16. Motorcoach driver: Professional drivers spend much more time driving. on average, than do other people and hence are more competent drivers than are other, less experienced drivers. Therefore, the speed limit on major highways should not be reduced, because that action would have the undesirable¹ effect of forcing some people who are now both law-abiding and competent drivers to break the law.

Police officer: All drivers can drive within the legal speed limit if they wish, so it is not true to say that reducing the speed limit would be the cause of such illegal behavior.

The point at issue between the motorcoach driver and the police officer is whether.

(A) it would be desirable to reduce the speed limit on major highways
(B) professional drivers will drive within the legal speed limit if that limit is reduced
(C) reducing the speed limit on major highways would cause some professional drivers to break the law.
(D) professional drivers are more competent drivers than are other, less experienced drivers.
(E) all drivers wish to drive within the speed limit

17. People cannot devote themselves to the study of natural processes unless they have leisure, and people have leisure when resources are plentiful², not when resources are scarce. Although some anthropologists claim that agriculture, the cultivation³ of crops, actually began under conditions of drought and hunger, the early societies that domesticated⁴ plants must first have discovered how the plants they cultivated reproduced themselves and grew to maturity⁵. These complex discoveries were the result of the active study of natural processes.

The argument is structured to lead to the conclusion that

(A) whenever a society has plentiful resources, some members of that society devote themselves to the study of natural processes.
(B) plants cannot be cultivated by someone lacking theoretical knowledge of the principles of plant generation and growth
(C) agriculture first began in societies that at some time in their history had plentiful resources
(D) early agricultural societies knew more about the natural sciences than did early nonagriculatural societies
(E) early societies could have discovered by accident how the plants they cultivated reproduced and grew.

18. In the past decade, a decreasing percentage of money spent on treating disease X went to pay for standard methods of treatment, which are known to be effective though they are expensive and painful. An increasing percentage is being spent on nonstandard treatments. which cause little discomfort⁶. Unfortunately, the nonstandard treatments have proved to be ineffective. Obviously, less money is being spent now on effective treatments of disease X than was spent ten years ago

Which one of the following, if assumed, allows the conclusion above to be properly drawn⁷?

(A) Varieties of disease X requiring expensive special treatment have become less common during the past decade.
(B) Nonstandard methods of treating disease X are more expensive now than they were a decade ago.
(C) Of total medical expenditures⁸, the percentage that is due to treatment of disease X increased during the past decade.
(D) Most of the money spent on treating disease X during the last decade went to pay for nonstandard treatments.
(E) Tht total amount of money spent on treating disease X slowly declined during the past decade.
19. When an ordinary piece of steel is put under pressure, the steel compresses; that is, its volume slightly decrease. Glass, however, is a fluid, so rather than compressing, it flows when put under pressure; its volume remains⁹ unchanges. Any portion of a sheet of glass that is under sustained pressure will very slowly flow to areas under less pressure. Therefore, if a single, extremely heavy object is placed in the middle of a horizontal sheet of glass of uniform thickness and if the the glass is able to support the weight without cracking, then the sheet of glass will eventually—.

Which one of the following most logically completes the argument?

(A) become larger in size yet still be of uniform thickness.
(B) flow toward the point at which the pressure of the object is greatest
(C) compress, although not as much as a piece of steel would
(D) divide into exactly two pieces that are equal in neither size nor shape to the original piece of glass
(E) be thinner in the portion of the glass that is under the pressure of the object than in those portions of the glass that are not under that pressure

20. Anyone who insists that music videos are an art form should also agree that television gave rise to an art form, since televison gave rise to music videos.

The parttern of reasoning displayed in the gragument above most closely parallels that displayed in which one of the following?

(A) Anyone who claims that all vegetalbes are nutritious¹⁰ should also agree that some vegetables are harmful if eaten in large quantities.
(B) Anyone who holds that avocados are a fruit should also hold that pound cake is lower in fat than some fruit, since pound cake is lower in fat than avocados.
(C) Anyone who dislikes tomatoes should also agree that some people do like tomatoes, if that person agrees that no laste is universal.
(D) A person who eats a variety of vegetables is probably well nourished, since most people who eat a variety of vegetables generally eat well-balanced meals.
(E) A person who claims to prefer fruit to vegetables should also prefer cake to bread, since fruit is sweeter than vegetables and cake is sweeter than bread.

