Critical Reasoning

1. In Los Angles, a political candidate who buys saturation radio advertising will get maximum name recognition.

The statement above logically conveys which of the following?
1. Radio advertising is the most important factor in political campaigns in Los Angles.
2. Maximum name recognition in Los Angles will help a candidate to win a higher percentage of votes cast in the city.
3. Saturation radio advertising reaches every demographically distinct sector of the voting population of Los Angles.
4. For maximum name recognition a candidate need not spend on media channels other than radio advertising.
5. A candidate's record of achievement in the Los Angles area will do little to affect his or her name recognition there.


2. The rate of violent crime in this state is up 30 percent from last year. The fault lies entirely in our court system: Recently our judges' sentences have been so lenient that criminals can now do almost anything without fear of a long prison term.

The argument above would be weakened if it were true that
1. 85 percent of the other states in the nation have lower crime rates than does this state.
2. white collar crime in this state has also increased by over 25 percent in the last year.
3. 35 percent of the police in this state have been laid off in the last year due to budget cuts.
4. polls show that 65 percent of the population in this state oppose capital punishment.
5. the state has hired 25 new judges in the last year to compensate for deaths and retirements.


3. The increase in the number of newspaper articles exposed as fabrications serves to bolster the contention that publishers are more interested in boosting circulation than in printing the truth. Even minor publications have staffs to check such obvious fraud.

The argument above assumes that
1. newspaper stories exposed as fabrications are a recent phenomenon.
2. everything a newspaper prints must be factually verifiable.
3. fact checking is more comprehensive for minor publications than for major ones.
4. only recently have newspapers admitted to publishing intentionally fraudulent stories.
5. the publishers of newspapers are the people who decide what to print in their newspapers.


4. Time and again it has been shown that students who attend colleges with low faculty/student ratios get the most well-rounded education. As a result, when my children are ready to attend college, I'll be sure they attend a school with a very small student population.

Which of the following, if true, identifies the greatest flaw in the reasoning above?
1. A low faculty/student ratio is the effect of a well-rounded education, not its source.
2. Intelligence should be considered the result of childhood environment, not advanced education.
3. A very small student population does not by itself, ensure a low faculty/student ratio.
4. Parental desires and preferences rarely determines a child's choice of a college or university.
5. Students must take advantage of the low faculty/student ratio by intentionally choosing small classes.


5. All German philosophers, except for Marx, are idealists.

From which of the following can the statement above be most properly inferred?
1. Except for Marx, if someone is an idealist philosopher, then he or she is German.
2. Marx is the only non-German philosopher who is an idealist.
3. If a German is an idealist, then he or she is a philosopher, as long as he or she is not Marx.
4. Marx is not an idealist German philosopher.
5. Aside from the philosopher Marx, if someone is a German, then he or she is an idealist.

1.ans:4. For maximum name recognition a candidate need not spend on media channels other than radio advertising.
if one will get maximum name recognition by buying saturation radio advertising why spend on other forms.

2.ans:3. 35 percent of the police in this state have been laid off in the last year due to budget cuts.
less police force explains increased rate of violent crime...thus weakening the argument

3.ans:5. the publishers of newspapers are the people who decide what to print in their newspapers.
the assumption is that publishers of newspapers and not truth decides what gets published...so no check works

4.ans:3. A very small student population does not by itself, ensure a low faculty/student ratio.
the overall student strength and no of teachers decide what a low faculty/student ratio is not just a very small student population

5.ans:4. Marx is not an idealist German philosopher.
all German philosophers=are idealists
Marx=German philosopher, but not idealist
hence:4

gmatrix wrote:1.ans:4. For maximum name recognition a candidate need not spend on media channels other than radio advertising.
if one will get maximum name recognition by buying saturation radio advertising why spend on other forms.

2.ans:3. 35 percent of the police in this state have been laid off in the last year due to budget cuts.
less police force explains increased rate of violent crime...thus weakening the argument

3.ans:5. the publishers of newspapers are the people who decide what to print in their newspapers.
the assumption is that publishers of newspapers and not truth decides what gets published...so no check works

4.ans:3. A very small student population does not by itself, ensure a low faculty/student ratio.
the overall student strength and no of teachers decide what a low faculty/student ratio is not just a very small student population

5.ans:4. Marx is not an idealist German philosopher.
all German philosophers=are idealists
Marx=German philosopher, but not idealist
hence:4

thank you very much....but the 5 question OA is 5. explain me please...

pzazz12 wrote: 5. All German philosophers, except for Marx, are idealists.

From which of the following can the statement above be most properly inferred?
1. Except for Marx, if someone is an idealist philosopher, then he or she is German.
2. Marx is the only non-German philosopher who is an idealist.
3. If a German is an idealist, then he or she is a philosopher, as long as he or she is not Marx.
4. Marx is not an idealist German philosopher.
5. Aside from the philosopher Marx, if someone is a German, then he or she is an idealist.

I think 4 has some SC problem ...meaning.....it would mean that is is not german....(it will be opposite as given in question will change the meaning as well...)
so 5 rewrites the same thing in new way...but I think it has got huge SC problem as well
5. Aside from the philosopher Marx, if someone[philosopher] is a German, then he or she is an idealist
this should be correct one...
i think 5 as on now says...
aside from marx....all germans are idealist(not german philosopher)
..

from the philosopher Marx...seems to be magical word...which makes it SC problem rather than CR...