| 1 |
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 ?
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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.
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| 2 |
The director of the customs service suggested that customs taxes on automobiles not be reduced as planned by the government because of the high incidence of traffic accidents last year. Which of the above statements weakens the argument above ? 1. Although the traffic accident rate last year was high, it was not appreciably higher than previous years and anyway, compulsory insurance covered most physical damage to automobiles and property. 2. A Commerce Department report showed that the demand for automobiles was highly inelastic. That is, as dealers lowered their prices, sales did not increase appreciably. 3. A study by the Economics Department at Classics University found that most traffic accidents had been caused by human error although it also concluded that an inadequate road network contributed to at least 40 percent of passenger injuries.
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A. I, but not II and not III.
B. II, but not I and not III.
C. I and III, but not II.
D. II and III, but not I.
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| 3 |
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
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A. supermarket and hardware products are the same
B. products cannot be sold successfully without a video sales campaign
C. Supermarket chains do not sell hardware products
D. consumer decision making to buy products does not differ substantially when it comes to both supermarket and hardware products
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| 4 |
Prompted by proposal to convert a shipyard into a complex of condominiums with full-service marina and boat repair center and by concern about the proposal from local residents, baymen, and environmentalists, the town is considering a one-year building moratorium for the water front area. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken opposition to the complex ?
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A. Condominiums would sell for $350,000 each.
B. There is a large demand for boat repair services.
C. A growing population results in the closure of shellfish.
D. There are already 1,200 moorings on the waterfront.
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| 5 |
The states of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California provide extensive free higher education to their residents. Threes states are representative of different geographic areas of the united states. There is little reason why most states cannot provide the same service to their residents. Which of the following, it true, would weaken the above argument ?
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A. Free education is not guaranteed by the constitution.
B. New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California have more qualified high school graduates than other states.
C. Most other states do not have the tax base that new york, ohio, Pennsylvania, and California have.
D. Other states do not have as many high school graduates.
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| 6 |
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 ?
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A. Africa is best characterized ethnic fractionalization.
B. Angola and Ethiopia have the worst record of inter ethnic strife in Africa.
C. Continued warfare has made Africa a nation of refugees.
D. Africa is best characterized as a federation of many states.
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| 7 |
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?
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A. Elliot is taller than Gene
B. Elliot is taller than Ira
C. Sam is shorter than Elliot
D. Ira is taller than Harold
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| 8 |
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 ?
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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.
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| 9 |
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 ?
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A. Some generals have claimed that the country's defense has weakened in the past year.
B. More soldiers were drafted during the former president's term of office.
C. The incumbent president advocates peaceful resolution of international disputes.
D. The average annual inflation rate during the incumbent president's term was 4 percent, while during his predecessor's term it was 10 percent
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| 10 |
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 ?
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A. All gamblers are unsavory,
B. All pol halls attract gamblers.
C. Every town has unsavory characters.
D. All gamblers are attracted by pool halls.
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