SET-2

15 Minutes 8 Questions

1. Mannis Corporation’s archival records are stored in an obsolete format that is accessible
only by its current computer system; thus they are inaccessible when that system is not
functioning properly. In order to avoid the possibility of losing access to their archival
records in the case of computer malfunction, Mannis plans to replace its current
computer system with a new system that stores records in a format that is accessible to
several different systems.
The answer to which of the following questions would be most helpful in evaluating the
effectiveness of the plan as a means of retaining access to the archival records?
(A) Will the new computer system require fewer operators than the current system
requires?
(B) Has Mannis Corporation always stored its archival records in a computerized format?
(C) Will the new computer system that Mannis plans ensure greater security for the
records stored than does Mannis’ current system?
(D) Will Mannis’ current collection of archival records be readily transferable to the new
computer system?
(E) Will the new computer system be able to perform many more tasks than the current
system is able to perform?

ANSWER: D

A Will the new computer system require fewer operators than the current system requires?
>> Except the accessability, other things are not discussed in passage and so not
necessary.
B Has Mannis Corporation always stored its archival records in a computerized format?
>> This contradicts with statement "archival records are stored in an obsolete format that
is accessible only by its current computer system"
C Will the new computer system that Mannis plans ensure greater security for the records
stored than does Mannis' current system?
>> Security is not discussed in the passage
D Will Mannis' current collection of archival records be readily transferable to the new
computer system?
>> Yes. This will evaluate the effectiveness of the plan. Because of the archival records
are not readily transfarrable, then possibility of losing access to their archival records in
the case of computer malfunction will continue until the new system is available.
E Will the new computer system be able to perform many more tasks than the current
system is able to perform?
>> Except the accessability, other things are not discussed in passage and so not
necessary.
2. Last year the worldwide paper industry used over twice as much fresh pulp (pulp made
directly from raw plant fibers) as recycled pulp (pulp made from wastepaper). A paper-
industry analyst has projected that by 2010 the industry will use at least as much recycled
pulp annually as it does fresh pulp, while using a greater quantity of fresh pulp than it did
last year.
If the information above is correct and the analyst’s projections prove to be accurate,
which of the following projections must also be accurate?
(A) In 2010 the paper industry will use at least twice as much recycled pulp as it did last
years.
(B) In 2010 the paper industry will use at least twice as much total pulp as it did last year.
(C) In 2010 the paper industry will produce more paper from a given amount of pulp
than it did last year.
(D) As compared with last year, in 2010 the paper industry will make more paper that
contains only recycled pulp.
(E) As compared with last year, in 2010 the paper industry will make less paper that
contains only fresh pulp.

Answer: A
This is such a good example of a CR question that requires a little bit of Math.
I thought about this question in terms of proportions:
Current proportion- PULP:RECYCLE = 2:1
Future Proportion- PULP:RECYCLE = 1:1
One additional caveat-the amount of pulp used in the future is more than the current amount
used. In summary, The PULP/RECYCLE proportion will be different in the future, and the
ACTUAL amount of pulp will increase too.

So the argument presents 3 conditions that need to be satisfied.

1. The current proportion is 2:1

2. The future proportion will be 1:1
3. The future amount of Pulp will be greater than the Current amount of Pulp.

Next I plugged in numbers

Condition 1
PULP=100
RECYCLE=50
100/50= 2/1

Condition 2 and 3
Future
101/101= 1/1
101>100

This satisfies all the conditions presented in the argument.

Clearly Answer Choice A is the Answer
3. In malaria-infested areas, many children tend to suffer several bouts of malaria before
becoming immune to the disease. Clearly, what must be happening is that those
children’s immune systems are only weakly stimulated by any single exposure to the
malaria parasite and need to be challenged several times to produce an effective immune
response.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the explanatory hypothesis?
(A) Immediately after a child has suffered a bout of malaria, the child’s caregivers tend
to go to great lengths in taking precautions to prevent another infection, but this
level of attention is not sustained.
(B) Malaria is spread from person to person by mosquitoes, and mosquitoes have
become increasingly resistant to the pesticides used to control them.
(C) A certain gene, if inherited by children from only one of their parents, can render
those children largely immune to infection with malaria.
(D) Antimalaria vaccines, of which several are in development, are all designed to work
by stimulating the body’s immune system.
(E) There are several distinct strains of malaria, and the body’s immune response to any
one of them does not protect it against the others.

ANSWER: E
In malaria-infested areas, many children tend to suffer several bouts of malaria before
becoming immune to the disease. Clearly, what must be happening is that those children’s
immune systems are only weakly stimulated by any single exposure to the malaria parasite
and need to be challenged several times to produce an effective immune response.

