Logical Reasoning 5 Question Challenge

1. If all beaches were publicly owned, we would have to rely on government funds to maintain them. It is true that more people would have access to the ocean and beaches, but at what cost? If the beaches are not cared for adequately, soon there will be nothing left worth having access to. We should consider carefully before nationalizing more coastal property.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above?

1. The public does not want additional access to beaches.
2. The government is currently responsible for the maintenance of all public and private beaches.
3. The public already has some access to many beaches.
4. Other property has been nationalized in the past with no complaints from the original owners of the property.
5. Some privately owned beaches are not well maintained.

2. A recent university study indicates that students who receive full scholarships tend to maintain higher grade point averages than do students who must take out loans or work to finance school. The survey concluded that scholarships enable students to achieve high grade point averages by alleviating the stress related to financial concerns and freeing up students' time to study more.

The conclusion drawn in the argument above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

1. Students who take out loans maintain higher grade point averages than those who work to finance school.
2. Finance-related stress affects student performance in a manner similar to that of restricted study time.
3. Students who must work to pay for their studies cannot maintain high grade point averages.
4. High grade point averages were not the primary criterion upon which the scholarship awards were based.
5. Controlling stress level is less important to student performance than is intensive studying.

3. Plant Y thrives in environments of great sunlight and very little moisture. Desert X is an environment with constant, powerful sunlight, and next to no moisture. Although Plant Y thrives in the areas surrounding Desert X, it does not exist naturally in the desert, nor does it survive long when introduced there.

Which of the following would be most useful in explaining the apparent discrepancy above?

1. Desert X's climate is far too harsh for the animals that normally feed on Plant Y.
2. For one week in the fall, Desert X gets consistent rainfall.
3. The environment around Desert X is ideally suited to the needs of Plant Y.
4. Due to the lack of sufficient moisture, Desert X can support almost no plant life.
5. Plant Y cannot survive in temperatures as high as those normally found in Desert X.

4. Opening a plant in war-torn Country X is not inadvisable, despite what critics of the plan may say. Ten years ago we opened our plant in Country Y in the middle of a revolution; that plant has been generating successful profits ever since.

Which of the following is the author of the argument above most reasonably intending the reader to conclude?

1. Wars are profitable for the author's particular business.
2. Country X is a more stable nation than Country Y.
3. Critics of the proposed plant in Country Y are likely to be biased.
4. The proposed plant in Country X will generate profits, despite war.
5. The proposed plant in Country X will be more successful than in Country Y.

5. The cost of living in a given area is directly proportional to the wages paid by the dominant industry in that area. In Moomba, the dominant industry is farming. However, in Sepra, the dominant industry is auto manufacturing. Thus, it is fair to conclude that the cost of living must be higher in Sepra than in Moomba.

The argument above assumes that

1. the quality of life in Sepra is higher than the quality of life in Moomba.
2. the number of people manufacturing autos in Moomba is higher than the number of people manufacturing autos in Sepra.
3. the cost of living in Sepra is higher than the cost of living in any other area.
4. wages paid by the auto manufacturing industry are higher than those of the farming industry.
5. automobile workers in Sepra are likely to leave Sepra and move to areas with a lower cost of living.

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