CSS General Abilities Topic 4 MCQ's Test

Question # 1

During the incumbent president's term of office he succeeded in limiting annual increases in the defense budget by an average of 5 percent. His predecessors experienced annual increases of 8 percent. Therefore, the incumbent president should be given credit for the downturn in defense outlays.
Which of the following statements, if true would most seriously weaken the above conclusion ?

Some generals have claimed that the country's defense has weakened in the past year. A
More soldiers were drafted during the former president's term of office. B
The incumbent president advocates peaceful resolution of international disputes. C
The average annual inflation rate during the incumbent president's term was 4 percent, while during his predecessor's term it was 10 percent D
A disarmament treaty with a major adversary was signed by the incumbent president. E

Question # 2

Forty years after African colonies began emerging as nations, modern loyalties still often go first to the tribe. From Angola to Ethiopia, ethnic hatred has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, making Africa the continent with the world's largest number of refugees.
Which of the following statements best summarizes the above ?

Africa is best characterized ethnic fractionalization. A
Angola and Ethiopia have the worst record of inter ethnic strife in Africa. B
Continued warfare has made Africa a nation of refugees. C
Africa is best characterized as a federation of many states. D
Africa is best characterized as a continent without loyalties. E

Question # 3

Significant beneficial effect of smoking occur primarily in the area of mental health, and the habit originates in a search for contentment. The life expectancy of our people has increased greatly in recent years; it is possible that the relaxation and contentment and enjoyment produced by smoking has lengthened many lives. Smoking is beneficial.
Which of the following, it true, weaken the above conclusion ?

That cigarettes are a major health hazard cannot be traced to the willfull act of any human or organization. A
The government earns millions of dollars from the tobacco tax and tens of thousands of civilians are employed in the tobacco industry. B
The evidence cited in the statement covers only one example of the effects of cigarette smoking. C
No mention is made of possible harmful side-effects of smoking. D
No statistical evidence has proven link between smoking and longevity. E

Question # 4

The burning of coal, oil, and other combustible energy sources produces carbon dioxide, a natural constituent of the atmosphere. Elevated levels of carbon dioxide are thought to be responsible for half the greenhouse effect. Enough carbon dioxide has been sent into the atmosphere already to cause a significant temperature increase. Growth in industrial production must be slowed, or production processes must be changed.
Which of the following, it true, would tend to weaken the strength of the above conclusion ?

Many areas of the world are cold anyway, so a small rise in temperature would be welcome. A
Carbon dioxide is bad for the health. B
Most carbon dioxide is emitted by automobiles. C
Industry is switching over to synthetic liquid fuel extracted form coal. D
A shift to other energy sources would be too costly. E

Question # 5

In winning its bitter, protracted battle to acquire Blue Industries, Inc., Belle industries has fulfilled its goal to lessen its reliance on tobacco holdings, while the $5.2 billion deal may spur more takeover activity in the insurance industry, analysts said.
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

Blue Industries is in the tobacco industry. A
Belle industries is in the insurance business. B
Blue Industries is in the insurance business. C
More divestment takes place in the tobacco industry than in the insurance industry. D
More divestment takes place in the insurance industry than in the tobacco industry. E

Question # 6

You have three boxes, each containing two balls, one containing a black pair; one, a white pair; and third, one white ball and one black ball. On each box are pictures of two balls - either two black ones, two white ones, or one white and one black. You are told that the markings on the boxes are all wrong. You are asked to ascertain the colors of the balls contained in each box.
Which of the following statements can be inferred form the above ?

You can take out one ball from the box marked with two black balls and, without looking at the second ball, know that each box actually contains. A
You can take out one ball from the box marked with two white balls and, without looking at the second ball, know what each box actually contains. B
You can take out one ball from the box marked with one while ball and one black ball and, without looking at the second ball, know what each box contains. C
You cannot know which balls are contained in which box until you take a ball out of more than one box. D
You cannot know which boxes contain which color balls until you take a ball out of all three boxes. E

Question # 7

An economist was quoted as saying that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) will go up next month because of a recent increase in the price of fruit and vegetables.
Which of the following cannot be inferred from the statement ?

