Conclusions
1. Argument: 'All birds can fly. Penguins are birds.' Which conclusion definitely follows?
- A. Penguins can swim
- B. Penguins can fly (Correct)
- C. Penguins cannot fly
- D. Some birds cannot fly
Assumptions
2. Statement: 'Please do not use the lift in case of fire.' Which assumption is implicit?
- A. The lift is often out of order
- B. Lifts may not function safely during a fire (Correct)
- C. People ignore safety rules
- D. Fires always cause power cuts
Conclusions
3. Passage: 'No politician is honest. Ram is a politician.' Which conclusion follows?
- A. Ram is dishonest (Correct)
- B. Ram may be honest
- C. Some politicians are honest
- D. Honesty is rare
Assumptions
4. Statement: 'Join our coaching centre to score 99% in board exams.' Which assumption is implicit?
- A. Board exams are easy
- B. Our coaching guarantees 99%
- C. Scoring 99% requires coaching (Correct)
- D. Students who join do score 99%
Conclusions
5. Passage: 'Some cats are black. All black things absorb heat.' Which conclusion follows?
- A. All cats absorb heat
- B. No cats absorb heat
- C. Some cats absorb heat (Correct)
- D. All black cats are hot
Assumptions
6. Statement: 'The government should ban junk food advertisements targeting children.' Which assumption is implicit?
- A. Children never make healthy choices
- B. Advertisements influence children's food choices (Correct)
- C. Junk food is always harmful
- D. Parents have no role in diet control
Conclusions
7. Passage: 'All managers are leaders. No leader is a coward. Some managers are new.' What can be concluded?
- A. Some new managers are not cowards (Correct)
- B. All new managers are cowards
- C. No manager is new
- D. Some leaders are cowards
Assumptions
8. Statement: 'Carry an umbrella when going out today.' Which assumption is implicit?
- A. It will definitely rain today
- B. Umbrellas are always available
- C. Rain is possible today and an umbrella will help (Correct)
- D. The person cannot drive
Conclusions
9. Passage: 'Countries that invest in education have lower poverty rates.' India has recently increased its education budget. What conclusion might follow?
- A. India's poverty will definitely be eradicated
- B. India may see a reduction in poverty rates (Correct)
- C. Education is the only factor affecting poverty
- D. All Indians will become educated
Assumptions
10. Statement: 'Switch off all electrical appliances before leaving home.' Which assumption is implicit?
- A. Electrical appliances always cause fires
- B. People frequently forget to switch off appliances
- C. Switching off saves electricity and prevents hazards (Correct)
- D. Electricity is very expensive
Strengthen Argument
11. Argument: 'Regular exercise reduces the risk of heart disease.' Which option strengthens this?
- A. Some athletes die of heart attacks
- B. Studies show 30-min daily exercise lowers heart risk by 35% (Correct)
- C. Exercise is tiring
- D. Heart disease is genetic
Weaken Argument
12. Argument: 'Eating breakfast improves academic performance.' Which option weakens this?
- A. Many top students eat breakfast
- B. A study found no performance difference between breakfast-eaters and non-eaters (Correct)
- C. Breakfast provides nutrients for the brain
- D. Schools offer free breakfast programmes
Strengthen Argument
13. Argument: 'Social media overuse leads to depression in teenagers.' Which strengthens it?
- A. Some teenagers are happy on social media
- B. Teenagers who limit social media report lower depression scores (Correct)
- C. Social media connects people
- D. Depression existed before social media
Weaken Argument
14. Argument: 'Banning plastic bags will significantly reduce ocean pollution.' Which weakens it?
- A. Plastic bags are lightweight and convenient
- B. Plastic bags constitute less than 1% of ocean plastic waste (Correct)
- C. Ocean pollution is increasing
- D. Reusable bags are better
Strengthen Argument
15. Argument: 'Higher minimum wage reduces employee turnover.' Which most strengthens this?
- A. Employees prefer high wages
- B. Companies paying above minimum wage report 20% lower turnover rates (Correct)
