IQ test

If athletes want better performances, they should train
at higher altitudes. At higher altitudes, the body has
more blood cells per unit volume of blood
than at sea level. The red blood cells transport
oxygen, which will improve performance if
available in greater amounts. The blood of an athlete,
who trains at high altitudes, will transport more
oxygen per unit volume of blood, improving the
athlete’s performance.

Which of the following, if true,
would be most damaging to the argument above,
provided that the athlete’s heart rate is
the same at high and low altitudes?

A. Scientists have found that an athlete's heart
requires a period of time to adjust to working at high altitudes
B. Scientists have found that the body's total volume
of blood declines by as much as 25 percent at high altitudes
C.Middle-distance runners who train at high altitudes
sometimes lose races to middle distance runners who train at sea level.
D. The performances of athletes in competitions
at all altitudes have improved markedly during the past twenty years.
E. At altitudes above 5,500 feet, middle-distance
runners often better their sea level running times by several seconds.

Tinea is a skin infection caused by certain fungi.
Significant fractions of the people who contract tinea
have outbreaks of its symptoms again and again.
This proves that for each of these individuals, the
original case of tinea was, in fact, never
completely cured.

The argument above assumes that a person
who has outbreaks of tinea symptoms again and again

A. can never be completely cured of tinea
B. does not understand what causes tinea
C. did not get medical treatment for the original cause of tinea
D. did not take steps to avoid contracting tinea
E. has not been repeatedly infected with tinea

In 1988 unemployment in some regions of the United States dropped to the lowest rate in ten years, while the rates in other regions reached an all-time high. In 1978 similar conditions led to large migrations of workers from regions with high unemployment to regions with low unemployment. There was, however, significantly less such migration in 1988.

Which of the following, if true about 1988, would contribute most to explaining
why there was less migration of workers in 1988?

A. The regions with the lowest unemployment rates had
many of the same kinds of industries as those in the regions with high unemployment,
but this was not the case in 1978.
B. In contrast to 1978, the regions with the lowest unemployment
had the largest number of new jobs, although substantially fewer of the new
jobs required retraining.
C. In contrast to 1978, housing costs in the areas with the lowest unemployment
rates were substantially higher than housing costs in other parts of the country.
D. The unemployment rate in the countries outside the United States
was higher than it was ten years before.
E. Unemployment benefits in the regions of high unemployment
were slightly lower than they were ten years earlier in regions of high unemployment.

Sometime during the 1950’s rock music permanently ousted jazz from the music scene.
This is evident from the behaviour of youths of that time.
In crowded nightclubs they would applaud rock acts enthusiastically.
But when a jazz act began, they went outside and got refreshments.
They came back in, only when the jazz set was finished.

Which of the following statements, if true, is a valid objection to the conclusion drawn above?

A. Jazz is the most important musical contribution of the United States to world culture.
B. Although some young people who attended nightclubs in the 1950’s
did try to listen to jazz, they eventually became bored with it.
C. Since the 1960’s, rock music has not only provided youths with recreation but has, as well, become a rallying point for making social statements.
D. Although by 1960 jazz performances were less popular, there has since been a revival of interest in jazz among the middle-class professionals.
E. Jazz steadily increased in popularity between the 1930’s and the 1950’s.

Between 1950 and 1965, the federal government spent one third more on the research and development
than industry did from its own funds. In 1980 for the first time, industry spent more on research and development
than the federal government did. Representatives of industry claim that these statistics show an increased commitment
on the part of industry to develop competitive products.

Which of the following, if true, would help to refute the claim of the representatives of the industry?

A. In 1980 the federal government spent half as much on research and development as it spent in 1965.
B. Between 1965 and 1980, industry in the United States experienced increasing competition from industry in other countries.
C. In 1979 the federal government shifted research allocations from pharmaceuticals to electronics.
D. Since 1965, industry has developed major production innovations, such as the personal computer.
E. Before 1985, money spent by industry on research and development was not taxed by the federal government.

Computer programmes are unusual in that they are virtually the only products
that have been protected both by patent and by copyright.
Patents protect the idea behind an innovation, whereas copyright protects the expression of that idea.
However, in order to win either protection, the idea must be clearly distinguished from its expression.

Which of the following can be properly inferred from the statements above?

A. The idea behind some computer programmes can be distinguished from the expression of that idea.
B. Anyone who writes a computer programme is the inventor of the idea of that programme.
C. Most products that are copyrighted are expressions of ideas that are patented.
D. Few inventors are owners of both patents and copyrights.
E. A patent for a computer programme is no more difficult to win than a copyright.

