GMAT Verbal Intensive Batch

CR Session 3
1. Farmer: In this world, you are either rich or poor, and you are either honest or
dishonest. All poor farmers are honest. Therefore, all rich farmers are dishonest.
The farmer’s conclusion is properly drawn if the argument assumes that
A. every honest farmer is poor.
B. every honest person is a farmer.
C. everyone who is dishonest is a rich farmer.
D. everyone who is poor is honest.
E. every poor person is a farmer.
2. No chordates are tracheophytes, and all members of Pteropsida are
tracheophytes. So no members of Pteropsida belong to the family Hominidae.
The conclusion above follows logically if which one of the following is
assumed?
A. All members of the family Hominidae are tracheophytes.
B. All tracheophytes are members of Pteropsida.
C. No members of the family Hominidae are chordates.
D. No chordates are members of Pteropsida.
E. All members of the family Hominidae are chordates.
3. Some students attending a small university with a well-known choir live off
campus. From the fact that all music majors are members of the choir, a professor
in the music department concluded that none of the students who live off campus
is a music major.
The professor’s conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following
is assumed?
A. None of the students who are music majors has failed to join the choir.
B. Some of the students who do not live off campus are not music majors.
C. All students who live on campus are music majors.
D. All students who are members of the choir are music majors.
E. None of the students who live off campus is a member of the choir.
4. Any fruit that is infected is also rotten. No fruit that was inspected is infected.
Therefore, any fruit that was inspected is safe to eat.
The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the
following is assumed?
A. It is not safe to eat any fruit that is rotten.
B. It is safe to eat any fruit that is not rotten.
C. It would have been safe to eat infected fruit if it had been inspected.
D. It is not safe to eat any fruit that is infected.
E. It is safe to eat any fruit that is uninfected.
5. Every student who walks to school goes home for lunch. It follows that some
students who have part-time jobs do not walk to school.
The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the
following is assumed?
A. Some students who do not have part-time jobs go home for lunch.
B. Every student who goes home for lunch has a part-time job.
C. Some students who do not have part-time jobs do not go home for lunch.
D. Some students who do not go home for lunch have part-time jobs.
E. Every student who goes home for lunch walks to school.
6. All cattle ranchers dislike long winters. All ski resort owners like long winters
because long winters mean increased profits.
Which one of the following statements, if assumed, most supports the
conclusion that no ski resort owners are lawyers?
A. Some cattle ranchers are lawyers.
B. Some people who dislike long winters are not cattle ranchers.
C. All lawyers are cattle ranchers.
D. All people who dislike long winters are cattle ranchers.
E. All people with increasing profits own ski resorts.
7. Magazine editor: I know that some of our regular advertisers have been pressuring us to give favorable mention
to their products in our articles, but they should realize that for us to yield to their wishes would actually be against
their interests. To remain an effective advertising vehicle, we must have loyal readership, and we would soon lose
that readership if our readers suspect that our editorial integrity has been compromised by pandering to
advertisers.

The magazine editor’s conclusion that yielding to the wishes of the advertisers would actually be against
their interests assumes which one of the following?

A. A magazine editor should never be influenced in the performance of his or her professional duties by the wishes of
the companies that regularly advertise in the magazine.
B. The magazine can sometimes give some favorable mention in its articles to its regular advertisers without
compromising its reputation for editorial integrity.
C. Favorable mention of their products in the magazine’s articles is of less value to the advertisers than is the
continued effectiveness of the magazine as an advertising vehicle.
D. Giving favorable mention to a product in a magazine article is a more effective form of advertisement than is an
explicit advertisement for the product in the same magazine.
E. Carrying paid advertisements can never pose any threat to the magazine’s reputation for editorial integrity nor to
the loyalty of its readership.
8. Spectroscopic analysis has revealed the existence of frozen nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide on the surface
of Pluto. Such ices have a tendency to vaporize, producing an atmosphere. Since the proportion of any gas in such
an atmosphere depends directly on how readily the corresponding ice vaporizes, astronomers have concluded that
the top three components of Pluto’s atmosphere are nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane, in order of
decreasing abundance.

The astronomers’ argument relies on which one of the following assumptions?

A. There is no more frozen nitrogen on the surface of Pluto than there is either frozen carbon monoxide or methane.
B. Until space probes reach Pluto, direct analysis of the atmosphere is impossible.
C. There is no frozen substance on the surface of Pluto that vaporizes more readily than methane but less readily than
carbon monoxide.
D. Nitrogen is found in the atmosphere of a planet only if nitrogen ice is found on the surface of that planet.
E. A mixture of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane is characteristic of the substances from which the Solar
System formed.
9. Most serious students are happy students, and most serious students go to graduate school. Furthermore, all
students who go to graduate school are overworked.

