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Jeans have been a staple of fashion for many decades. They may have remained fashionable for so long because they are durable, comfortable, and easy to maintain. It seems unlikely that any one of these factors alone could account for the popularity of jeans. After all, many articles of clothing have gone out of style even though they were comfortable. The same can be said of clothing items that were durable and clothing that was easy to maintain.
With which of the following would the author most likely agree?
The author acknowledges that jeans are durable, but also makes clear that none of the three factors, alone, can explain why jeans have been so popular. The author does not reach a firm conclusion as to what is the correct explanation.
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Paul: The U.S. should prohibit deer hunting for at least ten years. If the deer population continues to decrease, other species will be affected, which would harm industries in various parts of the country.
Lisa: While I believe that hunting is cruel, the only way to protect drivers from deer is to hunt them. Humans should be valued above deer and industries.
Paul and Lisa are most likely to agree that
Both people have different reasons for objecting to hunting deer. They also disagree about whether deer hunting should be prohibited. Both, however, agree that deer hunting may harm industry.
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Roger: The only reason diesel cars are not commonly used in the United States is that people believe they are more costly to fuel and maintain than gasoline cars. Fueling diesel cars is less expensive than fueling gasoline cars because they get many more miles per gallon. Diesel cars also last many more years. While other countries transition to diesel, the United States follows a myth.
Tamara: Many people in the United states do not even know that purchasing a diesel car is an option. Others may choose to purchase a gasoline car because they overemphasize the purchase price difference.
Roger and Tamara most likely disagree about which of the following?
Roger asserts that incorrect beliefs are the only reason people do not drive diesel cars. Tamara directly counters that assertion by presenting several alternative reasons for why diesel cars are not used.
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Employee 1: I am considering resigning and obtaining other available work. I do not have any disputes with my employers and enjoy my coworkers, but the benefits are less than they were, the hours are longer, and the work has become tedious. Many of my friends are satisfied with their jobs and employment openings are advertised everywhere.
Employee 2: I have also considered resigning. I stay because I am risk averse. Sure, this job has downsides, but our benefits here are above average and I might resign only to ask for my job again because other jobs are unavailable.
The employees are most likely to disagree about whether:
Employee 1 implicitly asserts that jobs would be available by claiming that jobs are advertised everywhere. Employee 2 expressly challenges the assertion that jobs would be available but not the claim that employment opportunities are advertised everywhere. Note, also, the employees do not disagree about benefits because the first asserts only that they are less than they once were.
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Sandy: Many video games are detrimental to the mental development of children. They encourage violent behavior and provide very few benefits for children’s creative faculties.
Robert: My objection to preventing children from playing video games is that they encourage foresight, logical deductions and are fun for the children.
Sandy and Robert’s statements provide the strongest support for holding that they disagree with each other over whether
Only the correct answer is one that both Robert and Sandy are shown to disagree over. The other are simply arguments that one or the other makes that go unrefuted by their opponent.
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The spiritual basketball coach encourages his players to practice Zen meditation techniques only when facing difficult opponents. These meditation techniques are a more highly disciplined form of the ritual meditation that the coach has his players practice on a regular basis prior to games and involves unique practices such as chanting and fasting.
Which one of the statements below does NOT follow logically from the passage above?
The author states that there are differences between Zen meditation and the meditation that the coach has his players practice on a regular basis. This question asks for the answer choice that cannot be inferred or is not stated in the passage. The only answer choice that does not logically flow and is not a valid inference is: “The ritual daily mediation that the players practice is largely undisciplined.” The author only implies that the daily meditation is less disciplined than Zen meditation; and not necessarily an undisciplined practice.
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Marie: Local charities need to proactively recruit volunteers. Otherwise, they are likely to continue being understaffed. The functioning of these charities depends on volunteers, and people will only volunteer if they know there is a need. If charities can let enough people know about that need, people will volunteer.
Tony: The charities also need more funding. Without funds, it does not matter how many volunteers sign up to help charities. If charities do try to recruit more volunteers, they will have to find new tactics because people know the need is great.
Marie and Tony most likely disagree about whether
There is no indication in the passage that Marie and Tony disagree about whether there is a need for volunteers or for funding, though they appear to disagree about the magnitude of the needs. Neither is there a direct conflict about whether charities should recruit. The parties only explicitly disagree about whether people know there is a need.
