CRITICAL THINKING
15 ITEMS
30 MINUTES
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Read the separate condition given below each statement and then select the correct answer from the following five options.
1. To have a good and strong heart, it is necessary to have seven to eight hours of sleep.
Which of the following would reveal most clearly the seriousness of the conclusion drawn above?
a. Seven to eight of sound sleep helps in having a good cardiovascular health. b. Sleep well in order to stay fit and fine.
c. Good sleep is very essential for a very good health.
d. Improper and inadequate sleep may result in increase in problems related to heart and blood vessels.
e. Good sleep is the key to a healthy heart.
2. One of the most important benefits of good and sound sleep is that it helps in maintaining the level of stress hormone in check.
Any of the following, if introduced into the argument as an additional premise, makes the argument above logically correct EXCEPT:
a. If you don’t sleep well then it results in sleep deficiency which increases the production of stress hormones and hence makes it more difficult to sleep. b. Sleep hormones make it more difficult to sleep.
c. Sleep hormones are responsible for sound sleep.
d. If sleep hormones are released in excess then they make sleep more difficult. e. It is necessary to keep the level of stress hormones in check because excess
of it affects the duration of our sleep.
3. Both the sleep and the rate of metabolism are controlled by the same part of the brain; so to maintain your body weight, it is very important to have adequate sleep.
From which of the following can the statement above be most properly inferred? a. Both the sleep and the rate of metabolism are controlled by the same part of
the brain.
b. To maintain your body weight it is very important to have adequate sleep. c. To maintain your body weight, keep on sleeping for long time.
d. Since the rate of metabolism is also controlled by the same part of the brain controlling sleep, it is necessary to have enough of sleep to maintain the right body weight.
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4. An advertisement for E-News, a subscription-only online newspaper with no ads accompanying its content, argued that individuals should subscribe to E- News so as to eliminate wasted time that results from seeing and ignoring advertisements while attempting to read newspapers that feature ads.
Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens E-News' argument?
a. Individuals who currently read only print newspapers are much less likely to enjoy a subscription news website without first learning about reading online news through a free news website.
b. Free ad-sponsored news websites and blogs offer more content than E- News.
c. E-News partners with other e-content providers, many of which always show numerous ads alongside their content.
d. For regions of the country that lack adequate internet coverage, switching to an online subscription website is not logical.
e. E-News recently announced it would sell some of its content to ad-supported websites and print newspapers.
5. The latest movie by a certain director gets bad reviews before it opens in theatres. Consequently, very few people go to the movie and the director is given much less money to make his next movie, which is also unsuccessful.
What can be inferred from this scenario? a. This director makes terrible movies.
b. The general public does not pay attention to movie reviews. c. The movie reviewers were right about the first movie.
d. Movie reviewers exert influence on the movie quality. e. The director will not make another movie.
6. The cost of producing radios in Country Q is ten percent less than the cost of producing radios in Country Y. Even after transportation fees and tariff charges are added, it is still cheaper for a company to import radios from Country Q to Country Y than to produce radios in Country Y.
The statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions? a. Labor costs in Country Q are ten percent below those in Country Y.
b. (Importing radios from Country Q to Country Y will eliminate ten percent of the manufacturing jobs in Country Y.
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c. The tariff on a radio imported from Country Q to Country Y is less than ten percent of the cost of manufacturing the radio in Country Y.
d. The fee for transporting a radio from Country Q to Country Y is more than ten percent of the cost of manufacturing the radio in Country Q. e. It takes ten percent less time to manufacture a radio in Country Q than it
does in Country Y.
7. It is said that it is very necessary for the girls to work out daily to stay fit and healthy as compared to the boys because, their more muscle mass helps them in burning calories faster and lose weight easily.
The statement above would be weakened if it were true that
a. Girls have more muscle mass as compared to the guys and hence they can lose weight easily and remain healthy.
b. It is not necessary for the guys to work out at all because they are very strong.
c. Guys are more active than girls and so they do not find it necessary to work out.
d. Girls should work out daily because they are not as strong as the guys.
e. Boys have more muscle mass and hence they burn more calories as compared to the girls and remain healthy.
8. Statistics show that in comparison to the deaths caused due to diseases like HIV, alcohol as well as accidents, suicides and murders, majority of them are dying because of tobacco consumption.
