Raymond Burr played the role of lawyer Perry Mason on television. Burr's death in 1993 prompted a prominent lawyer to say "Although not a lawyer, Mr. Burr strove for such authenticity that we feel as if we lost one of our own." This comment from a prestigious attorney provides appalling evidence that, in the face of television, even some legal professionals are losing their ability to distinguish fiction from reality.
The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument
(A) takes the views of one lawyer to represent the views of all lawyers
(B) criticizes the lawyer rather than the lawyer's statement
(C) presumes that the lawyer is qualified to evaluate the perFORMance of an actor
(D) focuses on a famous actor's portrayal of a lawyer rather than on the usual way in which lawyers are portrayed on television
(E) ignores the part of the lawyer's remark that indicates an awareness of the difference between reality and fiction
For next year, the Chef's Union has requested a 10 percent salary increase for each of its members, whereas the Hotel Managers' Union has requested only an 8 percent salary increase for each of its members. These facts demonstrate that the average dollar amount of the raises that the Chefs' Union has requested for next year is greater than that of the raises requested by the Hotel Managers' Union.
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
(A) The Chefs' Union has many more members than does the Hotel Managers' Union.
(B) The Chefs' Union is a more powerful union than is the Hotel Managers' Union and is therefore more likely to obtain the salary increases it requests
(C) The current salaries of the members of the Chefs' Union are, on average, higher than the current salaries of the members of the Hotel Managers' Union
(D) The average dollar amount of the raises that the members of the Chefs' Union received las
t ear was equal to the average dollar amount of the raises that the members of the Hotel Managers' Union received
(E) The members of the Chefs' Union received salary increases of 10 percent in each of the last two years, while the members of the Hotel Managers' Union received salary increases of only 8 percent in each of the last two years
Zoos have served both as educational resources and as entertainment. Unfortunately, removing animals from their natural habitats to stock the earliest zoos reduced certain species' populations, endangering their survival. Today most new zoo animals are obtained from captive breeding programs, and many zoos now maintain breeding stocks for continued propagation of various species. This makes possible efforts to reestablish endangered species in the wild.
Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by the inFORMation above?
(A) Zoos have played an essential role in educating the public about endangered species.
(B) Some specimens of endangered species are born and bred in zoos.
(C) No zoos exploit wild animals or endanger the survival of species.
(D) Nearly all of the animals in zoos today were born in captivity.
(E) The main purpose of zoos has shifted from entertainment to education.
Legal theorist: It is unreasonable to incarcerate anyone for any other reason than that he or she is a serious threat to the property or lives of other people. The breaking of a law does not justify incarceration, for lawbreaking proceeds either from ignorance of the law or of the effects of one's actions, or from the free choice of the lawbreaker. Obviously mere ignorance cannot justify incarcerating a lawbreaker, and even free choice on the part of the lawbreaker fails to justify incarceration, for free choice proceeds from the desires of an agent, and the desires of an agent are products of genetics and environmental conditioning, neither of which is controlled by the agent
The claim in the first sentence of the passage plays which one of the following roles in the argument
(A) It is offered as a premise that helps to show that no actions are under the control of the agent
(B) It is offered as background inFORMation necessary to understand the argument
(C) It is offered as the main conclusion that the argument is designed to establish
(D) It is offered as evidence for the stated claim that protection of life and property is more important than retribution for past illegal acts
(E) It is offered as evidence for the stated claim that lawbreaking proceeds from either ignorance of the law, or ignorance of the effects of one's actions, or free choice
Commissioner: Budget forecasters project a revenue shortfall of a billion dollars in the coming fiscal year. Since there is no feasible way to increase the available funds, our only choice is to decrease expenditures. The plan before you outlines feasible cuts that would yield savings of a billion dollars over the coming fiscal year. We will be able to solve the problem we face, therefore, only if we adopt this plan.
