Sulfur Fumes

Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument EXCEPT:

Prolonged exposure to sulfur fumes permanently damages one's sense of smell. In one important study, 100 workers from sulfur-emitting factories and a control group of 100 workers from other occupations were asked to identify a variety of chemically reproduced scents, including those of foods, spices, and flowers. On average, the factory workers successfully identified 10 percent of the scents compared to 50 percent for the control group.

Answer: The chemicals used in the study closely but not perfectly reproduced the corresponding natural scents.

It would be a problem if the "chemically reproduced scents" were nothing like the real thing. But the fact that they were at least close makes them good enough. This doesn't do enough to weaken the argument.

Trucks

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the auditor's reasoning?

Auditor: XYZ, a construction company, purchased 20 new trucks 3 years ago, and there is no record of any of those trucks being sold last year. Records indicate, however, that XYZ sold off all of its diesel-powered trucks last year. We can thus conclude that none of the 20 trucks purchased 3 years ago were diesel powered.

Answer: None of the 20 trucks was sold before last year.

Videoconferencing Equipment

The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that the argument

A recent magazine article argued that most companies that do not already own videoconferencing equipment would be wasting their money if they purchased it. However, this is clearly not true. In a recent survey of businesses that have purchased such equipment, most of the respondents stated that the videoconferencing equipment was well worth its cost.

Answer: relies on a sample that it is reasonable to suppose is unrepresentative of the group about which it draws its conclusion.

This is a sampling fallacy. The people surveyed (videoconferencing equipment owners) doesn't represent the opinion of all small companies.

Conditional Diagramming

The science teacher's statements provide the most support for which one of the following?

Science teacher: In any nation, a flourishing national scientific community (SC) is essential to a successful economy (SE). For such a community (SC) to flourish requires that many young people become excited (YE) enough about science that they resolve to become professional scientists. Good communication (GC) between scientists and the public is necessary to spark that excitement (YE).

SE --> SC

SC --> YE

YE --> GC

SE --> GC

G|C --> S|E

Answer: No national can have a successful economy unless at some point scientists have communicated well with the public.

We're going to need to diagram this one to see if it fits. "No" statements and "unless" statements are hard enough to diagram when we get just one, but here we get both. Here's a tip for when that happens: start with the "unless" (or until, without, or except). So, "if not" at some point scientists have communicated well, then no nation can have a successful economy. At this point, we don't need to do a "no torpedo"; we can just let the "no" negate that part of the diagram. So we end up with "NOT Good Communication --> NO Successful Economy." Sure enough, that matches up with the transitive structure of our diagram, just in contrapositive form. This is our correct answer!

Lake Champlain Hares

Each of the following, if true, supports the zoologist's reasoning EXCEPT:

Zoologist: In the Lake Champlain area, as the North American snowshoe hare population grows, so do the populations of its predators. As predator numbers increase, the hares seek food in more heavily forested areas, which contain less food, and so the hare population declines. Predator populations thus decline, the hare population starts to increase, and the cycle begins again. Yet these facts along cannot explain why populations of snowshoe hares everywhere behave simultaneously in this cyclical way. Since the hare population cycle is well correlated with the regular cycle of sunspot activity, that activity is probably a causal factor as well.

Answer: Local weather patterns that can affect species' population changes can occur both in the presence of sunspot activity and in its absence. 

This presents an alternate cause that is independent of the sun spot behavior (local weather patterns). Alternate causes ALWAYS weaken causal arguments, so this is the correct answer in this strengthen except question. 

Can You Be Neutral?

The argument's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

Some theorists argue that literary critics should strive to be value-neutral in their literary criticism. These theorists maintain that by exposing the meaning of literary works without evaluating them, critics will enable readers to make their own judgments about the works' merits. But literary criticism cannot be completely value-neutral. Thus, some theorists are mistaken about what is an appropriate goal for literary criticism.

Answer: If it is impossible to produce completely value-neutral literary criticism, then critics should not even try to be value-neutral.

This is the assumption we're looking for. It bridges the gap in the argument between actually doing something and trying to do something.

Heavier = More?

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion drawn in the consumer advocate's argument?

Consumer advocate: Even if one can of fruit or vegetables weighs more than another, the heavier can does not necessarily contain more food. Canned fruits and vegetables are typically packed in water, which can make up more than half the weight of the can's contents. And nothing stops unscrupulous canning companies from including more water per can than others.