All others seem out of context or not repleted to the discussion as we need to prove hypothesis
is wrong. For making it wrong we have to find out the option which says the several bouts are
not the same type of malaria but they are of different categories which happen due to exposure
of the malaria parasite. (Of course this reasoning I found after looking into the choices.)
(E) There are several distinct strains of malaria, and the body’s immune response to any
one of them does not protect it against the others.
So there are diff strains of Malaria. If the strains are different then the immunity system also
has to be different accordingly. We can say when the child has not suffered with a particular
strain of malaria it will not have the immunity. So multiple strains lead to several bouts of
malaria .
a. Immediately after a child has suffered a bout of malaria, the child’s caregivers tend to go to
great lengths in taking precautions to prevent another infection, but this level of attention is
not sustained............... IRRELEVANT...............
b.Malaria is spread from person to person by mosquitoes, and mosquitoes have become
increasingly resistant to the pesticides used to control them. ......IRRELEVANT.............
c. A certain gene, if inherited by children from only one of their parents, can render those
children largely immune to infection with malaria...IRRELEVANT.....
d.Antimalaria vaccines, of which several are in development, are all designed to work by
stimulating the bodyтАЩs immune system.....SO WHAT... WE ARE TALKING OF SELF
BUILT IMMUNITY.....
e. There are several distinct strains of malaria, and the bodyтАЩs immune response to any
one of them does not protect it against the others......CORRECT....
4. An advertisement designed to convince readers of the great durability of automobiles
manufactured by the Deluxe Motor Car Company cites as evidence the fact that over half
of all automobiles built by the company since 1970 are still on the road today, compared
to no more than a third for any other manufacturer.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the advertisement’s argument?
(A) After taking inflation into account, a new Deluxe automobile costs only slightly
more than a new model did in 1970.
(B) The number of automobiles built by Deluxe each year has not increased sharply
since 1970.
(C) Owners of Deluxe automobiles typically keep their cars well maintained.
(D) Since 1970, Deluxe has made fewer changes in the automobiles it manufactures than
other car companies have made in their automobiles.
(E) Deluxe automobiles have been selling at relatively stable prices in recent years.

ANSWER: B
This one is definitely B, although D can be quite tempting. Here is a little trick to show
clearly that the answer is B.

The question asks which answer choice strengthens the argument that Deluxe automobiles
are more reliable than other cars, due to the fact that a higher percentage of Deluxe cars are
still on the road.

The correct answer will make the conclusion MORE believable. Using a trick to properly
identify assumptions, let's negate the answer choice (make the statement the opposite) to see
if the conclusion becomes LESS believable.

B - The number of automobiles built by deluxe each year HAS not increased sharply since
1970.
If the number of autos has increased sharply in recent years it would be very easy for a
higher percentage to still be on the road so the conclusion that Deluxe autos are more reliable
is much, much LESS believable. B is the correct answer. [also see good explanation from
Connect the Dots above]

D - Since 1970, Deluxe has made fewer MORE changes in the automobiles it manufactures
than other car companies have made in their automobiles.
This is interesting information, but it doesn't make the conclusion less believable. Cars were
chunks of iron with wheels in the 70's and have experienced massive amounts of change over
the years. In fact, we might expect more change from reliable car manufacturers. The amount
of change does not cast doubt on reliability so D is not the correct answer.

Additionally, watch out for time when CR questions discuss both percentages and raw
numbers. Exams love to trap people in the shift between percentages and numbers.
OPTION B EXPLAINED IN DETAIL
All we care about is durability. To what extent Deluxe is meeting demand is irrelevant.

Deluxe has produced some number of cars since 1970, and over half of those cars are still on
the road. Manufacturer B has produced some number of cars since 1970, but only a third are
still on the road.

For now, let's assume that the number of cars produced each year by each company has not
significantly changed since 1970 (i.e. Deluxe produced X cars per year and Manufacturer B
produced Y cars per year). The values of X and Y are irrelevant. Maybe Manufacturer B
produced 10 times as many cars per year as Deluxe. Or maybe Deluxe produced more per
year. Regardless, why are over a half of Deluxe's cars still on the road while only a third of
B's cars are on the road? This data seems to suggest that Deluxe cars are more durable. The
key in this example is that the AVERAGE AGE of cars produced by each company is
approximately the same.

However, what if Deluxe dramatically increased production in the year 2008 while
Manufacturer B kept production constant each year? In that case, the AVERAGE AGE of
Deluxe's post-1970 cars would be much lower than the average age of B's post-1970 cars. In
that case, it would not be fair to compare the proportion of cars still on the road from each
company. We would expect a higher proportion of Deluxe's cars to be on the road because,
on average, their cars are not as old.