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

A. Most overworked students are happy students.

B. Some happy students are overworked.
C. All overworked students are serious students.
D. Some unhappy students go to graduate school.
E. All serious students are overworked.
10. Businessperson: Because the parking area directly in front of the building was closed for maintenance today, I was
late to my meeting. If the maintenance had been done on a different day, I would have gotten to the meeting on time.
After finding out that I could not park in that area it took me 15 minutes to find an available parking space, making
me a few minutes late.

The answer to which one of the following questions would be most useful to know in order to evaluate the
reasoning in the businessperson’s argument?

A. What were the reasons for performing maintenance on the parking area directly in front of the building on that
particular day?
B. Were any other of the meeting attendees also late to the meeting because they had difficulty finding parking?
C. What are the parking patterns in the building’s vicinity on days when the parking area in front of the building is
open?
D. Does the businessperson have a tendency to be late to meetings?
E. Was it particularly important that the businessperson not be late to this meeting?
11. When a planetary system forms, the chances that a planet capable of supporting life will be formed are high. The
chances that a large planet the size of Jupiter or Saturn will be formed, however, are low. Without Jupiter and Saturn,
whose gravitational forces have prevented Earth from being frequently struck by large comets that are present
within our planetary system (our solar system), intelligent life would never have arisen on Earth. Since planetary
systems are unlikely to contain any large planets, the chances that intelligent life will emerge on a planet are,
therefore, low.

Knowing which one of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

A. whether all planetary systems are formed from similar types of matter
B. whether intelligent species would be likely to survive if a comet struck their planet
C. whether large comets could be deflected by only one large planet rather than by two
D. how high the chances are that planetary systems will contain any large comets
E. how likely it is that planetary systems containing large planets will also contain planets the size of Earth
12. In most Western countries, parents use medicinal pills to help their children overcome simple viral illnesses such
as the flu. These pills help the children overcome the flu, but they also have the effect of preventing the immune
system from dealing with the viruses themselves, thus not allowing the immune system to fully develop. It is
estimated that an immune system that hasn’t had to handle simple viral diseases such as the flu will be unable to
deal with lethal viral diseases such as Ebola, smallpox or the Dengue virus. Therefore, by giving children pills to
handle simple diseases, parents are actually harming them.

Which of the following would be most useful to determine in order to evaluate the argument above?

A. Whether new pills will be developed that will both defeat simple illnesses and aid the development of the immune
system.
B. What are the most common pills against simple viral illnesses such as the flu.
C. Which viral disease out of Ebola, smallpox and Dengue virus is the most lethal.
D. Whether the lethal viral diseases mentioned are found in Western countries.
E. What percentage of parents in Western countries give their children such pills.
13. When the heart is under duress, it releases proteins known as troponins into the bloodstream. In elite marathoners
and cyclists, troponin levels become so elevated after a race that they are indistinguishable from those observed in
patients who have recently suffered a heart attack. Despite the benefits of exercise, it is evident that too much
running or cycling, even for one day, has a detrimental effect on health.

Which of the following would be most useful to determine to evaluate the argument?

A. What are the troponin levels in elite athletes after a race.

B. What are the troponin levels in patients who recently suffered a heart attack.
C. Whether the body produces any other substances after extended periods of exercise.
D. Whether the body sustains irreversible damage as a result of a long-distance run or bicycle ride.
E. Whether other forms of prolonged cardiovascular exercise, such as swimming, also lead to elevated levels of
troponin in the body.
14. All of the one-way streets in the city have dedicated bike lanes. City buses do not travel on a street if the street has
a dedicated bike lane. Parking is allowed only if streets do not have a dedicated bike lane. City bus number nine
travels the full length of Talisman Avenue.

If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true?

A. Talisman Avenue is a one-way street.

B. Talisman Avenue is not a one-way street.
C. Parking is allowed on Talisman Avenue.
D. Parking is not allowed on Talisman Avenue.
E. Talisman Avenue has a dedicated bike lane.
15. Photovoltaic power plants produce electricity from sunlight. As a result of astonishing recent technological
advances, the cost of producing electric power at photovoltaic power plants, allowing for both construction and
operating costs, is one-tenth of what it was 20 years ago, whereas the corresponding cost for traditional plants,
which burn fossil fuels, has increased. Thus, photovoltaic power plants offer a less expensive approach to meeting
demand for electricity than do traditional power plants.

The conclusion of the argument is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?

