PrepTest 152 Section 4

Choose a question

Explanations for every question, find them by number or text.

1. Q1:
   Researcher: It is widely believed that, given its northerly latitude …Identify the Conclusion

   You're mistaken to believe that England has mild winters because of the Gulf Stream.

2. Q2:
   Edgar: Nurses who have been specially trained in …Point at Issue
3. Q3:
   Consumer: A new law requires all cigarette packaging to …Sufficient Assumption

   The law won't affect the smoking habits of most regular smokers.

4. Q4:
   Warner: Until recently, most competitive swimmers were high school …Method of Reasoning
5. Q5:
   Businessperson: Brenner and Chen are the only …Parallel Reasoning

   We should hire Chen.

6. Q6:
   Psychologist: Thinking can occur without language …Role in Argument

   Thinking can occur without language.

7. Q7:
   Nutritionist: Contrary to popular belief, a high-calcium diet …Strengthen – EXCEPT

   A high-calcium diet does not prevent osteoporosis.

8. Q8:
   Quartzbrook Farms wanted to test all of its cattle for a rare …Principle

   Q wanted to test its cattle for disease so it could export beef.
   * Their government banned it from testing because:

   1.

9. Q9:
   Office manager: Every vacation an office worker takes …Flawed Reasoning

   To reduce exhaustion, workers should take many short vacations instead of a few long ones.

10. Q10:
    A traditional view of Neanderthals is that they lacked…Necessary Assumption

    Neanderthals were capable of symbolic thought.

11. Q11:
    To be considered for this year’s Gillespie Grant …Flawed Reasoning

    Mary will only be considered if she mails her application 10 days before the deadline.

12. Q12:
    The Amazon River flows eastward into the Atlantic Ocean …Strengthen

    The Amazon River once flowed into the Pacific Ocean.

13. Q13:
    Columnist: Banning performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) from …Necessary Assumption

    PEDs should be allowed under medical supervision.

14. Q14:
    Max: As evidence mounts showing the terrible changes wrought on …Role in Argument
15. Q15:
    Commentator: The reported epidemic of childhood obesity …Flawed Parallel Reasoning

    There's no childhood epidemic of obesity.

16. Q16:
    Editorial: The main contention of Kramer’s book …Flawed Reasoning

    Kramer’s claim that coal companies are to blame for economic difficulties is false.

17. Q17:
    Health-care facilities have a duty to protect their patients …Necessary Assumption

    Healthcare facilities must make flu vaccines mandatory for employees.

18. Q18:
    Etiquette helps people to get along with each other …Most Strongly Supported

    Etiquette helps people get along, e.g. by preventing people from offending each other.
    * Many people criticize etiquette because they think it doesn't benefit society.
    * Yet these people also think kindness and social harmony are good.

19. Q19:
    European wood ants incorporate large quantities of …Evaluate the Argument

    The ants probably started using conifer resin as protection against disease.

20. Q20:
    Coming up with secure passwords for confidential computer files is difficult …Must Be True

    People like simple passwords, but they're easy to guess.
    * Random passwords are hard to guess, but people forget them.

21. Q21:
    If you use a wood stove to heat your home …Identify the Conclusion

    You should use a wood-pellet stove to heat your home, not a regular wood stove.

22. Q22:
    Economist: Gifts of cash or gift cards, which allow the recipient …Weaken

    People like cash and gift cards more than gifts chosen by others.

23. Q23:
    An antitheft device involving an electronic homing beacon …Paradox

    The device doesn't deter theft since it's undetectable.

24. Q24:
    Taken as a whole, the computers that constitute the Internet …Flawed Reasoning

    The Internet will someday gain humanlike intelligence.

25. Q25:
    Editorial: Any democratic society is endangered by segmentation …Strengthen

    Democracies should adopt policies that guarantee economic expansion.