1.

#Assumption
Campaigning for election to provincial or state office
a candidate spend much time and energy catering to the
ty officials who can help the candidate to win office.
campaign for reelection while they are in office thus
nterests of their local constituencies.

frequently requires that

interests of national par
The elected officials who
often fail to serve the i

Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument?

(A) Catering to the interests of national party officials sometimes conflicts wi
th serving the interests of a provincial or state official s local constituencies.
(B) Only by catering to the interests of national party officials can those who
hold provincial or state office win reelection.
(C) The interests of local constituencies are well served only by elected offici
als who do not cater to the interests of national party officials.
(D) Officials elected to provincial or state office are obligated to serve only
the interests of constituents who belong to the same party as do the officials.
(E) All elected officials are likely to seek reelection to those offices that ar
e not limited to one term.
2.#Assumption
How do the airlines expect to prevent commercial plane crashes? Studies have sho
wn that pilot error contributes to two-thirds of all such crashes. To address th
is problem, the airlines have upgraded their training programs by increasing the
hours of classroom instruction and emphasizing communication skills in the cock
pit. But it is unrealistic to expect such measures to compensate for pilots lack of
actual flying time. Therefore, the airlines should rethink their training appro
ach to reducing commercial crashes.
Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument depends?
(A) Training programs can eliminate pilot errors.
(B) Commercial pilots routinely undergo additional training throughout their car
eers.
(C) The number of airline crashes will decrease if pilot training programs focus
on increasing actual flying time.
(D) Lack of actual flying time is an important contributor to pilot error in com
mercial plane crashes.
(E) Communication skills are not important to pilot training programs.

3.#Assumption
The seventeenth-century physicist Sir Isaac Newton is remembered chiefly for his
treaties on motion and gravity. But Newton also conducted experiments secretly
for many years based on the arcane theories of alchemy, trying unsuccessfully to
transmute common metals into gold and produce rejuvenating elixirs. If the alch
emists of the seventeenth century had published the results of their experiments
, chemistry in the eighteenth century would have been more advanced than it actu
ally was.
Which one of the following assumptions would allow the conclusion concerning eig
hteenth-century chemistry to be properly drawn?
(A) Scientific progress is retarded by the reluctance of historians to acknowled
ge the failures of some of the great scientists.

(B) Advances in science are hastened when reports of experiments, whether succes
sful or not, are available for review by other scientists.
(C) Newton's work on motion and gravity would not have gained wide acceptance if
the results of his work in alchemy had also been make public.
(D) Increasing specialization within the sciences makes it difficult for scienti
sts in one field to understand the principles of other fields.
(E) The seventeenth-century alchemists could have achieved their goals only if t
heir experiments had been subjected to public scrutiny.
4.#Assumption
A new medication for migraine seems effective, but there is concern that the med
ication might exacerbate heart disease. If patients with heart disease take the
medication under careful medical supervision, however, harmful side effects can
definitely be averted. The concern about those side effects is thus unfounded.
The argument depends on which one of the following assumptions?
(A) The new medication actually is effective when taken by patients with heart d
isease.
(B) No migraine sufferers with heart disease will take the new medication except
under careful medical supervision.
(C) Most migraine sufferers who have taken the new medication in trials also had
heart disease.
(D) The new medication has various other side effects, but none as serious as th
at of exacerbating heart disease.
(E) The new medication will displace all migraine medications currently being us
ed.
5.#Assumption
Because of the lucrative but illegal trade in rhinoceros horns, a certain rhinoc
eros species has been hunted nearly to extinction. Therefore an effective way to
ensure the survival of that species would be to periodically trim off the horns
of all rhinoceroses, thereby eliminating the motivation for poaching.
Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
(A) Most poachers who are discouraged from hunting rhinoceroses are not likely t
o hunt other animals for their horns.
(B) At least some rhinoceroses whose horns are periodically trimmed off will be
able to attract mates.
(C) Poachers hunt at lease some immature rhinoceroses whose horns have not yet s
tarted to develop.
(D) The demand for rhinoceros horns will remain constant even if the supply decr
eases after the periodical trimming-off of the rhinoceros horns has begun.
(E) Rhinoceroses whose horns have been trimmed off are unable to defend themselv
es against predators.

