LOGICAL REASONING

Source: https://www.lsac.org/lsat/taking-lsat/test-format/logical-reasoning/logical-
reasoning-sample-questions

1. Laird: Pure research provides us with new technologies that contribute to saving lives.
Even more worthwhile than this, however, is its role in expanding our knowledge and providing
new, unexplored ideas.

Kim: Your priorities are mistaken. Saving lives is what counts most of all. Without pure research,
medicine would not be as advanced as it is.

Laird and Kim disagree on whether pure research

A. derives its significance in part from its providing new technologies

B. expands the boundaries of our knowledge of medicine
C. should have the saving of human lives as an important goal
D. has its most valuable achievements in medical applications
E. has any value apart from its role in providing new technologies to save lives

2. Executive: We recently ran a set of advertisements in the print version of a travel

magazine and on that magazine’s website. We were unable to get any direct information about
consumer response to the print ads. However, we found that consumer response to the ads on
the website was much more limited than is typical for website ads. We concluded that consumer
response to the print ads was probably below par as well.

The executive’s reasoning does which one of the following?

A.bases a prediction of the intensity of a phenomenon on information about

the intensity of that phenomenon’s cause.
B.uses information about the typical frequency of events of a general kind to
 draw a conclusion about the probability of a particular event of that kind
C.infers a statistical generalization from claims about a large number of
specific instances
D.uses a case in which direct evidence is available to draw a conclusion
about an analogous case in which direct evidence is unavailable
E.bases a prediction about future events on facts about recent comparable
events

3. During the construction of the Quebec Bridge in 1907, the bridge’s designer,
Theodore Cooper, received word that the suspended span being built out from the bridge’s
cantilever was deflecting downward by a fraction of an inch (2.54 centimeters). Before he could
telegraph to freeze the project, the whole cantilever arm broke off and plunged, along with
seven dozen workers, into the St. Lawrence River. It was the worst bridge construction disaster
in history. As a direct result of the inquiry that followed, the engineering “rules of thumb” by
which thousands of bridges had been built around the world went down with the Quebec Bridge.
Twentieth-century bridge engineers would thereafter depend on far more rigorous applications
of mathematical analysis.

Which one of the following statements can be properly inferred from the passage?

A. Bridges built before about 1907 were built without thorough mathematical analysis
and, therefore, were unsafe for the public to use.
B.Cooper’s absence from the Quebec Bridge construction site resulted in the breaking
off of the cantilever.
C.Nineteenth-century bridge engineers relied on their rules of thumb because analytical
methods were inadequate to solve their design problems.
D.Only a more rigorous application of mathematical analysis to the design of the Quebec
Bridge could have prevented its collapse.
E.Prior to 1907 the mathematical analysis incorporated in engineering rules of thumb
was insufficient to completely assure the safety of bridges under construction.

4. The supernova event of 1987 is interesting in that there is still no evidence of the
neutron star that current theory says should have remained after a supernova of that size. This
is in spite of the fact that many of the most sensitive instruments ever developed have searched
for the tell-tale pulse of radiation that neutron stars emit. Thus, current theory is wrong in
claiming that supernovas of a certain size always produce neutron stars.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

A.Most supernova remnants that astronomers have detected have a neutron star
nearby.
B.Sensitive astronomical instruments have detected neutron stars much farther away
than the location of the 1987 supernova.
C.The supernova of 1987 was the first that scientists were able to observe in progress.
D.Several important features of the 1987 supernova are correctly predicted by the
current theory.
E.Some neutron stars are known to have come into existence by a cause other than a
supernova explosion.

5.Political scientist: As a political system, democracy does not promote political freedom.
There are historical examples of democracies that ultimately resulted in some of the most
oppressive societies. Likewise, there have been enlightened despotisms and oligarchies that
have provided a remarkable level of political freedom to their subjects.

