The Parts of a Logical Reasoning Question

Every Logical Reasoning question contains three separate parts: the stimulus,
the question stem, and the five answer choices. The following diagram
identifies each part:

1. Most serious students are happy students, and most
serious students go to graduate school. Furthermore,========= Stimulus
all students who go to graduate school are
overworked.

Which one of the following can be properly inferred========== Question Stem
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.========= Answer Choices
(E) All serious students are overworked.
The correct answer to the problem on the previous page is answer choice (B). This is not an easy problem, but after you read through our chapter on Formal Logic this question will seem very reasonable.

Practice Logical Reasoning Questions With Answers

Part 5
21. Several legislators claim that the public finds many current movies so sexually
explicit as to be morally offensive. However, these legislators have misrepresented
public opinion. In a survey conducted by a movie industry guild, only 15 percent
of respondents think that movies are too sexually explicit, and only 4 percent found
any recent movie to be morally offensive. These low percentages are telling
because the respondents see far more current movies than does the average moviegoer.
The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that the argument
(A) attempts to undermine the legislators’ credibility instead of addressing their
argument
(B) bases its conclusion on subjective judgments rather than on an objective
criterion of moral offensiveness
(C) fails to consider the possibility that sexually explicit movies increase the
prevalence of antisocial behavior
(D) generalizes from a sample that is unlikely to be representative of public
sentiment
(E) presumes, without providing justification, that the people surveyed based
their responses on a random sampling of movies
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Practice Logical Reasoning Questions
22. Children who are educated at Evans High School tend to do better than children
who are educated at Gilbert T. Sloan High School. Since Samuel achieved higher
grades than any of his classmates in his first year at the university, he was probably
educated at Evans.
Which one of the following most closely parallels the flawed reasoning in the
argument above?
(A) Quarter Horses are usually taller than Appaloosas. Since Dandy Jim Zip is
taller than the other horses in the competition, he must be a Quarter Horse.
(B) When people make more money, they generally are able to accumulate
more wealth.
(C) When children practice piano scales for half an hour each day, they usually
do extremely well at recitals. Since Hannah practices scales for less than a
half an hour a day, she will have difficulty doing well at her recital.
(D) When children have parents who participate in their education, the children
generally do better in school. Therefore, if parents want to help their children
do better in school, they should participate in their children’s education.
(E) When children study math from an early age, they tend to do better in math
in adulthood. Therefore, if you want to do better in math as an adult, you
should study more as a child.
23. Frustration in response to insults is unreasonable, for insults are merely assertions
that someone has undesirable characteristics. If such an assertion is false, the
insulted party ought to pity the ignorance prompting the insult. If it is true, the
insulted party should be thankful for such useful information.
Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the argument’s conclusion to be
properly drawn?
(A) Actions prompted by ignorance do not warrant negative reactions.
(B) Frustration is an unreasonable response to useful information.
(C) Frustration is an unreasonable response to any action that should prompt
pity or gratitude.
(D) Gratitude and pity are reasonable responses to some forms of hostile or
insensitive behavior.
(E) Pity is the only reasonable reaction to people with undesirable characteristics.

