CRITICAL REASONING

1. One of the most important and constructive reforms in National Politics has been the abolition of the post of
State Ministers in the various departments. Each of the following, if true, would strengthen the above argument,
except
(A) There are few, if any, specific duties or responsibilities assigned to the state minister in any department.
(B) A historian claimed that the post was "superfluous."
(C) People of Cabinet minister calibre normally refuse the post if offered a minister ship in the guise of a state
minister.
(D) The office is used as a means of appeasing regional parties, by giving their MPs ministerial status and perks
without giving them, any significant responsibilities.

2. In the past, to run for one's country in the Asiad was the ultimate achievement of any athlete. Nowadays, an
athlete's motives are more and more influenced by financial gain, and consequently, we do not see our best
athletes in the Asiad, which is still only for amateurs. Which of the following will most weaken the above
conclusion?
(A) The publicity and fame that can be achieved by competing in the Asiad makes the athletes who do so, more
"marketable" by agents and potential sponsors. Thus, they can earn a lot of money even while retaining their
amateur status.
(B) The spirit of the Asiad places emphasis on participation rather than on the winning of the race.
(C) A leading columnist recently argued on the basis of concrete evidence that our best Asiad athletes already
receive enough in terms of promotions and sponsorships.
(D) It has been suggested that professional athletes should be allowed to compete in the games.

3. In accordance with their powers, many zilla panchayats are introducing chlorination of the drinking water
provided to families through the water supply system. This follows the conclusion of 10 years of research that
the process ensures that children and adults receive the required intake of fluoride that will strengthen teeth. The
maximum level has been set at one part per million. However, there are many who object, claiming that
chlorination removes freedom of choice. Which of the following will weaken the claim of the proponents of
chlorination?
(A) Chlorination over a certain prescribed level has been shown to lead to a general weakening of teeth
(B) There is no record of the long-term effects of drinking chlorinated water on dental and general health.
(C) In a study done at the grassroots level, it was found that some people to be affected by chlorination claim
that they have not had sufficient opportunity to voice their views about the issue.
(D) Water already contains natural chlorine.

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4. In response to the criticism about the methods used by his poll predicting agency, a leading psephologist
Mannoy Toy, replied: "I realize there are some shortcomings to the questionnaire method that we have applied
to do the survey. However, since we have ensured that we send a copy of the questionnaire to every home in
each of the constituency where we have carried out our survey, we believe the results to be quite representative.
We think the numbers received are so large that it overcomes the lack of a scientific approach that might have
crept into our survey. The writer of the above statement makes which of the following assumptions?
(A) A high proportion of the respondents who have received the questionnaire have replied to the same.
(B) A majority of the voters in the constituency live in homes.
(C) The method of data collection used by the agency is unscientific.
(D) A large, absolute number of replies automatically guarantees the accuracy of the results.

5. If you are interested in getting a good donation, you need to realize that Donors are almost never disturbed by
being asked for too much. In fact, the result is the opposite-they are flattered. Besides, if you ask for too much,
the donor can always suggest a smaller amount. On the other hand, if you ask for too little, the donor is usually
offended. A common reaction to being asked too little is "so that's all he thinks I'm worth." The above statement
assumes that:
(A) Donors are usually never asked for enough.
(B) A good fund raiser will value the worth of the donor.
(C) It is worth the gamble to ask for large donations.
(D) None of these

6. New age problems require new age solutions. Further new age problems arise with new age populations and
new age technologies. In order to find solutions to these problems we need to build new age institutions as well
as new age political, economic, and social mechanisms. Yet, institutions and political and economic mechanisms
grow slowly and die slowly. Hence, new age institutions should be given every chance of trying to achieve
success in their objectives. The argument above rests on which of the following assumptions:
(A) New age institutions are needed because old institutions are inefficient.
(B) New age institutions are created in order to solve existing problems.
(C) Over a course of time, as an institution grows, it has chances of succeeding in its objectives.
(D) None of these

7. In its quest to go global, once an Indian company has established an extensive sales network in a foreign
market and therefore, has achieved substantial sales, it seems that these markets should be treated in a very
similar fashion to those in India. It is therefore only in those countries where only initial sales networks have
been developed, where marketing methods will have to differ from the methods applied in India. The above
statement assumes that:
(A) Sales networks can be the same in both foreign countries and in India.
(B) Extensive sales networks are preferable to less developed ones.
(C) The markets of some countries will develop faster than others.
(D) None of these.