The reasoning in the political scientist’s argument is flawed because it

A.confuses the conditions necessary for political freedom with the conditions sufficient to
bring it about
B.fails to consider that a substantial increase in the level of political freedom might cause
a society to become more democratic
C.appeals to historical examples that are irrelevant to the causal claim being made
D.overlooks the possibility that democracy promotes political freedom without being
necessary or sufficient by itself to produce it
E.bases its historical case on a personal point of view

6.Journalist: To reconcile the need for profits sufficient to support new drug research
with the moral imperative to provide medicines to those who most need them but cannot afford
them, some pharmaceutical companies feel justified in selling a drug in rich nations at one price
and in poor nations at a much lower price. But this practice is unjustified. A nation with a low
average income may still have a substantial middle class better able to pay for new drugs than
are many of the poorer citizens of an overall wealthier nation.

Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the journalist’s
reasoning?

A.People who are ill deserve more consideration than do healthy people, regardless of
their relative socioeconomic positions.
B.Wealthy institutions have an obligation to expend at least some of their resources to
assist those incapable of assisting themselves.
C.Whether one deserves special consideration depends on one’s needs rather than on
characteristics of the society to which one belongs.
D.The people in wealthy nations should not have better access to health care than do
the people in poorer nations.
E.Unequal access to health care is more unfair than an unequal distribution of wealth.

7.Several critics have claimed that any contemporary poet who writes formal poetry—
poetry that is rhymed and metered—is performing a politically conservative act. This is plainly
false. Consider Molly Peacock and Marilyn Hacker, two contemporary poets whose poetry is
almost exclusively formal and yet who are themselves politically progressive feminists.

The conclusion drawn above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

A.No one who is a feminist is also politically conservative.

B.No poet who writes unrhymed or unmetered poetry is politically conservative.
C.No one who is politically progressive is capable of performing a politically conservative
act.
D.Anyone who sometimes writes poetry that is not politically conservative never writes
poetry that is politically conservative.
E.The content of a poet’s work, not the work’s form, is the most decisive factor in
determining what political consequences, if any, the work will have.
 8.About two million years ago, lava dammed up a river in western Asia and caused a
small lake to form. The lake existed for about half a million years. Bones of an early human
ancestor were recently found in the ancient lake-bottom sediments that lie on top of the layer of
lava. Therefore, ancestors of modern humans lived in western Asia between two million and
one-and-a-half million years ago.

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

A.There were no other lakes in the immediate area before the lava dammed up the river.
B.The lake contained fish that the human ancestors could have used for food.
C.The lava that lay under the lake-bottom sediments did not contain any human fossil
remains.
D.The lake was deep enough that a person could drown in it.
E.The bones were already in the sediments by the time the lake dried up.

9. In jurisdictions where use of headlights is optional when visibility is good, drivers who
use headlights at all times are less likely to be involved in a collision than are drivers who use
headlights only when visibility is poor. Yet Highway Safety Department records show that
making use of headlights mandatory at all times does nothing to reduce the overall number of
collisions.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the
information above?

A.In jurisdictions where use of headlights is optional when visibility is good, one driver in
four uses headlights for daytime driving in good weather.
B.A law making use of headlights mandatory at all times is not especially difficult to
enforce.
C.Only very careful drivers use headlights when their use is not legally required.
D.There are some jurisdictions in which it is illegal to use headlights when visibility is
good.
E.The jurisdictions where use of headlights is mandatory at all times are those where
daytime visibility is frequently poor.
 10.The Venetian Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio used sumptuous reds in most of
his paintings. Since the recently discovered Venetian Renaissance painting Erato Declaiming
contains notable sumptuous reds, it is probably by Carpaccio.

Which one of the following contains a pattern of flawed reasoning most similar to that in
the argument above?

