Time —— 35 minutes

24 questions

Directions： The questions in this section are based on the reasoning contained in brief statements or passages. For some questions, more than one of the choices could conceivably answer the question. However, you are to choose the best answer； That is, the response that most accurately and completely answers the question. You should not make assumptions that are by commonsense standards implausible, superfluous, or incompatible with the passage. After you have chosen the best answer, blacken the corresponding space on your answer sheet.

1. Rita： The original purpose of government farm subsidy programs was to provide income stability for small family farmers. But most farm-subsidy money goes to a few farmers with large holdings Payments to farmers whose income, before subsidies, is greater than $100,000 a year should be stopped.

Thomas： It would be impossible to administer such a cutoff point. Subsidies are needed during the planting and growing season, but farmers do not know their income for given calendar year until tax returns are calculated and submitted the following April.

Which one of the following, if true, is the strongest counter Rita can make to Thomas objection？

（A） It has become difficult for small farmers to obtain bank loans to be repaid later by money from subsidies.

（B） Having such a cutoff point would cause some farmers whose income would otherwise exceed $100,000 to reduce their plantings.

（C） The income of a farmer varies because weather and market prices are not stable from year to year.

（D） If subsidy payments to large farmers were eliminated the financial condition of the government would improve.

（E） Subsidy cutoffs can be determined on the basis of income for the preceding year.

2. Modern physicians often employee laboratory tests, in addition to physical examinations, in order to diagnose diseases accurately. Insurance company regulations that deny coverage for certain laboratory tests therefore decrease the quality of medical care provided to patients.

Which one of the following is an assumption that would serve to justify the conclusion above？

（A） Physical examinations and the uncovered laboratory tests together provide a more accurate diagnosis of many diseases than do physical examinations alone.

（B） Many physicians generally oppose insurance company regulations that, in order to reduce costs, limit the use of laboratory tests.

（C） Many patients who might benefit from the uncovered laboratory tests do not have

any form of health insurance.

（D） There are some illnesses that experienced physicians can diagnose accurately from physicians examination alone.

（E） Laboratory tests are more costly to perform than are physical examinations.

3. Oil analysis predict that if the price of oil fails by half, the consumer s purchase price for gasoline made from this oil will also fall by half.

Which one of the following, If true, would cast the most serious doubt on the prediction made by the oil analysts？

（A） Improved automobile technology and new kinds of fuel for cars have enabled some drivers to use less gasoline.

（B） Gasoline manufacturers will not expand their profit margins.

（C） There are many different gasoline companies that compete with each other to provide the most attractive price to consumers.

（D） Studies in several countries show that the amount of gasoline purchased by consumers initially rises after the price of gasoline has fallen.

（E） Refining costs, distribution costs, and taxes, none of which varies significantly with oil prices. constitute a large portion of the prices of gasoline.

4. A survey was recently conducted among ferry passengers on the North Sea. Among the results was this： more of those who had taken anti-seasickness medication before their trip reported symptoms of seasickness than those who had not taken such medication. It is clear, then that despite claims by drug companies that clinical tests show the contrary people would be better off not taking anti-seasickness medications.

Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion above？

（A） Given rough enough weather, most ferry passengers will have some symptoms of seasickness.

（B） The clinical tests reported by the drug companies were conducted by the drug companies staffs.

（C） People who do not take anti-seasickness medication are just as likely to respond to a survey on seasickness as people who do.

（D） The seasickness symptoms of the people who took anti-seasickness medication would

have been more severe had they not taken the medication.

（E） People who have spent money on anti-seasickness medication are less likely to admit symptoms of seasickness than those who have not.

5. Economic considerations color every aspect of international dealings, and nations are just like individuals in that the lender sets the terms of its dealings with the borrower. That is why a nation that owes money to another nation cannot be world leader.

The reasoning in the passage assumes which one of the following？

（A） A nation that does not lend to any other nation cannot be a world leader.

（B） A nation that can set the terms of its dealings with other nations is certain

to be a world leader.

（C） A nation that has the terms of its dealings with another antion set by that

nation cannot be a world leader.

（D） A nation that is a world leader can borrow from another nation as long as that

other nation does not set the terms of the dealings between the two nations.

（E） A nation that has no dealings with any other nation cannot be world leader.

Questions 6-7

Rotelle： You are too old to address effectively the difficult issues facing the country, such as nuclear power, poverty, and pollution.

Sims： I don t want to make age an issue in this campaign. so i will not comment on your youth and inexperience.

6. Sims does which one of the following？

（A） demonstrates that Rotelle s claim is incorrect

（B） avoids mentioning the issue of age

（C） proposes a way to decide which issues are important.

（D） shows that Rotelle s statement is self-contradictory

（E） fails to respond directly to Rotelle s claim

7. Rotelle is committed to which one of the following？

（A） Many old people cannot effectively address the difficult issues facing the country.

（B） Those at least as old as Sims are the only people who cannot effectively address

the difficult issues facing the country.

（C） Some young people can effectively address the difficult issues facing the country.

（D） If anyone can effectively address the difficult issues facing the country, that

person must be younger than Sims.

（E） Addressing the difficult issues facing the country requires an understanding of

young people s points of view.

8. Political theorist： The chief foundations of all governments are the legal system and the police force； and as there cannot be a good legal system where the police are not well paid. It follows that where the police are well paid there will be good legal system.

The reasoning in the argument is not sound because it fails to establish that：

（A） many governments with bad legal systems have poorly paid police forces.

（B） bad governments with good legal systems must have poorly paid police forces.

（C） a well-paid police force cannot be effective without a good legal system.

（D） a well-paid police force is sufficient to guarantee a good legal system

（E） some bad governments have good legal systems.

9. Court records from medieval France show that in the years 1300 to 1400 the number of people arrested in the French realm for "violent interpersonal crimes" （not committed in wars） increased by 30 percent over the number of people arrested for such crimes in the years 1200 to 1300. If the increase was not the result of false arrests. therefore, medieval France had a higher level of documented interpersonal violence in the years 1300 to 1400 than in the years 1200 to 1300.

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

（A） In the years 1300 to 1400 the French government s category of violent crimes

included an increasing variety of interpersonal crimes that are actually nonviolent.

（B） Historical accounts by monastic chroniclers in the years 1300 to 1400 are filled with descriptions of violent attacks committed by people living in the French realm

（C） The number of individual agreements between two people in which they swore oaths not to attack each other increased substantially after 1300.

（D） When English armies tried to conquer parts of France in the mid- to late 1300s. violence in the northern province of Normandy and the southwestern province of Gascony increased.

（E） The population of medical France increased substantially during the first five decades of the 1300s. Until the deadly bubonic plague decimated the population of France after 1348.