GMAT Critical Reasoning Discussions

MBA
3948
Couple of Qs from my side:

1. The people of Prohibitionland are considering banning the service of alcoholic
beverages in restaurants .........................


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2. Recently, some critics of the U.S. government have pointed out that this
country is the only advanced industrialized nation without a national vaccine
laboratory .............


Cheers!


OAs are:

1. D

2. A

Explanations:

7.
The argument concerns the economic impact on restaurants in Prohibitionland if
the service of alcoholic beverages is banned. It presents evidence that, despite
restrictions on the service of alcohol in certain areas of Prohibitionland, sales
taxes in restaurants in those areas rose at a higher rate than for those in other
parts of Prohibitionland, suggesting that the ban would not have any adverse
economic impact. We are asked to support the restaurant proprietors' claim , so
the correct answer choice will call the relevance of the seemingly contradictory
evidence into question.
(A). This answer choice may seem to strengthen the argument that banning the
service of alcoholic beverages would have an adverse impact on restaurants.
However, as the evidence involves data for the entire year, citing a short-term
negative impact on restaurant visitation at the beginning of the year does not
measurably strengthen the argument.
(B) The relative tax rate on food and beverages as compared to other consumer
good is irrelevant here.
(C) A gradual decline in alcohol consumption over the past 20 years would
suggest that over time, any ban on alcohol would have an increasingly small
impact on restaurant visitation, weakening the proprietors argument.
(D) CORRECT. This statement calls the evidence into question by indicating that
any measured increase in sales taxes and, presumably, revenues for restaurants
that have been operating under the restrictions last year enacted is irrelevant, as
the restrictions could be argued to be completely different than the total ban that
is being proposed. This answer choice substantially strengthens the proprietors
argument by threatening to make the cited evidence irrelevant.
(E) The fact that overall sales tax revenue did not increase at a higher rate in the
provinces that enacted the restrictions on alcoholic beverages weakens the
proprietors argument, as it makes the cited evidence more compelling by ruling
out the possibility of different growth rates in the different areas.

==============================================================================================

8.
The official's conclusion is that people who claim that the U.S. is more vulnerable
than other nations because of the country's lack of a national vaccine laboratory
are disloyal and incorrect. His basis for that conclusion is that the U.S. has
generally long life span and low infant mortality relative to all UN countries.
Moreover, he cites the high quality of American hospitals, and he adds that many
people he knows from around the world come to the U.S. for medical care. We
are asked to find the choice that does NOT point out a weakness or potential
weakness in the official's argument.
(A) CORRECT. This choice states that the high quality of hospitals is not a factor
affecting the public's vulnerability to infectious disease. However, the quality of
hospitals very arguably does affect how vulnerable the public is to such disease.
(B) This choice highlights the official's logical jump from "disloyal" to "wrong" in
the phrase "these critics are disloyal and thus wrong about the public's
vulnerability." There is no necessary connection between disloyalty and
wrongness.
(C) If the Europeans that the official cited overwhelmingly consist of wealthy men
over the age of fifty, then the official relied on an unrepresentative sample to
justify his claim. What is true of wealthy older European men is not necessarily
true of Europeans or non-Americans generally.
(D) If the average life span of Americans is determined by causes other than
infectious disease, then the official is not limiting his evidence to cases relating to
vaccines. Other causes of death are not relevant to the critics' argument.
(E) The ranking of the United States relative to all UN countries is misleading,
since it does not compare the U.S. to other "advanced industrialized" or
"developed" nations, as the critics' claim does.
3953
Automobile safety experts argue that, although the required installation of air bags has reduced the number of automobile-related fatalities, the most important safety feature of a car, in terms of reducing the chances of passenger fatality, remains the seat belt.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens this argument?

(A) Most automobile-related fatalities occur in crash situations in which air bags do not inflate.
(B) The drop in automobile-related fatalities that occurred after the invention of seatbelts was larger than the drop was after the invention of air bags.
(C) A passenger wearing a seat belt when the air bag does not inflate is more likely to survive than a passenger not wearing a seat belt when the air bag inflates.
(D) Passengers are currently more likely to survive automobile accidents than they have been at any time in the past.
(E) People in the passenger seat, which does not always have airbags, usually survive accidents.

