of political experience when selecting a candidate.

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3. If A, then B.
If B, then C.
If C, then D.

Ifall of the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?

(A) If D, then A.
(B) If not B, then not C.
(C) If not D, then not A.
(D) If D, then E.
(E) If not A, then not D.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 1

4. One tax-reform proposal that has gained increasing support in recent years is the flat tax,
which would impose a uniform tax rate on incomes at every level. Opponents of the flat tax
say that a progressive tax system, which levies a higher rate of taxes on higher-income
taxpayers, is fairer, placing the greater burden on those better able to bear it. However, the
present crazy quilt of tax deductions, exemptions, credits, and loopholes benefits primarily
the high-income taxpayer, who is consequently able to reduce his or her effective tax rate,
often to a level below that paid by the lower-income taxpayer. Therefore, ______

Which of the following best completes the passage below?

(A) higher-income taxpayers are likely to lend their support to the flat-tax proposal nowbeing
considered by Congress
(B) a flat-tax system that allowed no deductions or exemptions would substantially increase
actual government revenues
(C) the lower-income taxpayer might well be penalized by the institution of a flat-tax system in
this country
(D) the progressive nature of our present tax system is more illusory than real
(E) the flat tax would actually be fairer to the lower-income taxpayer than any progressive tax
system could be

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5. As part of our program to halt the influx of illegal immigrants, the administration is
proposing the creation of a national identity card. The card would be available only to U.S.
citizens and to registered aliens, and all persons would be required to produce the card before
they could be given a job. Of course, such a system holds the potential, however slight, for
the abuse of civil liberties. Therefore, all personal information gathered through this system
would be held strictly confidential, to be released only by authorized personnel under
appropriate circumstances. Those who are in compliance with U.S. laws would have nothing
to fear from the identity card system.

In evaluating the above proposal, a person concerned about the misuse of

confidentialinformation would be most interested in having the author clarify the meaning of
which of the following phrases?
(A) “all persons”
(B) “however slight”
(C) “civil liberties”
(D) “appropriate circumstances”
(E) “U.S. laws”

6. A law requiring companies to offer employees unpaid time off to care for their children will
harm the economic competitiveness of our nation’s businesses. Companies must be free to set
their own employment policies without mandated parental-leave regulations.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion of the argument
above?

(A) A parental-leave law will serve to strengthen the family as a social institution in this country.
(B) Many businesses in this country already offer employees some form of parental leave.
(C) Some of the countries with the most economically competitive businesses have strong
parental-leave regulations.
(D) Only companies with one hundred or more employees would be subject to the proposed
parental-leave law.（C）
(E) In most polls, a majority of citizens say they favor passage of a parental-leave law.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 2

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 Answer the questions numbered 7 & 8 followed by the passage that says:

As one who has always believed that truth is our nation’s surest weapon in the propaganda
war against our foes, I am distressed by reports of “disinformation” campaigns by American
intelligence agents in Western Europe. In a disinformation campaign, untruths are
disseminated through gullible local journalists in order to damage the interests of our enemies
and protect our own. Those who defend this practice say that lying is necessary to counter
Soviet disinformation campaigns aimed at damaging America’s political interests. These
apologists contend that one must fight fire with fire. I would point out to the apologists that
the fire department finds water more effective.

7. The author of the passage above bases his conclusion on which of the following?

(A) A circular definition of “disinformation”

(B) An example of the ineffectiveness of lying as a weapon in the propaganda war
(C) An analogy between truth and water
(D) An appeal to the authority of the fire department
(E) An attack on the character of American intelligence agents in Western Europe

8. The author’s main point is that

(A) Although disinformation campaigns may be effective, they are unacceptable on ethical
grounds
(B) America’s moral standing in the world depends on its adherence to the truth
(C) the temporary political gains produced by disinformation campaigns generally give way to
long-term losses
(D) Soviet disinformation campaigns have done little to damage America’s standing in Europe
(E) Disinformation campaigns do not effectively serve the political interests of the United States

9. The most serious flaw in television’s coverage of election campaigns is its tendency to focus
on the horse-race side of politics—that is, to concentrate on the question “Who’s winning?”
at the expense of substantive coverage of the issues and the candidates’ positions on them.
The endless interviews with campaign managers, discussions of campaign strategies, and,
especially, the obsession with opinion polls have surrounded elections with the atmosphere of
a football game or a prizefight. To reform this situation, a first step might well be______

Which of the following best completes the passage below?

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(A) a shortening of the length of election campaigns to a period of six weeks
(B) a stringent limit on campaign spending
(C) a reduction in the television coverage of opinion polls during election campaigns
(D) the publication and distribution of voter-education literature to inform the public about each
candidate’s position on the major issues
(E) a limit on the length and number of political advertisements broadcast on television

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 3

10. With Proposition 13, if you bought your house 11 years ago for $75,000, your property tax
would be approximately $914 a year (1 percent of $75,000 increased by 2 percent each year
for 11 years); and if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for $200,000
this year, his tax would be $2,000 (1 percent of $200,000). Without Proposition 13, both you
and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of $200,000).

Which of the following is the conclusion for which the author most likely is arguing in the
passage above?

(A) Proposition 13 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unequal tax on properties of equal

value.
(B) If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase
in property taxes.
(C) By preventing inflation from driving up property values, Proposition 13 has saved
homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes.
(D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different
rates.
(E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others.

Answer the questions numbered 11&12 followed by the passage that says:

At an enormous research cost, a leading chemical company has developed a manufacturing

process for converting wood fibers into a plastic. According to the company, this new plastic
can be used for, among other things, the hulls of small sailboats. But what does the company
think sailboat hulls used to be made of? Surely the mania for high technology can scarcely go
further than this.

11. The author’s opinion of the manufacturing process described in the passage is based
primarily on the fact that

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(A) plastic is unlikely to be durable enough for high-quality sailboat hulls
(B) the research costs of developing the process outweigh any savings possible from the use of
the plastic
(C) a small sailboat is not normally regarded as a high-tech product
(D) hulls for small sailboats can be made from wood without converting it into plastic.
(E) many other spheres of human activity are in far greater need of technological research

12. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the author’s conclusion?

(A) The plastic produced by the process is considerably lighter, stronger, and more watertight
than wood.
(B) The wood used in producing the plastic is itself in increasingly short supply.
(C) The cost of the manufacturing process of the plastic increases the cost of producing a sailboat
hull by 10 to 15 percent.
(D) Much of the cost of the research that developed the new process will be written off for tax
purposes by the chemical company.
(E) The development of the new plastic is expected to help make the chemical company an
important supplier of boat-building materials.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 4

13. A young man eager to become a master swordsman journeyed to the home of the greatest
teacher of swordsmanship in the kingdom. He asked the teacher, “How quickly can you teach
me to be a master swordsman?” The old teacher replied, “It will take ten years.”Unsatisfied,
the young man asked, “What if I am willing to work night and day, every day of the year?”
the teacher replied, “In that case, it will take twenty years.”

The teacher’s main point is that an important quality of a masterswordsman is

(A) humility
(B) willingness to work hard
(C) respect for one’s elders
(D) patience
(E) determination

14. In opposing government regulation of business, conservatives often appeal to the Jeffersonian
ideal of limited government, expressing the wish that government would “get off the backs of
the American people.”Yet, paradoxically, many of these same conservatives address questions
of private morality, such as those dealing with sexual behavior, by calling for______

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 Which of the following best completes the passage below?

(A) a return to the restrictive sexual morality of the Victorian era

(B) a strengthening of the role of the family in setting moral norms for society
(C) a limitation on the amount of sexually provocative material appearing in books, motives,
(D) and television shows
(E) greater freedom for individuals to choose their own way of handling sexual issues
(F) an increased governmental role in the regulation and control of private sexual behavior

15. In many surveys, American consumers have expressed a willingness to spend up to 10

percent more for products that are ecologically sound. Encouraged by such surveys, Bleach-O
Corporation promoted a new laundry detergent, Bleach-O Green, as safer for the environment.
Bleach-O Green cost 5 percent more than typical detergents. After one year, Bleach-O Green
had failed to capture a significant share of the detergent market and was withdrawn from sale.

Which of the following questions is LEAST likely to be relevant in determining the reasons
for the failure of Bleach-O Green?
(A) How effective as a detergent was Bleach-O Green?
(B) How many other detergents on the market were promoted as safe for the environment?
(C) How much more did Bleach-O Green cost to manufacture than ordinary detergents?
(D) To what extent did consumers accept the validity of Bleach-O Green advertised and promoted
to consumers?
(E) How effectively was Bleach-O Green advertised and promoted to consumers?

16. As an experienced labor organizer and the former head of one of the nation’s most powerful
labor unions, Grayson is an excellent choice to chair the new council on business-labor
relations.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
(A) The new council must have the support of the nation’s labor leaders if it is to succeed.
(B) During his years as a labor leader, Grayson established a record of good relations
withbusiness leaders.
(C) The chair of the new council must be a person who can communicate directly with the leaders
of the nation’s largest labor unions.
(D) Most of the other members of the new council will be representatives of business
management interests.
(E) An understanding of the needs and problems of labor is the only qualification necessary for
the job of chairing the new council.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 5

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17. It’s time we stopped searching for new statistics to suggest that we are not spending enough
on education. In fact, education spending increased 30 percent overall during the last decade.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above?