Answer: The heavier of two cans of fruit or vegetables does not necessarily contain more food than the lighter of the two cans contains.

The heavier one could just contain more water. This is our main point from the first sentence.

John

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

John of Worcester, an English monk, recorded the sighting, on December 8, 1128, of two unusually large sunspots. Five days later a brilliant aurora borealis (northern lights) was observed in southern Korea. Sunspot activity is tpyically followed by the appearance of an aurora borealis, after a span of time that averages five days. Thus, the Korean sighting helps to confirm John of Worcester's sighting.

Answer: Only heavy sunspot activity could have resulted in an aurora borealis viewable at a latitude as low as that of Korea.

This is a big time strengthener. It eliminates alternate causes - in fact, it eliminates all other alternate causes! This one is a home run for our argument in the stimulus.

Wow, Really?

Which one of the following actions would be unethical according to the principle stated above?

It is unethical for government officials to use their knowledge of impending policies to financially benefit themselves if that knowledge is not available to the general public.

A Finance Department official, one of the few people who knew of a plan to tax luxury cars, bought a luxury car just before the plan was announced to the public in order to avoid paying the tax.

Have You Gotten Your Tonsils Removed?

The pediatrician's argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that it

Pediatrician: Swollen tonsils give rise to brathing problems during sleep, and the surgical removal of children's swollen tonsils has been shown to alleviate sleep disturbances. So removing children's tonsils before swelling even occurs will ensure that the children do not experience any breathing problems during sleep.

Answer: fails to consider the possibility that some breathing problems during sleep may be caused by something other than swollen tonsils.

Don't Jack It Up

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

From time to time there is public outcry against predatory pricing - where a company deliberately sells its products at prices low enough to drive its competitors out of business. But this practice clearly should be acceptable, because even after its competitors go out of business, the mere threat of renewed competition will prevent the company from raising its prices to unreasonable levels.

Answer: any pricing practice that does not result in unreasonable prices should be acceptable.

Stealing is Wrong

The reasoning in the lawyer's argument is flawed in that the argument

Lawyer: If you take something that you have good reason to think is someone else's property, that is stealing, and stealing is wrong. However, Myers had no good reason to think that the compost in the public garden was anyone else's property, so it was not wrong for Meyers to take it.

Answer: takes a condition that by itself is enough to make an action wrong to also be necessary in order for the action to be wrong.

Okay to Lie?

Which one of the following actions most clearly violates the principle stated?

One should not intentionally misrepresent another person's beliefs unless one's purpose in doing so is to act in the interest of that other person.

Answer: Ann told someone that Bruce thought the Apollo missions to the moon were elaborate hoaxes, even though she knew he did not think this; she did so merely to make him look ridiculous.

Decipher the Human Genetic Code?

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the ethicist's argument?

Ethicist: Robert Gillette as argued that because a thorough knowledge of genetics would enable us to cure the over 3,000 inherited disorders that affect humanity, deciphering the human genetic code will certainly benefit humanity despite its enormous cost. Gillette's argument is not persuasive, however, because he fails to consider that such knowledge might ultimately harm human beings more than it would benefit them.

Answer: Gillette's argument is unconvincing because it ignores certain possible consequences of genetic research.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

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

A recent taste test reveals that most people like low-fat chocolate ice cream as much as its full-fat counterpart. Previous tests with vanilla ice cream found that people tended to dislike low-fat versions, complaining of a harsher taste. Chemists point out that chocolate is a very complex flavor, requiring around 500 distinct chemical compounds to produce it. Hence, this complexity probably masks any difference in taste due to the lack of fat.

Answer: Vanilla is known to be a significantly less complex flavor than chocolate.

Children vs. Adults Learning Styles

Which one of the following most logically completes the consultant's argument?

Consultant: Children taught using innovative new educational methods learn to think more creatively than children taught using rote methods such as drills, but they are less adept at memorizing large amounts of information. Most jobs at Grodex Corporation require the ability to think creatively but do not require a strong ability to memorize. So Grodex Corporation should probably conduct its employee-training seminars using the innovative methods, because ________.

Answer: the effects of teaching methods in the education of adults are generally very similar to the effects of those methods in the education of children.