Answers and Explanations

Practice Logical Reasoning Questions With Answers

Part 4
16. Having endured a tumultuous childhood, Theresa has no conception of the moral
difference between right and wrong, only between what is legally permitted and
what is not. When Theresa committed her offense, she did not recognize the fact
that it was a morally wrong act, despite knowing that it was illegal.
From the statements above, which one of the following can be properly inferred?
(A) Theresa committed no offense that was not legally permissible.
(B) Theresa did something that was morally wrong.
(C) Moral ignorance is never excusable in the eyes of the law.
(D) Theresa’s childhood could have provided more sufficient moral training
even in the circumstances.
(E) Theresa could now be taught the moral difference between right and
wrong.
17. Jill: Hale-Bopp Comet, now in a part of its orbit relatively far from the Sun,
recently flared brightly enough to be seen by telescopes. No comet has ever been
observed to flare so far from the Sun before, so such a flare must be highly
unusual.
Sara: Hogwash. Usually no one bothers to try to observe comets when they are so
far from the Sun. This flare was observed only because an observatory was tracking
Hale-Bopp Comet very closely.
Sara challenges Jill’s reasoning by
(A) pointing out that Jill’s use of the term “observed” is excessively vague
(B) drawing attention to an inconsistency between two of Jill’s claims
(C) presenting evidence that directly contradicts Jill’s evidence
(D) offering an alternative interpretation of the evidence Jill cites
(E) undermining some of Jill’s evidence while agreeing with her conclusion
18. Psychologist: There are theories that posit completely different causal mechanisms
from those posited by the Smith psychological theory and that are more successful
at predicting human behavior. Therefore, the Smith theory of behavior, no matter
how elegant or complex it is, ought to be abandoned in favor of these other theories.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the psychologist’s argument
depends?
(A) The Smith theory has led to intriguing predictions, which have been shown
to be false, about the causes of human behavior.
(B) A psychological theory with greater predictive success than another is scientifically
preferable.
(C) The Smith theory has had remarkable success in predicting how people will
behave in certain situations.
(D) Measuring the predictive success of a psychological theory always involves
considering other theories that attempt to explain the same phenomena.
(E) Scientific theories become impractical if they posit causal mechanisms
beyond a certain level of complexity.
Questions 19–20
Roland: It is important for us to cut down on our usage of fossil fuels. Therefore, we
must invest in new hybrid technology for vehicles. Hybrid technology will help us
decrease our dependency on fossil fuels. Hybrid vehicles use half the fossil fuels per mile
than other vehicles.
Tomassi: Not true. There are many ways that we can reduce our usage of fossil fuels
without spending money on developing hybrid vehicles.
19. Roland assumes which one of the following?
(A) That drivers who switch from regular vehicles to hybrid vehicles will drive
less than twice as much as they did prior to the switch
(B) That more consumers will be able to afford hybrid vehicles than other types
of vehicles
(C) That all vehicles can be converted to hybrid technology
(D) That hybrid vehicles have the same horsepower as fossil fueled vehicles
(E) That the consumer demand for hybrid vehicles is elastic
20. Tomassi assumes which one of the following?
(A) That other technology is more effective at cutting fossil fuel usage
(B) That consumers will not buy hybrid cars
(C) That hybrid cars are not as durable as non-hybrid cars
(D) That alternate means of reducing fossil fuel consumption will be sufficient
to avert any looming crisis
(E) That hybrid vehicles will not cut down on the usage of fossil fuels if they are
driven for longer distances
Answers and Explanations
16. The best answer is B. This is an inference question. The only selection supported
by the stimulus is answer choice B because it states that Theresa did something
that was morally wrong. This is supported by the statement in the stimulus, “…she
did not recognize the fact that it was a morally wrong act,…” Answer choice A is
incorrect because the stimulus also states that Theresa did know that her actions
were illegal. Answer choice C is incorrect because the stimulus simply does not
provide enough evidence to draw any conclusion about what is or is not never
excused by the law. Likewise, answer choices D and E go far beyond the scope of
the stimulus in discussing what could have happened or what might happen in the
future.
17. The best answer is D. This is a method question. Sara challenges Jill’s conclusion
mainly by pointing out that there might be another reason that such a flare has not
been observed before: No one was looking for one. Sara does not do anything that
is described in any of the other answer choices.
18. The best answer is B. This is an assumption question. Answer choice B is the only
selection that provides the missing link between the stated evidence that other
theories predict behavior better than the Smith theory, and the stated conclusion
that therefore, the Smith theory should be abandoned in favor of those theories.
Answer choice A is incorrect because there is no evidence that the Smith theory
led to predictions that proved to be false. The conclusion is supported even if the
Smith theory did lead to some predictions that proved to be true, so long as the
other theories’ predictions are more predictive. Answer choices C, D, and E are all
irrelevant to the conclusion of the stimulus argument.
19. The best answer is A. This is an assumption question. In order to state that hybrid
vehicles will decrease our dependency on fossil fuels, it must be assumed that
people will drive less than twice as much as they would with non-hybrid vehicles.
Because hybrids use half as much fossil fuel as non-hybrids per mile, if drivers traveled
more than twice as much in hybrids, there would be no net savings. Each of
the other answer choices is irrelevant to the argument.
20. The best answer is D. This is an assumption question. Tomassi concludes that
simply because there are other ways to reduce fossil fuel consumption, it is not
necessary to invest in hybrid vehicles. So, Tomassi must be assuming that the
savings that will be realized from these other means will be enough to make a
switch to hybrid vehicles unnecessary. Each of the other answer choices is irrelevant
to the conclusion.