My take : (B) The drop in automobile-related fatalities that occurred after the invention of seatbelts was larger than the drop was after the invention of air bags
3954
While Governor Verdant has been in office,the state's budget has increased by an average of 6 percent each year.While the previous governor was in office,the state's budget increased by an average of 11.5 percent each year.Obviously,the austere budget during Governor Verdant's term have caused the slowdown in the growth in state spending.

Which of the following,if true,would most seriously weaken the conclusion drawn above?
a) The rate of inflation in the state average 10 percent each year during the pervious governor's term in office and 3 percent each year during Verdant's term.
b) Both federal and state income tax rates have been lowered considerably during Verdant's term in office.
c) In each year of Verdant's term in office, the state's budget has shown some increase in spending over previous year.
d)During Verdant's term in office,the state has either discontinued or begun to charge private citizen for numerous services that the state offered free to citizens during the previous governor's term.
e)During the previous governor's term in office, the state introduced several so-called "austerity" budgets intended to reduce the growth in state spending.

Opt A: The rate of inflation in the state average 10 percent each year during the pervious governor's term in office and 3 percent each year during Verdant's term
3955
The earliest Mayan pottery found at Colha, in Belize, is about 3,000 years old. Recently, however, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements were unearthed at Colha. These implements resemble Mayan stone implements of a much later period, also found at Colha. Moreover, the implements designs are strikingly different from the designs of stone implements produced by other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times. Therefore, there were surely Mayan settlements in Colha 4,500 years ago.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Mayan people to make agricultural implements.
(B) Carbon-dating of corn pollen in Colha indicates that agriculture began there around 4,500 years ago.
(C) Archaeological evidence indicates that some of the oldest stone implements found at Colha were used to cut away vegetation after controlled burning of trees to open areas of swampland for cultivation.
(D) Successor cultures at a given site often adopt the style of agricultural implements used by earlier inhabitants of the same site.
(E) Many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago relied on a highly developed system of agricultural symbols.

Opt D:Successor cultures at a given site often adopt the style of agricultural implements used by earlier inhabitants of the same site.
3956
Scientists have made genetic modifications to cotton to increase its resistance to insect pests. According to farmers' reports, the amount of insecticide needed per acre to control insect pests was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed than for those who did not. Therefore, since the modified seed costs more than ordinary seed without
producing yields of higher market value, switching to the modified seed would be unlikely to benefit most cotton farmers economically.
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?

A. Whether farmers who tried the modified cotton seed had ever tried growing other crops from genetically modified seed
B. Whether the insecticides typically used on ordinary cotton tend to be more expensive than insecticides typically used on other crops
C. Whether for most farmers who grow cotton it is their primary crop
D. Whether the farmers who have tried the modified seed planted as many acres of cotton, on average, as farmers using the ordinary seed did
E. Whether most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide

Opt D :Whether the farmers who have tried the modified seed planted as many acres of cotton, on average, as farmers using the ordinary seed did
3958
Scientists have made genetic modifications to cotton to increase its resistance to insect pests. According to farmers' reports, the amount of insecticide needed per acre to control insect pests was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed than for those who did not. Therefore, since the modified seed costs more than ordinary seed without
producing yields of higher market value, switching to the modified seed would be unlikely to benefit most cotton farmers economically.
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?

B. Whether the insecticides typically used on ordinary cotton tend to be more expensive than insecticides typically used on other crops
OAs are in bold!!


answer to this question is D. i seriously doubt ans to be B.
3960
While political discourse and the media in the United States have focused on the rise of job outsourcing, few have mentioned the sharp fall of talent insourcing, or the drop in enrollment of foreign-born graduate students since 2001, and its dire results. The decrease in such insourcing will hurt Americas competitiveness in basic research and applied technology, with serious consequences for years to come. The de-internationalization of graduate programs across the country will also negatively affect the global outlook and experience of the American students remaining in those programs; they will not have the opportunity to learn about foreign cultures directly from members of those cultures. What distinguishes the decline of talent insourcing from the rise of job outsourcing is that the former can be easily rectified by a policy change of the United States government.

The answer to which of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating the authors claim regarding the impact of decreased insourcing in America?

1.)What is the cost to reverse the trend of insourcing in America?
2.) How does insourcing replace domestic jobs lost from outsourcing?
3.) Since 2001, what has been the decrease in the number of foreign-born students in America?
4.) What opportunities do American graduate students have to interact regularly with foreigners who are not students?
5.)What effect would a government policy have on the number of foreign graduate students?