This reasoning in the commissioner's argument is flawed because this argument
(A) relies on inFORMation that is far from certain
(B) confuses being an adequate solution with being a required solution
(C) inappropriately relies on the opinions of experts
(D) inappropriately employs language that is vague
(E) takes for granted that there is no way to increase available funds
Twelve healthy volunteers with the Apo-A-IV-1 gene and twelve healthy volunteers who instead have the Apo-A-IV-2 gene each consumed a standard diet supplemented daily by a high-cholesterol food. A high level of cholesterol in the blood is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. After three weeks, the blood cholesterol levels of the subjects in the second group were unchanged, whereas the blood cholesterol levels of those with the Apo-A-IV-1 gene rose 20 percent.
Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the inFORMation above?
(A) Approximately half the population carries a gene that lowers cholesterol levels.
(B) Most of those at risk of heart disease may be able to reduce their risk by adopting a low-cholesterol diet.
(C) The bodies of those who have the Apo-A-IV-2 gene excrete cholesterol when blood cholesterol reaches a certain level.
(D) The presence of the Apo-A-IV-1 gene seems to indicate that a person has a lower risk of heart disease.
(E) The presence of the Apo-A-IV-2 gene may inhibit the elevation of blood cholesterol.
High school students who feel that they are not succeeding in school often drop out before graduating and go to work. Last year, however, the city's high school dropout rate was significantly lower than the previous year's rate. This is encouraging evidence that the program instituted two years ago to improve the morale of high school students has begun to take effect to reduce dropouts.
Which one of the following, if true about the last year, most seriously weakens the argument?
(A) There was a recession that caused a high level or unemployment in the city.
(B) The morale of students who dropped out of high school had been low even before they reached high school.
(C) As in the preceding year, more high school students remained in school than dropped out.
(D) High schools in the city established placement offices to assist their graduates in obtaining employment.
(E) The antidropout program was primarily aimed at improving students' morale in those high schools with the highest dropout rates.
The television show Henry was not widely watched until it was scheduled for Tuesday evenings immediately after That's Life, the most popular show on television. During the year after the move, Henry was consistently one of the ten most-watched shows on television. Since Henry's recent move to Wednesday evenings, however, it has been watched by far fewer people. We must conclude that Henry was widely watched before the move to Wednesday evenings because it followed That's Life and not because people especially liked it.
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
(A) Henry has been on the air for three years, but That's Life has been on the air for only two years.
(B) The show that replaced Henry on Tuesdays has persistently had a low number of viewers in the Tuesday time slot.
(C) The show that now follows That's Life on Tuesdays has double the number of viewers it had before being moved.
(D) After its recent move to Wednesday, Henry was aired at the same time as the second most popular show on television.
(E) That's Life was not widely watched during the first year it was aired
Joseph: My encyclopedia says that the mathematician Pierre de Fermat died in 1665 without leaving behind any written proof for a theorem that he claimed nonetheless to have proved. Probably this alleged theorem simply cannot be proved, since——as the article points out——no one else has been able to prove it. Therefore it is likely that Fermat was either lying or else mistaken when he made his claim.
Laura: Your encyclopedia is out of date. Recently someone has in fact proved Fermat's theorem. And since the theorem is provable, your claim——that Fermat was lying or mistaken——clearly is wrong.
Joseph's statement that "this alleged theorem simply cannot be proved" plays which one of the following roles in his argument?
(A) an assumption for which no support is offered
(B) a subsidiary conclusion on which his argument's main conclusion is based
(C) a potential objection that his argument anticipates and attempts to answer before it is raised
(D) the principle claim that his argument is structured to refute
(E) background inFORMation that neither supports nor undermines his argument's conclusion
Which one of the following most accurately describes a reasoning error in Laura's argument?
(A) It purports to establish its conclusion by making a claim that, if true, would actually contradict that conclusion.
(B) It mistakenly assumes that the quality of a person's character can legitimately be taken to guarantee the accuracy of the claims that person has made.
(C) It mistakes something that is necessary for its conclusion to follow for something that ensures that the conclusion follows
(D) It uses the term "provable" without defining it
(E) It fails to distinguish between a true claim that has mistakenly between believed to be false and a false claim that has mistakenly been believed to be true.