Choice (B) tells us that this is NOT the case. Thus, (B) eliminates a scenario that would
weaken the argument. Does (B) PROVE that Deluxe cars are more durable? Of course not--
we could still think of scenarios that would contradict the author's logic. But that's not
important. All we need to do is strengthen the author's argument. By addressing a possible
counter-argument, (B) definitely strengthens the argument.
5. Many state legislatures are considering proposals to the effect that certain policies should
be determined not by the legislature itself but by public referenda in which every voter
can take part. Critics of the proposals argue that the outcomes of public referenda would
be biased, since wealthy special-interest groups are able to influence voters’ views by
means of television advertisements.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the critics’ argument?
(A) Many state legislators regard public referenda as a way of avoiding voting on issues
on which their constituents are divided.
(B) During elections for members of the legislature, the number of people who vote is
unaffected by whether the candidates run television advertisements or not.
(C) Proponents of policies that are opposed by wealthy special-interest groups are often
unable to afford advertising time on local television stations.
(D) Different special-interest groups often take opposing positions on questions of which
policies the state should adopt.
(E) Television stations are reluctant to become associated with any one political opinion,
for fear of losing viewers who do not share that opinion.

ANSWER: C
Many state legislatures are considering proposals to the effect that certain policies should be
determined not by the legislature itself but by public referenda in which every voter can take
part. Critics of the proposals argue that the outcomes of public referenda would be biased,
since wealthy special-interest groups are able to influence voters’ views by means of
television advertisements.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the critics’ argument?

CN: Critics of the proposals argue that the outcomes of public referenda would be biased
(A) Many state legislators regard public referenda as a way of avoiding voting on issues on
which their constituents are divided.
(B) During elections for members of the legislature, the number of people who vote is
unaffected by whether the candidates run television advertisements or not.
(C) Proponents of policies that are opposed by wealthy special-interest groups are often
unable to afford advertising time on local television stations. Only this option says others do
not have access to TV ad so public's vote will definitely be biased
(D) Different special-interest groups often take opposing positions on questions of which
policies the state should adopt.
(E) Television stations are reluctant to become associated with any one political opinion, for
fear of losing viewers who do not share that opinion.
6. Advertisement: Of the many over-the-counter medications marketed for the relief of
sinus headache. SineEase costs the least per dose. And SineEase is as effective per dose
as the most effective of those other medications. So for relief from sinus headaches,
SineEase is the best buy.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
(A) Most of the over-the-counter medications marketed for the relief of sinus headache
are equally effective per dose in providing such relief.
(B) Many of the over-the-counter medications marketed for the relief of sinus headache
contain the same active ingredient as SineEase.
(C) People who suffer from frequent sinus headaches are strongly advised to consult a
doctor before taking any over-the-counter medication.
(D) An over-the-counter medication that is marketed for the relief of symptoms of head
cold is identical in composition to SineEase but costs less per dose.
(E) The per dose price for any given over-the-counter medication marketed for the relief
of sinus headache is higher for smaller packages than it is for larger packages.

Answer: D
What differentiates or makes Sinease best buy?
1.It is Cheaper than the rest.
2. It is as effective as the best one available.
D counters the argument-
1. This other drug has identical composition = so it may be as effective as Sinease for Sinus
Headache
2. It not only heals Sinus Headache but also head cold ( we do not need to know what is head
cold or Sinus )
3. It is cheaper
4. So effectively, it can be used for two purposes and it still costs less.

When we are asked to weaken an argument, we need to create a doubt not necessarily make
the argument wrong.
Option-wise:
A. Most of the over the counter medications marketed for the relief of sinus headache are
equally effective per dose in providing such relief. - states what we already knew. the
question stem already tells us that the OTC medicines are as effective as the Sinease
medicine, so this is basically saying B=A after the question says A=B (make sense?)
B. Many of the over the counter medications marketed for the relief of sinus headache
contain the same active ingredient as sinease does. - ok, so its the same, and its as effective,
we already know that, won't make a difference
C. People who suffer from frequent sinus headaches are strongly advised to consult a doctor
before taking any over the counter medications. - irrelevant
D. An over the counter medication that is marketed for the relief of symptoms of head
cold is identical in composition to sinease but costs less per dose. - So this is 'the one'.
There's an identical drug, and can provide the same relief the Sinus does (the question states
that Sinus is the best buy for sinus headaches - clearly this one is better as its cheaper. Hence
the correct answer is D.
E. The per dose price for any given over the counter medication marketed for the relief of
sinus headache is higher for smaller packages than it is for larger packages. - nope
irrelevant
7. In the United States, vacationers account for more than half of all visitors to what are
technically called “pure aquariums” but for fewer than one quarter of all visitors to zoos,
which usually include a “zoo aquarium” of relatively modest scope.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the difference described above
between visitors to zoos and visitors to pure aquariums?
(A) In cities that have both a zoo and a pure aquarium, local residents are twice as likely
to visit the aquarium as they are to visit the zoo.
(B) Virtually all large metropolitan areas have zoos, whereas only a few large
metropolitan areas have pure aquariums.
(C) Over the last ten years, newly constructed pure aquariums have outnumbered newly
established zoos by a factor of two to one.
(D) People who visit a zoo in a given year are two times more likely to visit a pure
aquarium that year than are people who do not visit a zoo.
(E) The zoo aquariums of zoos that are in the same city as a pure aquarium tend to be
smaller than the aquariums of zoos that have no pure aquarium nearby.