Psychological maladjustment in children is caused by the stress of the birthing process
as is proved by the discovery of a positive relationship between the duration of the mother’s labour
and the amount of time the child spent crying in the first month of life.

Which of the following, if true, LEAST damages the author's assertion?

A. There is no relationship between the amount of time spent crying and psychological maladjustment.
B. Behaviour indicative of psychological maladjustment does not appear until the third month of a child’s life.
C. From the infant’s point of view, a hurried labour is more stressful than a gradual, slow delivery.
D. The estimates of the duration of labour were based on obstetricians’ estimates of the time of the onset of labour.
E. The infants who have experienced the greatest stress during birth are often too weak to cry for extended periods of time.

Some soil scientists have asserted that decaying matter on the forest floor is
a far greater source of acidity in mountain lakes than is the acid rain that falls on these lakes.
Therefore, they contend, reducing acid rain will not significantly reduce the acidity levels of mountain lakes.

Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

A. It is natural for mountain lakes to have acidity levels higher than those of other lakes.
B. The harmful effects of increased acidity levels in lakes have been greatly underestimated.
C. Acid rain is found in urban and heavily industrialised regions of the country.
D. There is much disagreement among soil scientists about the causes of acid rain.
E. While plant life remains, acid rain significantly increases the amount of decaying organic matter in natural environments.

Dense snow can cause unusually harsh weather patterns to persist. If a severe winter storm blankets the Great Plains
, the snow cover reflects the sun’s radiation back into space and thus keeps the temperature of the ground low.
Consequently, cold air moving down from Canada remains cold enough to cause more snowstorms.

Which of the following is a conclusion that can be properly drawn from the information above?

A. Winter weather on the Great Plains is the product of unusual movements of air masses.
B. The great Plains are more likely than other areas to suffer unusually harsh weather patterns.
C. If the Great Plains get more snow than usual early in the winter and the snow remains until the spring thaw, the winter is likely to be colder than usual.
D. Even if the temperatures on the Great Plains are not extremely cold but are just below freezing, a moderate snowstorm will probably turn into a blizzard.
E. The temperature of the ground depends primarily on the thickness of the snow cover.

According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States citizens over the age of sixteen are functionally illiterate.
Therefore, if the projection that there will be 250 million United States citizens over sixteen in the year 2000 is correct,
we project that 25 million of these citizens will be functionally illiterate.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion drawn by the author of the passage above?

A. The percentage of high school graduates who do not go on to college has grown steadily over the past two decades.
B. From 1975 to 1980 there was a three- percent decrease in the rate of functional illiteracy among the United States citizens over the age of sixteen.
C. Many United States citizens included in the 1980 survey would be included in a survey conducted in the year 2000.
D. Surveys that are improperly designed usually provide inaccurate results.
E. In 1980 sixty-five percent of all United States citizens were over the age of sixteen.

A worldwide ban on the production of certain ozone-destroying chemicals would provide only an illusion of protection. Quantities of such chemicals, already produced, exist as coolants in millions of refrigerators. When they reach the ozone layer in the atmosphere, their action can not be halted. So there is no way to prevent these chemicals from damaging the ozone layer further.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

A.It is impossible to measure with accuracy the quantity of ozone-destroying chemicals that exist as coolants in refrigerators.
B. In modern societies, refrigeration of food is necessary to prevent unhealthy and potentially life-threatening conditions.
C. Replacement chemicals that will now destroy ozone, have not yet been developed and would be more expensive then the chemicals now used as coolants in refrigerators.
D. Even if people should give up the use of refrigeration, the coolants already in existing refrigerators are a threat to atmospheric ozone.
E. The coolants in refrigerators can be fully recovered at the end of the useful life of the refrigerators and reused.

Popular culture in the United States has become Europeanized to an extent unimaginable twenty-five years ago.
Not many people then drank wine with meals, and no one drank imported mineral water.
No idea would have been more astonishing than that Americans would pay to watch soccer games.
Such thoughts arise because of a report that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
has just adopted a proposal to develop
the country’s first comprehensive interstate system of routes for bicycles.

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage?

A. Long-distance bicycle routes are used in Europe
B. Drinking imported mineral water is a greater luxury than drinking imported wine.
C. United States culture has benefited from exposure to foreign ideas.
D. Most Europeans make regular use of bicycles.
E. The influence of the United States on European culture has assumed unprecedented proportions in the last twenty-five years.