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8. The reason that is most commonly quoted for nationalisation of foreign companies is a change in governance.
Nationalisation tends to cover a wide range of industries and is not selective to the country of ownership of the
foreign company. The above statement assumes that:
(A) Some critical industries are more likely to be nationalised than others which might not be so critical.
(B) The process of nationalisation is not limited to any particular industry or country.
(C) Nationalisation of businesses is so widespread as to cause concern at the international level.
(D) Sharing ownership with local nationals will forestall takeovers by foreign governments.

9. About 40 percent of urban Indian husbands think it is a good idea for wives with school age children to work
outside the home. Only about ten percent of rural Indian husbands approve of the same. Every second urban
Indian wife, and one in four rural Indian wives with school age children has a job outside her home. If the
information above is correct, which of the following can be inferred?
(A) Rural Indian families have more children than urban Indian families.
(B) Employment opportunities for urban Indian wives are greater than for rural Indian wives.
(C) Urban Indian husbands have a less conservative attitude than rural Indian husbands.
(D) Rural Indian husbands would seem to be less satisfied about working wives who have school age children
than urban Indian husbands.

10. An advertisement for a leading racquet manufacturer made the following claim: The last five Wimbledon
men's single champions have all changed to Head's new tennis rackets□the only racket that uses genuine nano
technology in its frame. In that case, isn't now the time to add power to your tennis strokes and to trade in your
old racket for a Head? Which of the following claims is not made and cannot be inferred from the above ad?
(A) Frames strengthened by nano-technology are used only in Head's new rackets.
(B) Nano technology strengthened frames make tennis rackets stronger and allow the player to make more
powerful strokes.
(C) Former Wimbledon champions know a great deal about tennis and their equipment.
(D) Head tennis rackets helped the last five Wimbledon men's' singles champions achieve their status.

11. In order to boost sales of toys at times other than the peak sale time, toy-manufacturers take recourse to the
use of several techniques. Some of these include promoting character toys from Bollywood and Hollywood
movies or TV series. All these sets are marketed as "collectibles" for the young consumers. The collections
within a family of Collectibles, however, never appear to be complete (especially to the parents). As soon as all
the characters are acquired, the child then requires the associated gadgets and gizmos that are bundled into the
collectible set. Thus, parents go shopping for the "car," the "home," the "mobile home," and even the "airplane"
to ensure a happy homely environment for the toys. Ultimately, just as the elusive final piece of the series is
attained, the manufacturer and promoter release the next series of "collectibles." The prime aim of the
manufacturer and promoter is to ensure that:
(A) all children should be happy, and no child can be happy without a complete series of toys.
(B) as soon as one set is complete or almost complete, then the next one arrives on the scene.
(C) children should be encouraged to complete their collections of toys.
(D) sales need to be artificially bolstered throughout the year.

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12. Federer's fifth grand slam win prompted a reporter to ask whether he was the best ever. Federer is certainly
not lacking in confidence, but he wasn't about to proclaim himself the best ever. "The best player of this
generation, yes" he said, "But nowhere close to ever. Just look at the records that some guys have. I'm a minnow."

(A) His win against Agassi, a genius of the previous generation, contradicts that.
(B) Sampras, the king of an earlier generation, was as humble.
(C) He is more than a minnow to his contemporaries.
(D) The difference between 'the best of this generation' and 'the best ever' is a matter of perception.