A.Most Renaissance painters worked in a single medium, either tempera or oil. Since
the Renaissance painting Calypso's Bower is in oil, its painter probably always used oil.
B.In Italian Renaissance painting, the single most common subject was the Virgin and
Child, so the single most common subject in Western art probably is also the Virgin and
Child.
C.Works of art in the Renaissance were mostly commissioned by patrons, so the
Renaissance work The Dances of Terpsichore was probably commissioned by a patron.
D.The anonymous painting St. Sebastian is probably an early Florentine painting since it
is in tempera, and most early Florentine paintings were in tempera.
E.Since late-Renaissance paintings were mostly in oil, the Venetian late-Renaissance
painter Arnoldi, whose works are now lost, probably painted in oil.

11. Jason: You shouldn’t smoke so much, Honey. Smoking is not really good for your
lungs.
Kathy: Darling, I don’t agree with you. I have been smoking for twenty years now, and I
have not developed emphysema.

Which of the following responses would best strengthen and explain Jason’s argument?

A. If you keep smoking, you may find that your cigarette consumption will keep
increasing in the future.
B. Smoking does not always develop emphysema.
C. Developing emphysema is not the only reason why smoking is not good for a person.
D. Many persons who smoke as much as Kathy does develop emphysema.

Source: http://www.west.net/~stewart/lsat/lsat-lr1.htm
 12. Struthers College has built its reputation for academic excellence largely on
significant contributions from wealthy alumni who are avid fans of the school’s football team.
Although the team has won more national championships over the years than any other team in
its division, this year it did not even win the division title, and so Struthers College can expect to
see a decline in alumni contributions next year.
The above argument relies on which of the following assumptions about Struthers
College?

A.The college’s reputation for academic excellence depends on the performance of its
football team.
B.Contributions from alumni are needed for the college to produce a winning football
team.
C.Struthers alumni contributions depend to an extent on a winning record by the
college's football team.
D.The college’s football team will continue its losing streak next year.
E.As a group, the college’s alumni will have at least as much discretionary money to give
away next year as this year.

13. 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.

Which of the following, if true, most stongly 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.Individuals are generally less likely to postpone or forego inexpensive or free dental
procedures than expensive ones.
 C.Pregnant women typically crave sugary foods, which are proven to contribute to tooth
decay.
D.The risk of developing heart disease is greater for individuals with a family history of
heart disease than for those with no such history.
E.The dental health of pregnant women and heart-disease patients, as a group, is
similar to that of the general population.

14. Diane: As we both know, the population of this country is aging. Elderly people
generally prefer not to live in harsh climates characterized by extreme temperatures.
Accordingly, in this country's coastal regions, where the climate is generally most temperate, the
population is likely to grow, while other regions are likely to suffer population declines.

Paul: I disagree. With few exceptions, regions where the climate is harsh are
characterized by comparatively low living costs, a compelling factor for retired people with little
savings and on fixed incomes.

Which of the following is the most likely point of disagreement between Diane and Paul?

A.the reason for the population shift toward coastal areas and away from other regions
B.whether the country's current decline in overall population will continue into the
forseeable future
C.why older people find certain regions where the climate is harsh attractive places to
live
D.whether regions characterized by harsh climates are likely to experience population
declines in the foreseeable future
E.the extent to which coastal regions are affordable places to live for retired people

15. An avid television viewer is statistically more likely to take sleeping pills at bedtime
than a person who enjoys listening to classical music but does not watch television as a habit.
Clearly, listening to classical music just before bedtime contributes to a more restful night’s
sleep, whereas watching television before bedtime has the opposite effect.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the above argument?
 A.People who enjoy classical music typically like to read just before bedtime.
B.Reading a book before bedtime contributes to restful sleep more than listening to
music does.
C.Sleeplessness is more common among people who watch late-night television than
among people who do not.
D.Engaging in a bedtime activity that is mentally stimulating often interferes with a
person’s ability to fall asleep.
E.A silent environment is less conducive to restful sleep than an environment with
calming ambient sounds.

16. It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong antibiotics fail to kill
the bacteria that live in such wounds. However, many physicians have succeeded in eliminating
bacteria from deep wounds by packing the wound with a sweet substance like sugar.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why treating deep wounds with
sugar as described above is successful?