The cost of fruits and vegetables has risen sharply. A
Consumers have decreased their consumption of fruits and vegetables. B
The cost of fruit and vegetables is a major item in the CPI. C
Food cost changes are reflected quickly in the CPI. D
Other items that make up the CPI have not significantly decreased in price. E

Question # 8

Ira is taller than Sam.
Elliot is taller than Harold.
Harold is shorter than Gene.
Sam and Gene are of the same height.
If the above is true, which of the following conditions, must also be true?

Elliot is taller than Gene A
Elliot is taller than Ira B
Sam is shorter than Elliot C
Ira is taller than Harold D
Sam is shorter than Harold E

Question # 9

In a world of many trading countries, the trade between two countries need not be balanced for the trade of each to be in global balance. Differing demands and productive capabilities among countries will cause a specific country to have trade deficits with some countries and surpluses with other countries.
Which of the following conclusions best summarizes the passage above ?

A country trade will always be in balance even though it runs a deficit with a single country. A
A country trade deficits and surpluses with other countries always balance out. B
A country global trade balance is a sign of strength or weakness. C
Countries should not be concerned if they have trade deficits because they will balance out in the long run. D
A country global trade balance is determined by relative remand and productive capabilities. E

Question # 10

In the human body, platelets, promote blood clotting by clumping together. Aspirin has been found to prevent clotting by making platelets less sticky. Research has now shown that heart attacks and strokes caused by blood clots could be avoided by taking one aspirin a day. Statistics show that the incidence of second heart attacks
Unfortunately, the drug has several unpleasant side effects, including nausea, gastric bleeding, and, in severe cases, shock. In children, it has been linked to Reye Syndrome, a rare, but occasionally fatal, childhood illness.
One balance, however, for men aged 40 and over, an aspirin a day may present an excellent prophylactic measure for a disease that affects 1.5 million Americans yearly and claims the lives of about 540,000.
Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn from the information above ?

All people should take an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks. A
Painkillers prevent heart attacks. B
Smokers can safely continue smoking, provided that they take at least one aspirin a day. C
The majority of people suffering second subsequent cardiac arrests could have been saved by taking an aspirin a day. D
Aspirin can be used to reduced mortality rates who have already suffered heart attacks. E

Question # 11

Every town with a pool hall has its share of unsavory characters. This is because the pool hall attracts gamblers and all gamblers are unsavory.
Which of the following, if true, cannot be inferred from the above ?

All gamblers are unsavory, A
All pol halls attract gamblers. B
Every town has unsavory characters. C
All gamblers are attracted by pool halls. D
An explanation of what attracts gamblers. E

Question # 12

The President lobbied for passage of his new trade bill which would liberalize trade with industrialized countries such as Japan, members of the European Community, and Canad.
Each of the following, if true, could account for the above, except:

The President is up for re-election and needs to show results. A
Labour unions have petitioned the President to provide more local jobs. B
The trade agreement could bring a quid pro quo on pending negotiations. C
Economists claimed that the passage of the bill would increase the country trade deficit. D
It was politically desirable for a trade bill at the present time. E

Question # 13

A local garbage disposal company increased its profitability even though it reduced its prices in order to attract new customers. This was made possible through the use of automated trucks, thereby reducing the number of workers needed per truck. The company also switched from a concentration on household hauling to a concentration on commercial hauling. As a result of its experience, company management planned to replace all their old trucks and increase the overall size of the truck fleet, doubling hauling capacity.
The company's plan as outlined above, takes into consideration each of the following except:

Commercial clients have more potential than household customers. A
The demand for garbage removal services is sensitive to price. B
Demand for garbage removal services would increase in the future. C
Doubling of capacity would not encessitate; a substantial increase in the work force. D
Doubling of capacity would not cause bottlenecks, leading to a decrease in productivity. E

Question # 14

Pioneers of the motor-car industry realized that if they were going to meet the growing demand for their product, they had to adapt the labor force used in the productive process. Instead of many men working to complete all the stages of one car at a time, they assigned defined tasks to each man which they would repeat on every car.
Which of the following can be concluded form the passage ?