13. Most firms consider expert individuals to be too elitist, temperamental, egocentric, and difficult to work
with. Force such people to collaborate on a high stakes project and they just might come to fisticuffs. Even the
very notion of managing such a group seems unimaginable. So, most organizations will fall into default mode,
setting up project teams of people who get along nicely.
(A) The result however is disastrous.
(B) The result is mediocrity.
(C) A The result is the creation of experts who then become elitists.
(D) Naturally, they drive innovations.

14. The audiences for crosswords and sudoku, understand ably, overlap greatly, but there are differences, too. A
crossword attracts a more literary person, while sudoku appeals to a keenly logical mind. Some crossword
enthusiasts turn up their noses at sudoku because they feel it lacks depth. A good crossword requires vocabulary,
knowledge, mental flexibility and sometimes even a sense of humor to complete it. It touches numerous areas
of life and provides an 'Aha!' or two along the way.
(A) Sudoku, on the other hand, is just a logical exercise, each one similar to the last.
(B) Sudoku, incidentally, is growing faster in popularity than crosswords even among the literate.
(C) Sudoku, on the other hand, can be attempted and enjoyed even by children.
(D) Sudoku, however, is not exciting in any sense of the term.

15. Jaya and Devika are both successful women who are also members of a socially disadvantaged section of
the society. Jaya has a firm belief in positive discrimination. By positive discrimination she believes that the
negative discrimination that society has subjected her section of the society to can only be offset through reverse
discrimination. She believes that if positions of economic, social and political eminence, power and honor are
offered principally to historically disadvantaged sections of society, then these groups will begin to play a more
significant role in society today.
Devika, on the other hand, feels that she has succeeded in her chosen field of work on her hard work and on her
own merits. She thinks that the principle of positive discrimination is flawed since it will result in the lowering
of standards and decreases competition between similarly qualified personnel who will expect to achieve
positions because of their factors other than rather than their suitability for the particular position. Which of the
following best sums up Jaya's argument?
(A) Positive discrimination will encourage more people to apply for jobs, previously unavailable to them.
(B) Positive discrimination will give extra opportunities to socially disadvantaged sections of the society.

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(C) Quality and professionalism will improve because of the greater number of positions held by members of
minority groups.
(D) Positive discrimination will remove deep rooted prejudices against the weaker sections of society from the
work arena.

16. In India in 1990, there were, on an average 14 deaths at birth (infant mortality) per 1,00,000 population. By
2000 there were 11, and by 2001, 8. Today, there are 5 deaths at birth per 1,00,000 population, and it is anticipated
that the downward trend will continue. Each of the following, if true, would help account for this trend except:
(A) Medical care is more widespread and available.
(B) More effective birth control methods have been implemented.
(C) The number of pediatricians per 10,000 population has increased.
(D) Midwifery has declined in favor of doctors.

17. Oligopoly is the state where there are many competitors within a single market. The Pepsi Company realizes
that its operations are in competitive industries. Which of the following conclusions may be inferred from the
above?
(A) Pepsi's market is not oligopolistic.
(B) Monopoly is defined as one seller in a market.
(C) The Pepsi Company has a lot of domestic competition.
(D) The Pepsi Company is operating in an oligopolistic market.

18. People in a South African tribe have observed that heavy rains are usually preceded by claps of thunder.
They are convinced that the heavy rains are some how caused by the claps of thunder. Which of the following,
if true, would weaken the tribals, conviction?
(A) The temperature must fall below 20 degrees Celsius for both heavy rains and claps of thunder to occur.
(B) The presence of rain bearing clouds is the reason for the heavy rains as well as the claps of thunder.
(C) The tribals of the particular tribe are unscientific people prone to superstitions.
(D) It is as yet to be proved that claps of thunder precede and hence, cause heavy rains.

19. “If the islanders are doomed to have local self-governance and it is the islanders who have determined this-
then they should be ready to bear the negative consequences of local self□governance." said a British colonist
as he left the shores of the island he was governing. Which of the following, if true, would weaken his argument?
(A) Local rulers are always more interested in the development of their country than foreign colonists.
(B) Local self-governance is not child's play.
(C) The islanders are equally qualified and competent, if not more than the colonists, to run their own
government.
(D) A group of islanders were against the transfer of power.