A.Bacteria that live in deep wounds thrive in a moist environment, and sugar has a
dehydrating effect.
B.Sugar that is nearly pure is readily available for use in medical treatments.
C. Many kinds of bacteria can use sugar as a nutrient and will reproduce rapidly when
sugar is available to them.
D.Some foods that contain sugar can weaken the effects of certain antibiotics.
E. Strong antibiotics were developed only recently, but the use of sugar as a treatment
for wounds dates back to ancient times.

17. People who are red/green color-blind cannot distinguish between green and brown.
Gerald cannot distinguish between green and brown. Therefore Gerald is red/green color-blind.

Which one of the following most closely parallels the reasoning in the argument
presented in the passage?

A.People who are fair-skinned suffer from sunburn. William is fair-skinned. Therefore
William suffers from sunburn.
 B.People who are suffering from sinusitis lose their sense of smell. Mary has lost her
sense of smell. Therefore Mary is suffering from sinusitis.
C. People who have suffered from jaundice cannot become blood donors. Jean is a
blood donor. Therefore Jean has not suffered from jaundice.
D. People who are color-blind cannot become airline pilots. Arthur is color-blind.
Therefore Arthur cannot become an airline pilot.
E. People who are diabetic cannot eat large amounts of sugar. Freda is diabetic.
Therefore Freda is on a special diet.

18. The theory of military deterrence was based on a simple psychological truth, that
fear of retaliation makes a would-be aggressor nation hesitate before attacking and is often
sufficient to deter it altogether from attacking. Clearly, then, to maintain military deterrence, a
nation would have to be believed to have retaliatory power so great that a potential aggressor
nation would have reason to think that it could not defend itself against such retaliation.

If the statements above are true, which one of the following can be properly inferred?

A. A would-be aggressor nation can be deterred from attacking only if it has certain
knowledge that it would be destroyed in retaliation by the country it attacks.
B. A nation will not attack another nation if it believes that its own retaliatory power
surpasses that of the other nation.
C. One nation’s failing to attack another establishes that the nation that fails to attack
believes that it could not withstand a retaliatory attack from the other nation.
D. It is in the interests of a nation that seeks deterrence and has unsurpassed military
power to let potential aggressors against it become aware of its power of retaliatory
attack.
E. Maintaining maximum deterrence from aggression by other nations requires that a
nation maintain a retaliatory force greater than that of any other nation.

19. If Max were guilty, he would not ask the police to investigate. Therefore, his asking
the police to investigate shows that he is not guilty.

The logical structure of the argument above is most similar to which one of the
following?
 A. If Lucille were in the next room, I would not be able to see her. Therefore, the fact tat I
can see her shows that she is not in the next room.
B. If Sam were rich, he would not spend his vacation in Alaska. Therefore, his spending
his vacation in the Bahamas shows that he is rich.
C. If Joe were over 40 he would not want to learn to ski. Therefore, the fact that he does
not want to learn to ski shows that he is over 40.
D. If Mark were a good cook, he would not put cinnamon in the chili. Therefore, the fact
that he is not a good cook shows that he put cinnamon in the chili.
E. If Sally were sociable, she would not avoid her friends. Therefore, the fact that she is
sociable shows that she does not avoid her friends.

20.Fines levied against those responsible for certain environmentally damaging

accidents are now so high that it costs a company responsible for such an accident more to pay
the fine than it would have cost to adopt measures that would have prevented the accident.
Therefore, since businesses value their profits, those that might have such accidents will now
install adequate environmental safeguards.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

A.Businesses generally greatly underestimate the risk of future accidents.

B.Businesses are as concerned with long-term as they are with short-term strategies for
maximizing profits.
C.Businesses generally do the environmentally “right” thing only if doing so makes good
business sense.
D.Businesses treat fines that are levied against them as an ordinary business expense.
E.Businesses are learning to exploit the public’s environmental awareness in promoting
themselves.