A. The cost of producing electric power at traditional plants has increased over the past 20 years.
B. Twenty years ago, traditional power plants were producing 10 times more electric power than were photovoltaic
plants.
C. None of the recent technological advances in producing electric power at photovoltaic plants can be applied to
producing power at traditional plants.
D. Twenty years ago, the cost of producing electric power at photovoltaic plants was less than 10 times the cost of
producing power at traditional plants.
E. The cost of producing electric power at photovoltaic plants is expected to decrease further, while the cost of
producing power at traditional plants is not expected to decrease.
16. The National Association of Fire Fighters says that 45 percent of homes now have smoke detectors, whereas only
30 percent of homes had them 10 years ago. This makes early detection of house fires no more likely, however,
because over half of the domestic smoke detectors are either without batteries or else inoperative for some other
reason.

The argument above depends on which one of the following assumptions?

A. Fifteen percent of domestic smoke detectors were installed less than 10 years ago.
B. The number of fires per year in homes with smoke detectors has increased.
C. Not all of the smoke detectors in homes are battery operated.
D. The proportion of domestic smoke detectors that are inoperative has increased in the past ten years.
E. Unlike automatic water sprinklers, a properly functioning smoke detector cannot by itself increase fire safety in a
home.
17. Oscar: Emerging information technologies will soon make speed of information processing the single most
important factor in the creation of individual, corporate, and national wealth. Consequently, the division of the
world into northern countries—in general rich—and southern countries—in general poor—will soon be obsolete.
Instead, there simply will be fast countries and slow countries, and thus a country’s economic well-being will not
be a function of its geographical position but just a matter of its relative success in incorporating those new
technologies.

Sylvia: But the poor countries of the south lack the economic resources to acquire those technologies and will
therefore remain poor. The technologies will thus only widen the existing economic gap between north and south.

Sylvia’s reasoning depends on the assumption that

A. the prosperity of the rich countries of the north depends, at least in part, on the natural resources of the poor
countries of the south
B. the emergence of new information technologies will not result in a significant net increase in the total amount of
global wealth
C. there are technologies other than information technologies whose development could help narrow the existing
economic gap between north and south
D. at least some of the rich countries of the north will be effective in incorporating new information technologies into
their economies
E. the speed at which information processing takes place will continue to increase indefinitely
18. Kim: Some people claim that the battery-powered electric car represents a potential solution to the problem of air
pollution. But they forget that it takes electricity to recharge batteries and that most of our electricity is generated
by burning polluting fossil fuels. Increasing the number of electric cars on the road would require building more
generating facilities since current facilities are operating at maximum capacity. So even if all of the gasoline-
powered cars on the roads today were replaced by electric cars, it would at best be an exchange of one source of
fossil-fuel pollution for another.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Kim’s argument depends?

A. Replacing gasoline-powered cars with battery-powered electric cars will not lead to a net increase in the total
number of cars on the road.
B. Gasoline-powered cars are currently not the most significant source of fossil-fuel pollution.
C. Replacing gasoline-powered cars with battery-powered electric cars is justified only if electric cars produce less air
pollution.
D. While it is being operated, a battery-powered electric car does not cause any significant air pollution
E. At least some of the generating facilities built to meet the demand for electricity for battery-powered electric cars
would be of a type that burns fossil fuel.
19. Stage performances are judged to be realistic to the degree that actors reproduce on stage the behaviors generally
associated by audiences with the emotional states of the characters portrayed. Traditional actors imitate those
behaviors, whereas Method actors, through recollection of personal experience, actually experience the same
emotions that their characters are meant to be experiencing. Audiences will therefore judge the performances of
Method actors to be more realistic than the performances of traditional actors.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A. Performances based on an actor’s own experience of emotional states are more likely to affect an audience’s
emotions than are performances based on imitations of the behaviors generally associated with those emotional
states.
B. The behavior that results when a Method actor feels a certain emotion will conform to the behavior that is generally
associated by audiences with that emotion.
C. Realism is an essential criterion for evaluating the performances of both traditional actors and Method actors.
D. Traditional actors do not aim to produce performances that are realistic representations of a character’s emotional
states.
E. In order to portray a character, a Method actor need not have had experiences identical to those of the character
portrayed.
20. A company with long-outstanding bills owed by its customers can assign those bills to a collection agency that pays
the company a fraction of their amount and then tries to collect payment from the customers. Since these agencies
pay companies only 15 percent of the total amount of the outstanding bills, a company interested in reducing losses
from long-outstanding bills would be well advised to pursue its debtors on its own.

Which of the following, if assumed, allows the conclusion to be properly drawn?

A. the cost to a company of pursuing its debtors on its own for payment of long-outstanding bills does not exceed 15
percent of the total amount of those bills
B. a company that pursues its debtors on its own typically collects more than 15 percent of the total amount of the
long-outstanding bills that it is owed
C. collection agencies that are assigned bills for collection by companies are unsuccessful in collecting, on average,
only 15 percent of the total amount of those bills
D. at least 15 percent of the customers that owe money to companies eventually pay their bills whether or not those
bills are assigned to a collection agency
E. unless most of the customers of a company pay their bills, that company in the long run will not be profitable