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Plug-in hybrid vehicles are much more cost-effective than vehicles powered by traditional gasoline engines. These hybrid vehicles cost only twice as much as gasoline vehicles in the same class, but consume only 1/10 of the gasoline while traveling an equal distance. Despite hybrid manufacturers’ exhaustive efforts to publicize the advantages of plug-in hybrid vehicles, industry analysts predict that these hybrid vehicles will sell poorly.
Each of the following, if true, provides support for the industry analysts’ prediction EXCEPT:
This EXCEPT question is looking for the one answer choice that does not support the prediction that plug-in hybrid vehicles will sell poorly. The answer choice: “Plug-in hybrid vehicles will come with financing plans that are not provided for traditional gasoline vehicles” will either have no effect or a positive effect on the sales of plug-in vehicles. In either scenario, the answer choice does not support the argument and is the correct answer choice. All the other answer choices support the argument.
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Learning a sport is much like getting to know a new friend. In the beginning, it can feel uncomfortable when getting to know a new friend, but comfort and affinity tend to increase as familiarity develops. Similarly, as a person practices playing a new sport, he or she will tend to _______.
Which one of the following most logically completes the argument?
As a person gets to know a friend, the initial uncomfortable feeling is replaced by a feeling of familiarity and comfort. The text states that getting to know a friend is like playing sports. Therefore, as a persons practices playing that new sport, he or she should also beging to feel more comfortable.
The correct answer choice, that the person will "feel more at ease with the sport and gain more joy than discomfort from it as time goes on," is the closest to feeling more comfortable.
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The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees individuals the right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures**.** This raises the question as to what makes a search unreasonable. In Katz v. United States, the Supreme Court held that a search is unreasonable when a person has a subjective expectation of privacy, and society is prepared to recognize that expectation as reasonable. However, this definition raises yet another question: when is an expectation of privacy reasonable?
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the excerpt?
This option is the only one that properly captures the main message of the excerpt. The other answer choices either misstate information or are too narrowly constructed.
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Although the therapist uses hypnosis for all of her clients, she uses a more intensive version of hypnosis for clients who have suffered acute trauma. While her usual hypnosis techniques usually take about twenty minutes to perform, her more intensive version usually requires at least an hour to complete and takes place at a different clinic.
Which of the following statements does not logically flow from the text above?
The correct answer is:
Hypnosis is a widely accepted practice in the field of therapy.
While the text explains how this particular therapist practices hypnosis, it does not reflect on how accepted hypnosis is in the general field of therapy.
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John: There are very few reasons to support the new state immigration laws, and several reasons to oppose them. Most importantly, the laws fail to include any "Dream Act" provision for immigrant college students, and thus provide no incentive for persons here illegally to gain a higher education.
Mary: But you've failed to mention the sweeping reforms to the residency process included in the laws. Those reforms make understanding levels of citizenship much simpler for those who don't speak English. If parents of college students can't even figure out their own statuses, they're unlikely to understand how to improve the status of their children.
The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that John and Mary disagree over whether
John specifically states that the lack of a “Dream Act” provision is the most important omission in the new laws. Mary implies that process reforms are more important, as they make the laws easier to understand for non-English speakers and thus are a precursor to other substantive provisions.
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The government has finally developed a strategy for combating corporate crime that could be effective. Instead of fruitlessly attempting to find culpable individuals within a corporation, the government now prosecutes corporations directly. The evidence against individuals within a corporation is often too weak to sustain convictions, but the evidence against these individuals, taken as a whole, is often sufficient to convict the corporation for which they work.
With which of the following would the author most likely agree?
While the author views the new government policy favorably, the author does not suggest that the policy will be effective. Instead, the author prefers the policy to previous policy and believes the policy could be effective.
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Cell phone technology has progressed more quickly than almost anyone could have predicted. Only fifteen years ago was it even conceivable that handheld devices might be able to both store large amounts of data and access the internet. Yet, just a few years later, cell phones accomplish both of these things and are readily accessible to the public. While technology usually advances at predictable, moderate speed, advancements during some periods are so rapid as to be truly remarkable. The development of the cell phone provides an example of just such a time.
The author of the argument is most likely to agree with which of the following?