21.Historically, monetary systems have developed only in population centers with

marketplaces. Through the fourth century B.C., Mesopotamian cities engaged in trade, but had
never had marketplaces. By that period, however, Greek cities all had marketplaces, or agorae.
The Greek cities’ agorae were centrally located and goods were traded there either for money
or for commodities.
 If all of the statements in the passage are true, then which one of the following must also
be true?

A. In the fourth century B.C., Greek cities were the only population centers with
monetary systems.
B. The development of monetary systems has historically led to the development of
marketplaces.
C. In the fourth century B.C., the Greeks and the Mesopotamians traded with each other.
D. After the fourth century B.C., Mesopotamian cities had marketplaces and monetary
systems
E. The Mesopotamian cities of the fourth century B.C. did not have monetary systems.

SOURCE: BKL PhiLSAT_AA_0317

https://www.philsat.com.ph/files/upload/FINAL_PRACTICE_BOOKLET_V4.pdf

22. Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants has been temporarily stored on-site,
but this is not a satisfactory kind of place for long-range storage. Since no suitable plan of safe
permanent storage of such waste from the nation’s existing and planned nuclear plants has
been devised, some people propose that we should stop trying to develop such a plan and
instead should shut down all present nuclear plants and build no new nuclear plants. The
proposal mentioned above falls short of offering a complete solution to the problem it addresses
because

A. it would prevent the development of safe technologies for producing electric power
B. it does not distinguish between nuclear plants that have, and plants that do not have,
a reputation for operating safely
C. it does not provide for the permanent storage of already-existing waste
D. the generation of electric power from fossil fuels is relatively safe
E. the risks of unsafe disposal of waste from nuclear power plants lie in the future, but
the benefits from such plants are in the present

23. In 1860 Bavarian quarry workers discovered the impression of a feather in a

limestone slab dating to the Mesozoic era. It had previously been assumed that birds developed
only after the close of the Mesozoic era and after the disappearance of pterosaurs, a species
characteristic of that era. But there in limestone lay the imprint of a fully aerodynamic, three-
inch-long feather. This, therefore, must have been the earliest bird—certainly, the earliest found
to that date. The argument assumes which one of the following?

A. The creature to which the feather belonged was a descendant of the pterosaurs.
B. Birds with such feathers were preceded by species of birds with less-developed
feathers.
C. In the Mesozoic era, no creatures other than birds had such feathers.
D. The feather belonged to a Mesozoic creature that was neither a pterosaur nor a bird,
but an intermediate between them.
E. The earliest bird flew in an awkward manner.

24. Studies of brain lateralization in animals have purported to show that, whereas most
human beings are right-handed, about half of any given group of animals will be “left-handed”
(i.e., showing a preference for their left limbs) and half will be “right-handed.” This finding is
suspect, however; it has long been noted that dogs will almost always “shake hands” with the
right paw. Which one of the following, if true, is the strongest defense against the
counterexample of dogs that “shake hands”?

A. Dogs are observed to scratch themselves with the left leg as well as with the right leg.
B. People who observe dogs “shaking hands” are observing a behavior that dogs
perform only with a front paw.
C. Left-handed people sometimes feel inconvenienced or even stigmatized in a “right-
handed world,” but dogs face no analogous difficulties.
D. Dogs that have lost a limb are able to compensate for the loss, regardless of whether
the limb was lost from the right or left side.
E. In learning to perform tricks, dogs are influenced by the behavior of their trainers.

25. A society in which there are many crimes, such as thefts and murders, should not be
called “lawless.” That is an abuse of the meaning of words. As a suffix, “-less” means “without,”
so “lawless” means “without laws.” However, a society that has no laws has no crimes, because
no laws can be broken. A lawless society would, therefore, be a crimeless society. So what
some have termed a lawless society should actually be called “crimeful.”
If the statements in the passage are true, which one of the following must also be true?