My take :
3.) Since 2001, what has been the decrease in the number of foreign-born students in America?
3961
psethi Says
answer to this question is D. i seriously doubt ans to be B.


i think E should be correct ans..the question stem mentions that the use of GM seeds have not resulted in "yields of high market value" .....so we need to check whether the reason for change...from normal seeds to GM seeds.... was high cost of pesticides or to get high value yields.

B on the other hand effects both GM seeds and normal seeds equally so we cannot differentiate bet the two from this option.
Option D i dont see how it will effect the evaluation..because the economic viability will be calculated per acre basis...

Please provide some explanations to clear....
3963

The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is certainly imprecise, because we are not sure how different from us something might be and still count as "intelligent life." Yet we cannot just decide to define "intelligent life" in some more precise way since it is likely that we will find and recognize intelligent life elsewhere in the universe only if we leave our definitions open to new, unimagined possibilities

The passage, if seen as an objection to an antecedent claim, challenges that claim by:
(A) showing the claim to be irrelevant to the issue at hand
(B) citing examples that fail to fit proposed definition of "intelligent life"
(C) claiming that "intelligent life" cannot be adequately defined
(D) arguing that the claim, if acted on, would be counterproductive
(E) maintaining that the claim is not supported by the available evidence

I am totally stumped by this question

Another similar one:

The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is certainly imprecise because we are not sure how different from us something might be and still count as "intelligent life". Yet we cannot just decide to define "intelligent life" in some more precise way since it is likely that we will find and recognize intelligent life elsewhere in the universe only if we leave our definitions open to new, unimagined possibilities.
The argument can most reasonably be interpreted as an objection to which one of the following claims?
(A) The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is one that will never be correctly answered.
(B) Whether or not there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, our understanding of intelligent life is limited.
(C) The question about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe must be made more precise if we hope to answer it correctly.
(D) The question whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is so imprecise as to be meaningless.
(E) The question whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is one we should not spend our time trying to answer.

3964
The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is certainly imprecise, because we are not sure how different from us something might be and still count as "intelligent life." Yet we cannot just decide to define "intelligent life" in some more precise way since it is likely that we will find and recognize intelligent life elsewhere in the universe only if we leave our definitions open to new, unimagined possibilities

The passage, if seen as an objection to an antecedent claim, challenges that claim by:
(A) showing the claim to be irrelevant to the issue at hand
(B) citing examples that fail to fit proposed definition of "intelligent life"
(C) claiming that "intelligent life" cannot be adequately defined
(D) arguing that the claim, if acted on, would be counterproductive
(E) maintaining that the claim is not supported by the available evidence

I am totally stumped by this question

Another similar one:

The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is certainly imprecise because we are not sure how different from us something might be and still count as "intelligent life". Yet we cannot just decide to define "intelligent life" in some more precise way since it is likely that we will find and recognize intelligent life elsewhere in the universe only if we leave our definitions open to new, unimagined possibilities.
The argument can most reasonably be interpreted as an objection to which one of the following claims?
(A) The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is one that will never be correctly answered.
(B) Whether or not there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, our understanding of intelligent life is limited.
(C) The question about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe must be made more precise if we hope to answer it correctly.
(D) The question whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is so imprecise as to be meaningless.
(E) The question whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is one we should not spend our time trying to answer.


Difficult questions...my take...
1.C
2.C

do they ask such types of questions on GMAT?what's the source?
3965
Difficult questions...my take...
1.C
2.C

do they ask such types of questions on GMAT?what's the source?


OA
1) D
2) C

I guess so as I found these questions on other forums as well. It's good to practice such type of questions.:lookround:
3966

@cognizant_81
You have posted these questions in thread but i think u forgot to post OA for there.

scientific theory is a good theory if it satisfies two requirements: It must accurately describe a large class of observations in terms of a model that is simple enough to contain only a few elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations. For example, Aristotle's cosmological theory, which claimed that everything was made out of four elements-earth, air, fire, and water-satisfied the first requirement, but it did not make any definite prediction. Thus, Aristotle's cosmological theory was not a good theory.
If all the statements in the passage are true, each of the following must also be true EXCEPT:
(A) Prediction about the results of future observations must be made by any good scientific theory.
(B) Observation of physical phenomena was not a major concern in Aristotle's cosmological theory.
(C) Four elements can be the basis of a scientific model that is simple enough to meet the simplicity criterion of a good theory.
(D) A scientific model that contains many elements is not a good theory.
(E) Aristotle's cosmological theory described a large class of observations in terms of only four elements

Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from disease Y, but there is no available test for distinguishing X from Y. Therefore, since there is an effective treatment for Y but no treatment for X, we must act on the assumption that the patient has a case of Y.
The physician's reasoning could be based on which one of the following principles?
(A) In treating a patient who has one or the other of two diseases, it is more important to treat the diseases than to determine which of the two diseases the patient has.
(B) If circumstances beyond a decision maker's control will affect the outcome of the decision maker's actions, the decision maker must assume that circumstances are unfavorable.
(C) When the soundness of a strategy depends on the truth of a certain assumption, the first step in putting the strategy into effect must be to test the truth of this assumption.
(D) When success is possible only if a circumstance beyond one's control is favorable, then one's strategy must be based on the assumption that this circumstance is in fact favorable.
(E) When only one strategy carries the possibility of success, circumstances must as much as possible be changed to fit this strategy.
Request you to post OA for these

3967
@cognizant_81
You have posted these questions in thread but i think u forgot to post OA for there.

scientific theory is a good theory if it satisfies two requirements: It must accurately describe a large class of observations in terms of a model that is simple enough to contain only a few elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations. For example, Aristotle's cosmological theory, which claimed that everything was made out of four elements-earth, air, fire, and water-satisfied the first requirement, but it did not make any definite prediction. Thus, Aristotle's cosmological theory was not a good theory.
If all the statements in the passage are true, each of the following must also be true EXCEPT:
(A) Prediction about the results of future observations must be made by any good scientific theory.
(B) Observation of physical phenomena was not a major concern in Aristotle's cosmological theory.
(C) Four elements can be the basis of a scientific model that is simple enough to meet the simplicity criterion of a good theory.
(D) A scientific model that contains many elements is not a good theory.
(E) Aristotle's cosmological theory described a large class of observations in terms of only four elements

Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from disease Y, but there is no available test for distinguishing X from Y. Therefore, since there is an effective treatment for Y but no treatment for X, we must act on the assumption that the patient has a case of Y.
The physician's reasoning could be based on which one of the following principles?
(A) In treating a patient who has one or the other of two diseases, it is more important to treat the diseases than to determine which of the two diseases the patient has.
(B) If circumstances beyond a decision maker's control will affect the outcome of the decision maker's actions, the decision maker must assume that circumstances are unfavorable.
(C) When the soundness of a strategy depends on the truth of a certain assumption, the first step in putting the strategy into effect must be to test the truth of this assumption.
(D) When success is possible only if a circumstance beyond one's control is favorable, then one's strategy must be based on the assumption that this circumstance is in fact favorable.
(E) When only one strategy carries the possibility of success, circumstances must as much as possible be changed to fit this strategy.
Request you to post OA for these

Question-1 (E)

Question-2 (A)
3968

Wolves can double their numbers every year. They do not do so, however, if the area in which they live is already full and the territory of each pack borders on the territory of other packs on all sides. Lone wolves, unable to establish a territory near their place of origin, disperse to a less desirable habitat and often are hunted by people.

Which of the following conclusions may be properly drawn from the information in the passage above?

A. The number of wolves in any area suitable for wolves may be predicted to quadruple in two years.
B. Wolves are ejected from the pack to wander singly as lone wolves when the number of wolves in the pack has doubled.
C. The amount of territory suitable for wolves has been diminishing in recent years as a result of human encroachment, with a resulting diminution in the wolf population.
D. Wolf hunting can continue at a moderate rate on the fringes of a good habitat for wolves without a decrease in the average yearly wolf population in that territory.
E. The wolf population density in a given area of wolf territory does not vary with the yearly rate of wolf reproduction.


found this on a forum ,nt sure of OA
My take is D....