(A) Despite increased spending on education, enrollment in our elementary and secondaryschools
declined about 4 percent during the last ten years.
(B) Our spending on gasoline increased more than 100 percent during the last decade.
(C) When adjusted for inflation, our per-pupil expenditure on education this year is less than
it was ten years ago.
(D) Eleven other economically developed nations spend more on education than we do.
(E) The achievement levels of our students have been declining steadily since 1960, and the last
decade produced no reversal in this trend.

18. In today’s pluralistic society, textbook publishers find themselves in an increasingly

uncomfortable position. Since the schools are regarded as a repository of society’s moral and
cultural values, each group within society wishes to prevent any material that offends its own
values from appearing in textbooks. As a result, stance on an issue is certain to run afoul of
one group or another. And since textbook publishers must rely on community goodwill to sell
their books, it is inevitable that______

Which of the following best completes the passage below?

(A) fewer and fewer publishers will be willing to enter the financially uncertain textbook industry
(B) the ethical and moral content of textbooks will become increasingly neutral and bland
(C) more and more pressure groups will arise that seek to influence the content of textbooks
(D) the government will be forced to intervene in the increasingly rancorous debate over the
content of textbooks
(E) school boards, teachers, and principals will find it nearly impossible to choose among the
variety of textbooks being offered

Answer the questions numbered 19&20 followed by the passage that say
We have heard a good deal in recent years about the declining importance of the two major
political parties. It is the mass media, we are told, that decide the outcome of elections, not
the power of the parties. But it is worth noting that no independent or third-party candidate
has won any important election in recent years, and in the last nationwide campaign, the two
major parties raised and spent more money than ever before in support of their candidates and
platforms. It seems clear that reports of the imminent demise of the two-party system are
premature at best.

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19. Which of the following is an assumption made in the argument above?

(A) The amount of money raised and spent by a political party is one valid criterion for judging
the influence of the party.
(B) A significant increase in the number of third-party candidates would be evidence of a decline
in the importance of the two major parties.
(C) The two-party system has contributed significantly to the stability of the American political
structure.
(D) The mass media tend to favor an independent or third-party candidate over a candidate from
one of the two major parties.
(E) The mass media are relatively unimportant in deciding the outcome of most elections.

20. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?

(A) The percentage of voters registered as independents is higher today than ever before.
(B) In a recent presidential campaign, for the first time ever, an independent candidate was
invited to appear in a televised debate with the major-party candidates.
(C) Every current member of the U.S. Senate was elected as the candidate of one of the two
major parties.
(D) In a recent opinion poll, most voters stated that a candidate’s party affiliation was an
insignificant factor in judging his or her fitness for office.
(E) In the last four years, the outcome of several statewide elections has been determined by the
strength of the third-party vote.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 6

21. Merco has been in business longer than Nolen. Inc, Olean Industries was founded years
before the Potter Company, and the Potter Company was started years after the Quarles
Corporation. Nolen, Inc., and the Quarles Corporation were founded in the same year.

If the information above is true, which of the following must also be true?

(A) Olean Industries has been in business for more years than Merco.
(B) Olean Industries has been in business for more years than the Quarles Corporation.
(C) Nolen, Inc., has not been in business for as many years as Olean Industries.
(D) Merco has been in business for more years than the Potter Company.
(E) Nolen, Inc., has not been in business for as many years as the Potter Company.

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22. A primary factor in perpetuating the low salaries of women workers has been their
segregation in the so-called pink-collar occupations, such as nursing, teaching, library science,
and secretarial work. Partly because these jobs have traditionally been held by women, their
salary levels have been depressed, and, despite increased attempts to unionize these workers
in recent years, their pay continues to lag. Moreover, although a large percentage of women
than ever before are now entering and remaining in the job market, most continue to gravitate
toward the pink-collar fields, despite the lower salaries. It seems clear, therefore, that if the
average salaries of women workers are to approach those of men, ______

Which of the following best completes the passage below?

(A) labor unions must redouble their efforts to improve the lot of working women
(B) society’s perception of pink-collar jobs as less important and less demanding than other jobs
must be changed
(C) more men must be encouraged to enter fields traditionally occupied by women
(D) the number of jobs in the pink-collar fields relative to the size of the work force as a whole
must be markedly increased
(E) more women must enter occupations other than those traditionally reserved for them

23. Determining the authenticity of purported pre-Columbian artifacts is never easy. Carbon-14
dating of these artifacts is often impossible due to contamination by radioactive palladium
(which occurs naturally in the soils of Central and South America). However, historians and
anthropologists have evolved two reliable criteria, which, utilized in combination, have
proven effective for dating these artifacts. First, because authentic pre-Columbian artifacts
characteristically occur in a coarse, granular matrix that is shifted by major earthquakes, they
often exhibit the unique scratch patterns known as gridding. In addition, true pre-Columbian
artifacts show a darkening in surface color that is caused by centuries of exposure to the
minute amounts of magnesium in the soil of the Americas.

The criteria above would be LEAST useful in judging the authenticity of which of the
following?

(A) An ax head of black obsidian, unearthed from a kitchen midden

(B) A pottery bowl with a red ocher design, found in the ruins of a temple
(C) A set of gold ear weights, ornamented with jasper pendants
(D) A black feather cape from a king’s burial vault
(E) A multicolored woven sash found near the gravesite of a slave

Video Solution: CAT CR Practice 7

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24. Psychologists conducted a series of experiments to test the effect upon schoolchildren of
violence in films. In the first experiment, grammar school children were shown a film that
included scenes of a male teenager engaging in violent acts against others, such as punching,
pushing, and kicking. During a free-play session following the film viewing, 42 percent of
the children were observed to engage in one or more violent acts similar to those in the film.
In a second experiment, a different group of children was shown a similar film featuring a
female teenager. Only 14 percent of the children were observed behaving violently afterward.
The psychologists concluded that children are more likely to imitate violent behavior on film
when a male model is shown than when a female model is shown.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the psychologists’ conclusion?

(A) In both experiments, the victims of the filmed violence included both males and females.
(B) In the second experiment, 28 percent of the children appeared upset during the viewing the
violent film scenes.
(C) The first group included 19 male students and 20 female students; the second group included
20 male students and 21 female students.
(D) In the first group, 58 percent of the children appeared bored during the showing of the film,
and 12 percent fell asleep.
(E) The percentage of children known to have discipline problems prior to the experiment was
greater in the first group than in the second group.

25. Mainline Airways was bought by its employees six years ago. Three years ago, Mainline
hired QualiCo Advertising Agency to handle its promotions and advertising division. Today
Mainline’s profits are over 20 percent higher than they were five years ago and 10 percent
higher than they were three years ago. Employee ownership and a good advertising agency
have combined to make Mainline more profitable.

Which of the following best describes the weak point in the argument above?

(A) It fails to establish a causal connection between the change in ownership at Mainline Airways
and the hiring of QualiCo, on the one hand, and the rise in Mainline’s profits, on the other.
(B) It presents no evidence showing that employee-owned airlines are any more profitable than
other airlines.
(C) It assumes that the profits of Mainline Airways will continue to rise.
(D) It gives no exact figures for the current profits of Mainline Airways.
(E) It fails to explain how the profits of Mainline Airways are calculated.

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26. At many colleges today, regulations have been imposed that forbid the use in speech or print
of language that “offends” or “insults” the members of any group, especially women and
racial, ethnic, and religious minorities. Although these regulations are defended in the name
of “democracy,” they restrict freedom of speech and the press in a way that opposes the true
spirit of democracy.

The argument above attempts to prove its case primarily by

(A) impugning the credentials of an opponent

(B) providing examples that support a theoretical principle
(C) taking advantage of inconsistencies in the definition of “democracy”
(D) revealing a contradiction in an opposing point of view
(E) appealing to the patriotic feelings of its audience

27. In 1980, a Danish ten-øre coin minted in 1747 was sold at auction for $8,000. Eleanor Bixby
owns another Danish ten-øre coin minted in 1747. When she puts it on the market next week,
it will fetch a price over $18,000.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion drawn above?

(A) Since 1980, the average price for rare coins has increased by over 150 percent.
(B) There are only four coins like the one in question in the entire world.
(C) Since 1980, the consumer price index has risen by over 150 percent.
(D) In 1986, a previously unknown cache of one hundred coins just like the one in question was
found.
(E) Thirty prominent, wealthy coin collectors are expected to bid for Bixby’s coin.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 8

Answer the questions numbered 28 & 29 followed by the passage that says

From time to time, the press indulges in outbursts of indignation over the use of false or
misleading information by the U.S. government in support of its policies and programs. No
one endorses needless deception. But consider this historical analogy. It is known that
Christopher Columbus, on his first voyage to the New World, deliberately falsified the log to
show a shorter sailing distance for each day out than the ships had actually traveled. In this
way, Columbus was able to convince his skeptical sailors that they had not sailed past the
point at which they expected to find the shores of India. Without this deception, Columbus’s
sailors might well have mutinied, and the New World might never have been discovered.

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28. The author of the passage above assumes each of the following EXCEPT:

(A) Government deception of the press is often motivated by worthy objectives.

(B) Without government deception, popular support for worthwhile government policies and
programs might well fade.
(C) Attacks on the government by the press are often politically motivated.
(D) Deception for deception’s sake should not be condoned.
(E) A greater good may sometimes require acceptance of a lesser evil.