A. A society that has laws has crimes.

B. A society that has no crimes has no laws.
C. A society that has many laws has many crimes.
D. A society that has some crimes has some laws.
E. A society that has many crimes has many laws.

For items 5 and 6, refer to the following situation.

A conversation between parents of schoolchildren:

Sam: Have you heard the news? The Principal told me they are raising school fees next year.
Pat: They’re heartless!
Sam: Well, according to him, they’re planning to put up a new science laboratory. I also heard
they’re hiring more teachers next year.
Pat: But why now? Don’t they realize that prices of goods continue to inflate? Do they want us to
suffer?
Sam: I don’t think it’s that, although I have to admit sudden increases can be worrisome. I was
thinking of writing a letter asking for incremental increases.
Pat: I am not sure about that, though. You see, I got to talk to one of the teachers. His salary
didn’t increase in years!

26. Which of the following is the main cause of tension in the conversation above?

A. The teachers demand higher salaries in exchange for better teaching practices.
B. The impending increase in tuition fees creates anxiety among the parents.
C. Parents feel that the school is indifferent to their needs.
D. The expertise of school employees is being questioned.

27. Which of the following arguments is the LEAST relevant to the issue discussed in the
dialogue?

A. The increase in school fees is justified by the establishment of a new laboratory.

 B. An increase in school fees should translate to better salaries for teachers and staff.
C. School fees should not increase because parents are burdened by inflation.
D. Gradual increases in school fees can help ease the parents’ burden.

SOURCE: LSAT PREPTEST 01

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fVVUA3h4IEIJ9QAupzGpJZ31-R0qJwI2/view

For items 7 and 8, refer to the passage below.

Can any research be found to validate the contention that those who spend time
plucking out their gray hairs have more negative attitudes toward the elderly than those
who shrug their shoulders about their gray hairs? Unless a person’s psychopathology
leads him or her to overgeneralize, there is no necessary connection. Certainly it is
reasonable to like the elderly yet dislike the idea of impaired eyesight and hearing.
Furthermore, holding negative attitudes toward older people merely because they are
old is immoral, according to nearly universally accepted ethical standards. But there is
nothing immoral about disliking some concomitants of the aging process.

28. Which one of the following best expresses the main point of the passage?

A. It cannot be assumed that people who dislike some of the physical concomitants of
growing old necessarily have negative feelings toward the elderly.
B. To dislike some of the physical concomitants growing old is reasonable, while to
dislike the elderly is immoral.
C. Since no one likes the physical concomitants of growing old, it is wrong to dislike the
elderly merely because of their physical characteristics.
D. Being elderly is fine, but the process of becoming elderly is not; and people need
tounderstand the distinction between the two.
E. To dislike the elderly is immoral, and to do so just because one dislikes some of the
physical concomitants of growing old is unreasonable.

29. In order to advance her point of view, the author does all of the following EXCEPT

A. dismiss an assertion as unfounded

 B. appeal to reason
C. appeal to a general principle
D. discredit a common stereotype about the elderly
E. make a distinction about attitudes

30. Mr. Blatt: Expert consultants are sought after by management because they help
executives make better decisions. That is why they are worth the substantial fees they charge.

Ms. Fring: Nonsense. Expert consultants are hired in order to enable executives to avoid
responsibility. The more the experts cost, the more they can be blamed when things go wrong.

Which one of the following, if it occurred, would be the strongest evidence favoring Ms. Fring’s
position over Mr. Blatt’s position?

A. A company that is trying to decide whether to move its manufacturing plant hires an
expensive expert to conduct a cost/benefit analysis.
B. Two competing companies faced with very similar problems adopt different solutions,
one with the help of a consultant, one without.
C. A successful firm of expert consultants seeks to increase its volume of business by
reducing its fees, but its volume of business drops.
D. An expert consultant builds up a successful business by charging clients a substantial
percentage of the amount an independent assessor judges that the consultant saved the
company.
E. A company follows a consultant’s advice to open two new stores, but both stores are
only marginally profitable at first.