Roberta was born in 1967, and so in 1976 she was nine years old. It is clear from this example that the last two digits
of a person’s birth year will be the same as the last two digits of the year of that person’s ninth birthday,
except that the position of the digits will be reversed.

Which if the following is the best criticism of the assertions made above?

A. The generalisation is valid only for those birth years that do not end in two zeroes.
B. The example does not exhibit the same principle as is expressed in the generalisation based on it.
C. The generalisation is valid for only those birth years in which the last digit is one greater than the second-to-last digit.
D. The example cannot be shown to be correct unless the truth of the generalisation is already presupposed.
E. The generalisation is valid only for those birth years in which the last digit is greater than five.

In a recent study, sedentary middle-aged men who drink more than two cups of coffee a day,
were found more likely than other sedentary middle-aged men to have a high blood level of cholesterol,
which is a factor increasing risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol can reach the blood from food and drink, but is not contained in coffee.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens a conclusion from the study that for sedentary middle-aged men
coffee increases the risk of heart attack?

A. A sedentary style of life increases levels of cholesterol in the blood.
B. Coffee contains caffeine, which acts as a stimulant that increases heart rate.
C. The men studied drank their coffee without milk or cream, which contain cholesterol.
D. In both groups, the men were likely to be overweight, and excess weight is a factor that increases risk of heart disease.
E. The men who drank more than two cups of coffee a day also ate more foods high in cholesterol.

Despite the fact that the health-inspection procedures for the catering establishments are
more stringent than those for ordinary restaurants, more of the cases of food poisoning reported to
the city health were brought on by banquets served by catering services
than were brought on by restaurant meals.

Which of the following, if true, helps explain the apparent paradox in the statement above?

A. A significantly larger number of people eat in restaurants than attend catered banquets in any given time period.
B. Catering establishments know how many people they expect to serve, and therefore are less likely than restaurants to have, and serve, leftover food, a major source of food poisoning.
C. Many restaurants provide catering services for banquets in addition to serving individual meals.
D. The number of reported food-poisoning cases at catered banquets is unrelated to whether the meal is served on the caterer’s or the client’s premises.
E. People are unlikely to make a connection between a meal they have eaten and a subsequent illness unless the illness strikes a group who are in communication with one another.

The widespread development of industrial robots is contributing to unemployment; therefore, “intelligent” machines are dangerous.

The argument is most like which of the following statements?

A. Mussolini was an evil man, therefore he became a fascist.
B. Eating bacon is harmful to health; therefore fatty foods are unsafe.
C. Some judges are dishonest, because they take bribes.
D. Whales are in danger of becoming extinct' therefore, we should not trade with countries that allow whales to be hunted.
E. Birds are dangerous, because they all spread disease

Substances suspected of causing cancer, if carefully administered to experimental animals in quantities
in which those substances are ordinarily present in the environment,
are virtually guaranteed not to produce cancer at rates significantly above the chance level.
The most economical procedure for obtaining informative data is to administer vastly increased amounts of the substance being tested.

The 'economical procedure' described above will not be an effective one if which of the following is true?

A. Cancer data on experimental animals yield accurate estimates of the risks of cancer for human beings.
B. Experimental animals will often develop cancer in response to receiving excessive quantities of a substance, regardless of the specific properties of the substance.
C. When more of a possibly cancer-causing substance is administered to experimental animals, fewer animals are needed for significant data to be obtained.
D. Among experimental animals, the chance level for many types of cancer is virtually zero.
E. Substances will often be tested in amounts greater than necessary to obtain informative data.

The expression “the doctrine of unshakeable foundations” was once used by a critic in an effort
to illuminate the dogmatic nature of certain economic and political issues whose adherents,
when confronted with the failure of a policy designed to put their philosophy into practice,
can conceive only of one reaction: to design another, different policy for putting it into practice.

It can be inferred from the passage above that the critic would approve if the adherents:

A. had the courage to try a failed policy again without any changes
B. had refrained from trying to put any of their philosophies into practice
C. allowed failure of a policy to lead them to question the underpinnings of their philosophies.
D. concluded from the failure of a policy of theirs that the policy must not have reflected their philosophy adequately.
E. carefully analysed those traits of a failed policy that appear promising despite the overall failure.

Senator: Jones is highly qualified for appointment as a judge as evidenced by Jones’s receiving a unanimous vote of “qualified”
on the formal rating scale used by the Lawyers’ Committee. That committee advises the Senate on judicial appointments.