6.#Inference
Naturalist: One of the most powerful forces of natural selection is that exercis
ed by individuals in choosing a mate. Among most insects and vertebrates, males
do the courting and females do the choosing. This division of labor makes sense.
Sperm are less costly, energetically speaking, than eggs and are always more ab

undant. All other factors being equal, therefore, a male optimizes his contribut
ion to the gene pool by mating as frequently as possible. On the other hand, a f
emale seeks quality often measured by the physical appearance of the male rather tha
n quantity, because her energy investment in each act of reproduction is typical
ly greater than the male s investment.
Which of the following is a logical consequence of the ideas offered by the auth
or?
a) This explains the sometimes violent skirmishes between males competing for te
rritory.
b) Often, the female of the species has little or no use for the male after conc
eption or fertilization, and in some cases she kills the male.
c) This process of sexual selection is more apt to produce striking visual and o
ther adaptations among males than among females.
d) Therefore, in any given species, the females will outnumber the males.
e) This, in part, explains why breeding females often cluster for protection of
their offspring.
7.#Inference
In Eastland, from 2000 to 2005, the total consumption of fish increased by 4.5 p
ercent, and the total consumption of poultry products increased by 9.0 percent.
During this time, the population of Eastland increased by 6 percent, in part due
to new arrivals from surrounding areas.
Which of the following, if true, can one infer based on the statements above?
A)For new arrivals to Eastland between 2000 and 2005, fish was less likely to be
a major part of families diet than was poultry.
B)In 2005, the residents of Eastland consumed twice as much poultry as fish.
C)The per capita consumption of poultry in Eastland was higher in 2005 than it w
as in 2000.
D)Between 2000 and 2005, both fish and poultry products were a regular part of t
he diet of a significant proportion of Eastland residents.
E)Between 2000 and 2005, the profits of wholesale distributors of poultry produc
ts increased at a greater rate than did the profits of wholesale distributors of
fish.
8.#Inference
The emotional impact of separation on unmarried committed couples is just as great
as the emotional impact of divorce on married couples; in both situations, the
loss of a trusted companion deals an emotional blow of great magnitude. Yet stat
istics show that a person who has separated from his or her partner in even a lo
ng-term non-marital relationship is very likely to enter into another such relat
ionship.
Which one of the following statements represents the most logical inference that
can be drawn from the statements above?
A) People do not base decisions about relationships solely on the threat of thei
r negative emotional impact.
B) People are not likely to enter into serious relationships if they have failed
at them in the past.
C) People are more affected by a divorce from a spouse than they are by the loss
of a friend.
D) People often expect that a breakup from a non-spousal partner will merely be
temporary.

E) People treat their romantic involvements and their friendships quite differen
tly.
9.#Inference
Either Perry s faction or Tucker s faction, but not both, will win control of the go
vernment. If Perry s faction wins, the nation will suffer economically. If Tucker s
faction wins, the nation will suffer militarily.
Given the statements in the passage, which one of the following statements must
be true?
(A) It is possible, but not certain, that the nation will neither suffer economi
cally nor suffer militarily.
(B) If the nation suffers economically, it is certain that Perry s faction has won
control of the government.
(C) It is certain that the nation will suffer either economically or militarily,
and also certain that it will not suffer both.
(D) If the nation suffers militarily, it is possible, but not certain, that Tuck
er s faction has won control of the government.
(E) If the nation suffers both economically and militarily, it is certain that n
either Perry s faction nor Tucker s has won control of the government.
10.#InferentialStrengthening
Dairy farmers in the United States have been paying higher prices each year for
essential components of production, such as feed for the cattle, fuel for farm e
quipment, and electricity for lights and machinery. At the same time, the amount
the farmer receives for the milk, while fluctuating at times, is essentially th
e same as it was five years ago when the components of production were much less
expensive. Many dairy farmers were just able to make a profit five years ago.
The statements above, if true, most strongly support which of the following conc
lusions?
A)Unless they have found other ways to cut expenses, some dairy farmers are no l
onger making a profit.
B)Consumption of milk, cheese, and other dairy products has dropped over the pas
t five years.
C)The price of feed for cattle has risen because of the increased cost of fuel u
sed to power the equipment needed to grow the feed.
D)International supplies of milk have increased, causing the price that U.S. dai
ry farmers are paid for their milk to stay low, despite increased costs of produ
ction.
E)The price paid by the consumer for milk, cheese, and ice cream has not changed
over the past five years.