Analyzing Arguments(Reasoning Aptitude ) Questions and answers for exam Preparation

Reasoning Aptitude

ANALYZING ARGUMENTS MCQs

Total Questions : 117 | Page 11 of 12 pages

Question 101. Walk into any supermarket or pharmacy and you will find several shelves of products designed to protect adults and children from the sun. Additionally, a host of public health campaigns have been created, including National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, that warn us about the sun's damaging UV rays and provide guidelines about protecting ourselves. While warnings about the sun's dangers are frequent, a recent survey found that fewer than half of all adults adequately protect themselves from the sun.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

children are better protected from the sun's dangerous rays than adults
sales of sun protection products are at an all-time high.
adults are not heeding the warnings about the dangers of sun exposure seriously enough.
more adults have skin cancer now than ever before.
there is not enough information disseminated about the dangers of sun exposure.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option C. -> adults are not heeding the warnings about the dangers of sun exposure seriously enough.
The last sentence gives direct support for this response. Although children might be better protected from the sun than adults, the paragraph does not specifically cite statistics about children, so we can't know for sure, ruling out choice a. There is no evidence provided in the paragraph to support choices b and d. Choice e is incorrect since the last sentence tells us that warnings about the sun's dangers are frequent.

Question 102. Critical reading is a demanding process. To read critically, you must slow down your reading and, with pencil in hand, perform specific operations on the text. Mark up the text with your reactions, conclusions, and questions. When you read, become an active participant.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

critical reading is a slow, dull, but essential process.
the best critical reading happens at critical times in a person's life.
readers should get in the habit of questioning the truth of what they read.
critical reading requires thoughtful and careful attention.
critical reading should take place at the same time each day.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option D. -> critical reading requires thoughtful and careful attention.
This answer is implied by the whole paragraph. The author stresses the need to read critically by performing thoughtful and careful operations on the text. Choice a is incorrect because the author never says that reading is dull. Choices b, c, and e are not supported by the paragraph.

Question 103. Forest fires feed on decades-long accumulations of debris and leap from the tops of young trees into the branches of mature trees. Fires that jump from treetop to treetop can be devastating. In old-growth forests, however, the shade of mature trees keeps thickets of small trees from sprouting, and the lower branches of mature trees are too high to catch the flames.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

forest fire damage is reduced in old-growth forests.
small trees should be cut down to prevent forest fires.
mature trees should be thinned out to prevent forest fires
forest fires do the most damage in old-growth forests.
old-growth forests have a larger accumulation of forest debris.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option A. -> forest fire damage is reduced in old-growth forests.
The last sentence provides direct support for choice a. The author never suggests that any trees should be cut down or thinned out, which eliminates choices b and c. Choice d contradicts the author's opinion. The author suggests that old growth forests have less debris, which rules out choice e.

Question 104. For too long, school cafeterias, in an effort to provide food they thought would be appetizing to young people, mimicked fast-food restaurants, serving items such as burgers and fries, pizza, hot dogs, and fried chicken. School districts nationwide are now addressing this trend by incorporating some simple and inexpensive options that will make cafeteria lunches healthier while still appealing to students.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

school cafeterias have always emphasized nutritional guidelines over any other considerations.
young people would rather eat in a school cafeteria than a local fast-food restaurant.
school lunch menus are becoming healthier due to major new initiatives on the part of school districts.
it is possible to make school lunches both healthier and appealing without spending a great deal of money and undertaking a radical transformation.
vegetarian lunch options would greatly improve the nutritional value of the school lunch program.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option D. -> it is possible to make school lunches both healthier and appealing without spending a great deal of money and undertaking a radical transformation.
The final sentence of the paragraph supports choice d. The other choices are not supported by the passage. Choice c may seem correct at first, but the paragraph states that the new initiatives are simple and inexpensive, not major. Choice e might seem to represent a truth, but vegetarian options are not discussed in this paragraph.

