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Q1Movie theaters in the United States have traditionally relied on concession sales—popcorn, candy, and drinks at inflated prices—to cover the negative differential between the cost of renting films from distributors and the revenue generated at the box office. In order for a movie theater to turn a profit, at least 90 percent of all moviegoers must buy at least one concession item. However, in recent years many health-conscious moviegoers have begun to eschew the high-fat and high-sugar concession items.<br/><br/>Which one of the following conclusions is best supported by the information above?
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✓ Correct answer: Movie theaters should offer concession items more in line with current demand or they will suffer financial losses.
Since moviegoers are beginning to avoid the current concession items, it stands to reason that movie theaters should begin to offer items more in line with moviegoers' tastes or risk losing out on the revenue required to earn a profit.<br/><br/>Choice A is incorrect because increasing the number of movies offered also increases the rental fees theaters must pay without ensuring any additional revenue.<br/><br/>Choice B's conclusion is unwarranted, because there is no guarantee that the theater will actually be able to attract enough moviegoers to fill the extra seats and generate additional ticket sales.<br/><br/>Choice D cannot be concluded, since the passage offers no information regarding moviegoers' clandestine behavior.<br/><br/>Choice E is too extreme. The passage does not suggest that theaters cannot turn a profit, but rather that they may encounter difficulty in doing so. Nothing rules out the possibility that theaters will respond to the changing tastes to successfully secure their profit margins.
Q2For about thirty years, government intelligence departments have spent resources equally between domestic and foreign activities. For about the same amount of time, intelligence departments have conducted covert operations in addition to intelligence gathering. This conduct has raised public concern that intelligence departments wield too much authority. In the end, though, domestic spending and covert operations may be simply a consequence of ineptness.<br/><br/>Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
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✓ Correct answer: Intelligence departments have been less powerful over the last thirty years than they were previously
No answer choice provides substantial support for the author. The correct answer here, however, provides some support for the author's skepticism about whether the conduct of departments indicates that they wield too much power. If departments were more powerful before they began covert operations and domestic spending, then it is somewhat less likely that this conduct indicates too much power.
Q3<i>Astragalus linifolius</i>, a rare plant species that is found only in the Colorado region of the United States, reproduces when a pollinating agent like a fly or a bee carries the pollen grain from the male part of one plant to the female part of another plant of the same species. To maintain the population of this species, the use of pesticides that control grasshoppers should be banned in this region. These pesticides also often result in significant mortality among the <i>Bombylius</i> flies that are the most important pollinating agents of <i>A. linifolius</i>.<br/><br/>Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
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✓ Correct answer: <i>Bombylius</i> flies do not reproduce very fast and their populations do not recover for many years after one spraying of a pesticide that controls grasshoppers.
<b><u>Solution</u></b><br/><br/><b>Argument construction</b><br/><br/> The argument starts with a premise – Premise 1:<br/><br/> <i>Astragalus linifolius</i> (context-setting information: this is a rare plant species that is found only in the Colorado region of the United States) reproduces when a pollinating agent like a bee or a fly carries the pollen grain from the male part of a plant and deposits it onto the female part of another plant of the same species.<br/><br/> From this premise, it becomes clear that pollinating agents like bees and flies are necessary for the reproduction of <i>A. linifolius</i> to take place.<br/><br/> Next comes the conclusion of the argument:<br/><br/> To maintain the population of <i>Astragalus linifolius</i> (a rare legume species that is found only in the Colorado region of the United States), the use of pesticides that control grasshoppers should be banned in this region.<br/><br/> This conclusion is followed by two more premises:<br/><ul><li>Premise 2 - These pesticides result in significant mortality among the <i>Bombylius</i> flies.</li><li>Premise 3 - <i>Bombylius</i> flies are the most important pollinating agents of <i>A. linifolius</i>.</li></ul> Here is how these premises are used to draw the conclusion:<br/><br/> From Premise 1, we know that <i>A. linifolius</i> cannot reproduce without pollinating agents. From Premise 3, we know that <i>Bombylius</i> flies are the most important pollinating agents of <i>A. linifolius</i>. By combining Premises 1 and 3, we can draw a subsidiary conclusion that to conserve <i>A. linifolius</i>, it's probably important to conserve <i>Bombylius</i> flies too. A decline in the numbers of the latter is likely to result in a decline in the numbers of the former.<br/><br/> When this subsidiary conclusion is combined with Premise 2, we draw the conclusion that to maintain the population of <i>A. linifolius</i>, the use of pesticides that control grasshoppers should be banned in that region.<br/><br/> We are looking for the answer choice that provides additional information which makes this conclusion stronger than when the above two premises are used alone.<br/><br/> Let us analyze the options one by one.