Early motor car manufacturers intended to increase productivity by applying the principle of division of labor. A
The car workers became disgruntled because they were assigned monotonous, repetitive tasks on the assembly line. B
Economies of scale enabled early motor companies to expand. C
A bad worker would perform the same task badly on each car, leading to many more rejects. D
The new production process enabled certain car workers to become specialists in the part of the process to which they were assigned. E

Question # 15

Professor Bilal had the task of giving grades (ranging from A - D in descending value) to her 100 students, based upon the marks they received in three examinations in which the passing mark was 50%. She was instructed to follow the following criteria:
i. All students that scored between 90 and 100% in any two examinations could receive an A grade.
ii. Students that came in the top decile overall were to be awarded an A.
iii. Notwithstanding I and II, if any student failed an exam, the highest he or shed could get was a b.
iv. The top 20 students in the whole year, when the overall exam percentages were averaged, could receive an A.
Given the above criteria, which of the following in the absence of further information, would definitely not be permissible ?

A. Brown, who got 95% in Chemistry and 95% in Biology, received a B grade. A
B. White, who was first in Physics and got 96% in History, received a B grade. B
C. Green failed English, but because he ranked ninth overall out of the 100 students, he was awarded an A grade. C
D. Black was given an A after she came twentieth out of the 100 students and failed to get above 90% in any of the three examinations. D
E. Gray failed his Math exam, but came top in his other two tests and was awarded a B. E

Question # 16

Buy Plenty, a supermarket chain, had successfully implemented an in store promotional campaign based on video messages dashed on a large screen. The purpose of the campaign was to motivate customers to purchase products which they had not planned to buy before they entered to store. The sales manager of Build-It Inc., a chain of do-it-yourself hardware stores, saw the campaign and plans to introduce it in Build-It locations.
The sales manager's plan assumes that

supermarket and hardware products are the same A
products cannot be sold successfully without a video sales campaign B
Supermarket chains do not sell hardware products C
consumer decision making to buy products does not differ substantially when it comes to both supermarket and hardware products D
in-store campaigns are more effective than out-of-store advertising and sales promotion E

Question # 17

Many of the convenience foods on the market today, like dry cereals, have less nutrients than natural foods, which were dominant a decade or two ago. Many nutritionists claim that dry cereal gives less nourishment than natural foods like eggs or bacon. Opponents of the nutritionists views state that examination of grade-school students show less nutritional deficiency than in their parents time.
Which of the following, if true, would tend to strengthen the opponents view ?

Grade-school children reported eating no breakfast at all. A
Fewer convenience foods were available to the parents. B
Adults claim to eat convenience foods as well as natural foods. C
Convenience foods can be digested just as quickly as natural foods. D
Consumers are not likely to sacrifice convenience for nutrition. E

Question # 18

In August 1980, according to a new your. Times/CBS news poll, 36 percent of the voters called themselves Republicans or said they were independents leaning toward being Republicans. In November 1984, the Republican figure rose to 47 percent. But in the latest Times/CBS survey, the Republicans were down to 38 percent. Therefore, the Democrats are likely to win the next election.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the above conclusion ?

Republicans were a minority in 1984, but a Republican president was elected. A
People tend to switch their votes at the last minute. B
People vote for the best candidate, not for a political party. C
No one can predict how people will vote. D
It has been shown that 85 percent of Republicans vote in an election, compared to 50 percent of the Democrats. E

Question # 19

Ali is a terrible driver. He has had at least five traffic violations, int he past year.
Which of the following can be said about the above claim ?