31. In the United States proven oil reserves—the amount of oil considered extractable
from known fields—are at the same level as they were ten years ago. Yet over this same period
no new oil fields of any consequence have been discovered, and the annual consumption of
domestically produced oil has increased. Which one of the following, if true, best reconciles the
discrepancy described above?

A. Over the past decade the annual consumption of imported oil has increased more
rapidly than that of domestic oil in the United States.
 B. Conservation measures have lowered the rate of growth of domestic oil consumption
from what it was a decade ago.
C. Oil exploration in the United States has slowed due to increased concern over the
environmental impact of such exploration.
D. The price of domestically produced oil has fallen substantially over the past decade.
E. Due to technological advances over the last decade, much oil previously considered
unextractable is now considered extractable.

32. Historically, monetary systems have developed only in population centers with
marketplaces. Through the fourth century B.C., Mesopotamian cities engaged in trade, but had
never had marketplaces. By that period, however, Greek cities all had marketplaces, or agorae.
The Greek cities’ agorae were centrally located and goods were traded there either for money
or for commodities.
If all of the statements in the passage are true, then which one of the following must also be
true?

A. In the fourth century B.C., Greek cities were the only population centers with
monetary systems.
B. The development of monetary systems has historically led to the development of
marketplaces.
C. In the fourth century B.C., the Greeks and the Mesopotamians traded with each other.
D. After the fourth century B.C., Mesopotamian cities had marketplaces and monetary
systems.
E. The Mesopotamian cities of the fourth century B.C. did not have monetary systems.

SOURCE: BKL PhiLSAT_AA_0317

Link: https://www.philsat.com.ph/files/upload/FINAL_PRACTICE_BOOKLET_V4.pdf

33. Jason: You shouldn’t smoke so much, Honey. Smoking is not really good for your
lungs.
Kathy: Darling, I don’t agree with you. I have been smoking for twenty years now, and I have not
developed emphysema.
Which of the following responses would best strengthen and explain Jason’s argument?
 A. If you keep smoking, you may find that your cigarette consumption will keep
increasing in the future.
B. Smoking does not always develop emphysema.
C. Developing emphysema is not the only reason why smoking is not good for a person.
D. Many persons who smoke as much as Kathy does develop emphysema.

34. If a boy grew up in Manila, then he is street smart. This statement can be deduced
logically from which of the following statements?

A. Every street smart boy grew up in Manila or another city.

B. The boy in the statement is either street smart or appears remarkably to be street
smart.
C. There is no boy who grew up in Manila who is not street smart.
D. The majority of boys who grew up in Manila are street smart.

For items 14 and 15, refer to the following speech.

My dear graduates, I implore you at this moment to use your talents and skills in improving our
motherland. I beg of you: if you really do love this country, then you will not work or do business
elsewhere. Don’t you know that there are millions of starving mouths to feed in our borders?
Take a look at Cuba. For years, her doors were closed from the outside world, and yet, she is
able to provide free medical services to her citizens. If Cuba made it, then so can we. I am sure
that if you use your creativity and passion in our country, things will surely get better. Whether
you admit it or not, working elsewhere equals abandonment of the land that fed you for the
longest time.

35. Which of the following statements accurately depicts the bias of the graduation
speaker?

A. Investing locally is the best way to help the poor of the speaker’s country.
B. The graduates will have to study and employ Cuba’s example for their country to
improve.
C. Leaving the country is fine as long as one returns to render service or goods.
D. Love for country cannot be expressed if one goes abroad to work.
 36. Which of the statements below depicts a logical flaw in the speech?

A. The ones who are graduating possess talents and skills.

B. Those who leave the country to work are not patriotic.
C. Cuba has successfully made available medical services to her citizens.
D. There are several poor people in the country where the speaker and graduates
belong.