29. Which of the following is the main weakness of the historical analogy drawn in the passage
above?

(A) The sailors in Columbus’s crew never knew that they had been deceived, while government
deception is generally uncovered by the press.
(B) A ship’s log is a record intended mainly for use by the captain, while press reports are
generally disseminated for use by the public at large.
(C) The members of a ship’s crew are selected by the captain of the ship, while those who work
in the press are self-selected.
(D) The crew of a ship is responsible for the success of a voyage, while the press is not
responsible for the use others make of the factual information it publishes.
(E) In a democracy, the people are expected to participate in the nation’s political decision
making, while the members of a ship’s crew are expected simply to obey the orders of the
captain.

30. In general, a professional athlete is offered a million-dollar contract only if he or she has just
completed an unusually successful season. However, a study shows that an athlete signing
such a contract usually suffers a decline in performance the following season. This study
supports the theory that a million-dollar contract tends to weaken an athlete’s desire to excel
by diminishing his or her economic incentive.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn above?

(A) On the average, athletes whose contracts call for relatively small salaries with possible
bonuses for outstanding achievement perform better than other athletes.
(B) Athletes are generally offered million-dollar contracts mainly because of the increased ticket
sales and other revenues they generate.
(C) Many professional athletes have careers marked by year-to-year fluctuations in their overall
levels of performance.
(D) On the average, higher-salaried athletes tend to have longer and more successful professional
careers than do lower-salaried athletes.

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(E) Six of the ten leading batters in the National League this season signed million-dollar
contracts during the off-season.

31. Dr. A: The new influenza vaccine is useless at best and possibly dangerous. I would never use
it on a patient.
Dr. B: But three studies published in the Journal of Medical Associates have rated that
vaccine as unusually effective.
Dr. A: The studies must have been faulty because the vaccine is worthless.

In which of the following is the reasoning most similar to that of Dr. A?

(A) Three of my patients have been harmed by that vaccine during the past three weeks, so the
vaccine is unsafe.
(B) Jerrold Jersey recommends this milk, and I don’t trust Jerrold Jersey, so I won’t buy this milk.
(C) Wingzz tennis balls perform best because they are far more effective than any other tennis
balls.
(D) I’m buying Vim Vitamins. Doctors recommend them more often than they recommend any
other vitamins, so Vim Vitamins must be good.
(E) Since University of Muldoon graduates score about 20 percent higher than average on the
GMAT, Sheila Lee, a University of Muldoon graduate, will score about 20 percent higher
than average when she takes the GMAT.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 9

32. In 1986, the city of Los Diablos had 20 days on which air pollution reached unhealthful
amounts and a smog alert was put into effect. In early 1987, new air pollution control
measures were enacted, but the city had smog alerts on 31 days that year and on 39 days the
following year. In 1989, however, the number of smog alerts in Los Diablos dropped to
sixteen. The main air pollutants in Los Diablos are ozone and carbon monoxide, and since
1986 the levels of both have been monitored by gas spectrography.

Which of the following statements, assuming that each is true, would be LEAST helpful in
explaining the air pollution levels in Los Diablos between 1986 and 1989?

(A) The 1987 air pollution control measures enacted in Los Diablos were put into effect in
November of 1988.
(B) In December of 1988 a new and far more accurate gas spectrometer was invented.
(C) In February of 1989, the Pollution Control Board of Los Diablos revised the scale used to
determine the amount of air pollution considered unhealthful.
(D) In 1988 the mayor of Los Diablos was found to have accepted large campaign donations from

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 local industries and to have exempted those same industries from air pollution control
measures.
(E) Excess ozone and carbon monoxide require a minimum of two years to break down naturally
in the atmosphere above a given area.

33. In a marketing study, consumers were given two unlabeled cartons of laundry detergent. One
carton was bright green and yellow; the other was drab brown and gray. After using the
detergent in the two cartons for one month, 83 percent of the consumers in the study reported
that the detergent in the bright green and yellow carton cleaned better. This study shows that
packaging has a significant impact on consumers’ judgment of the effectiveness of a laundry
detergent.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn in the marketing
study?

(A) The detergent in the bright carton contained bleach crystals; the detergent in the drab carton
did not.
(B) The detergents in the two cartons were the same.
(C) The detergents in the two cartons were different, but they had both been laboratory tested.
(D) The detergent in the drab carton was a popular name brand; the detergent in the bright carton
was generic.
(E) The detergent in the drab carton was generic; the detergent in the bright carton was a popular
name brand.

34. Don’s, a chain of supermarkets, has entered into an agreement in which Rose Computers will
sell Don’s an unlimited number of its least expensive PC’s at one-fourth the regular wholesale
price. In return, Don’s has agreed to purchase all of its scanners and other electronic
information-processing equipment from Rose or from Omicron, Rose Computers’ parent
company, for the next ten years. Don’s will offer a Rose PC free to any school that turns in
Don’s register receipts totaling $100,000 within the next six months. The vice-president in
charge of advertising for Don’s expects that the computer giveaway will obviate the need for
a massive new advertising campaign for the next six months and that Don’s can make up the
expenditures for the PC’s by writing them off its income taxes as charitable donations.

The plans formulated by Don’s assume each of the following EXCEPT:

(A) The prices that Rose or Omicron charges Don’s for information-processing equipment over
the next ten years will be lower than those charged by other companies.
(B) The tax laws will not be changed to exclude or lessen the value of charitable donations as tax
write-offs.
(C) Schools will be sufficiently attracted by Don’s computer giveaway offer that teachers will
urge students to shop at Don’s.

16
(D) Rose will be able to supply Don’s with a sufficient number of PC’s to meet the
demandgenerated by schools that collect Don’s receipts totaling $100,000.
(E) The effect of the computer giveaway offer on Don’s business will be comparable to that of a
major advertising campaign.

Video Solution: CAT CR Practice 10

35. Manufacturers of household appliances are still urging the public to purchase food processors.
The various manufacturers’advertisements all point out that the prices of these appliances are
now lower than ever and that each food processor comes with a lifetime service warranty. In
addition, many manufacturers offer sizable rebates to customers who purchase food
processors within a given time period. With these incentives, the advertisements contend,
people can hardly afford not to purchase food processors.

Which answer choice is a logically prior issue that the manufacturers’ advertisements fail to
address?

(A) Whether the cost of repairs to the food processors over the years will cancel out the savings
currently being offered
(B) Whether potential customers have enough uses for food processors to justify purchasing them
(C) Whether the heads of the companies manufacturing food processors own food processors
themselves
(D) Whether the food processors currently being advertised will be outdated within the next five
years
(E) Whether accessories and replacement parts will be readily available at retail outlets

36. Since the invention of digital readout, machine designers have rushed to replace conventional
dials and gauges with digital units. Yet the digital gauge has drawbacks in some situations.
Since it presents an exact numeric value, it must be decoded and analyzed by a human
operator; its meaning cannot be read in an instantaneous scanning. An analog dial or gauge
can be marked with red to alert the operator when a value is entering a danger zone; a digital
gauge cannot. And it is difficult to tell whether a digital readout is increasing or decreasing
over time, while the up or down movement of a pointer on an analog gauge can be quickly
and easily observed.

The author of the passage above would probably recommend the use of digital gauge in cases
when:

I. warning of a sudden rise or fall in value is needed

II. an operator must read and interpret several gauges within a few seconds
III. a precise numeric value is essential

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(A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III

37. Contrary to the statements of labor leaders, the central economic problem facing America
today is not the distribution of wealth. It is productivity. With the productivity of U.S.
industry stagnant, or even declining slightly, the economic pie is no longer growing. Labor
leaders, of course, point to what they consider an unfair distribution of the slices of pie to
justify their demands for further increases in wages and benefits. And in the past, when the
pie was still growing, management could afford to acquiesce. No longer. Until productivity
resumes its growth, there can be no justification for further increases in the compensation of
workers.

Which of the following statements by a labor leader focuses on the logical weakness in the
argument above?

(A) Although the economic pie is no longer growing, the portion of the pie allocated to American
workers remains unjustly small.
(B) If management fails to accommodate the demands of workers, labor leaders will be forced to
call strikes that will cripple the operation of industry.
(C) Although productivity is stagnant, the U.S. population is growing, so that the absolute size of
the economic pie continues to grow as well.
(D) As a labor leader, I can be concerned only with the needs of working people, not with the
problems faced by management.
(E) The stagnation of U.S. industry has been caused largely by factors—such as foreign
competition—beyond the control of American workers.

38. Freud’s theories of the workings of the mind, while brilliant for their day, were formulated
before most of this century’s great advances in neurophysiology and biochemistry. Today, we
have a far deeper understanding of the biological components of thought, emotion, and
behavior than was dreamed of eighty years ago. It would be foolish to continue parroting
Freud’s psychological theories as if these advances had never occurred.

It can be inferred from the passage above that the author would be most likely to favor

(A) the abandonment of most of Freud’s theories

(B) a greater reliance on biological rather than psychological explanations of behavior
(C) a critical reexamination of Freud’s place in the history of psychology
(D) a reexamination of Freud’s theories in the light of contemporary biology
18
(E) increased financial support for studies in neurophysiology and biochemistry

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 11

39. To avoid a hostile takeover attempt, the board of directors of Wellco, Inc., a provider of life
and health insurance, planned to take out large loans and use them to purchase a publishing
company, a chocolate factory, and a nationwide chain of movie theaters. The directors
anticipated that these purchase initially would plunge the corporation deep into debt,
rendering it unattractive to those who wanted to take it over, but that steadily rising insurance
rates would allow the company to pay off the debt within five years. Meanwhile, revenues
from the three new businesses would enable the corporation as a whole to continue to meet its
increased operating expenses. Ultimately, according o the directors’ plan, the diversification
would strengthen the corporation by varying the sources and schedules of its annual revenues.