- C. Minimum wage varies by region
- D. Employee satisfaction depends on many factors
Weaken Argument
16. Argument: 'Installing more streetlights reduces crime.' Which most weakens this?
- A. Streetlights are expensive
- B. Areas with the most streetlights had the highest crime rates in 5 cities studied (Correct)
- C. Dark streets feel unsafe
- D. Criminals prefer less visibility
Strengthen Argument
17. Argument: 'Reading fiction improves empathy.' Which strengthens this?
- A. Fiction is entertaining
- B. Brain scans show increased empathy-related activity after fiction reading (Correct)
- C. Non-fiction is more informative
- D. Some people dislike reading
Weaken Argument
18. Argument: 'Remote work increases employee productivity.' Which most weakens it?
- A. Employees enjoy working from home
- B. Office workers reported 15% higher output than remote workers in the same role (Correct)
- C. Remote work reduces commute time
- D. Companies save money on office space
Strengthen Argument
19. Argument: 'Helmets save lives in motorcycle accidents.' Which strengthens this?
- A. Helmets are uncomfortable
- B. Fatalities dropped 40% after helmet laws were enforced (Correct)
- C. Not all accidents are fatal
- D. Helmets are expensive
Weaken Argument
20. Argument: 'Drinking coffee every day improves memory.' Which weakens this?
- A. Coffee is popular worldwide
- B. Memory improvement was observed only in sleep-deprived participants, not well-rested ones (Correct)
- C. Coffee contains antioxidants
- D. Many students drink coffee before exams
Valid Inference
21. Passage: 'Most students who study consistently score above average. Priya studies consistently.' Which inference is most valid?
- A. Priya will top the class
- B. Priya is likely to score above average (Correct)
- C. Consistent study guarantees success
- D. Priya studies more than others
Valid Inference
22. Passage: 'Companies that prioritise R&D tend to outperform competitors. XYZ Ltd spends 15% of revenue on R&D.' What is the most valid inference?
- A. XYZ Ltd will definitely outperform rivals
- B. XYZ Ltd may have a competitive advantage (Correct)
- C. 15% R&D spend is the industry standard
- D. Competitors of XYZ Ltd do no R&D
Mimic Reasoning
23. Argument pattern: 'All X are Y. Z is X. Therefore Z is Y.' Which uses the same pattern?
- A. All fruits are sweet. Mango is sweet. So mango is a fruit.
- B. All doctors are graduates. Ravi is a doctor. So Ravi is a graduate. (Correct)
- C. Some birds fly. Eagles are birds. So eagles fly.
- D. No fish is a mammal. Dolphin is a mammal. So dolphin is not a fish.
Mimic Reasoning
24. Argument: 'Since crime rates fell after the new policy was introduced, the policy must have caused the decline.' Which argument has the same logical flaw?
- A. Since rain came after the prayer, the prayer caused rain. (Correct)
- B. Exercise reduces blood pressure because doctors recommend it.
- C. Schools should open later because students sleep better.
- D. Pollution causes health issues as proved by research.
Valid Inference
25. Passage: 'Every manager in the company attended the training. Sunita is a manager.' What can be inferred?
- A. Sunita organised the training
- B. Sunita attended the training (Correct)
- C. Sunita is the best manager
- D. Not all managers attended
Valid Inference
26. Passage: 'Nations with high literacy rates tend to have lower birth rates. Country A has a literacy rate of 95%.' What can be inferred?
- A. Country A has the lowest birth rate
- B. Country A likely has a lower birth rate (Correct)
- C. Education has no link to birth rate
- D. Country A's population is declining
Mimic Reasoning
27. Argument: 'We should not invest in renewable energy because it is expensive.' Which argument uses the same structure (reject X because of cost)?
- A. We should invest in infrastructure as it creates jobs.
- B. We should not build a new hospital because the cost is too high. (Correct)
- C. Renewable energy is the future of the world.
- D. High-cost projects often have high returns.
Valid Inference
28. Passage: 'Fast food consumption has increased by 30% over 5 years. Obesity rates have also risen by 25% in the same period.' What is the most valid inference?
