23. “DNA fingerprinting” is a recently-introduced biochemical procedure that uses a pattern derived from a person's genetic material to match a suspect's genetic material against that of a specimen from a crime scene. Proponents have claimed astronomically high odds against obtaining a match by chance alone. These odds are based on an assumption that there is independence between the different characteristics represented by a single pattern.

Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the claim of the proponents of DNA fingerprinting？

（A） The large amount of genetic material that people share with all other people and with other animals is not included in the DNA fingerprinting procedure.

（B） There is generally accepted theoretical basis for interpreting the patterns produced by the procedure.

（C） In the whole population there are various different subgroups, within each of which certain sets of genetic characteristics are shared.

（D） The skill required of laboratory technicians performing the DNA fingerprinting procedure is not extraordinary.

（E） In the investigation of certain genetic diseases, the techniques used in DNA fingerprinting have traced the transmission of the diseases among the living members of very large families.

24. Anthropologists assert that cultures advance only when independence replaces dependence – that is, only when imposition by outsiders is replaced by initiative from within. In other words, the natives of a culture are the only ones who can move that culture forward. Non-natives may provide valuable advice, but any imposition of their views threatens independence and thus progress. If one looks at individual schools as separate cultures, therefore, the key to educational progress is obvious： ______.

Which one of the following best completes the passage？

（A） individual schools must be independent of outside imposition.

（B） some schools require more independence than others, depending on the initiative of their staffs and students.

（C） school system officials must tailor their initiatives for change to each individual school in the system.

（D） outsiders must be prevented from participation in schools' effort to advance.

（E） the more independent a school is, the more educational progress it will make.

25. The public in the United States has in the past been conditioned to support a substantial defense budget by the threat of confrontation with the Eastern bloc. Now that that threat is dissolving, along with the Eastern bloc itself, it is doubtful whether the public can be persuaded to support an adequate defense budget.

Which one of the following indicates a weakness in the position expressed above？

（A） It presupposes that public opinion can be manipulated indefinitely, without the public's becoming aware of that manipulation.

（B） It refers to past and present events that do not have a causal connection with public support of the budget.

（C） It assumes as fact what it seeks to establish by reasoning.

（D） It fails to give any reason for the judgment it reaches.

（E） It hinges on the term “adequate,” the precise meaning of which requires reevaluation in the new context.