Which of the following, assuming that all are equally possible, would most enhance the
chances of the plan’s success?

(A) A widespread drought decreases the availability of cacao beans, from which chocolate is
manufacture, diving up chocolate prices worldwide.
(B) New government regulations require a 30 percent across-the-board rate rollback of all
insurance companies, to begin immediately and to be completed within a five-year period.
(C) Congress enacts a statute, effective after six months, making it illegal for any parent not to
carry health insurance coverage for his or her child.
(D) Large-screen televisions drop dramatically in price due to surprise alterations in trade barriers
with Japan; movie theater attendance dwindles as a consequence.
(E) A new, inexpensive process is discovered for making paper pulp, and paper prices fall to 60
percent of their former level.

40. In 1981, for the first time in over two decades, the average scores of high school students on
standardized math and English tests did not decline. During the same year, millions of
American students enjoyed their first exposure to the new world of the microcomputer,
whether in schools, video arcades, or other settings. The conclusion is clear: far from
stultifying the intellectual capacities of students, exposure to computers can actually enhance
them.

The most serious weakness of the argument above is its failure to

(A) discuss the underlying causes of the twenty-year decline in students’ test scores
(B) cite specific figures documenting the increases in test scores
(C) distinguish among the various types of computer being used by high school students
(D) define the intellectual capacities tested by the standardized math and English tests referred to

19
(E) explain exactly how high school students’ abilities on math and English tests could have been
enhanced by exposure to computers

Answer the questions numbered 41&42 followed by the passage that says:

Although its purpose is laudable, the exclusionary rule, which forbids a court to consider
evidence seized in violation of the defendant’s constitutional rights, has unduly hampered
law-enforcement efforts. Even when the rights violation was a minor or purely technical one,
turning on a detail of procedure rather than on the abrogation of some fundamental liberty,
and even when it has been clear that the police officers were acting in good faith, the
evidence obtained has been considered tainted under this rule and may not even by
introduced. In consequence, defendants who were undoubtedly guilty have been set free,
perhaps to steal, rape, or murder again.

41. The author of the passage above assumes all of the following EXCEPT:

(A) The constitutional rights of criminal defendants should be protected.

(B) Most cases in which the exclusionary rule has been invoked have involved purely technical
violations of constitutional principles.
(C) The number of cases whose outcome has been affected by the exclusionary rule is significant.
(D) Some of the defendants set free under the exclusionary rule have been guilty of serious
criminal offenses.
(E) Merely technical violations of the rules concerning evidence should be treated differently
from deliberate assaults upon human rights.

42. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would most likely endorse which of the
following proposals?

(A) Change of the exclusionary rule to admit evidence obtained by police officers acting in good
faith
(B) A constitutional amendment curtailing some of the protections traditionally afforded those
accused of a crime
(C) A statute limiting the application of the exclusionary rule to cases involving minor criminal
offenses
(D) Change of the exclusionary rule to allow any evidence, no matter how obtained, to be
introduced in court
(E) A constitutional amendment allowing police officers to obtain vital evidence by any means
necessary when in pursuit of a known criminal

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 12

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43. The postal service is badly mismanaged. Forty years ago, first-class letter delivery cost only
three cents. Since then, the price has increased nearly tenfold, with an actual decrease in the
speed and reliability of service.

Each of the following statements, if true, would tend to weaken the argument above EXCEPT:

(A) The volume of mail handled by the postal service has increased dramatically over the last
forty years.
(B) Unprecedented increases in the cost of fuel for trucks and planes have put severe upward
pressures on postal delivery costs.
(C) Private delivery services usually charge more than does the postal service for comparable
delivery charges.
(D) The average delivery time for a first-class letter four decades ago was actually slightly longer
than it is today.
(E) The average level of consumer prices overall has increased more than 300 percent over the
last forty years.

44. When the government of a nation announced recently that a leader of the nation’s political
opposition had died of a mysterious illness in prison, few seasoned observers of the regime
were surprised. As the police captain in an old movie remarked when asked about the
condition of a prisoner, “We’re trying to decide whether he committed suicide or died trying
to escape.”

The statements above invite which of the following conclusions?

(A) The opposition leader was probably killed trying to escape from prison.
(B) The opposition leader may not be dead at all.
(C) It is unlikely that the head of the regime knows the true cause of the opposition leader’s death.
(D) The opposition leader probably killed himself.
(E) The regime very likely was responsible for the death of the opposition leader.

Answer the questions numbered 45 & 46 followed by the passage that says:

In the industrialized nations, the last century has witnessed a shortening of the average
workday from twelve hours or longer to less than eight hours. Mindful of this enormous
increase in leisure time over the past century, many people assume that the same trend has
obtained throughout history, and that, therefore, prehistoric humans must have labored
incessantly for their very survival.
We cannot, of course, directly test this assumption. However, a study of primitive peoples of
today suggests a different conclusion. The Mbuti of central Africa, for instance, spend only a
21
 few hours each day in hunting, gathering, and tending to other economic necessities. The rest
of their time is spent as they choose. The implication is that the short workday is not peculiar
to industrialized societies. Rather, both the extended workday of 1880 and the shorter
workday of today are products of different stages of the continuing process of
industrialization.

45. Which of the following inferences about industrialization is best supported by the passage
above?

(A) People in advanced industrialized societies have more leisure time than those in non-
industrialized societies.
(B) An average workday of twelve hours or more is peculiar to economies in the early stages of
industrialization.
(C) Industrialization involves a trade-off betweentedious, monotonous jobs and the benefits of
increased leisure.
(D) It is likely that the extended workday of an industrializing country will eventually be
shortened.
(E) As industrialization progresses, people tend to look for self-fulfillment in leisure rather than
work.

46. Which of the following, if true, would most greatly strengthen the argument made in the
passage above?

(A) In recent decades, the economy of the Mbuti has been markedly affected by the encroachment
of modern civilization.
(B) The life-style of the Mbuti is similar to that of prehistoric humans.
(C) The Mbuti have no words in their language to express the distinction between work activities
and leisure activities.
(D) The workday of a European peasant in medieval times averaged between eleven and fifteen
hours.
(E) The members of the Shaklik tribe in central Asia have an average workday of ten to twelve
hours.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 13

47. Gloria: Those who advocate tuition tax credits for parents whose children attend private
schools maintain that people making no use of a government service should not be forced to
pay for it. Yet those who choose to buy bottled water rather than drink water from the local
supply are not therefore exempt from paying taxes to maintain the local water supply.

22
 Roger: Your argument is illogical. Children are required by law to attend school. Since school
attendance is a matter not of choice, but of legal requirement, it is unfair for the government
to force some parents to pay for it twice.

Which of the following responses by Gloria would best refute Roger’s charge that her
argument is illogical?

(A) Although drinking water is not required by law, it is necessary for all people, and therefore
my analogy is appropriate.
(B) Those who can afford the tuition at a high-priced private school can well bear the same tax
burden as those whose children attend public schools.
(C) If tuition tax credits are granted, the tax burden on parents who choose public schools will
rise to an intolerable level.
(D) The law does not say that parents must send their children to private schools, only that the
children must attend some kind of school, whether public or private.
(E) Both bottled water and private schools are luxury items, and it is unfair that some citizens
should be able to afford them while others cannot.

Answer the questions numbered 48 & 49 followed by the passage that says:

Since the passage of the state’s Clean Air Act ten years ago, the level of industrial pollutants
in the air has fallen by an average of 18 percent. This suggests that the restrictions on industry
embodied in the act have worked effectively. However, during the same period the state has
also suffered through a period of economic decline. The number of businesses in the state has
fallen by 10 percent, and the number of workers employed has fallen by 12 percent. It is
probable that the business decline, rather than the regulations in the act, is responsible for at
least half of the decline in the pollution.

48. Which of following is an assumption made in the passage above?

(A) Most businesses in the state have obeyed the regulations embodied in the Clean Air Act.
(B) The economic decline of the state can be attributed, in part, to the effects of the Clean Air Act.
(C) The amount of air pollution in a given area is likely to be proportional to the number of
businesses and workers active in that area.
(D) The restrictions on business activity in other states are less stringent than are those embodied
in the Clean Air Act.
(E) The Clean Air Act has been only very slightly successful in achieving the goal of reduced air
pollution.

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49. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion drawn in the
passage above?

(A) During the last ten years, economic conditions in the nation as a whole have been worse than
those within the state.
(B) Amendments to the Clean Air Act that were enacted six years ago have substantially
strengthened its restrictions on industrial air pollution.
(C) Of the businesses that ceased operating in the state during the last ten years, only 5 percent
were engaged in air-polluting industries.
(D) Several large corporations left the state during the last ten years partly in order to avoid
compliance with the Clean Air Act.
(E) Due to its small budget, the state office charged with enforcement of the Clean Air Act has
prosecuted only two violators of the law since its passage.