Answer: B
Explanation:
---------------------
(A) In cities that have both a zoo and a pure aquarium, local residents are twice as likely
to visit the aquarium as they are to visit the zoo. ---> This option mentions
only local residents. So, discard it.

(B) Virtually all large metropolitan areas have zoos, whereas only a few large
metropolitan areas have pure aquariums. ---> Well, I could easily figure out this option as
the answer by method of elimination but to provide reasoning as to why this should be
correct, I referred Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (The dictionary you can trust -
30 million copies sold ), which states a vacationer as a holidaymaker (a person who
is visiting a place on holiday/vacation). So, this option makes sense. If few large
metropolitan areas have pure aquariums, then people from other places will have to visit
these areas that have pure aquariums.

(C) Over the last ten years, newly constructed pure aquariums have outnumbered newly
established zoos by a factor of two to one. --->Inconclusive because we don’t have any
idea about the number of zoos and aquariums that were present 10 years back.

(D) People who visit a zoo in a given year are two times more likely to visit a pure
aquarium that year than are people who do not visit a zoo. ---> It only
mentions likelihood (having a high probability) but not certainty. So, we can discard it.

(E) The zoo aquariums of zoos that are in the same city as a pure aquarium tend to be
smaller than the aquariums of zoos that have no pure aquarium nearby. ---> It’s
comparing irrelevant information (zoo aquariums of zoos & aquariums of zoos that have
no pure aquarium nearby).
8. Which of the following, if true, is the most logical completion of the argument below?
The tax system of the Republic of Grootland encourages borrowing by granting its
taxpayers tax relief for interest paid on loans. The system also discourages saving by
taxing any interest earned on savings. Nevertheless, it is clear that Grootland’s tax
system does not consistently favor borrowing over saving, for if it did, there would be
no______
(A) tax relief in Grootland for those portions of a taxpayer’s income, if any, that are set
aside to increase that taxpayer’s total savings
(B) tax relief in Grootland for the processing fees that taxpayers pay to lending
institutions when obtaining certain kinds of loans
(C) tax relief in Grootland for interest that taxpayers are charged on the unpaid balance
in credit card accounts
(D) taxes due in Grootland on the cash value of gifts received by taxpayers from banks
trying to encourage people to open savings accounts
(E) taxes due in Grootland on the amount that a taxpayer has invested in interest-bearing
savings accounts

Answer: A
Argument:
The system taxes the saving, and provides tax relief on borrowing.
However, this policy is not consistently followed because else it wouldn't ...

Now we need to find an option that is opposite to the policy. We need to look for an
option which shows:
- either tax the borrowing
- or tax relief to the saving

(A) tax relief in Grootland for those portions of a taxpayer's income, if any, that are set
aside to increase that taxpayer's total savings
This provides tax relief to increased saving. This is our answer.

(B) tax relief in Grootland for the processing fees that taxpayers pay to lending
institutions when obtaining certain kinds of loans
This provides tax relief in fees for borrowing. Doesn't work.

(C) tax relief in Grootland for interest that taxpayers are charged on the unpaid balance
in credit card accounts
This provides tax relief for interest on unpaid CC balance (borrowing). Doesn't work.

(D) taxes due in Grootland on the cash value of gifts received by taxpayers from banks
trying to encourage people to open savings accounts
This taxes gifts received on trying to save. Doesn't work.

(E) taxes due in Grootland on the amount that a taxpayer has invested in interest-bearing
savings accounts
This taxes amount invested in savings account. Doesn't work.

Answer (A)
ANSWER KEY

1. D 2. A 3. E 4. B 5. C
6. D 7. B 8. A