The author indicates that cell phone technology is not an isolated event, but provides an example of something that has happened at other times. The author also makes clear, however, that the usual course is for technology to progress at predictable, moderate speeds. As a result, the author is likely to agree that cell phone development has not been typical.
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Physical trainer: Exercise is one of the most important parts of one's day. Many people are aware that 30 minutes of exercise lowers the heart rate, burns calories, and strengthens muscles. Many people, however, do not know that 30 minutes of exercise can also provide the benefits of elevating a person's metabolism and increasing productivity at work or school.
John: I'm sure exercise is one way of losing weight, but there are other ways. As a result, burning calories is an insignificant benefit of exercise.
John and the physical trainer most likely disagree about which of the following statements?
John does not question whether exercise has important benefits or whether it burns calories. Instead, John simply questions whether burning calories is among the important benefits since calories can be burned in other ways.
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Teacher: Textbooks are just not effective for teaching some subjects to children. They don't take an interest in the topics, don't really understand them, and certainly won't remember them long term. To solve these problems we need to regularly take students to museums. Textbooks aren't a good option anymore.
Principal: It does seem that students are often distracted in the classroom. However, there are alternatives to textbooks that do not involve taking students to museums. Documentaries, for instance, can be an effective learning tool.
The teacher and principal are most likely to disagree about which of the following statements?
The principal seems to suggest that museums are one of multiple alternatives to textbooks. The teacher, on the other hand, states that students must be brought to museums. The principal and teacher are most likely to disagree about whether taking students to museums is necessary.
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For about thirty years, government intelligence departments have spent resources equally between domestic and foreign activities. For about the same amount of time, intelligence departments have conducted covert operations in addition to intelligence gathering. This conduct has raised public concern that intelligence departments wield too much authority. In the end, though, domestic spending and covert operations may be simply a consequence of ineptness.
The author of the argument is most likely to agree with which of the following?
The author states that the conduct of intelligence agencies may only indicate ineptness, in contrast with the view that the conduct indicates that the departments wield too much power. As a result, the author would agree with the statement that intelligence departments may not wield too much power.
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Director of the transportation department: We could save money over the next few years by closing lanes on highways and deferring repairs. The cost savings would be well worth the moderate increase in traffic jams. The roads will eventually need to be repaired, but the department could stay within budget over the next several years, which should be a top priority. If we continue to overspend, we may face a financial disaster.
Deputy Director: Closing road lanes would lead not only to a considerable increase in traffic jams but would also lead to increased accidents and death. That said, we’ve explored other options and closing the lanes seems to be our only viable plan to save money, and there is no question that we must accomplish that.
The Director and Deputy Director most likely disagree about whether?
Both people seem to agree that road lanes must be closed and that reducing spending should be a top priority. The Director and Deputy Director disagree about whether closing road lanes will lead to a considerable increase in traffic jams. The Director stated that the lane closures would lead only to a moderate increase.
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Director: The most influential movie in history is likely Orson Welles’ classic Citizen Kane. No other single film has helped so many filmmakers in their craft. Indeed, a recent study showed that nearly 85% of modern films implemented at least one filmmaking technique pioneered by Citizen Kane. The film was especially noteworthy in its cinematography, its use of multiple narrators in storytelling, and in its use of music to set a scene.
In evaluating the director’s argument it would be most helpful to know whether
The conclusion, found in the first and second sentences of the paragraph, is that Citizen Kane is the single most influential film as far as filmmakers are concerned. To evaluate this claim, it is necessary to know whether filmmaking techniques from other films have been as widely implemented. Note that the argument does not claim that Citizen Kane is the most popular film among audiences or in film schools.
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Reporter: News agencies are trying to determine how to adapt to the modern technology age. Should they continue to promote old media outlets, incorporate news programs into social media, or develop an altogether new approach to breaking news stories?
News anchor: The discussion is not entirely open for debate. While there are some decisions still to be made, it is difficult to see any plausible new approach outside of social media.
The reporter and news anchor most likely disagree about whether?
The reporter presents three ways for news agencies to adapt. The news anchor does not suggest that there is no room for discussion but essentially suggests that there should only be two options for discussion. The reporter and anchor most likely disagree about whether there can be any new approach to breaking news that doesn't involve social media.
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