50. A nutritionist studying the effects of massive doses of vitamin C found that of a group of 600
people who regularly took 1,500 mg of vitamin C daily for a year, fewer than 9 percent
suffered serious cases of flu; of a group of 600 people who took 250 mg of vitamin C (the
standard recommended daily allowance) daily for a year, 34 percent suffered at least one
serious case of flu; and of a group of 600 people who took no vitamin C for a year (other than
that found in the foods in a balanced diet), 32 percent suffered at least one serious case of flu.

Which of the following hypotheses is best supported by the evidence above?

(A) The effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing serious cases of flu increases in direct
proportion to the amount of vitamin C taken.
(B) Vitamin C is helpful in preventing disease.
(C) Doses of vitamin C that exceed the standard recommended daily allowance by 500 percent
will reduce the incidence of serious cases of flu by 25 percent.
(D) Massive doses of vitamin C can help to prevent serious case of flu.
(E) A balanced diet contains less than 250 mg of vitamin C.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 14

51. Susan: Those who oppose experimentation on animals do not properly value the preservation
of human life. Although animal suffering is unfortunate, it is justifiable if it can lead to cures
for human ailments.
Melvin: But much animal experimentation involves testing of ordinary consumer products
such as soaps, dyes, and cosmetics.
Susan: These experiments are justifiable on the same grounds, since cleanliness, convenience,
24
 and beauty are worthwhile human values deserving of support.

Which of the following is the best statement of the logical flaw in Susan’s argument?

(A) Her claim that animal experimentation is justifiable if it supports human values contradicts
her claim that such experimentation is justifiable only if it leads to cures for human ailments.
(B) She places a higher value on human cleanliness, convenience, and beauty than she does on
the preservation of animal life.
(C) She uses the word “value” in two different senses.
(D) She assumes that all ordinary consumer products aid in the preservation of human life.
(E) She fails to show how mere support for human values actually preserves human lives.

52. As long as savings deposits are insured by the government, depositors will have no incentive
to evaluate the financial strength of a savings bank. Yield alone will influence their choice of
bank. To attract deposits, banks will be forced to offer the highest possible interest rates. And
since paying higher rates inevitably strains the financial strength of a bank, ______

Which of the following best completes the passage below?

(A) the government will be forced o impose limitations on interest rates

(B) deposit insurance will ultimately lead to the financial weakening of many banks
(C) savers will be forced to choose between deposit insurance and higher interest rates
(D) deposits will tend to go to the banks with the greatest financial strength
(E) bank profits will tend to rise to ever-higher levels

53. Every painting hanging in the Hoular Gallery is by a French painter. No painting in the
Hoular Gallery is by a Vorticist. Only Vorticists use acrylic monochromes in their works.

If the information above is true, which of the following must also be true?

(A) No French painters are Vorticists.

(B) All Vorticists use acrylic monochromes in their works.
(C) Some French painters do not use acrylic monochromes in their works.
(D) No French painters use acrylic monochromes in their works.
(E) All French painters who use acrylics use acrylic monochromes in their works.

Video Solution: CAT CR Practice 15

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54. We commonly speak of aesthetic judgments as subjective, and in the short term they are,
since critics often disagree about the value of a particular contemporary work of art. But over
time, the subjective element disappears. When works of art have continued to delight
audiences for centuries, as have the paintings of Michelangelo, the music of Bach, and the
plays of Shakespeare, we can objectively call them great.

The statements above best support which of the following conclusions?

(A) When Michelangelo, Bach, and Shakespeare were alive, critics disagreed about the value of
their work.
(B) The value of a contemporary work of art cannot be objectively measured.
(C) The reputation of a work of art often fluctuates greatly from one generation to the next.
(D) The mere fact that a work of art has endured for centuries does not establish its greatness.
(E) If critics agree about the value of a particular cotemporary work of art, then the work can
objectively be called great.

55. Since the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit was mandated on our highways, both money and
human lives have been saved.

All of the following, if true, would strengthen the claim above EXCEPT:

(A) Most highway users find that travel times are not appreciably lengthened by the 55-mile-per-
hour speed limit.
(B) Highway driving at 55 miles per hour or less is more fuel-efficient than high-speed driving.
(C) Nearly all highway safety experts agree that more accidents occur at speeds over 55 miles per
hour than at lower speeds.
(D) The percentage of fatalities occurring in highway accidents at speeds greater thanmiles per
hour is higher than that for low-speed accidents.
(E) Automobiles last longer and require fewer repairs when driven at consistently lower speeds.

56. The city council will certainly vote to approve the new downtown redevelopment plan,
despite the objections of environmentalists. After all, most of the campaign contributions
received by members of the city council come from real estate development firms, which
stand to benefit from the plan.

Which of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the argument above?

(A) Several members of the city council receive sizable campaign contributions from
environmental lobbying groups.

26
(B) Members of the city council are required to report the size and source of each campaign
contribution they receive.
(C) Not every real estate development firm in the city will be able to participate in, and profit
from, the new downtown redevelopment plan.
(D) The members of the city council have often voted in ways that are opposed to the interests of
their campaign contributors.
(E) Some environmentalists have stated that the new downtown redevelopment plan might be
environmentally sound if certain minor modifications are made.

57. The criticism surrounding the latest J phone launched by Japple is baseless. The phone is the
best in the given price range since it has Loto technology which enables the users to use the
phone to click the clearest of pictures.

The above argument is based on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Features apart from quality of pictures are not important in determining the best phone.
(B) No other company uses the Loto technology that Japple uses.
(C) The quality of the pictures clicked is the most important feature of a phone.
(D) The other features of Japple like sound quality and battery life may not be as good as those of
its competitor.

Video Solution: CAT CR Practice 16

58. Civic Leader: The high cancer rate among our citizens is the result of hazardous material
produced at your plant.
Board of Directors: Our statistics show that rates of cancer are high throughout the valley in
which the plant is situated because local wells that supply drinking water are polluted, not
because of the plant.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the board’s claims?

(A) The statistics do not differentiate between types of cancer.

(B) Nearby communities have not changed the sources of their drinking water.
(C) Cancer-causing chemicals used at the plant are discharged into a nearby river and find their
way into local wells.
(D) The plant both uses and produces chemicals that have been shown to cause cancer.
(E) Some of the pollutants cited by the board as contaminating the local wells have been present
in the wells for decades.

27
59. Economies in which a high percentage of resources are invested in research and development
show greater growth in the long run than do those in which resources are channeled into
consumption. Japanese workers spend a higher percentage of their income investing in
research and development than do American workers.
To grow as fast as Japan has in the past three decades, the United States must change the tax
code in order to encourage savings and investment and discourage debt.

Which of the following, if true, tends to weaken the argument?

(A) Japanese research is more focused on consumers than is research by American firms.
(B) Class mobility, highly valued in American culture, is encouraged by a growing rather than a
stagnant economy.
(C) Studies have shown that countries with high consumption rates prosper in the short run.
(D) Proposed changes to the tax code could involve strict limits on the deductibility of interest,
and increased allowance for research.
(E) Because a decreasing percentage of the United States is under 40, an age when savings are
traditionally low, the savings rate will increase without changes to the tax code.

60. Television programming experts maintain that with each 1% increase in the prime-time
ratings of a television station there is a 3.5% increase in the number of people who watch its
evening news program. However, in the last ten years at Channel NTR, there was only one
year of extremely high prime-time ratings and during that year, fewer people than ever
watched Channel NTR’s evening news program.

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

(A) When a news program has good ratings, the channel as a whole will have good ratings.
(B) The programming experts neglected to consider daytime news programs.
(C) The year of high ratings at NTR was a result of two hit shows which were subsequently
canceled because of contractual problems.
(D) The ten-year period in question is not representative of normal viewing patterns.
(E) Prime-time ratings are not the only factor affecting how many people watch an evening news
program.

61. The people who are least likely to be audited by the Internal Revenue Service this year are
those who have been audited since 1985 and who were found to have made no mistakes in
filing their returns during that audit.

Of the following people, who is MOST likely to be audited by the IRS?

(A) A person who was audited in 1986 but was not found to have made any mistakes in filing his

28
 return.
(B) A person who was audited in 1986 and whose lawyer corrected several mistakes in the tax
return prior to the filing deadline.
(C) A person whose spouse was convicted of tax fraud in 1987, who was then audited and found
to have made no mistakes.
(D) A person who was last audited in 1984, and had no mistakes uncovered by the IRS during
that audit.
(E) A person who was audited in each of the past five years, but was found to have made no
mistakes in any of the filings.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 17

62. James’s grade point average puts him in the top third of the graduating class of college A.
Nestor is in the top tenth of the same class. Elizabeth had the same grade point average as
Nestor. Nancy has a lower grade point average than Elizabeth.

If the information above is true, which of the following must also be true?

(A) James has a higher grade point average than Elizabeth.

(B) James has a higher grade point average than Nancy.
(C) Nestor has a higher grade point average than Nancy.
(D) Elizabeth and Nancy both have a higher grade point average than James.
(E) Nestor and James both have a higher grade point average than Nancy.

63. Whenever a major airplane accident occurs, there is a dramatic increase in the number of
airplane mishaps reported, a phenomenon that may last for as long as a few months after the
accident. Airline officials assert that the publicity given the gruesomeness of major airplane
accidents focuses media attention on the airline industry and the increase in the number of
reported accidents is caused by an increase in the number of news sources covering airline
accident, not by an increase in the number of accidents.

Which of the following, if true, would seriously weaken the assertions of the airline officials?