3969
1. Because a large disparity in pay between the public and private sectors has developed in recent years, many experienced and extremely capable government administrators have quit their posts and taken positions in private-sector management. Government will be able to recapture these capable administrators by raising salaries to a level comparable to those of the private sector. In that way, the functioning of public agencies will be improved.
The position taken above presupposes which one of the following?
(A) Experience gained from private-sector management will be very valuable in government administration.
(B) The most important factor determining how well government agencies function is the amount of experience the administrators have.
(C) Unless government action is taken, the disparity in pay between government administration and private-sector management will continue to increase.
(D) People who moved from jobs in government administration to private-sector management would choose to change careers again.
(E) If the disparity in pay between government administration and private-sector management increases, administrators will move to the public sector in large numbers.
2. A distemper virus has caused two-thirds of the seal population in the North Sea to die since May 1988. The explanation for the deaths cannot rest here, however. There must be a reason the normally latent virus could prevail so suddenly: clearly the severe pollution of the North Sea waters must have weakened the immune system of the seals so that they could no longer withstand the virus.
The argument concerning the immune system of the seals presupposes which one of the following?
(A) There has been a gradual decline in the seal population of the North Sea during the past two centuries.
(B) No further sources of pollution have been added since May 1988 to the already existing sources of pollution in the North Sea.
(C) There was no sudden mutation in the distemper virus which would have allowed the virus successfully to attack healthy North Sea seals by May 1988.
(D) Pollution in the North Sea is no greater than pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of North America, or in the Sea of Japan.
(E) Some species that provide food for the seals have nearly become extinct as a result of the pollution.
3. Millions of irreplaceable exhibits in natural history museums are currently allowed to decay. Yet without analyses of eggs from museums, the studies linking pesticides with the decline of birds of prey would have been impossible. Therefore, funds must be raised to preserve at least those exhibits that will be most valuable to science in the future.
The argument presupposes that
(A) if a museum exhibit is irreplaceable, its preservation is of an importance that overrides economic considerations
(B) the scientific analysis of museum exhibits can be performed in nondestructive way
(C) eggs of extinct species should be analyzed to increase knowledge of genetic relationships among species
(D) it can be known at this time what data will be of most use to scientific investigators in the future
(E) the decay of organic material in natural history exhibits is natural and cannot be prevented
4. Compared to nonprofit hospitals of the same size, investor-owned hospitals require less public investment in the form of tax breaks, use fewer employees, and have higher occupancy levels. It can therefore be concluded that investor-owned hospitals are a better way of delivering medical care than are nonprofit hospitals.
Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the conclusion drawn above?
(A) Nonprofit hospitals charge more per bed than do investor-owned hospitals.
(B) Patients in nonprofit hospitals recover more quickly than don patients with comparable illnesses in investor-owned hospitals.
(C) Nonprofit hospitals do more fundraising than do investor-owned hospitals.
(D) Doctors at nonprofit hospitals earn higher salaries than do similarly qualified doctors at investor-owned hospitals.
(E) Nonprofit hospitals receive more donations than do investor-owned hospitals
5&6
Two paleontologists, Dr Tyson and Dr. Rees, disagree over the interpretation of certain footprints that were left among other footprints in hardened volcanic ash at site G. Dr. Tyson claims they are clearly early hominid footprints since they show human characteristics: a squarish heel and a big toe immediately adjacent to the next toe. However, since the footprints indicate that if hominids made those prints they would have had to walk in an unexpected cross-stepping manner, by placing the left foot to the right of the right foot. Dr. Rees rejects Dr. Tysons conclusion.
5. The disagreement between the two paleontologists is over which one of the following?
(A) the relative significance of various aspects of the evidence
(B) the assumption that early hominid footprints are distinguishable from other footprints
(C) the possibility of using the evidence of footprints to determine the gait of the creature that made those footprints
(D) the assumption that evidence from one paleontologic site is enough to support a conclusion
(E) the likelihood that early hominids would have walked upright on two feet
6. Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines Dr. Tysons conclusion?
(A) The foot prints showing human characteristics were clearly those of at least two distinct individuals.
(B) Certain species of bears had feet very like human feet, except that the outside toe on each foot was the biggest toe and the innermost toe was the smallest toe.
(C) Footprints shaped like a humans that do not show a cross-stepping pattern exist at site M, which is a mile away from site G, and the two sets of footprints are contemporaneous.
(D) When the moist volcanic ash became sealed under additional layers of ash before hardening, some details of some of the footprints were erased.
(E) Most of the other footprints at site G were of animals with hooves.
3971

Wolves can double their numbers every year. They do not do so, however, if the area in which they live is already full and the territory of each pack borders on the territory of other packs on all sides. Lone wolves, unable to establish a territory near their place of origin, disperse to a less desirable habitat and often are hunted by people.

Which of the following conclusions may be properly drawn from the information in the passage above?

