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Contrary to charges made by opponents of the new trade bill, the bill's provisions for taking action against foreign countries that place barriers against American exports, is justified. Opponents should take not that restrictive trade legislation in the 1930s succeeded in improving the U.S. trade balance even though economists were against it. The author's method of rebutting opponents of the new trade bill is to
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A. attack the patriotism of its opponents.
B. attack the opponents characters rather than their claims.
C.imply an analogy between the new trade bill and previous trade legislation.
D. suggest that economists were against both pieces, of legislation.
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| 2 |
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 ?
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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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| 3 |
Professor Akram told his class that the method of student evaluation of teachers is not a valid measure of teaching quality. Students should fill out questionnaires at the end of the semester when courses have been completed. Which of the following, if true, provides support for Professor Akram proposal ?
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A. Professor Akram received low ratings from his students.
B. Students filled out questionnaires after the midterm exam.
C.Students are interested in teacher evaluation.
D. Teacher are not obligated to use the survey results.
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| 4 |
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:
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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.
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| 5 |
Opponents of the new legislation could defend themselves against the author's strategy by arguing that:
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A. the fact that past trade legislation improved the trade balance does not mean that the present bill will do the same.
B. economists are not always right.
C.the united states had a trade deficit both in the 1930s and at the time of the new bill.
D. the new law is not as strong as the 1930s bill.
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| 6 |
The Monopoly is characterized by absence of or decline in competition. The ABC Company realizes that its operations are in competitive industries. Which of the following conclusions may be inferred form the above ?
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A. ABC market is not monopolistic.
B. Monopoly is defined as one seller in a market.
C.The ABC Company has no domestic competitors.
D. The ABC company is publicly owned.
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| 7 |
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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| 8 |
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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| 9 |
Ever since I arrived at the college last week, I ve been shocked by the poor behavior of students and the unfriendly attitude of the towns-people, but the professors are very erudite and genuinely helpful. Still, I wonder if i should have come here in the first place. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the above conclusion ?
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A. Professors are not always helpful to students.
B. The college numbers over 50,000 students.
C.The college is far from the student's home.
D. Not all professors have doctorates.
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| 10 |
Farmers in the North have observed that heavy frost is usually preceded by a full moon somehow generates the frost. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the farmers conviction ?
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A. The temperature must fall below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) for frost to occur.
B. Absence of a cloud cover cools the ground which causes frost.
C.Farmers are superstitious.
D. No one has proven that the moon causes frost.
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| 11 |
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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| 12 |
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 ?
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A. Early motor car manufacturers intended to increase productivity by applying the principle of division of labor.
B. The car workers became disgruntled because they were assigned monotonous, repetitive tasks on the assembly line.
C.Economies of scale enabled early motor companies to expand.
D. A bad worker would perform the same task badly on each car, leading to many more rejects.
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| 13 |
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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| 14 |
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 ?
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A. Republicans were a minority in 1984, but a Republican president was elected.
B. People tend to switch their votes at the last minute.
C.People vote for the best candidate, not for a political party.
D. No one can predict how people will vote.
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| 15 |
Inflation rose by 5.1 % over the second quarter, up form 4.1 % during the first quarter of the year and higher than the 3.3% record during the same time last year. However, the higher price index did not seem to alarm Wall street, as stock prices remained steady. Which of the following, if true, could explain the reaction of Wall Street ?
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A. Stock prices were steady because of a fear that inflation would continue.
B. The President announced that he was concerned about rising inflation.
C.Economists warned that inflation would persist.
D. Much of the quarterly increase in the price level was due to a summer droughts effect on food prices.
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| 16 |
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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