(A) The publicity surrounding airline accidents is largely limited to the country in which the crash
occurred.
(B) Airline accidents tend to occur far more often during certain peak travel months.
(C) News organizations do not have any guidelines to help them decide how severe or how close
an accident must be for it to receive coverage.
(D) Airplane accidents receive coverage by news sources only when the news sources find it
advantageous to do so.

29
(E) Studies by government regulations show that the number of airplane flight miles remains
relatively constant from month to month.

Answer the questions numbered 64 & 65 followed by the passage that says:

Investing in real estate would be a profitable venture at this time. A survey in House
magazine revealed that 85% of the magazine’s readers are planning to buy a second home
over the next few years. A study of the real estate industry, however, revealed that the current
supply of homes could only provide for 65% of that demand each year.

64. Which of the following, if true, reveals a weakness in the evidence cited above?

(A) Real estate is a highly labor-intensive business.

(B) Home builders are not evenly distributed across the country.
(C) The number of people who want second homes has been increasing each year for the past ten
years.
(D) Readers of House magazine are more likely than most people to want second homes.
(E) House magazine includes articles about owning a second home as well as articles about
building a second home.

65. Which of the following, if true, would undermine the validity of the investment advice in the
paragraph above?

(A) Some home owners are satisfied with only one home.
(B) About half of the people who buy homes are investing in their first home.
(C) About half of the people who buy homes have to take out a mortgage to do so.
(D) Only a quarter of the homes that are built are sold within the first two weeks.
(E) Only a quarter of those who claim that they want a second home actually end up purchasing
one.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 18

66. Traffic safety experts predict that the installation of newly designed air bags in all cars in the
United States would reduce the average number of fatalities per traffic accident by 30 percent.
In order to save lives, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering requiring
automobile manufacturers to install air bags of this design in all cars produced after 1998.

Which of the following, if true, represents the strongest challenge to the DOT’s proposal?

30
(A) Air bags of the new design are more given to being inadvertently triggered, an occurrence
that can sometimes result in fatal traffic accidents.
(B) The DOT is planning to require automobile manufacturers to produce these air bags
according to very strict specifications.
(C) After installing air bags in new cars, automobile manufacturers will experience an increase in
sales.
(D) The proposed air bag installation program will adversely affect the resale of cars
manufactured prior to 1998.
(E) As production costs increase, the profits of many domestic automobile dealers show a marked
decrease.

67. A private bus company gained greater profits and provided bus service to the area at lower
fares by running buses more frequently and stimulating greater ridership. Hoping to continue
these financial trends, the company plans to replace all older buses with new, larger buses,
including some double-decker buses,.

The plan of the bus company as described above assumes all of the following EXCEPT

(A) the demand for bus service in the company’s area of service will increase in the future
(B) increased efficiency and revenues will compensate for any new expenses the company incurs
(C) the new buses will be sufficiently reliable to ensure the company a net financial gain once
they are in place
(D) driving the new buses will be no more difficult than driving the buses they are to replace
(E) the larger, double-decker buses will not face obstacles such as height and weight restrictions
in the bus company’s area of service

68. A newly discovered disease is thought to be caused by a certain bacterium. However, recently
released data notes that the bacterium thrives in the presence of a certain virus, implying that
it is actually the virus that causes the new disease.

Which of the following pieces of evidence would most support the data’s implication?

(A) In the absence of the virus, the disease has been observed to follow infection by the
bacterium.
(B) The virus has been shown to aid the growth of bacterium, a process which often leads to the
onset of the disease.
(C) The virus alone has been observed in many cases of the disease.
(D) In cases where the disease does not develop, infection by the bacterium is usually preceded
by infection by the virus.

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(E) Onset of the disease usually follows infection by both the virus and the bacterium.

69. A sociologist recently studied two sets of teenagers. The members of one set spent 10 or more
hours per week watching violent television programs, and the members of the other set spent
2 hours or less per week watching violent television programs. A significantly greater
proportion of the teenagers in the former group exhibited aggressive behavior during the
period of the study. The sociologists reasoned that the prolonged exposure to television
violence caused the aggressive behavior.

Which of the following, if true, of the teenagers in the study, provides the strongest challenge
to the sociologist’s conclusion?

(A) Some teenagers who watched more than 10 hours of violent television programming per
week behaved less aggressively than others in the same group of teenagers.
(B) Some teenagers who watched 2 hours of violent television programming per week did not
behave aggressively.
(C) Some teenagers voluntarily stopped watching violent television programs after being victims
of violence.
(D) Some teenagers watched violent television programs alone, while others did so in groups.
(E) Many of the teenagers in the first group exhibited aggressive behavior before the study began.

Video Solution: CAT CR Practice 19

70. Because of a recent drought in Florida during the orange-growing season, the price of
oranges this season will be three times the usual price. This will drive up the cost of
producing orange juice and thus push up the price of orange juice for the consumer.

Which of the following, if true, most seriouslyweakens the argument above?

(A) The recent drought was not as severe as scientists predicted.

(B) States other than Florida also supply oranges to orange juice manufacturers.
(C) Other ingredients are used in the production of orange juice.
(D) Last year the price of oranges was actually lower than the average price over the past ten
years.
(E) The price of oranges will eventually be $0.48 per crate.

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 Answer the questions numbered 71 & 72 followed by the passage that says:

Local phone companies have monopolies on phone service within their areas. Cable
television can be transmitted via the wires that are already in place and owned by the phone
companies. Cable television companies argue that if the telephone companies were to offer
cable service, these telephone companies would have an unfair advantage, because their cable
transmissions could be subsidized by the profits of their monopolies on phone service.

71. Which of the following, if true, would ease the cable companies’ fear of unfair competition?

(A) In order to use existing telephone wire, telephone companies would need to modernize their
operations, a process so expensive it would virtually wipe out all profit from their monopoly
for the foreseeable future.
(B) If a phone company were to offer cable service within a particular area, it would have a
monopoly within that area.
(C) The cost of television service, whether provided by cable or telephone companies, scales; that
is, the total cost of transmission rises only marginally as more homes are added to the
network.
(D) Cable programming that offers more channels is already available through satellite dish, but
the initial cost of the dish is extremely high.
(E) Cable television will never be able to compete with the burgeoning video rental industry,
especially as more homes now have video cassette recorders than ever did before.

72. On the basis of the information provided in the passage above, which of the following
questions can be answered?

(A) Are phone companies as efficient as cable companies in providing reliable and inexpensive
service?
(B) If phone companies were allowed to provide cable service, would they want to do so?
(C) Do the cable companies believe that the local phone companies make a profit on phone
service?
(D) Are local phone companies forbidden to offer cable service?
(E) Is it expected that phone companies will have a monopoly on cable service?

73. In the past year, there has been a large drop in the number of new cars sold, due to harsh
economic conditions in the marketplace and high taxes. At the same time, the average price
paid for a new car has risen dramatically.

Which of the following, if true, best explains the increase in the average price of a new car?

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(A) The price of used cars has climbed steadily over the past ten years.
(B) There will be a tax reduction later in the year which is expected to aid moderate and low
income families.
(C) The market for expensive car has been unaffected by the current economic conditions.
(D) Economic conditions are expected to get significantly worse before the end of the year.
(E) Low demand for trucks and vans has led to lower production in the factories.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 20

74. Critics of sales seminars run by outside consultants point out that since 1987, revenues of
vacuum cleaner companies whose employees attended consultant-led seminars were lower
than revenues of vacuum cleaner companies whose employees did not attend such seminars.
The critics charge that for vacuum cleaner companies, the sales seminars are ill conceived
and a waste of money.

Which of the following, if true, is the most effective challenge to the critics of sales seminars?

(A) Those vacuum cleaner companies whose sales were highest prior to 1987 are the only
companies that did not send employees to the seminars.
(B) Vacuum cleaner companies that have sent employees to sales seminars since 1987
experienced a greater drop in sales than they had prior to 1987.
(C) The cost of vacuum cleaner sales seminars run by outside consultants has risen dramatically
since 1987.
(D) The poor design of vacuum cleaner sales seminars is not the only reason for their
ineffectiveness.
(E) Since 1987, sales of vacuum cleaners have risen twenty percent.

75. A light bulb company produces 2,000 light bulbs per week. The manager wants to ensure that
standards of quality remain constant from week to week. The manager, therefore, claims that
out of 2,000 light bulbs produced per week, 500 light bulbs are rejected.

Of the following, the best criticism of the manager’s plan is that the plan assumes that

(A) light bulb manufacturers cannot accept all light bulbs that produced
(B) the overall quality of the light bulbs would not be improved if the total number of light bulbs
produced were reduced
(C) each light bulb that is reviewed is worthy of being reviewed
(D) it is difficult to judge the quality of a light bulb
(E) the 1,500 light bulbs that are accepted will be of the same quality from week to week

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76. For over fifty years, the ocean-freight industry worked to make ocean freighters faster and to
lower their fuel consumption. Despite considerable success, the economics of the industry
grew worse, until the industry was almost dead. What was wrong was an incongruity between
assumptions and realities. The real costs came, not from time spent at sea, but from time
spent in port during loading and unloading.

Which of the following actions would be most likely to lead to a solution of the problem
faced by the ocean-freight industry, as it is analyzed in the passage?