Next 

Practice Logical Reasoning Questions With Answers

Part 3
11. Carrie: The title of the seminar we just attended, Being a Good Husband, is
misleading. A title should describe all of the contents of a seminar, but nearly half
of this seminar was involved with discussing wives.
Alan: I don’t think the title is misleading. It seems to me that husbands and wives
are two sides of one relationship: marriage. One cannot be a husband without a
wife.
Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the discussion above?
(A) Carrie believes that the seminar should have been titled, Being a Good Wife.
(B) Alan believes that there is no real distinction between the roles of husband
and wife.
(C) Carrie and Alan disagree about the relevance of traditional marriage.
(D) Carrie and Alan disagree about the overall value of the seminar.
(E) Carrie believes that the seminar title should not mention husbands without
mentioning wives.
12. Internet Advertising Executive: Those pundits who claim that TV viewership is
down only 5 percent are clearly incorrect. They clearly haven’t looked at the
numbers that I have. Network A is down 12 percent, Network B is down 10
percent, Network C is down 14 percent, and Network D is down nearly 40
percent.
The reasoning in the executive’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the
grounds that the argument
(A) attacks the character of the pundits rather than addressing their arguments
(B) fails to demonstrate that the pundits mentioned are not experts in the area
of television viewership
(C) incorrectly concludes that something is not true based on the claim that it
has not been demonstrated to be true
(D) draws evidence from only a small pool of available sources, which may be
nonrepresentative
(E) relies upon an emotional appeal in an effort to persuade the listener
13. In 1977, a young wolf was observed entering a cave in pursuit of prey. Soon, other
wolves started entering the cave, and over the next few seasons, this behavior
became the norm for the entire wolf pack. Before 1977, no wolf had been seen
entering or leaving the cave and no signs of wolves were found in the cave. By
2004, the entire pack was spending most of its winters in or near the cave.
Therefore, these wolves are capable of adopting and passing on new behaviors, and
are not merely bound by their genetics.
Which of the following is an assumption required by the argument above?
(A) Genetic mutations in wolves can occur in a fairly short time span, such as a
few decades.
(B) New behaviors that emerge in wolf populations over the course of a couple
of decades are not necessarily genetically predetermined.
(C) Only after certain patterns of behavior become the norm for a given animal
population can it be inferred that a genetic mutation has occurred in that
group.
(D) The social actions of wolves are fully independent of their genetics.
(E) The wolves’ new pattern of behavior will continue for several generations
yet to come.

Practice Logical Reasoning Questions With Answers

Part 2
6. Prison inmates are far more likely to be mentally ill than members of the general
population. This fact shows that the peculiar environment of prison, with its
inherent stresses and deprivations, tends to cause or exacerbate symptoms of
mental illness.
The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the basis that the
argument
(A) fails to define the term “mentally ill”
(B) presupposes that the prison environment is unique
(C) simply restates the claim that there are “inherent stresses and deprivations”
in prison without providing any evidence in support
(D) takes a correlation between mental illness and prison as proof that prison
causes mental illness
(E) focuses on stress and deprivation only, while ignoring other characteristics
of the prison environment
7. In the movie The Big Date, released in 2004, there is scene that is virtually identical
to a scene in Robber Barron, which was made in 1986. The scene is so unique that it
is highly unlikely that the similarity is mere coincidence. Therefore, it is probable
that the makers of The Big Date saw Robber Barron.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
(A) A third movie that was probably seen by both the makers of The Big Date
and Robber Barron was made in 1960 and contained essentially the same
scene.
(B) The Big Date is a comedy, whereas Robber Barron is a drama.
(C) Both movies were released only in the United States.
(D) The scene in Robber Barron was also included in the play and novel from
which the movie was adapted.
(E) According to critics, The Big Date was a far better movie than Robber Barron
and contained many innovative scenes.
8. Oncologists report that cancer patients with brain tumors who receive a combination
of chemotherapy and radiation treatment do only as well, on average, as those
patients who receive radiation treatment alone. Yet the oncologists state that
chemotherapy is a necessary part of the treatment of all patients who receive them
for tumors.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the oncologists’ two claims?
(A) Oncologists treat all cancer patients who have tumors with either radiation
treatment alone or a combination of radiation and chemotherapy.
(B) Oncologists who prescribe these treatments make accurate determinations
about which patients need both radiation and chemotherapy and which need
radiation alone.
(C) Some tumors have been completely healed by a combination of radiation
and chemotherapy.
(D) Some tumors that have been exacerbated by improper attempts at
chemotherapy have been successfully treated with radiation.
(E) Patients with tumors in other areas of the body show more improvement
when treated with both radiation and chemotherapy than when treated with
radiation alone.