Question 105. During the last six years, the number of practicing physicians has increased by about 20%. During the same time period, the number of healthcare managers has increased by more than 600%. These percentages mean that many doctors have lost the authority to make their own schedules, determine the fees that they charge, and decide on prescribed treatments.
This paragraph best supports the statement that doctors

resent the interference of healthcare managers.
no longer have adequate training.
care a great deal about their patients.
are less independent than they used to be.
are making a lot less money than they used to make.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option D. -> are less independent than they used to be.
The author of this statement suggests that doctors are less independent. The author stresses that many doctors have lost authority. There is no support for the opinion that doctors resent the healthcare managers, however which rules out choice a. The doctors training is never mentioned (choice b). Doctors may care about their patients (choice c), but this information is not part of the paragraph. Choice e is not mentioned.

Question 106. Most Reality TV centers on two common motivators: fame and money. The shows transform waitresses, hairdressers, investment bankers, counselors, and teachers, to name a few, from obscure figures to house-hold names. A lucky few successfully parlay their fifteen minutes of fame into celebrity. The luckiest stars of Reality TV also reap huge financial rewards for acts including eating large insects, marrying someone they barely know, and revealing their innermost thoughts to millions of people.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

the stars of Reality TV are interested in being rich and famous.
Reality TV is the best thing that has happened to network television in a long time.
for Reality TV stars, fame will last only as long as their particular television show.
traditional dramas and sitcoms are being replaced by Reality TV programming at an alarming rate.
Reality TV shows represent a new wave of sensationalistic, low quality programming.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option A. -> the stars of Reality TV are interested in being rich and famous.
This is expressed in the first sentence. Choices b, d, and e are not supported by the passage. Choice c is incorrect because the paragraph states that some Reality TV stars manage to parlay their fifteen minutes of fame into celebrity.

Question 107. By the time they reach adulthood, most people can perform many different activities involving motor skills. Motor skills involve such diverse tasks as riding a bicycle, threading a needle, and cooking a dinner. What all these activities have in common is their dependence on precision and timing of muscular movement.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

most adults have not refined their motor skills.
all adults know how to ride a bicycle.
refined motor skills are specifically limited to adults.
children perform fewer fine motor activities in a day than adults do.
threading a needle is a precise motor skill.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option E. -> threading a needle is a precise motor skill.
The second sentence states that threading a needle involves motor skill. The other choices are not in the paragraph.

Question 108. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the speaker's argument?

An action is not considered a part of freedom of speech.
People who burn the flag usually commit other crimes as well.
The flag was not recognized by the government until 1812.
State flags are almost never burned.
Most people are against flag burning.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option A. -> An action is not considered a part of freedom of speech.
If an action is not included under freedom of speech, the speaker's main argument is incorrect.

Question 109. Which of the following is similar to the argument made by the speaker?

The rich should not be allowed to "buy" politicians, so the Congress should enact campaign finance reform.
The idea of freedom of religion also means the right not to participate in religion, so mandated school prayer violates freedom of religion.
The Constitution guarantees freedom to own property, so taxes should be illegal.
Convicted felons should not have their convictions overturned on a technicality.
In order to understand what may be constitutional today, one needs to look at what the laws were when the Constitution was enacted.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option B. -> The idea of freedom of religion also means the right not to participate in religion, so mandated school prayer violates freedom of religion.
This is the best choice because it relates to a situation where a proposed law would actually violate the part of the Constitution it is intended to protect.

Question 110. Which of the following best expresses the main point of the passage?

Only veterans care about the flag-burning issue.
Flag burning almost never happens, so outlawing it is a waste of time.
Flag burning will be a very important issue in the next election.
To outlaw flag burning is to outlaw what the flag represents.
Burning the flag should only be illegal when it is done in foreign countries.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option D. -> To outlaw flag burning is to outlaw what the flag represents.
The speaker maintains that to burn a flag is an act of freedom of speech, which is among the things the flag represents.