(A) Developing a ship’s engine that runs on a cheaper type of fuel than that traditionally used by
ocean freighters
(B) Developing a ship with accessible cargo compartments that can be mechanically loaded and
unloaded very rapidly
(C) Developing a ship whose freight capacity relative to the ship’s total volume is much larger
than that of any existing ship
(D) Implementing a system to ensure that ocean freighters are loaded to capacity whenever they
leave a port
(E) Implementing a marketing plan that focuses on routes that are known to be least threatened
by unfavorable weather, thus permitting rapid trips and reliable arrival times

77. The increased concentration of salt in the bay, which is the result of recent drought and high
temperatures, will cause many fish to die. Shrimp, however, can tolerate high salt levels; the
shrimp industry will not, therefore, be hurt by the increased concentration of salt.

Which of the following statements, if true, would weaken the argument above?

(A) Some fish will migrate to areas that have lower concentrations of salt.
(B) Lack of rainfall for extended periods of time lowers the water level of bays.
(C) The organisms on which young shrimp feed cannot survive in such salty waters.
(D) Increased water temperature often causes shrimp to multiply more quickly.
(E) Shrimp are more abundant in areas of the bay that are sparsely populated by fish.

78. Currently people in the United States eat, on the average, 1,431 pounds of food per year, 35
pounds more than in 1980. This increase is, at least in part, because people between the ages
of 15 and 64 have accounted for an increasing share of the population.

Whichof the following can be properly inferred from the passage above?

(A) More than half of the current population of the United States is between the ages of 15 and 64.

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(B) The population has risen since 1980.
(C) Children below the age of 15 require, on the average, more food than do people over the age
of 64.
(D) Before 1980 children below the age of 15 outnumbered people between the ages of 15 and 64.
(E) Individuals between the ages of 15 and 64 consume, on the average, more food than do those
younger or older.

Video Solution: CAT CR Practice 21

79. Each increase of 1 percent in real disposable personal income per capita will increase the
share of the electorate for an incumbent by about 2.2 percentage points, other things being
equal. Since 1952 there has been a decline in real disposable income during only one
presidential election year. The incumbent lost that election.

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

(A) When an incumbent runs for office, he or she is likely to win.

(B) Political parties should take care to put forth a candidate who seems prosperous.
(C) Presidential candidates should put their greatest efforts into improving their public image.
(D) Because a presidential campaign requires the expenditure of large amounts of money, it
frequently impoverishes a candidate and his or her supporters.
(E) The outcome of a presidential election is substantially affected by factors other than the
ideological positions of the candidates.

80. According to an independent computer-industry analyst, the new Regent microcomputer is of

high quality, is fast, and costs less than any currently existing competing model. It is
reasonable to conclude, therefore, as the manufacturer’s prospectus does, that the Regent will
quickly establish itself as a fast-selling, low-priced alternative to currently available
microcomputers.

Which of the following, if true, would LEAST weaken the argument above?

(A) Many retailers already carry one or more low-priced microcomputer models and are
disinclined to carry another.
(B) Several faster and lower-priced models of microcomputers will soon be introduced by other
computer manufacturers.
(C) The Regent Corporation’s microcomputer can be used in conjunction with higher-priced
microcomputers manufactured by other companies.
(D) Most of those individuals and companies that could be expected to make up the potential
market for the Regent microcomputer have already filled their microcomputer needs.

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(E) The independent computer-industry analyst whose assessment was incorporated in the
prospectus has used measures of quality that are not universally accepted by the computer-
buying public.

81. Many companies have been pushing for a three-week extension of daylight saving time,
which would mean that the sun would continue to set an hour later during the fall months.
The owners of a chain of convenience stores, for example, expect to gain $15 million a year
in additional sales, mostly from people who tend to______

Which of the following is the most logical completion of the passage below?

(A) stay away from these stores after dark

(B) stay outdoors during the fall months
(C) spend more money in the fall
(D) spend less money in the fall
(E) shop at these stores when they are pressed for time

82. Recent evidence appears to contradict earlier findings that suggested that those who are
physically fit cope better with stressful real-life events. Of a group of healthy women, those
randomly assigned to a ten-week program of aerobic exercises performed no better in
laboratory tests simulating stressful situations than did the subgroup assigned to a program
without exercise.

Which of the following, if true, provides evidence for determining whether physical fitness
makes one react better to stress?

(A) Superior reaction to laboratory stress situations was found to be more prevalent among
women than among men.
(B) Healthy men, after training six months in weight lifting, encountered fewer potentially
stressful situations in the subsequent six months.
(C) Subjects following a regimen during which they perfected their skills in a variety of
relaxation techniques found that their lives seemed calmer after they began the regimen.
(D) College students with previous high levels of stressful life events showed a markedly reduced
reaction to such events after training in aerobics for six months.
(E) Subjects with a high level of self-esteem more often engaged in physical-fitness regimens
than did a control group of subjects with average levels of self-esteem.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 22

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 Answer the questions numbered 83 & 84 followed by the passage that says:

Now is an excellent time to invest in the catering business. A survey conducted by Weddings
magazine found that 70 percent of the magazine’s readers want a catered wedding reception.
An analysis of the catering industry, however, shows that the current number of caterers can
serve only 55 percent of the weddings likely to occur each year.

83. Which of the following, if true, reveals a weakness in the evidence cited above?

(A) Catering is a highly labor-intensive business.

(B) Caterers are not evenly distributed across the country.
(C) The number of weddings with catered receptions has been growing each year for the past five
years.
(D) Readers of Weddings magazine are more likely than most people to want a catered reception.
(E) Weddings magazine includes both articles about catered receptions and articles about
preparing food oneself for one’s wedding reception.

84. Which of the following, if true, would undermine the validity of the investment advice in the
paragraph above?

(A) The average wedding reception involves between 50 and 100 guests.
(B) Approximately a quarter of all weddings take place without a reception.
(C) Approximately a quarter of all weddings and their associated receptions are paid for by the
couples themselves.
(D) Only half of all catered wedding receptions include sit-down meals.
(E) Only half of those who say they want a catered wedding reception actually have one.

85. The Commerce Department recently put limits on machine-tool imports from two countries
whose exports of machine tools into the United States have been substantial. As a result of
these restrictions, analysts predict that domestic sales of machine tools manufactured in the
United States are bound to rise considerably, starting in the very near future.

Which of the following, if true, would be most likely to cause the analysts’ prediction to be
inaccurate?

(A) A new tax bill that, if passed, would discourage investment in capital equipment such as
machine tools is being studied and debated seriously in the United States Congress.
(B) United States companies’ orders for metal-cutting machines, which account for 75 percent of
sales by the machine-tool industry, rose faster than orders for other types of machine tools
during the past year.
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(C) Worldwide orders for machine tools made in the United States dropped by more than 10
percent during the past year.
(D) Substantial inventories of foreign-made machine tools were stockpiled in the United States
during the past year.
(E) Companies in the industrial sectors of many countries showed a significantly expanded
demand for machine tools during the past year.

86. The cities with the densest population have the highest ratio of police officers to citizens.
Such cities also have the lowest rates of property crime without contact between perpetrator
and victim. Thus maintaining a high ratio of police officers to citizens can serve as an
effective deterrent to at least certain kinds of property crime.

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

(A) The quality of training that police receive varies from city to city.
(B) High population density itself makes it difficult to commit a property crime that involves no
contact between perpetrator and victim.
(C) Many nonviolent crimes in large cities are drug-related.
(D) A majority of the perpetrators of property crimes in densely populated cities are not
apprehended by the police.
(E) Property crimes without contact between perpetrator and victim represent only a small
proportion of overall crime.

87. Approximately two hundred brands of personal computers are being manufactured, but we
currently limit our inventory to only the eight most popular brands. We plan to increase
greatly the number of computers we sell by expanding our inventory to include the ten best-
selling brands.

Which of the following, if true, points out a major weakness of the plan above?

(A) The capabilities of three most popular personal computers add to be approximately equivalent,
with no brand having consistent superiority in all respects.
(B) The seven most popular brands of personal computers account for almost all computers sold.
(C) As the users of personal computers become more sophisticated, they are more willing to buy
less well-known brands of computers.
(D) Less popular brands of computers often provide less profit to the retailer because prices must
be discounted to attract customers.
(E) The leading brand of personal computer has been losing sales to less popular brands that offer
similar capabilities for less money.

Video Solution: CAT CR Practice 23

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88. Of those person who became teachers in 1968 and who later left the profession, 30 percent
today earn salaries above $35,000 a year: of those who became teachers in 1968 and have
remained in the profession, only 15 percent today earn salaries above $35,000 a year. These
figures indicate how underpaid teachers are today.

The argument above depends on which of the following assumptions about the persons for
whom statistics are cited?

(A) At least one-third of the group of persons who have remained in teaching would today be
earning more than $35,000 a year if they had left teaching.
(B) The group of persons who left teaching and the group who did not are comparable in terms of
factors that determine how much people outside the teaching profession are paid.
(C) Most of those persons who left teaching did so entirely because of the low salaries teachers
earn.
(D) As a group, those persons who have remained in teaching are abler and more dedicated than
the group of persons who left teaching.
(E) The group of persons who left teaching and who today earn more than $35,000 a year were
more capable teachers than the group who remained in the profession.

89. Some analysts maintain that an embargo by country Litora on the export of a strategic metal
to country Zenda, if imposed, would drive up the price of the metal in Zenda at least tenfold.
They note that few other countries export the metal and that, with an embargo, Zenda might
have to depend on as-yet-unexploited domestic sources of the metal.