A. The number of wolves in any area suitable for wolves may be predicted to quadruple in two years.
B. Wolves are ejected from the pack to wander singly as lone wolves when the number of wolves in the pack has doubled.
C. The amount of territory suitable for wolves has been diminishing in recent years as a result of human encroachment, with a resulting diminution in the wolf population.
D. Wolf hunting can continue at a moderate rate on the fringes of a good habitat for wolves without a decrease in the average yearly wolf population in that territory.
E. The wolf population density in a given area of wolf territory does not vary with the yearly rate of wolf reproduction.


found this on a forum ,nt sure of OA
My take is D....


My Take is E)

A. The number of wolves in any area suitable for wolves may be predicted to quadruple in two years.
- As per the passage the ideal situation is not possible in any areas.

B. Wolves are ejected from the pack to wander singly as lone wolves when the number of wolves in the pack has doubled.
- Out of scope

C. The amount of territory suitable for wolves has been diminishing in recent years as a result of human encroachment, with a resulting diminution in the wolf population.
- Out of scope (Passage doesn't suggest that)

D. Wolf hunting can continue at a moderate rate on the fringes of a good habitat for wolves without a decrease in the average yearly wolf population in that territory.
- The passage talks about the Wolves population and not about rate of wolf hunting.

E. The wolf population density in a given area of wolf territory does not vary with the yearly rate of wolf reproduction.
- Wolves can double their numbers every year - This suggest the Wolf reproduction and the passage suggest because of the other problems, this rate can't be achieved.

UPDATED LATER:

OA is D)

Here is the explanation:

A is not correct because it's not necessarily true, as stated in our first premise: while they can double every year (they'd quadruple in two years), this may not happen because of territory issues.

B can be eliminated because we're explicitly told in the argument that lone wolves are "unable to establish a territory near their place of origin". This does not mean that they're expelled from the pack just because the pack has doubled - maybe some wolves are chased away from the pack before the number doubles...

While we may feel like C is right because we know it's true from experience, there's nothing in the argument to suggest human encroachment on the wolves' territory.

D is actually the correct answer here. Even if some wolves are hunted down by humans, since the pack can double every year, the loss of a few wolves will be offset by the birth of new wolves. Take an example: suppose you start out with a pack of 15 wolves in a certain territory. 7 of them became aggressive and they had to be hunted down. We're left with 15 - 7 = 8 wolves in the pack. It's a great loss, but by the end of the year the pack can double. So the new number of wolves will be 2*8 = 16 wolves, which is pretty close to 15.

E kindda contradicts the passage. If the wolves double every year in a certain territory that's not yet full, then the density gets bigger and bigger.

Source : BTG forum.
3974
Wolves can double their numbers every year. They do not do so, however, if the area in which they live is already full and the territory of each pack borders on the territory of other packs on all sides. Lone wolves, unable to establish a territory near their place of origin, disperse to a less desirable habitat and often are hunted by people.

Which of the following conclusions may be properly drawn from the information in the passage above?

A. The number of wolves in any area suitable for wolves may be predicted to quadruple in two years.
B. Wolves are ejected from the pack to wander singly as lone wolves when the number of wolves in the pack has doubled.
C. The amount of territory suitable for wolves has been diminishing in recent years as a result of human encroachment, with a resulting diminution in the wolf population.
D. Wolf hunting can continue at a moderate rate on the fringes of a good habitat for wolves without a decrease in the average yearly wolf population in that territory.
E. The wolf population density in a given area of wolf territory does not vary with the yearly rate of wolf reproduction.


found this on a forum ,nt sure of OA
My take is D....


