41. The state legislature has asked the public to approve a bond that would raise money for public library funding
outside of the existing state budget. While building and improving libraries are certainly worthy projects, and
ones that the public supports, the legislature is already wasting much of the state budget on projects that the
public does not value or even want. The public should therefore reject the library bond; doing so will force
legislators to cut wasteful programs from the existing budget if they wish to fund libraries.
Which of the following is most like the argument above in its logical structure?
(A) Many children would choose to eat dessert before dinner, if given the option. While this is
understandable, parents should allow a child to eat dessert only if he or she first finishes the
healthier dinner.
(B) While alarm systems are good for the individual property owner, homeowners do a disservice to their
neighbors by installing alarm systems because neighboring homes are then comparatively easy
targets for burglars. Instead, homeowners should consider alternative home protection measures
such as joining a neighborhood watch program.
(C) Some terrorist groups kidnap individuals to gain publicity for their cause. While it is understandable
that the families of kidnapping victims often want to cooperate in order to get loved ones returned
safely, this country should continue its policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorists or publicize
the kidnapping.
(D) A labor union and a major employer are engaged in contract negotiations. While the employer
proposed a pay increase matches that requested by the labor union, the contract does not include the
health care coverage that the labor union also requested. The labor union should therefore reject the
contract and continue negotiations.
(E) A student often asks his parents to stay up past his normal bedtime in order to finish his homework
because he spends much of his afternoon playing games with friends rather than working on
homework. Although his parents want him to do well in school, they should strictly enforce his
bedtime; doing so will force the student to start working on his homework earlier in the evening.
42. In a certain state, hunting permits require the hunter to be at least 18 years old, possess a valid driver's license or
state identification, and have completed a safety program within the past 5 years. The hunter must also sign a
legal document pledging not to consume alcohol while hunting.
Which of the following can be correctly inferred from the above statements?
(A) All states have the same requirements for hunting permits.
(B) Hunters under the age of 21 don't need to sign the alcohol pledge because they are not legally
allowed to drink alcohol under any circumstances.
(C) If a person last completed the safety program six years ago, he will have to complete the program
again before he can be eligible for a permit in this state.
(D) Someone who isn't 18 years old cannot obtain a hunting permit in this state.
(E) Hunting is such a dangerous activity that state controls and requirements are necessary to ensure that
nobody gets hurt.
43. Wide dissemination of wireless networks in cities is a practical way to meet the needs of city households, schools
and businesses. Rural communities have found that wireless networks are both more reliable and cheaper than
land-based networks.
Which of the following would most likely be cited by a supporter of the argument?
(A) Urban areas do not pose additional problems for the effective operation of wireless networks.
(B) Wireless networks work far better where population density is low.
(C) Iceland, a very rural country, successfully uses wireless networks.
(D) The expenses of wireless transmission in areas with large buildings is much higher.
(E) Poor neighborhoods have less access to cable internet than do educators or businesses.
44. Studies have shown that people who keep daily diet records are far more successful at losing weight than
people who don't keep track of what they eat. Researchers believe that many weight-loss efforts fail because
people eat more calories than they intend to consume. One study followed a group of patients who reported that
they could not lose weight when consuming only 1,200 calories a day. The study found that the group
consumed, on average, 47% more than it claimed and exercised 51% less. In contrast, when dieters record
what they eat, their actual consumption more closely matches their reported consumption.
The two boldface portions in the argument above are best described by which of the following statements?
(A) The first is a conclusion reached by researchers; the second is evidence that that conclusion is
correct.
(B) The first is an explanation of why a certain theory is thought to be true; the second is an example of
research results that support this theory.
(C) The first is an example illustrating the truth of a certain theory; the second is a competing theory.
(D) The first is a premise upon which the researchers base their opinion; the second illustrates that their
opinion is correct.
(E) The first introduces a theory that the researchers have disproved; the second is the basis for the
researchers' argument.
45. The anticipated retirement of tens of thousands of baby boomers will create an unprecedented opportunity to
move significant numbers of people into career-track jobs at family-supporting incomes. Major industries, from
health care and construction to automotive repair, will soon face deep shortages of workers as a result of
projected growth and boomer retirements. Fortunately, many of these jobs have relatively low barriers to entry
and could be filled by out-of-work young people. To achieve this result, the city government should convene
employers and educators to determine how best to create paths of upward mobility in these fields.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
(A) Immigration reform will limit the pool of available workers.
(B) Government efforts have been shown to affect employment trends only rarely.
(C) The best available positions require skills not possessed by the vast majority of the unemployed.
(D) A small proportion of baby boomers will not retire as soon as is anticipated.