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20. Stock market analyst Dhirubhai Mehta: "We believe that company's stock will appreciate at 35% a year for
the next 10-12 years. The company just became the leader in its industry and we expect its sales to continue to
grow at 8% a year over this period." Investor: "But how can the stock's price be expected to grow more quickly
than the company's underlying sales?" Which of the following facts would best support the stock analyst?
(A) The company's expenses will be declining over the next 5 to 10 years.
(B) The company just won a patent on a new product.
(C) Company A's stock is currently overvalued by a significant amount.
(D) The company's industry peer group is expected to experience stock appreciation rates of 30% over the same
time horizon.

21. A car magazine report: 'The average mileage in the small car market was found to be 18 kilometers per litre.
The average mileage was calculated by taking cars of all manufacturers in the segment, filling them with 10
litres of fuel and driving them along the Mumbai-Pune expressway. However, for the Karuti, the mileage was
22 kilometres per litre. Clearly, if you want to buy a new car, you should buy the Karuti.' Which of the following
assumptions does the magazine make?
(A) The reader is interested in buying a car.
(B) Mileage is the sole consideration for the readers of the magazine who intend to buy a car.
(C) No other car in the segment had a mileage better than the Karuti's mileage.
(D) None of these.

22. The head of the NCAER was quoted as saying that the Consumer Price Index (CL) will go down next month
because of a recent drop in the price of petrol and steel. Which of the following cannot be inferred from the
statement?
(A) The cost of petrol and steel has gone down sharply.
(B) Consumption of petrol and steel has gone up.
(C) Petrol and steel are major items in the CPI.
(D) The changes in the cost of petrol is reflected quickly in the CPI.

23. The Incandescent brand fruit juice claims to be the most original fruit juice available on the market today.
To prove this claim, the company marketing Incandescent called 10 people and asked them about their thoughts
on fruit juices available on the market today. Nine of them stated that they unequivocally drink Incandescent
brand fruit juices on a regular basis because it is closest to the taste of real fruits. Which of the following would
most weaken this argument?
(A) The Incandescent brand fruit juice is highly addictive.
(B) The 10 people called were related closely to top executives of the company.
(C) Most people prefer cola drinks to fruit juices. Here, Incandescent is a poor third to Coke and Pepsi.
(D) The 10 people were selected at random.

24. Many of the junk foods on the market today, doughnuts, burgers and pizza, have less nutrients than natural
foods, which were dominant a decade or two ago. Many nutritionists claim that pizza and doughnuts give less
nourishment than natural foods. A spokesman of a leading junk food Company Pizza House - stated recently

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that an examination of grade-school students shows less nutritional deficiency than in their parents' time. Hence,
junk foods are not as bad as made out to be. Which of the following, if true, would tend to strengthen the view
of the spokesman?
(A) Grade school children reported eating no break fast at all.
(B) Fewer junk foods were available to the parents.
(C) Adults claim to eat junk foods as well as natural foods.
(D) Both (b) and (c).

25. The argument for liberalization which answers the worries of the left parties about the possible trade deficits
created by the opening up of the Indian economy goes thus: 'In today's economic scenario, where there are many
trading countries, the trade between two specific countries need not be balanced. The differing demands of goods
and services and the differing productive capabilities of the same among different countries will cause a country
like India to have trade deficits with some countries and surpluses with other countries. On the whole, the trade
deficits and surpluses will balance out in order to give a trade balance'. Which of the following conclusions best
summarizes the argument presented in the passage above?
(A) Left parties need not worry about trade deficits in India since its trade will always be in balance even though
it runs a deficit with a single country.
(B) India's trade deficits and surpluses with other countries always balance out.
(C) The left parties in India should not be concerned about India's trade deficits with specific countries because
they will balance out in the long run.
(D) None of these