<br/><br/> <b>Answer choices explanation</b><br/><br/><ol style="list-style-type:upper-alpha;"><li>This option is <b>incorrect</b>. This argument is concerned with the maintenance of population of a particular species. The population of a species would be maintained if its death rate and birth rate remain in equilibrium. The life-span of a species is irrelevant to the maintenance of its population and, therefore, to this argument.</li><li>This option is <b>incorrect</b>. If there are other pollinating agents through which <i>A. linifolius</i> can reproduce, then, assuming that these pollinating agents are not impacted by pesticides that control grasshoppers, this plant species might survive even if these pesticides are not banned. Therefore, this statement actually weakens the conclusion.</li><li>This option is <b>incorrect</b>. There may be pesticides that are more toxic to the <i>Bombylius</i> flies than the pesticides mentioned in the argument, but this does not strengthen the argument that to save <i>A. linifolius</i>, the pesticides that control grasshoppers should be banned. For example, consider the statement 'to get better health, you should eat less sugar.' This statement is of the same format as the conclusion drawn in this argument: To achieve Goal A, do Action X. Does a statement that eating oily foods is even worse for your health than eating sugar strengthen the above example statement? It does not.</li><li>This option is <b>correct</b>. Suppose that <i>Bombylius</i> flies had been able to reproduce fast. Then, even if one spraying had significantly reduced the number of flies in a region from, say, 1000 to a mere 100, their fast breeding would have restored the population number to its pre-spraying level pretty soon and so there would probably not have been much adverse impact on the amount of pollination that these flies did for <i>A. linifolius</i> and, therefore, in the population of this plant species. However, this statement tells us that the populations of <i>Bombylius</i> flies do not recover for many years post a pesticide spraying. In those years, therefore, the extent of reproduction of <i>A. linifolius</i> is likely to decline, which in turn, is likely to decrease the population of this plant species.</li><li>This option is <b>incorrect</b>. That other plant species have suffered greater declines than <i>A. linifolius</i> since the spraying of pesticides that control grasshoppers started is irrelevant to the conclusion drawn for how the population of <i>A. linifolius</i> may be maintained.</li></ul>
Q4A football player cannot be an All-American without both superior athletic talent and an unusual work ethic. Most football players have an unusual work ethic. However, most people with superior athletic talent do not play football, but rather other sports such as basketball. Most basketball players with superior athletic talent do not have an unusual work ethic.<br/><br/>If the statements above are true, which one of the following statements must also be true?
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✓ Correct answer: Most basketball players with superior athletic talent, if they played football, could not be All-Americans.
The passage specifically states two necessary conditions for being an All-American in football: 1) superior athletic talent, and 2) an unusual work ethic. Because the passage notes that most basketball players who have (1) lack (2), it logically follows that most basketball players could not qualify as All-Americans in football, under the conditions stated. Note that the passage does <em>not </em>state the conditions <em>sufficient</em> to become an All-American football player; it merely states some necessary conditions. Nor does the passage tell us anything that would allow drawing a conclusion regarding “most football players” or “at least some All-American football players.”
Q5A rock band has seen recent declines in their concert attendance. To combat the decline in attendance, the rock band included more new music in their performance because a pop band recently included more new music in their live performances and saw an increase of attendance.<br/><br/>Which of the following most supports the rock band’s reasoning?
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✓ Correct answer: Rock bands and pop bands have similar patterns of attendance.
If rock bands and pop bands have similar patterns of attendance, then it would follow for the rock band to mimic the pop band’s means to increasing attendance. Just because people want to hear a new song does not mean they will necessarily go to a concert to hear it.
Q6An anthropologist was working on an archeological dig of an ancient village in a Central American country. Near the ancient village, she discovered a large circle of rocks, with larger four larger rocks carefully placed on the northern, southern, eastern, and western sides of the circle. She also found four rectangular-shaped rocks placed at other points around the circle. After a survey, the anthropologists learned that the center of the circle and the rectangular-shaped rocks were aligned with rising and setting sun on the summer solstice and with the rising and setting sun on the winter solstice. Based on this information, the anthropologist concluded, “This ancient society worshipped the sun.” What assumption does this conclusion require?
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✓ Correct answer: All societies that align objects to follow the summer and winter solstices worship the sun.
All societies that align objects to follow the summer and winter solstices worship the sun. Starting from this major premise, the anthropologist relies on the following minor premise stated in the question: the ancient village built a circle of rocks with rectangular rocks aligned to the rising and setting suns on the summer and winter solstices. Since the alignment of rocks brings the ancient village within the class of sun-worshipping societies, the anthropologist can reach her conclusion. <br/><br/>Answer B and Answer C are incorrect because they do not establish that an alignment with solstices correlates to sun-worshipping. <br/><br/>Answer D is incorrect because the conclusion could be reached without the minor premise.
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