(E) Many out-of-work young people are unaware of these looming employment opportunities.
46. The "Doppler effect" refers to the perceived change in pitch that occurs when the source of a sound is in motion
relative to the observer. For example, the siren on a passing police car will sound higher than its true pitch as the
car approaches, sound the same as its true pitch as the car passes, and sound lower than its true pitch as the car
travels away from the observer.
If two trains pass each other going opposite directions on parallel east-west tracks, which of the following
observations provides another illustration of the effect described above?
(A) If the eastbound train blows its horn as they pass, passengers on the westbound train will hear a sound
that decreases in pitch.
(B) If the eastbound train blows its horn as they pass, passengers on the westbound train will hear a sound
that increases in pitch.
(C) If the eastbound train blows its horn as they pass, passengers on the eastbound train will hear a sound
that decreases in pitch.
(D) If the eastbound train blows its horn as they pass, passengers on the eastbound train will hear a sound
that increases in pitch.
(E) If the eastbound train blows its horn as they pass, passengers on the eastbound train will hear a sound
that is steady in pitch.
47. The popular notion that a tree's age can be determined by counting the number of internal rings in its trunk is
generally true. However, to help regulate the internal temperature of the tree, the outermost layers of wood of
the Brazilian ash often peel away when the temperature exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving the tree with
fewer rings than it would otherwise have. So only if the temperature in the Brazilian ash's environment never
exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit will its rings be a reliable measure of the tree's age.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument above depends?
(A) The growth of new rings in a tree is not a function of levels of precipitation.
(B) Only the Brazilian ash loses rings because of excessive heat.
(C) Only one day of temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit is needed to cause the Brazilian ash to
lose a ring.
(D) The internal rings of all trees are of uniform thickness.
(E) The number of rings that will be lost when the temperature exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit is not
predictable.
48. Celiac disease results from an inability of the digestive tract, specifically the small intestine, to absorb gluten, a
protein found in wheat, barley, and certain other grains. The body's immune system attacks the gluten as if the
protein were a harmful pathogen, often resulting in serious damage to the intestinal lining. People who suffer
from celiac disease must eliminate gluten from their diets. Symptoms of the disease include abdominal cramps,
bloating, and anemia.
If the statements above are true, which of the following assertions can be made on the basis of them?
(A) Anyone who suffers from celiac disease will experience anemia.
(B) Eliminating gluten from one's diet will cure celiac disease.
(C) People experiencing abdominal cramps, bloating, and anemia have celiac disease.
(D) Gluten is found only in grains.
(E) The human body cannot always recognize harmless substances.
49. All languages known to have exactly six basic color terms describe the same six colors—black, white, red, green,
blue and yellow—corresponding to the primary neural responses revealed in studies of human color perception.
In addition, all languages known to have only three basic color terms distinguish among black, white, and red.
This evidence shows that the way in which the mind recognizes differences among colored objects is not
influenced by culture.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
(A) While languages differ in their number of basic color terms, no language has been conclusively
determined to have more than eleven such terms.
(B) Every language contains mechanisms by which speakers who perceive subtle differences in hue can
describe those differences.
(C) Among cultures employing only three color terms, the word red typically encompasses not only
objects that would be called red in English but also those that would be called yellow.
(D) Several languages, such as Vietnamese and Pashto, use a single term to mean both blue and green, but
speakers of such languages commonly refer to tree leaves or the sky to resolve ambiguous
utterances.
(E) In a study of native speakers of Tarahumara, a language that does not distinguish between blue and
green, respondents were less able to identify distinctions among blue and green chips than native
speakers of Spanish, which does distinguish between blue and green.
50. In an attempt to discover the cause of malaria, a deadly infectious disease common in tropical areas, early
European settlers in Hong Kong attributed the malady to poisonous gases supposed to be emanating from lowlying
swampland. Malaria, in fact, translates from the Italian as "bad air." In the 1880s, however, doctors
determined that Anopheles mosquitoes were responsible for transmitting the disease to humans. The female of
the species can carry a parasitic protozoa that is passed on to unsuspecting humans when a mosquito
feasts on a person's blood.
What functions do the two statements in boldface fulfill with respect to the argument presented above?
(A) The first follows from a mistaken conclusion about a topic in question; the second explicates the
correct explanation of that topic.
(B) The first provides an initial conjecture; the second prevents evidence which contradicts that
conjecture.
(C) The first serves to illuminate a contested assumption; the second offers confirmation of that
assumption.
(D) The first identifies the cause of an erroneous conclusion; the second develops a premise to support
the correct conclusion.
(E) The first provides detail about the original, and incorrect, school of thought; the second provides the
judgment later found to be true.
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