Which of the following, if true, constitutes the most serious objection to the analysis above?

(A) Litora’s economy depends heavily on foreign currency earned by the export of the strategic
metal to other countries.
(B) There are foreign-policy steps that Zenda could take to appease Litora and avoid being
subjected to an embargo on the metal.
(C) Geologists believe that additional deposits of the metal could possibly be found within the
territory of Litora.
(D) Only a small proportion of Zenda’s import expenditures is devoted to the import of the metal
from Litora.
(E) In case of an embargo, Zenda could buy the metal indirectly from Litora on the world market
at a less than one-third increase in cost.

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90. The government should stop permitting tobacco companies to subtract advertising expenses
from their revenues in calculating taxable income. Tobacco companies would then have to
pay more taxes. As a consequence, they would raise the prices of their products and this price
increase would raise the prices of their products and this price increase would discourage
tobacco use.

Which of the following is an additional premise required by the argument above?

(A) Tobacco companies would not offset the payment of extra taxes by reducing costs in other
areas.
(B) Tobacco companies would not continue to advertise if they were forced to pay higher taxes.
(C) People would not continue to buy tobacco products if these products were no longer
advertised.
(D) The money the government would gain as a result of the increase in tobacco companies’
taxable income would be used to educate the public about the dangers of tobacco use.
(E) The increase in taxes paid by tobacco companies would be equal to the additional income
generated by raising prices.

91. In the following question, there is a main statement followed by four statements 1, 2, 3 and 4.
From the choices, choose the ordered pair in which the first statement implies the second
statement and the two are logically consistent with the main statement.

The show will not begin unless the lead actor does not issue an apology.

(A) The show will begin when the lead actor does not issue an apology.
(B) The show has begun, so the lead actor must not have issued an apology.
(C) The lead actor refused to issue an apology, so the show will begin.
(D) The lead actor issued an apology; thus, the show will begin.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 24

Answer the questions numbered 92 & 93 followed by the passage that says:

Professor A: We must make a strong moral statement against Country X’s policies. Only total
divestment—the sale of all stock in companies that have factories or business offices in X—
can do this. Therefore, the university should divest totally.
Professor B: Our aim should be to encourage X to change its policies. Partial divestment is
the best way to achieve this aim. Therefore, the university should sell its stock only in
companies that either sell goods to X’s government, or do the majority of their business in X,
or treat their workers in X unfairly.
92. Professor A’s and Professor B’s arguments differ in which of the following ways?

41
(A) They state the same goal but propose different ways of achieving it.
(B) They state different goals but propose the same way of achieving them.
(C) They state different goals and propose different ways of achieving them.
(D) They disagree about whether the university should sell any stock at all.
(E) They disagree about whether X’s policies are objectionable.

93. Which of the following, if true, would be evidence that the university would not be harmed
economically if it followed Professor A’s recommendation?

(A) Very few of the companies in which the university owns stocks sell goods to X’s government.
(B) Most companies that have factories or business offices in X and in which the university owns
stock actually do little of their business in X.
(C) Some companies that have factories or business offices in X and in which the university owns
stock have instituted fair treatment policies for their workers in X at very little additional cost
to the companies.
(D) The expected financial return to the university from stocks that the university could own
under a policy of total divestment is approximately the same as the expected financial return
from the same as the expected financial.
(E) If the university sold large blocks of stock under a policy of total divestment, the prices of the
stocks of the companies whose stocks were sold would probably decrease somewhat.

94. In the following question, there is a main statement followed by four statements 1, 2, 3 and 4.
From the choices, choose the ordered pair in which the first statement implies the second
statement and the two are logically consistent with the main statement.

If Kamal and Sandeep are selected in that order, Kumar and Rajat are selected.

1. Kumar and Rajat are selected in that order.

2. Sandeep and Kamal are selected in that order.
3. Kamal and Sandeep are selected in that order.
4. Kumar and Rajat are not selected.

(A) 2 and 3
(B) 3 and 4
(C) 2 and 4
(D) 4 and 2

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95. Batsmen are often criticized for not exemplifying sportsmanship when they decide to remain
quiet on not being given out by the umpire even when they know that they should be given
out. But this criticism is uncalled for. It is true that sometimes batsmen, despite knowing that
they are out, do choose to stay on the crease when the umpire makes the incorrect decision of
declaring the batsman not out. But there also are cases when the batsman is not out yet he is
given out and has no option but to comply with the decision. Hence these aberrations do get
balanced out over a batsman’s lifetime.

The author’s belief assumes which of the following?

(A) All batsmen who are incorrectly declared not out by the umpire choose to remain on the
crease and do not walk out on their own volition.
(B) Declaring a batsman out when he is not is as unfair as declaring one not out when actually he
is out.
(C) The number of instances when the batsman decides to remain at the crease despite knowing
that he has been erroneously declared not out is close to the number when he is erroneously
given out.
(D) There are no technology-aided or other methods to determine whether the batsman is really
out or not.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 25

96. In an effort to go beyond resumes as tools in its search for executives, one leading company
has resorted to interviewing the top candidates for a position all together in a single group.
This technique is supposed to afford a direct comparison of the candidates with respect to
some personal qualities that cannot be gleaned from a resume.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the value of the simultaneous
interview technique?

(A) Resumes do sometimes allow reliable inferences to be made about a candidate’s personal
qualities.
(B) The simultaneous interview could become cumbersome if there were a great many candidates
for a position.
(C) The more perceptive the interviewer, the more revealing the simultaneous interview is apt to
be.
(D) There are certain personal qualities that only an extended simultaneous interview can bring
out.
(E) The simultaneous interview distorts each candidate’s response style by inducing stresses
unlike any an executive position induces.

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97. The Asian American History Association receives approximately 1,000 proposals each year
from individuals who wish to present papers at its annual meeting. The association’s officers
would like to ensure constant standards of quality in the presentations from year to year. The
officers have therefore decided to accept for presentation each year only the best 300 papers
selected on the basis of the quality of the proposals submitted.

Of the following, the best criticism of the officers’ plan is that the plan assumes that

(A) Professional associations cannot accept all papers submitted for presentation at their annual
meetings.
(B) The total number of proposals submitted to the association will remain at approximately
1,000 in future years.
(C) Each proposal submitted to the association deserves to be considered a serious candidate for
presentation.
(D) It is difficult to judge the quality of a paper on the basis of the proposal alone.
(E) The best 300 papers submitted to the association for presentation will be of the same quality
from year to year.

98. Two groups of laboratory mice were injected with cancerous cells. One group’s cages were
rotated in a disorienting manner. Two-thirds of these mice developed cancers. One-tenth of
the mice in stationary cages developed cancers. The researchers concluded that stress
enhances the development of cancer in laboratory mice.

The researchers’ conclusion logically depends on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Rotating the cages in disorienting manner produced stress in the mice in those cages.
(B) The injections given to the two groups of mice were not of equal strength.
(C) Injecting the mice with cancerous cells caused stress in the mice.
(D) Even without the injections the mice in the rotated cages would have developed cancers.
(E) Even the rotation of cages in a manner that is not disorienting is likely to produce stress in
mice in those cages.

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99. Toxicologist: A survey of oil-refinery workers who work with MBTE, an ingredient currently
used in some smog-reducing gasoline, found an alarming incidence of complaints about
headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Since gasoline containing MBTE will soon be
widely used, we can expect an increased incidence of headaches, fatigue, and shortness of
breath.

Each of the following, if true, strengthens the toxicologist’s argument EXCEPT:

(A) Most oil-refinery workers who do not work with MBTE do not have serious health problems
involving headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
(B) Headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath are among the symptoms of several medical
conditions that are potentially serious threats to public health.
(C) Since the time when gasoline containing MBTE was first introduced in a few metropolitan
areas, those areas reported an increase in the number of complaints about headaches, fatigue,
and shortness of breath.
(D) Regions in which only gasoline containing MBTE is used have a much greater incidence of
headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath than do similar regions in which only MBTE-free
gasoline is used.
(E) The oil-refinery workers surveyed were carefully selected to be representative of the broader
population in their medical histories prior to exposure to MBTE, as well as in other relevant
respects.

Video Solutions: CAT CR Practice 26

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You are a WINNER!!

I must now prepare a part 2 of this file for you!!!

ANSWER KEY on the NEXT PAGE

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 1 B 26 D 51 E 76 B
2 A 27 D 52 B 77 C
3 C 28 C 53 C 78 E
4 D 29 E 54 B 79 E
5 D 30 A 55 A 80 C
6 C 31 C 56 D 81 A
7 C 32 B 57 C 82 D
8 E 33 B 58 C 83 D
9 C 34 A 59 E 84 E
10 B 35 B 60 E 85 D
11 D 36 B 61 D 86 B
12 A 37 A 62 C 87 B
13 D 38 D 63 B 88 B
14 E 39 C 64 D 89 E
15 C 40 E 65 E 90 A
16 E 41 B 66 A 91 B
17 C 42 A 67 D 92 C
18 B 43 E 68 C 93 D
19 A 44 E 69 E 94 D
20 C 45 D 70 B 95 C
21 D 46 B 71 A 96 E
22 E 47 A 72 C 97 E
23 D 48 C 73 C 98 A
24 E 49 C 74 A 99 B
25 A 50 D 75 E

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