- A. Fast food is the only cause of obesity
- B. There may be a correlation between fast food consumption and obesity (Correct)
- C. Obesity is entirely due to lifestyle
- D. People eat more fast food because they are obese
Mimic Reasoning
29. Argument flaw: 'My grandfather smoked all his life and lived to 95, so smoking is not dangerous.' Which contains the same flaw?
- A. One person winning the lottery proves lotteries are profitable (Correct)
- B. Exercise is good because doctors recommend it
- C. Cars cause accidents so cars should be banned
- D. Healthy diets lead to longer life on average
Valid Inference
30. Passage: 'No vegetarian food was served at the banquet. Ram is vegetarian.' What can be inferred?
- A. Ram did not eat at the banquet (Correct)
- B. Ram ate something at the banquet
- C. Ram is unhealthy
- D. The banquet was poorly organised
Paradox Resolution
31. Paradox: 'Despite increasing healthcare spending, average life expectancy in Country X has not improved.' Which best resolves the paradox?
- A. Doctors are well paid
- B. The increased spending went entirely to administrative costs, not patient care (Correct)
- C. Life expectancy is difficult to measure
- D. Country X has a large population
Paradox Resolution
32. Paradox: 'The new safety regulation was introduced to reduce accidents, yet accidents increased the following year.' Which best explains this?
- A. Regulations are always ineffective
- B. Companies were unaware of the regulation for most of the year, so it had no time to take effect (Correct)
- C. Accidents are random events
- D. Workers do not follow rules
Paradox Resolution
33. Paradox: 'Despite having the best team, Company A lost market share.' Which resolution is most logical?
- A. The best team always wins
- B. A competitor introduced a disruptive technology that made Company A's superior skills temporarily irrelevant (Correct)
- C. Company A's team resigned
- D. Market share is unimportant
Mixed Critical Reasoning
34. Conclusion: 'We should invest in public transport.' Which premise best supports this?
- A. Public transport is old
- B. Private cars are convenient
- C. Public transport reduces congestion and pollution in cities (Correct)
- D. Buses are sometimes late
Paradox Resolution
35. Paradox: 'The restaurant raised its prices but attracted more customers.' Which best explains this?
- A. Higher prices mean better quality perception, attracting status-conscious diners (Correct)
- B. People always prefer expensive food
- C. Cheaper restaurants closed down
- D. The restaurant advertised more
Mixed Critical Reasoning
36. Argument: 'Either we cut salaries or we lay off employees. We cannot cut salaries. Therefore we must lay off employees.' Is this argument valid?
- A. Yes, it is a valid disjunctive syllogism (Correct)
- B. No, we could also reduce working hours
- C. No, because salary cuts are always possible
- D. Yes, but only if the company is in debt
Mixed Critical Reasoning
37. Passage: 'In country Y, every year more students graduate with engineering degrees than there are engineering jobs available. Yet the country continues to face a shortage of skilled engineers.' What best explains this?
- A. Engineers are overpaid
- B. Many graduates lack practical skills required by employers despite holding degrees (Correct)
- C. Engineering is not a popular subject
- D. Country Y imports engineers
Paradox Resolution
38. Paradox: 'Despite lower rainfall, the city's water supply improved this year.' Which best resolves this?
- A. Water is not affected by rainfall
- B. A new reservoir was completed that stored water from the previous rainy season (Correct)
- C. People used less water
- D. Rainfall data was incorrect
Mixed Critical Reasoning
39. Argument: 'All actions that harm others are wrong. Lying sometimes harms others. Therefore, lying is sometimes wrong.' Is this argument valid?
- A. Yes, it is valid (Correct)
- B. No, lying is always wrong
- C. No, the conclusion is too weak
- D. Yes, but only if the harm is intentional
Mixed Critical Reasoning
40. Assumption test: 'No one who is under 18 should drive.' Which of these is an implicit assumption?
- A. Driving requires maturity and judgment that under-18s typically lack (Correct)
- B. All 18-year-olds are good drivers
- C. Cars are dangerous for everyone
- D. Road safety has improved recently