Which of the following, if true, is the best reason for dismissing the senator's claim that Jones is highly qualified?

A. Several members of the Lawyers’ Committee are not themselves qualified for judicial appointments.
B. The Lawyers’ Committee does not advise the Senate on all judicial appointments.
C. The Lawyers’ Committee gives us unanimous vote of “qualified” only to those candidates for judicial appointments who meet the committee’s stringent standards for appropriate prior experience and ethical conduct.
D. The Lawyers’ Committee gives a unanimous vote of either ‘highly qualified’ or ‘very highly qualified’ to 95 percent of all candidates for judicial appointments.
E. Jones, like most lawyers, is a member of the professional organisation that originally suggested the establishment of the Lawyers’ Committee.

Why can human beings outlast many faster four-legged animals when running long distances?
Perhaps because early humans evolved as hunters on the hot African savannas.
Humans developed the ability to release heat by sweating, but most mammals must pant, a function hard to regulate while running.
Also, four-legged animals must adopt a pace that lets them breathe once in mid-stride:
otherwise, the impact of the front legs hitting the ground will prevent deep inhalation.
Humans can vary the number of breaths per stride, set a pace unsuited to the prey, and so eventually exhaust it.

The author's explanation of why human beings have evolved as superior distance runners would be most weakened if it were shown that:

A. Early humans typically hunted animals that were less well adapted than humans for long distance running
B. Early humans were only one of a number of species that hunted prey on the African savannas.
C. Early humans hunted mainly in groups by sneaking up on prey and trapping it within a circle.
D. Hunting was just as essential for later humans in colder climates as it was for early humans on the African savannas.
E. Human beings of today have retained the ability to run long distances but no longer hunt by chasing prey.

Nineteenth-century art critics judged art by the realism of its method or representation.
It was assumed that the realistic method developed from primitive beginnings to the perfection of formal realism.
It is one of the permanent gains of the aesthetic revolution of the 20th century that we are rid of this type of aesthetics.

It can be inferred from the passage above that the artistic revolution of the 20th century had which of the following effects?

A. It de-emphasised realistic representation as an evaluative consideration for judging works of art.
B. It permitted modern critics to appreciate the simplicity of primitive art.
C. It repudiated the realistic representation found in art of the past.
D. It reinforced traditional ways of looking at and judging great art.
E. It allowed art critics to understand the evolution and nature of art.

From a certain farming region, trucks can carry vegetables to market in New Mexico in two days for a total cost of $300.
A train will carry the vegetables there in four days for $200.
If reducing time in transit is more important to the owner of the vegetables than is reducing the shipping bill,
he or she will send the vegetables by truck.

Which of these is an assumption made in the passage above?

A. Vegetables can be sold more profitably when shipped by train than by truck.
B. Other than speed and cost, there are no significant differences between truck and train transporting from the farming region to New Mexico.
C. The time required to ship vegetables by train from the farming region to New Mexico could be reduced to two days if the price for this service were raised.
D. Most owners of vegetables in the region are more concerned with shipping costs than with the time involved in shipping vegetables to market.
E. Transportation of vegetables by truck is worth at least $200 per day to owners of the vegetables in the farming region.

In any negotiations between a party with limited aims and an opposing party with unlimited aims,
the party with limited aims is bound to lose. This is so because the scope of a negotiating party’s aims
determines the energy and the perseverance that will be brought to the negotiations by that party.

Which of the following is an assumption implicit in the passage above?

A. The intensity with which parties conduct negotiations affects the outcome of those negotiations.
B. Negotiations almost always pit against one another parties whose aims differ in scope.
C. The outcome of negotiations cannot be correctly predicted in advance.
D. A negotiator who has exceptionally high aims needs exceptional perseverance in order to avoid losing.
E. Negotiating parties are typically not aware of the scope of each other's aims until the outcome is no longer in doubt.

The popular notion that teachers are generally apathetic about microcomputer technology is false.
Or at least dated: a recently published survey indicates that 86 percent of the 5 000 teachers who responded to survey questionnaires
expressed a high level of interest in microcomputers.

Which of the following, if true, would be most damaging to the argument above?

A. No attempt was made in the survey to determine whether the teachers who received questionnaires had any previous experience with microcomputers.
B. Teachers who are interested in microcomputer technology were more likely that others to complete and return their questionnaires.
C. Questionnaires were sent to teachers without regard to their areas of subject-matter expertise or teaching experience.
D. There have been several important developments in the classroom applications of microcomputer technology since the survey results were tabulated.
E. The survey was conducted as part of a marketing study by a company that manufactures and sells microcomputers.