The statement above would be weakened if it were true that
a. More number of people are dying because of (HIV)human immune deficiency virus infection.
b. Tobacco is not consumed at all by any person in the world. c. More number of people is addicted to alcohol consumption.
d. People prefer to consume tobacco rather than committing suicide.
e. You should not consume alcohol and tobacco if you do not want to harm your body.
9. Coronary heart disease caused by the consumption of tobacco is the main reason for the death of majority of people in the United States.
From which of the following can the statement above be most properly inferred? a. Consumption of tobacco leads to coronary heart disease which results in
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b. Majority of people in the United States die because of coronary heart disease.
c. Majority of people in the United States die because of tobacco consumption. d. Coronary heart disease is a fatal disease that means it can lead to death. e. You will die if you consume tobacco in United States.
10. You should not mention anything about the salary requirements in the cover letters and the resumes until it is asked to be included by the employer. From which of the following can the statement above be most properly inferred? a. Unless the employer has asked you to mention your salary expectations you
must not include anything about it in your resume or the cover letter.
b. Employers often reject those candidates who mention their salary expectations in their cover letters or resumes unnecessarily.
c. It is not at all professional to mention your salary expectations in your cover letters and resumes unless it is asked.
d. It is good to mention the expected salary in your cover letter and resume. e. Do not mention anything related to salary in your resume and cover letter. 11. If you are not extra-vigilant, you can fall prey to temptation and find yourself spending your hard-earned money at a store online. There are many tips you can use to help avoid the temptation to overspend online.
The argument above assumes that
a. Majority of people fall prey to online shopping very easily
b. You must try to avoid the temptation to overspend online because it is very addictive.
c. Online shopping is better than onsite shopping.
d. There are many tips you can use to help avoid the temptation to overspend online.
e. You can fall prey to temptation and find yourself spending your hard-earned money at a store online if you are not very vigilant.
12. Recent dental research shows that bacteria around the gum line produces a substance that in sufficient amounts can induce preterm labor in pregnant women and can cause heart disease by clogging arteries. Both medical outcomes add to payouts by health insurers to medical-service providers. The bacteria is best removed by a dentist or trained hygienist during a routine cleaning. One health insurer has calculated that it can reduce its payouts by reimbursing subscribers who are either pregnant or at high risk of developing heart disease for the cost of one professional dental cleaning per year.
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Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the assertion that the insurer's payouts to medical-service providers will decrease if it implements the reimbursement plan described above?
a. Dental-hygiene regimens such as brushing or flossing can slow the accumulation of the bacteria-produced substance.
b. Pregnant women typically crave sugary foods, which are proven to contribute to tooth decay.
c. The risk of developing heart disease is greater for individuals with a family history of heart disease than for those with no such history.
d. Individuals are generally less likely to postpone or forego inexpensive or free dental procedures than expensive ones.
e. The dental health of pregnant women and heart-disease patients, as a group, is similar to those of the general population.
13. The skin around the knees and elbows is thicker as compared to other body parts and therefore it tends to have more pigment than the rest of our body. From which of the following can the statement above be most properly inferred? a. In comparison to the rest of our body, the skin around the knees and elbows
is thicker and stronger.
b. In comparison to the rest of our body, the skin around the knees and elbows is very dirty.
c. In comparison to the rest of our body, the skin around the knees and elbows is very fair and strong.
d. In comparison to the rest of our body, the skin around the knees and elbows is very weak.
e. In comparison to the rest of our body, the skin around the knees and elbows is thicker and tends to have more pigment.
14. My neighbor's dogs bark and howl every time their owner lets them outside. My CPA told me that dogs tend to bark and howl when they see birds resting in the top branches of their favorite trees. I personally believe they bark and howl because they enjoy disrupting my meditations.
Which of the following conclusions can be properly drawn from the preceding passage?
a. The dogs must be abused by their owners.
b. The dogs' owners do not make efforts to stop the dogs from barking and howling.
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c. There are many pedestrians who walk by this neighbor's house, and the dogs are starving for attention.
d. The dogs frequently see birds in the tops of their favorite trees. e. The dogs will bark and howl at 3 a.m. if they are outside at that time. 15. Which of the following best completes the passage below?
In a survey of job applicants, two-fifths admitted to being at least a little dishonest. However, the survey may underestimate the proportion of job applicants who are dishonest, because____.
a. some dishonest people taking the survey might have claimed on the survey to be honest
b. some generally honest people taking the survey might have claimed on the survey to be dishonest
b. some people who claimed on the survey to be at least a little dishonest may be very dishonest
c. some people who claimed on the survey to be dishonest may have been answering honestly