This is an example of an argument that is directed against the source of the claim rather than the claim itself. A
The statement is fallacious because it contains an illegitimate appeal to authority. B
The above argument obtains its strength from a similarity of two compared situations. C
The argument is built upon an assumption that is not stated but rather is concealed. D
In the above statements, there is a shifting in the meaning of terms, causing a fallacy of ambiguity. E

Question # 20

The movement to ownership by unions is the latest step in the progression form management ownership to employee ownership. Employee ownership can save depressed and losing companies. All the following statements, if true, provide support for the claim above except:

Employee-owned companies generally have higher productivity. A
Employee participation in management raises morale. B
Employee union ownership drives up salaries and wages. C
Employee union ownership enables workers to share in the profits. D
Employee union ownership makes it easier to layoff redundant workers. E

Sr.#	Question	Answer
1	Most large retail stores hold sales in the month of January. The original idea of price reduction campaigns in January became popular when it was realized that sales or products would generally slow down following the Christmas rush, were it no for some incentive. The lack of demand could be solved by the simple solution of reducing prices. There is now an increasing tendency among major department stores in large urban centers to have their January sales being before Christmas, some time before the end of the calendar year. The idea behind this trend is to endeavor to sell the maximum amount of stock at a profit, even if that may not be at the maximum profit. Which of the following conclusions cannot be drawn from the above ?	A. The incidence of early January sales results in the lower holdings of stocks with the corollary of lower stock holding costs. B. Demand is a function of price; as you lower price, demand increases. C. Major stores seem to think it makes sense to have to January sales campaigns pre-Christmas. D. It is becoming less popular to star the January sales in the New Year.
2	Ali is a terrible driver. He has had at least five traffic violations, int he past year. Which of the following can be said about the above claim ?	A. This is an example of an argument that is directed against the source of the claim rather than the claim itself. B. The statement is fallacious because it contains an illegitimate appeal to authority. C. The above argument obtains its strength from a similarity of two compared situations. D. The argument is built upon an assumption that is not stated but rather is concealed.
3	The burning of coal, oil, and other combustible energy sources produces carbon dioxide, a natural constituent of the atmosphere. Elevated levels of carbon dioxide are thought to be responsible for half the greenhouse effect. Enough carbon dioxide has been sent into the atmosphere already to cause a significant temperature increase. Growth in industrial production must be slowed, or production processes must be changed. Which of the following, it true, would tend to weaken the strength of the above conclusion ?	A. Many areas of the world are cold anyway, so a small rise in temperature would be welcome. B. Carbon dioxide is bad for the health. C. Most carbon dioxide is emitted by automobiles. D. Industry is switching over to synthetic liquid fuel extracted form coal.
4	You have three boxes, each containing two balls, one containing a black pair; one, a white pair; and third, one white ball and one black ball. On each box are pictures of two balls - either two black ones, two white ones, or one white and one black. You are told that the markings on the boxes are all wrong. You are asked to ascertain the colors of the balls contained in each box. Which of the following statements can be inferred form the above ?	A. You can take out one ball from the box marked with two black balls and, without looking at the second ball, know that each box actually contains. B. You can take out one ball from the box marked with two white balls and, without looking at the second ball, know what each box actually contains. C. You can take out one ball from the box marked with one while ball and one black ball and, without looking at the second ball, know what each box contains. D. You cannot know which balls are contained in which box until you take a ball out of more than one box.
5	Significant beneficial effect of smoking occur primarily in the area of mental health, and the habit originates in a search for contentment. The life expectancy of our people has increased greatly in recent years; it is possible that the relaxation and contentment and enjoyment produced by smoking has lengthened many lives. Smoking is beneficial. Which of the following, it true, weaken the above conclusion ?	A. That cigarettes are a major health hazard cannot be traced to the willfull act of any human or organization. B. The government earns millions of dollars from the tobacco tax and tens of thousands of civilians are employed in the tobacco industry. C. The evidence cited in the statement covers only one example of the effects of cigarette smoking. D. No mention is made of possible harmful side-effects of smoking.
6	If we are doomed to have local drug rehabilitation centers - and society has determined that we are - then society ought to pay for them. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the above argument ?	A. Drug rehabilitation centers are too expensive to be locally funded. B. Many neighborhood groups oppose rehabilitation centers. C. Drug rehabilitation centers are expensive to maintain. D. Drug addicts may be unwilling to receive treatment.
7	Many of the convenience foods on the market today, like dry cereals, have less nutrients than natural foods, which were dominant a decade or two ago. Many nutritionists claim that dry cereal gives less nourishment than natural foods like eggs or bacon. Opponents of the nutritionists views state that examination of grade-school students show less nutritional deficiency than in their parents time. Which of the following, if true, would tend to strengthen the opponents view ?	A. Grade-school children reported eating no breakfast at all. B. Fewer convenience foods were available to the parents. C. Adults claim to eat convenience foods as well as natural foods. D. Convenience foods can be digested just as quickly as natural foods.
8	Average family income is right where it was 20 years ago, even though in most families these days, husbands and wives are working. The above statement implies all of the following, except:	A. Even though nominal family income may have increased, inflation has risen at an equal rate. B. More husbands and wives are working today than 20 years ago. C. It was more prevalent for one spouse-to-work 20 yeas ago than today. D. Wives earn more than husbands today.
9	Ira is taller than Sam. Elliot is taller than Harold. Harold is shorter than Gene. Sam and Gene are of the same height. If the above is true, which of the following conditions, must also be true?	A. Elliot is taller than Gene B. Elliot is taller than Ira C. Sam is shorter than Elliot D. Ira is taller than Harold
10	Many countries are facing a potential crisis in 20 to 30 years time. The ratio of pensioners to workers will be changing drastically with a declining birth rate, with more lengthy education of the young, and with a reduced working life. In general, the number of people paying into pension schemes is decreasing all the time. Meanwhile, with increased health care and living standards, more people are living long enough to draw their pension funds. A controversial solution to this problem has been proposed in Germany-changing the age of retirement, for both men and women, from the current qualifying age of 63 for men and 60 for women. A radical, but socially acceptable, solution to this problem must be found. If this is not done, it is predicted that by the year 2050, one person in three will be 65 or over and the projected work force will be unable to support pensions. Assuming the following were all socially acceptable, which one would not improve the situation in the future ?	A. Lower the retirement age. B. Decrease the school-leaving age. C. Impose larger contributions on employees and employers. D. Cut pensions in half.