37. Only Golden Harvest Beer has a biting effervescent taste that gives you that all-night
relaxed feeling. If this advertising claim is true, which of the following propositions CANNOT be
true?

I. Maharlika Beer is a more popular beer than Golden Harvest Beer.

II. Sultana Beer gives you that all-night relaxed feeling.
III. Golden Harvest Cola has that biting effervescent taste of the Golden Harvest Beer.

A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

For items 17 and 18, refer to the following speech.

A privileged speech by a lawmaker against the distribution of contraceptives in schools:

Greetings, fellow citizens! Today, I stand before you to express my disapproval of the proposed
distribution of contraceptives in schools to prevent teenage pregnancy. First of all, schools are
built not just to train our kids in academics but also to instill positive values among the youth.
Hence, distributing contraceptives is tantamount to suggesting to our young ones that
promiscuity is permissible. Furthermore, these kids are sent to school by their parents who
dream of giving them the best life possible. Wouldn’t parents also be dismayed by this move?
They sent their kids to school to study and not to engage in immoral acts.

38. What form of argumentation did the lawmaker use in his speech?
 A. Post hoc – Two things happening one after another, and it is assumed that these two
are connected.
B. Straw man – Refuting an argument by raising an irrelevant issue.
C. Sweeping generalization – Coming up with a conclusion based on a limited number of
examples.
D. Ad hominem – Attacking the person who proposed the argument instead of the
argument itself.

39. Which of the following statements is most logically sound?

A. Schools are built not just for academics but also to nurture values.
B. Distributing contraceptives promote sexual promiscuity.
C. The government becomes insensitive to parents when contraceptives are distributed.
D. Parents will get angry if contraceptives are distributed in schools.

40. One way to determine whether or not a social practice is morally correct is to see if it
is either permitted or required by the principle of equality. To say that a social practice is
permitted is to say that its institution will not violate the moral principle. To say that it is required
is to say that we must institute such a practice if we are to act in a morally correct way.
According to that principle, equals must be treated as equals, while unequals must be treated
unequally, in proportion to their differences.

The author of this passage would most likely agree that ________________________.

A. race is relevant in the hiring of teachers in a predominantly Chinese exclusive school

B. women cannot be as good as or better than men in politics or diplomacy
C. it is in the best interest of society that social institutions be nonegalitarian in order to
avoid direct competition between men and women
D. young children cannot be given the same rights and responsibilities as adults

For items 20 to 23, refer to the following conditions.

I. Mr. Cruz bought a small printing business of his friend who was migrating to Canada. He
needed to familiarize himself with the business, so he decided to start on a small scale and hire
a team of only four, all of whom are former employees of his friend. He needed at least two to
operate the printing press machine, with the other two as binder and collator.
II. The applicants for operator are Simon, Josh, and Mike. The applicants for binder and collator
are Eric, Charlie, Fred, and Harry.
III. During a talk with his friend, Mr. Cruz found out that Fred and Harry do not work well
together, Josh dislikes Eric, and Simon has a long-standing feud with Fred. He must therefore
choose the right combination of four people to avoid future frictions.

41. If Harry is chosen, which of the following combinations CANNOT be chosen to form
the team?
A. Simon, Josh, and Charlie
B. Simon, Mike, and Eric
C. Simon, Mike, and Charlie
D. Josh, Mike, and Eric

42. If Fred is chosen, who among the following groups of applicants should be employed
as the three other members of the team?
A. Josh, Mike, and Charlie
B. Mike, Eric, and Charlie
C. Harry, Mike, and Eric
D. Simon, Josh, and Charlie

43. If Josh is hired and Mike is not, which of the following statements must be true?

I. Harry will be a member of the team.

II. Charlie will be a member of the team.

A. I only
B. II only
C. Both I and II
D. Neither I nor II
 44. If Eric is chosen as a binder, which of the following could be the other three
members of the team? I. Simon, Mike, and Charlie II. Simon, Mike, and Fred III. Simon, Mike,
and Harry

A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III