Practice Logical Reasoning Questions With Answers

Part 1
Following is a group of simulated Logical Reasoning questions, along with a complete
explanation for each question. Do not time yourself at this stage. Work through the
questions carefully and select the best answer from among the choices. Use the explanations
at the end of the chapter to help you to understand any errors that you make so
that you’ll be stronger on test day.
Directions: The questions in this section are based on the logical reasoning contained in
brief statements or passages. For some questions, there could be more than one possible
answer. However, you are to select the best answer; that is, the response that most accurately
and completely answers the question. You should not make assumptions that
cannot be supported by the statements or passages. After you have selected the best
answer, fill in the corresponding circle on your answer sheet.
1. Business Analyst: In a recent survey, employees of Company X were asked to state which one of the following two scenarios they would prefer: (1) Company X is the industry leader with gross revenues of $100 million, and Company Y is second
with gross revenues of $90 million; or (2) Company Y is the industry leader with
gross revenues of $120 million and Company X is second with gross revenues of
$110 million. Despite the fact that, under the scenario 2, Company X would have
higher gross revenue than under scenario 1, the majority of respondents stated that
they preferred scenario 1.
Which of the following, if true, would most help to explain the surprising survey
results described by the business analyst?
(A) Most employees of Company X believe that their company has a higher
growth rate than Company Y.
(B) Most employees of Company X want their company to have gross revenue
of more than $120 million.
(C) Most employees of Company X believe that their personal welfare is not
connected to the company’s gross revenue.
(D) Most employees of Company X want their company to be more powerful
than Company Y.
(E) Most employees of Company X want their company to make products of
the highest quality.
2. Attorneys who represent violent criminals cannot both respect their clients’ right
to confidentiality and be sincerely concerned for the welfare of victims of future
violent crimes. Reporting a client’s unreported crimes violates the client’s trust, but
remaining silent leaves the dangerous client out of prison, free to commit more
crimes.
Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
(A) Most attorneys who represent violent criminals are assigned this task by a
court.
(B) Violent criminals are no more likely to be represented by an attorney than
are nonviolent criminals.
(C) Victims of future violent crimes also have a right to confidentiality should
they need legal representation.
(D) The right of victims of violent crimes to compensation is as important as
the right of criminals to confidentiality.
(E) An attorney who has gained a violent criminal’s trust can persuade that
criminal not to commit repeat offenses.
3. Civil libertarian: As electronic surveillance of public places becomes more common
and pervasive, we hear more and more attempted justifications of this practice by
government officials. Surveillance, they explain, keeps the public honest and polite
to one another. Such explanations are obviously self-serving, and so should not be
taken to justify these unwarranted invasions of privacy.
A questionable technique used in the civil libertarians argument is to
(A) attack an argument different from that actually offered by government
officials
(B) presume that members of the public are never dishonest or rude to one
another
(C) insist that modern government practices meet moral standards far higher
than those accepted in the past
(D) attack government officials’ motives instead of addressing their arguments
(E) make a generalization based on a sample that there is reason to believe is
biased