request not to post the answer with question.
thanks
3975
1. Because a large disparity in pay between the public and private sectors has developed in recent years, many experienced and extremely capable government administrators have quit their posts and taken positions in private-sector management. Government will be able to recapture these capable administrators by raising salaries to a level comparable to those of the private sector. In that way, the functioning of public agencies will be improved.
The position taken above presupposes which one of the following?
(A) Experience gained from private-sector management will be very valuable in government administration.
(B) The most important factor determining how well government agencies function is the amount of experience the administrators have.
(C) Unless government action is taken, the disparity in pay between government administration and private-sector management will continue to increase.
(D) People who moved from jobs in government administration to private-sector management would choose to change careers again.
(E) If the disparity in pay between government administration and private-sector management increases, administrators will move to the public sector in large numbers.
2. A distemper virus has caused two-thirds of the seal population in the North Sea to die since May 1988. The explanation for the deaths cannot rest here, however. There must be a reason the normally latent virus could prevail so suddenly: clearly the severe pollution of the North Sea waters must have weakened the immune system of the seals so that they could no longer withstand the virus.
The argument concerning the immune system of the seals presupposes which one of the following?
(A) There has been a gradual decline in the seal population of the North Sea during the past two centuries.
(B) No further sources of pollution have been added since May 1988 to the already existing sources of pollution in the North Sea.
(C) There was no sudden mutation in the distemper virus which would have allowed the virus successfully to attack healthy North Sea seals by May 1988.
(D) Pollution in the North Sea is no greater than pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of North America, or in the Sea of Japan.
(E) Some species that provide food for the seals have nearly become extinct as a result of the pollution.
3. Millions of irreplaceable exhibits in natural history museums are currently allowed to decay. Yet without analyses of eggs from museums, the studies linking pesticides with the decline of birds of prey would have been impossible. Therefore, funds must be raised to preserve at least those exhibits that will be most valuable to science in the future.
The argument presupposes that
(A) if a museum exhibit is irreplaceable, its preservation is of an importance that overrides economic considerations
(B) the scientific analysis of museum exhibits can be performed in nondestructive way
(C) eggs of extinct species should be analyzed to increase knowledge of genetic relationships among species
(D) it can be known at this time what data will be of most use to scientific investigators in the future
(E) the decay of organic material in natural history exhibits is natural and cannot be prevented
4. Compared to nonprofit hospitals of the same size, investor-owned hospitals require less public investment in the form of tax breaks, use fewer employees, and have higher occupancy levels. It can therefore be concluded that investor-owned hospitals are a better way of delivering medical care than are nonprofit hospitals.
Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the conclusion drawn above?
(A) Nonprofit hospitals charge more per bed than do investor-owned hospitals.
(B) Patients in nonprofit hospitals recover more quickly than don patients with comparable illnesses in investor-owned hospitals.
(C) Nonprofit hospitals do more fundraising than do investor-owned hospitals.
(D) Doctors at nonprofit hospitals earn higher salaries than do similarly qualified doctors at investor-owned hospitals.
(E) Nonprofit hospitals receive more donations than do investor-owned hospitals
5&6
Two paleontologists, Dr Tyson and Dr. Rees, disagree over the interpretation of certain footprints that were left among other footprints in hardened volcanic ash at site G. Dr. Tyson claims they are clearly early hominid footprints since they show human characteristics: a squarish heel and a big toe immediately adjacent to the next toe. However, since the footprints indicate that if hominids made those prints they would have had to walk in an unexpected cross-stepping manner, by placing the left foot to the right of the right foot. Dr. Rees rejects Dr. Tysons conclusion.
5. The disagreement between the two paleontologists is over which one of the following?
(A) the relative significance of various aspects of the evidence
(B) the assumption that early hominid footprints are distinguishable from other footprints
(C) the possibility of using the evidence of footprints to determine the gait of the creature that made those footprints
(D) the assumption that evidence from one paleontologic site is enough to support a conclusion
(E) the likelihood that early hominids would have walked upright on two feet
6. Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines Dr. Tysons conclusion?
(A) The foot prints showing human characteristics were clearly those of at least two distinct individuals.
(B) Certain species of bears had feet very like human feet, except that the outside toe on each foot was the biggest toe and the innermost toe was the smallest toe.
(C) Footprints shaped like a humans that do not show a cross-stepping pattern exist at site M, which is a mile away from site G, and the two sets of footprints are contemporaneous.
(D) When the moist volcanic ash became sealed under additional layers of ash before hardening, some details of some of the footprints were erased.
(E) Most of the other footprints at site G were of animals with hooves.



My take :
1. D
2. C
3. D
4. B
5. A
6. C
3976
last year in the united states, women who ran for state and national offices were about as likely to win as men. However, only about fifteen percent of the candidates for these offices were women. Therefore, the reason there are so few women who win elections for these offices is not that women have difficulty winning elections but that so few women want to run.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the conclusion given?
(a) last year the proportion of women incumbents who won reelection was smaller than the proportion of men incumbents who won reelection.

(b) few women who run for state and national offices run against other women.

(c) most women who have no strong desire to be politicians never run for state and national offices.

(d) the proportion of people holding local offices who are women is smaller than the proportion of people holding state and national offices who are women.

(e) many more women than men who want to run for state and national offices do not because they cannot get adequate funding for their campaigns.




is the answer e?
3977
request not to post the answer with question.
thanks

yeah i know ,i said my take is D ....(nt the OA)
dunno the ans ........