SECTION II: ARGUMENT 6-10
6. Company Alpha buys free-travel coupons from people who are awarded the coupons by Bravo Airlines for flying frequently on Bravo airplanes. The coupons are sold to people who pay les for the coupons than they would pay by purchasing tickets from Bravo. This making of coupons results in lost 89 revenue for Bravo. To discourage the buying and selling of free-travel coupons, it would be best for Bravo Airlines to restrict the A. number of coupons that a person can be awarded in a particular year B. use of the coupons to those who were awarded the coupons and members of their immediate families C. days that the coupons can be used to Monday through Friday D. amount of time that the coupons can be used after they are issued E. number of routes on which travelers can use the coupons Explanation: Restricting use of the coupons to the immediate families of those awarded them, as B suggests, would make the coupons valueless for anyone else, so that marketing the coupons would no longer be possible. The coupons, however, would still allow the people to whom Bravo gives them to enjoy free travel. Thus, awarding coupons would remain a strong incentive to frequent travel on Bravo. Therefore, B is the best answer. A would do nothing to reduce the resale value of the coupons. C, D and E all not only fail to prevent Alphaās coupon sales from competing with Bravoās own ticket sales, but also potentially reduce the usefulness of the coupons to the people to whom they are awarded. 7. The ice on the front windshield of the car had formed when moisture condensed during the night. The ice melted quickly after the car was warmed up the next morning because the defrosting vent, which blows on the front windshield, was turned on full force. Which of the following, if true, most seriously jeopardizes the validity of the explanation for the speed with which the ice melted? A. The side windows had no ice condensation on them B. Even though no attempt was made to defrost the back window, the ice there melted at the same rate as did the ice on the front windshield. C. The speed at which ice on a window melts increases as the temperature of the air blown on the window increases D. The warm air from the defrosting vent for the front windshield cools rapidly as it dissipates throughout the rest of the car. E. The defrosting vent operates efficiently even when the heater, which blows warm air toward the feet or faces of the driver and passengers, is on. Explanation: The speed with which the ice on the windshield melted is attributed to the air blowing full force from the defrosting vent onto the front windshield. This explanation of B is undermined if, as B states, no attempt was made to defrost the back window and the ice on the back window melted as quickly as did the ice on the windshield. Therefore, B is the best answer. In the absence of other information, the lack of ice condensation on the side windows that is mentioned in A is irrelevant to the validity of the explanation. C might support the explanation, since the air from the defrosting vent was warm. Neither of D and E gives a reason to doubt that air from the vent caused the iceās melting, and thus neither jeopardizes the explanationās validity. 90 8. To prevent some conflicts of interest, Congress could prohibit high-level government officials from accepting positions as lobbyists for three years after such officials leave government service. One such official concluded, however, that such a prohibition would be unfortunate because it would prevent high-level government officials from earning a livelihood for three years. The officialās conclusion logically depends on which of the following assumptions? A. Laws should not restrict the behavior of former government officials. B. Lobbyists are typically people who have previously been high-level government officials. C. Low-level government officials do not often become lobbyists when they leave government service. D. High-level government officials who leave government service are capable of earning a livelihood only as lobbyists. E. High-level government officials who leave government service are currently permitted to act as lobbyists for only three years. Explanation: The official argues that prohibiting high-level government officials from accepting positions as lobbyists for three years would prevent the officials from earning a livelihood for that period. The reasoning tacitly excludes the possibility of such officials earning a living through work other than lobbying. Therefore, D, which expresses this tacit assumption, is the best answer. The officialās argument does not depend on the assumption in A, since the argument would not be invalidated if some restrictions on the behavior of government officials were desirable. The officialās argument does not depend on the assumption in B, since the argument would not be invalidated if lobbyists were not typically former high-level government officials. The officialās argument does not depend on the assumption in C, since the argument would not be invalidated if former low-level government officials did often become lobbyists. The officialās argument does not depend on the assumption in E, since the argument would not be invalidated if former high-level government officials could act as lobbyists indefinitely. 9. A conservation group in the United States is trying to change the long-standing image of bats as frightening creatures. The group contends that bats are feared and persecuted solely because they are shy animals that are active only at night. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most serious doubt on the accuracy of the groupās contention? A. Bats are steadily losing natural roosting places such as caves and hollow trees and are thus turning to more developed areas for roosting. B. Bats are the chief consumers of nocturnal insects and thus can help make their hunting territory more pleasant for humans. C. Bats are regarded as frightening creatures not only in the United States but also in Europe, Africa, and South America. D. Raccoons and owls are shy and active only at night; yet they are not generally feared and persecuted. 91 E. People know more about the behavior of other greatly feared animal species, such as lions, alligators, and greatly feared animal species, such as lions, alligators, and snakes, than they do about the behavior of bats. Explanation: The groupās contention suggests that animals that are shy and active at night are feared and persecute for that reason. D establishes that raccoons and owls are shy and active at night, but that they are neither feared nor persecuted. Therefore, D is the best answer. Although an increasing prevalence of bats might explain the importance of addressing peopleās fear of bats, A does not address the original causes of that fear. B and E, while relevant to the rationality of peopleās fear of bats, do not affect the assessment of the accuracy of the groupās contention. That bats are feared outside the United States, as C states, does not conflict with the groupās explanation for fear of bats in the United States. 10. Meteorite explosions in the Earthās atmosphere as large as the one that destroyed forests in Siberia, with approximately the force of a twelve-megaton nuclear blast, occur about once a century. The response of highly automated systems controlled by complex computer programs to unexpected circumstances is unpredictable. Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn, if the statements above are true, about a highly automated nuclear-missile defense system controlled by a complex computer program? A. Within a century after its construction, the system would react inappropriately and might accidentally start a nuclear war. B. The system would be destroyed if an explosion of a large meteorite occurred in the Earthās atmosphere. C. It would be impossible for the system to distinguish the explosion of a large meteorite from the explosion of a nuclear weapon. D. Whether the system would respond inappropriately to the explosion of a large meteorite would depend on the location of the blast. E. It is not certain what the systemās response to the explosion of a large meteorite would be, if its designers did not plan for such a contingency. Explanation: If the defense system designers did not plan for the contingency of large meteorite explosions, such explosions would, from the systemās perspective, be unexpected. The systemās response to such explosions is consequently unpredictable. E expresses this inference and is thus the best answer. A cannot be inferred since it is consistent with the stated information that no meteorite explosion will occur within a century. B cannot be inferred since there is no information to suggest that meteorite explosions in the atmosphere would destroy the system. C cannot be inferred since it is consistent with the stated information that an appropriately designed nuclear defense system might be able to distinguish nuclear from meteorite explosions. D cannot be inferred since there is no information to suggest that the location of blasts would determine the appropriateness of defense systemās response.
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