21. Medieval Arabs had manuscripts of many ancient Greek texts, which were translated into Arabic when there was a demand for them. Medieval Arab philosophers were very interested in Arisototle's Poetics, an interest that evidently was not shared by medieval Arab poets, because a poet interested in the Poetics would certainly have wanted to read Homer, to whose epics¹¹ Aristotle frequently refers. But Homer was not translated into Arabic until modern times.

Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument above?

(A) A number of medieval Arab translators possessed¹² manuscrips of the Homeric epics in their original Greek.
(B) Medieval AFrabic story cycles, such as the Arabian Nights, are in some ways similar to parts of the Homeric epics.
(C) In addition to translating from Greek, medieval Arab translators produced Arabic editions of many works originally written in Indian languages and in Persian.
(D) Aristotle's Poetics has frequently been cited and commented on by modern Arab poets.
(E) Aristotle's Poetics is largely concerned with drama and dramatic works were written and performed by medieval Arabs.

22. Congenial guests and a plentiful supply of good things to eat and drink will ensure a successful dinner party. Since Sylvia has prepared more than enough to eat and drink and her guests are all congenial people, her dinner party is certain to be a success.

The pattern of flawed reasoning exhibited by the argument above is most similar to that exhibited by which one of the following?

(A) The right ingredients, properly combined and baked in a reliable oven will always produce a well-backed cake. Since Emily has properly combined the right ingredients, her cake is certain to come but well if she bakes it in a reliable oven.
(B) If corn is baked with its husks on, the resulting dish will always be moist and sweet. Since George wishes to ensure that the corn be plans to serve is moist, he will be certain both to bake it and to leave its husks on.
(C) Making pie dough¹³ using ice water and thoroughly¹⁴ chilling the dough before rolling it out will ensure a flaky crust. Andrew thoroughly chilled his pie dough before rolling it out, so, since he used ice water in making it, his pie is certain to have a flaky crust.
(D) If soup is made with a well-seasoned meat stock and fresh ingredients, it will always be welcome at dinner. Since to his meat stock Arnold added only very fresh ingredients, the resulting soup is certain to be welcome at dinner.
(E) Fresh greens, carefully washed and served with light dressing¹⁵, always produce a refreshing¹⁶ salad, Since Tisha has developed an exceptionally light dressing but never washes her fresh greens, no salad she serves will be a refreshing one.

23. A museum director, in order to finance expensive new acquisitions, discreetly¹⁷ sold some paintings by major artists. All of them were paintings that the director privately¹⁸ considered inferior. Critics roudly condemned¹⁹ the sale, charging that the museum had lost first-rate pieces, thereby²⁰ violating its duty as a trustee of art for future generations. A few months after being sold by the museum, those paintings were resold, in an otherwise stagnant²¹ art market, at two to three times the price paid to the museum. Clearly, these prices settle the issue, since they demonstrate the correctness of the critics evaluation²².

The reasoning in the argument is vulnerable to the criticism that the argument does which one of the following?

(A) It concludes that a certain opinion is correct on the grounds that it is held by more people than hold the opposing view.
(B) It rejects the judgment²³ of the experts in an area in which there is no better guide to the truth than expert judgment.
(C) It rejects a proven means of accomplishing an objective without offering any alternative means of accomplishing that objective.
(D) It bases a firm conclusion about a state of affairs in the present on somewhat speculative²⁴ claims about a furture state of affairs.
(E) It bases its conclusion on facts that could, in the given situation, have resulted from causes other than those presupposed by the argument.

24. The United States ranks far behind countries such as Sweden and Canada when it comes to workplace safety. In all three countries, joint²⁵ labor-management committees that oversee²⁶ workplace s afety conditions have been very successful in reducing occupational injuries. In the United States, such committees are found only in the few companies that have voluntarily established them. However, in Sweden and several Canadian provinces, joint safety committees are required by law and exist in all medium-sized and large workplaces.

Which one of the following is supported by the information above?

(A) The establishment of joint safety committees in all medium-sized and large workplaces in the United States would result in a reduction of occupational injuries.
(B) A joint safety committee that is required by law is more effective at reducing occupational injuries than is a joint safety committee that is voluntarily established.
(C) Workplace safety in Sweden and Canada was superior to that in the United States even prior to the passage of laws requiring joint safety committees in all medium-sized and large workplace.
(D) Joint safety committees had been voluntarily established in most medium-　sized and large workplaces in Sweden and several Canadian provinces prior to the passage of laws requiring such committees.
(E) The United States would surpass Sweden and Canada in workplace safety if joint safety committees were required in all medium-sized and lareg workplaces in the United States