In mammals it is the secondary palate that permits breathing while eating.
Clearly, breathing while eating is necessary to maintain the high rate of metabolism in mammals.

The author's assertions would be most weakened by the discovery of a mammalian species that had a:

A. High rate of metabolism and the ability to breathe while eating.
B. Low rate of metabolism and the ability to breathe while eating.
C. Low rate of metabolism and no ability to breathe while eating.
D. High rate of metabolism and no secondary palate.
E. Low rate of metabolism and a secondary palate.

A study of attitudes toward new cars showed that cars that were identical
in every aspect except colour received widely differing ratings for quality from potential buyers.
Therefore, in future advertisements for cars of high quality,
we can expect to see no variety in the colour of the car featured.

Which of the following is an assumption made in the passage above?

A. If a car in a preferred colour is not available, a buyer is usually willing to accept the car in another colour.
B. New cars differ significantly from each other with respect to quality.
C. There is a single colour generally associated with the highest quality rating in the study.
D. An advertisement for a particular car should display all of its significant advantages.
E. Potential buyers give more weight to color than to price in making a decision about a car.

Nonprescription sunglasses shield the wearer’s eyes from damaging ultraviolet sunlight.
Squinting, however, provides protection from ultraviolet rays that is at least as good as the protection from nonprescription
sunglasses. There is, therefore, no health advantage to be gained by wearing nonprescription sunglasses rather than squinting.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens support for the conclusion above?

A. Many opticians offer prescription glasses that not only screen out ultraviolet sunlight, but also provide corrective vision.
B. Some nonprescroption sunglasses provide less protection from ultraviolet sunlight than does squinting.
C. Squinting strains facial muscles and causes headache and fatigue.
D. Many people buy sunglasses because they feel that sunglasses are fashionable.
E. Some people squint even when they are wearing sunglasses.

Whenever Ned is outdoors and the sun is shining, Ned wears his sunglasses.
Whenever Net is outdoors and the sun is not shining, Ned carries his sunglasses in his pocket.
Sometimes the sun is shining when Ned is not outdoors.

If the statements above are true and Ned is not wearing his sunglasses,
which of the following statements must also be true?

A. Ned is carrying his sunglasses in his pocket.
B. Ned is not outdoors.
C. Ned is not outdoors and the sun is not shining.
D. Ned is not outdoors and/or the sun is not shining.
E. Ned is outdoors and/or the sun is not shining.

An acre of average farmland produces only about 400 pounds of grain amaranth,
as against 2 400 pounds per acre, or six times as much, for wheat.
It follows that whenever the grain amaranth price is projected to be more than six times the projected price of wheat,
farmers wishing to maximize profits will grow grain amaranth rather than wheat.

The argument above is based on which of the following assumptions?

A. An acre's worth of grain amaranth is no more expensive to grow and bring to market than an acre's worth of wheat.
B. There is no crop that produces a higher yield in terms of pounds harvested per acre than wheat.
C. By choosing which grops to grow, farmers exert a significant influence on the prices of those crops.
D. Farmers are no less motivated by the desire to maximise profits than are other occupational groups.
E. Prices of grain crops can change faster than farmers can change the acreage devoted to various grain crops.

The plant called the scarlet gilia can have either red or white flowers.
It had long been thought that hummingbirds, which forage by day,
pollinate its red flowers and that hawkmoths, which forage at night,
pollinate its white flowers. To try to show that this pattern of pollination by colours exists,
scientists recently covered some scarlet gilia flowers only at night and others only by day:
plants with red flowers covered at night became pollinated;
plants with white flowers covered by day became pollinated.

Which of the following, if true, would be additional evidence to suggest that hummingbirds
are attracted to the red flowers and hawkmoths to the white flowers of scarlet gilia?

A. Uncovered scarlet gilia flower, whether red or white. became pollinated at approximately equal rates.
B. Some red flowers of the scarlet gilia that remained uncovered at all times never became pollinated.
C. White flowers of the scarlet gilia that were covered at night became pollinated with greater frequency than white flowers of the scarlet gilia that were left uncovered.
D. Scarlet gilia plants with red flowers covered by day and scarlet gilia plants with white flowers covered at night remained unpollinated.
E. In late August, when most of the hummingbirds had migrated but hawkmoths were still plentiful, red scarlet gilia plants produced fruit more frequently than they had earlier in the season.

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