Directions: The questions in this section are based on the reasoning contained in brief statements or passages For some questions more than one of the choices could conceivably answer the question. However you are to choose the best answer that is the response that most accurately and completely answers the question. You should not make assumptions that are answer blacken the corresponding space on your answer sheet
1.The painted spiders spins webs that are much stickier than the webs spun by the other species of spiders that share the same habitat. Stickler webs are more efficient at trapping insects that fly into them. Spiders prey on insects by trapping them in their webs therefore. If can be concluded that the painted spider is a more successful predator than its competitors
Which one of the following if true most seriously weakens the argument?
(A) Not all of the species of insects living in the painted spider s habitat are flying insects (B) Butterflies and moths which can shed scales are especially unlikely to be trapped by spider webs that are not very sticky (C) Although the painted spider s venom does not kill insects quickly. It paralyzes them almost instantaneously (D) Stickier webs reflect more light and so are more visible to insects than are less-sticky webs. (E) The webs spun by the painted spider are no larger than the webs spun by the other species of spiders in the same habitat
2.Despite the best efforts of astronomers, no one has yet succeeded in exchanging messages with intelligent life on other planets or in other solar systems. In fact, no one has even managed to prove that any kind of extraterrestrial life exists. Thus, there is clearly no intelligent life anywhere but on Earth.
The argument s reasoning is flawed because the argument
(A) fails to consider that there might be extraterrestrial forms of intelligence that are not living beings (B) confuses an absence of evidence for a nypothesis with the existence of evidence against the hypothesis (C) interprets a disagreement over a scientitic theory as a disproof of that theory (D) makes an inference that relies on the vagueness of the term "life" (E) relies on a weak analogy rather than on evidence to draw a conclusion
Questions 3-4
Bart: A mathematical problem that defied solution for hundreds of years has finally yielded to a supercomputer. The process by which the supercomputer derived the result is so complex. However, that no one can fully comprehend it. Consequently, the result is unacceptable.
Anne: In scientific research if the results of a test can be replicated in other tests, the results are acceptable even though the way they were derived might not be fully understood. Therefore, if a mathematical result derived by a supercomputer can be reproduced by other supercomputers following the same procedure it is acceptable
3. Bart s argument requires which one of the following assumptions?
(A) The mathematical result in question is unacceptable because it was derived with the use of a supercomputer (B) For the mathematical result in question to be someone who can fully comprehend the process by which it was derived. (C) To be acceptable the mathematical result in question must be reproduced on another supercomputer. (D) Making the mathematical result in question less complex would guarantee its acceptablility. (E) The supercomputer cannot derive an acceptable solution to the mathematical problem in question.
4.The exchange between Bart and Anne most strongly supports the view that they disagree as to
(A) whether a scientific result that has not been replicated can properly be accepted (B) whether the result that a supercomputer derives for a mathematical problem must be replicated on another supercomputer before it can be accepted (C) the criterion to be used for accepting a mathematical result derived by a supercomputer (D) the level of complexity of the process to which Bart refers in his statements (E) the relative complexity of mathematical preblems as compared to scientific problems
5.It is commonly held among marketing experts that in a nonexpanding market a company s best strategy is to go after a bigger share of the market and that the best way to do this is to run comparative advertisements that emphasize weaknesses in the products of rivals. In the stagnant market for food oil, soybean-oil and palm-oil producers did wage a two-year battle with comparative advertisements about the 0deleterious effect on health of each other s products. These campaigns, however had little effiect on respective market shares. rather they stopped many people from buying any edible oils at all.
The statements above most strongly support the conclusion that comparative advertisements
(A) increase a company s market share in all cases in which that company s products are clearly superior to the products of rivals (B) should not be used in a market that is expanding or likely to expand (C) should under no circumstances be used as a retaliatory measure (D) carry the risk of causing a contraction of the market at which they are aimed (E) yield no long-term gains unless consumers can easily verify the claims made