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GEN 499 Week 4 Critical Thinking Quiz 1

1. Catherine goes to her local movie theater only to see romantic comedies. Since Catherine did not go to the movies yesterday, there is not a romantic comedy playing at her local theater. 
   The reasoning above is flawed because the evidence:
2. A recent study of 100 employees from six departments of a major corporation found 65% to be sleep deprived. The researchers concluded that the majority of corporate employees are sleep deprived. 
   The researcher’s conclusion is suspect because it:t!
3. Since Jessica’s participation in local politics increased significantly after she joined her school’s political science club, it is clear that her involvement in that club led her to take an interest in politics. 
   The argument above is flawed because:
4. Reporter: A new campaign finance reform bill being considered by Congress would limit the amount of campaign contributions that political candidates can receive. However, a survey of candidates running for mayor, governor, and senate seats shows that not one of them favors the bill. Clearly, there is no desire among politicians to limit campaign contributions. 
   Which one of the following points out the flaw in the reporter’s argument above?
5. People have claimed that Jamie’s paintings have given them the blues. Clearly this cannot be entirely correct, since many of Jamie’s paintings contain no blue at all. 
   The argument above is flawed because the author: gen 499 week 4 quiz
6. The average height of members of the high school basketball team is six feet, three inches. Jerry is on the high school basketball team, so Jerry must be taller than six feet. The argument above is flawed because it confuses
7. Aron: The two double A batteries in my CD player are dead, so the CD player doesn’t work. My television remote control, which also uses two double A batteries, works fine. So if I move the two batteries from my television remote control to my CD player, the CD player will definitely work. 
   Aron’s argument is most strengthened if which one of the following is true?
8. Some politicians claim to support the environment in speeches they make around the country. However, to get to those speeches they ride in gas guzzling, pollution creating private planes. They therefore clearly don’t believe a word of what they say and are actually making the environmental problem worse. 
   Which one of the following, if true, would best weaken the argument above?
9. Career counselor: It is best for artists to build a practical and safe career that will guarantee them a secure income. And then pursue their art in their spare time. That way, they will be motivated to work hard at their day jobs to support their art making, and both their career and their art will thrive. 
   Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument?
10. Last season at City Opera House, far more people attended opera X than opera Y. However, opera Y generated far greater net profits for City Opera House than did opera X. 
    Each of the following could directly explain the result indicated above EXCEPT:
11. Surveys show that people who use calorie information to decide which foods to eat consume on average 100 calories less. Than they would if they didn’t check calorie information before eating. Strangely though, people who use calorie information in this way weigh more on average than people who don’t check calorie information before eating. 
    Which one of the following, if true, best explains the surprising statistic stated above?
12. Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair. building: blueprint
13. Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair. gavel: judge
14. Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair. heavy: weight
15. Memmie: The greater the population near a restaurant. The more potential customers it has and the greater chance its popularity will spread through word-of-mouth. O’Sullivans Restaurant just opened in the very densely populated town of Redville, so its chances for success are great. gen 499 week 4 quiz
    Sam: But the more people living in an area, the more restaurants there are in that area, so the more competition each one faces. There are twelve other restaurants serving the people of Redville. Memmie and Sam seem to disagree about whether:
16. Barney: Last winter, I slipped on the outside stairs of PineTree Café and broke my leg. My fall was caused by ice on the stairs that the restaurant failed to remove. Since the restaurant clearly did not provide a safe atmosphere for its customers, I am justified in taking it to court. 
    Lydia: Unwarranted lawsuits are sweeping the country—lawsuits that have no legal merit and are brought simply to make lawyers and their clients rich. If this trend continues, soon our legal system will be swamped to the point where it won’t be able to administer justice to people who truly deserve it. You therefore should drop your case against PineTree Café. 
    The speakers above appear to disagree on which one of the following points?
17. Some drugs combat obesity or alcohol addiction by turning off pleasure centers in the brain. However, if the dosage is too high, there’s a risk that people taking them will be plunged into depression. 
    The statements above, if true, support which one of the following assertions
18. In a survey of 10 film historians, half voted for Nosferatuas the greatest vampire film ever made, and the other half voted for Dracula. However, when asked which lead vampire character they considered more charismatic, all of the film critics chose Draculaover Nosferatu. 
    Based on the information above, it must be true that for some film critics, their feelings about the charisma of the lead character:gen 499 week 4 quiz 
19. The higher the price of an antique, the greater people’s expectation that the object is rare. That, in turn, makes the antique appear more valuable. 
    If the statements above are correct, then offering an antique for sale at a bargain price:ect!
20. Looking to increase the profits of his lemonade stand, Johann doubled the price of a cup of lemonade from 25 cents to 50 cents. This clearly shows Johann’s lack of business sense. For now he’ll almost certainly sell fewer cups at the new price and therefore make less money than before. The argument above assumes that: gen 499 week 4 quiz
21. The president spoke to 19 congressmen from Texas to encourage them to vote for a bill. Since four of the 19 congressmen went on to vote for the bill, it is clear that the president persuaded those four to vote the way they did.
    The argument above assumes that gen 499 week 4 quiz
22. A company can either invest in employee training seminars or update its computer network. Since updating the computer network would result in more measurable benefits, the company would be best off updating its computer network. 
    The argument above assumes that gen 499 week 4 quiz
23. Political science professor: Many people insist that the Internet is revolutionizing the political process. They argue that Internet debates and online political polls and chat rooms give people greater access to political information. And they’re right that online political chatter increases daily. But offering or reading anonymous online opinions does not by itself make for active political participation. In the past one would attend a rally, protest, or town meeting to engage in real politics. Today, people sit passively in front of computer screens under the illusion that they are connecting with their fellow citizens. 
    Which one of the following best expresses the main idea of the professor’s argument?
24. The very large increase in allergies over the last thirty years is due to the great success of immunizations administered over this time period. Since immunizations have nearly eliminated life-threatening diseases such as polio. The human immune system increasingly targets other environmental substances in order to keep working properly. Allergy symptoms such as runny nose and itchy eyes result when the immune system attacks pollen that is breathed in from the air.
    Which one of the following best expresses the main point of the passage above?
25. Whereas many industries suffer during economic recessions, the art industry does well. Some think the reason is that artists feed off the anxiety and uncertainty during recessions to produce inspired works. Others think that recessions, while harmful to most people, produce a handful of very rich people willing to pay very high prices for artworks, driving up the value of the art market as a whole. The author of the passage above is primarily interested ingen499week4quiz