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CSS General Abilities Topic 4 MCQ's Test

MCQ's Test For CSS General Abilities Topic 4 Logical Reasoning

CSS General Abilities Topic 4 Logical Reasoning

An economist was quoted as saying that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) will go up next month because of a recent increase in the price of fruit and vegetables.Which of the following cannot be inferred from the statement ?

Ira is taller than Sam.Elliot is taller than Harold.Harold is shorter than Gene.Sam and Gene are of the same height.If the above is true, which of the following conditions, must also be true?

Every town with a pool hall has its share of unsavory characters. This is because the pool hall attracts gamblers and all gamblers are unsavory.Which of the following, if true, cannot be inferred from the above ?

The President lobbied for passage of his new trade bill which would liberalize trade with industrialized countries such as Japan, members of the European Community, and Canad.Each of the following, if true, could account for the above, except:

Ali is a terrible driver. He has had at least five traffic violations, int he past year.Which of the following can be said about the above claim ?

The movement to ownership by unions is the latest step in the progression form management ownership to employee ownership. Employee ownership can save depressed and losing companies. All the following statements, if true, provide support for the claim above except:

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An economist was quoted as saying that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) will go up next month because of a recent increase in the price of fruit and vegetables.
Which of the following cannot be inferred from the statement ?

Ira is taller than Sam.
Elliot is taller than Harold.
Harold is shorter than Gene.
Sam and Gene are of the same height.
If the above is true, which of the following conditions, must also be true?

Every town with a pool hall has its share of unsavory characters. This is because the pool hall attracts gamblers and all gamblers are unsavory.
Which of the following, if true, cannot be inferred from the above ?

The President lobbied for passage of his new trade bill which would liberalize trade with industrialized countries such as Japan, members of the European Community, and Canad.
Each of the following, if true, could account for the above, except:

Ali is a terrible driver. He has had at least five traffic violations, int he past year.
Which of the following can be said about the above claim ?