Critical Reasoning MCQs
Critical Reasoning MCQs
Welcome to MCQss.com, your go-to resource for Critical Reasoning Test MCQs. This page is designed to assess and enhance your critical reasoning skills through a series of multiple-choice questions.
The Critical Reasoning Test MCQs cover a wide range of topics, including logical reasoning, argument analysis, evidence evaluation, and making deductions. These questions are designed to challenge your ability to think critically, analyze information, and make sound judgments.
Each question presents a scenario, an argument, or a set of statements, and your task is to evaluate the given information and select the most appropriate response or conclusion. By engaging with these MCQs, you will sharpen your logical thinking, improve your ability to identify valid and invalid arguments, and enhance your decision-making skills.
Critical reasoning skills are essential in various aspects of life, including academic pursuits, professional careers, and everyday problem-solving. By practicing with our Critical Reasoning Test MCQs, you will develop a solid foundation in critical thinking, enabling you to approach complex situations with clarity and make well-informed decisions.
Join us on MCQss.com and dive into the world of Critical Reasoning Test MCQs. Strengthen your critical reasoning abilities, enhance your logical thinking, and become a more effective and insightful decision-maker.
1: Ada’s argument would be most strengthened by providing data on the
A. Ratio of computers to users in her office
B. Number of visits by computer engineers to service the computers in Jay’s office
C. Actual number of people in the two offices
D. Type of computers that are in both offices
E. Number of computers in Jay’s office
2: Many people report that exposure to certain foods such as cheese, red wine, and chocolate, are associated with the onset of migraine headaches. Other people report that exposure to certain smells (especially strong perfumes) seems to trigger a migraine headache, and some note that exposure to bright and flickering lights can be followed by a migraine. It would seem that a person with a tendency to get migraines should try to find which of these situations is associated with the onset of the headache and then avoid this stimulus.All of the following, if true, would indicate potential problems with the recommendation above except
A. In many cases an internal hormonal change triggers a migraine
B. Most of the known triggers are common and almost unavoidable features of modern life
C. In a high proportion of cases the patients report multiple triggers for their headaches
D. The time delay between the trigger and the onset of the headache can make it exceptionally difficult to identify the trigger
E. The presence of a known trigger doesn’t always cause a migraine
3: Josh has twenty years of typing experience behind him; therefore, if you are looking for an efficient typist to enter your data into the new system, you need look no further.The speaker assumes that:
A. Josh is an outstandingly fast and accurate typist
B. The type of typing required for the new system is identical to what Josh has been doing
C. Twenty years of practice ensures typing efficiency
D. Josh will fit well into the new office
E. Josh’s job profile is the best that the new employer is going to get
4: A rare disease, malicitis, is being diagnosed with increasing frequency. The number of cases reported this year is more than double the number reported four years ago. The government should now allocate more funds for treatment and prevention of malicitis. All of the following, if true, would weaken the conclusion except
A. Funds already available for research in malicitis are currently under-utilized
B. The number of cases reported this year represents the same fraction of the population as reported in all of the last five years
C. A new test employed for the first time this year detects malicitis at a considerably earlier stage in the development of the disease
D. A committee of experts reviewed the funding four years ago
E. A private foundation has committed sufficient funds to cover treatment and prevention needs as well as research for the next five years
5: Anton: I sold my house on an internet site last year and was happy with the price. I got a speedy sale and the cost of advertising was insignificant. I would advise you to avoid real estate agents.Barbie : It is in the interest of the real estate agent to get me the best price for my property because he gets a commission based on the selling price. Therefore, when selling my house I will certainly use an agent rather than trying to sell the house by word of mouth, or by advertising in newspapers or on the internet.Barbie’s could strengthen her position by pointing out all of the following except
A. Houses of comparable value often obtain a lower price when sold on the internet
B. The agent’s service includes many add-on benefits in terms of legal fees, surveyor’s reports and advice that are not available on internet sites
C. Very few houses are sold on the internet at the moment an so a valid comparison is difficult
D. Some buyers pay the agent to find them a cheap house
E. The agent’s commission is usually less than the difference between the internet price and the higher price the agent obtains for you
6: A nature conservancy expert found little support for his campaign to protect toads. He suggested that, even thought the campaign highlighted the vital role the toads played in the ecology of the region, people were unenthusiastic about saving toads as these animals are perceived as unpleasant creatures, and people seldom feel passionate about animals with which they have no positive feelings. The expert’s opinion would be most strengthened by which of the following observations?
A. A recent campaign to save bats achieved a measure of success only after a cartoon bat was adopted as the mascot of the local football team.
B. The campaign to protect toads has been in existence for over five years and yet the toad population continues to decline.
C. Ecological conservation is an increasingly important concern in the region.
D. The children in the local schools were found to have a greater aversion to toads than to snakes.
E. Snakes and lizards also need protection in this region as a result of human activity.
7: In a recent study of responses to visual images, researchers found that women most frequently gave the rating ‘most attractive’ to images of male faces that were more feminine in contour, and rated more masculine faces, on average, ‘less attractive’. The researchers concluded that modern women prefer men who are less obviously masculine in their facial features. Which is the following is an assumption that the researchers apparently made in this study?
A. The women who participated in the study were sufficiently representative of modern women in general.
B. Visual images are important to women.
C. Male faces are, in general, attractive to women.
D. It is impossible to predict what features an ideal face would have.
E. Women in previous ages would have preferred more masculine men.
8: Scientists investigating a rare metabolic disorder hypothesized that obesity was a predisposing factor in the development of the disease. A study of twenty patients found that, on average, the patients were close to the normal weight for their height. Before concluding that obesity is not a predisposing factor, the researchers would find the answer to which of the following questions most useful?
A. How many of the patients had obese parents?
B. Have the patients always been close to the normal weight for their heights?
C. Were any of the patients underweight when the disorder was diagnosed?
D. Does weight loss reduce the severity of the symptoms?
E. Are the patients above or below normal height?
9: It is not unusual to see the ball fall into a black slot on a roulette wheel four times in a row. But for it to fall five or six times in a row into the same color is very unusual. Therefore you can win money by waiting for a run of five of the same color and then betting against that color. If the roulette wheel in question is a fair wheel, which of the following observations or facts, if it were true, would best reveal a fallacy in the logic?
A. If there were a reliable way to win at roulette it would be well-known by now.
B. A person who makes money this way once or twice, will carry on to lose that money after a few more times.
C. It is hard for a player to keep track of what went before for the time required.
D. The probability of getting a particular color decreases with the number of times the color has appeared.
E. The probability of getting a particular color is always the same no matter what has gone before.
10: It is often thought that our own modern age is unique in having a large number of people who live into old age. It has frequently been assumed that plagues, wars, and harsh working conditions killed off most people in previous ages before they could reach old age. However, recent research shows that in 17th century Europe, for example, people over sixty comprised 10 percent of the population. The studies also revealed that although infant mortality remained high until the 20th century in Europe, people who survived to adulthood could expect to live to be old. The portions in boldface play which of the following roles in the argument above?
A. The first is a position that the author opposes. The second is an assumption which, if valid, negates the author’s view.
B. The first is a conclusion that the author supports. The second is data that contradicts that conclusion.
C. The first is a finding that the author contests. The second is a finding that the author accepts.
D. The first is an assumption that the author thinks is invalid. The second is data that validates that assumption.
E. The first is a position that the author opposes. The second is a finding that supports the author’s position.
11: Thousands of people have tonsillectomies every year and all live normal lives after the operation. We can conclude, from this observation, that the tonsils have no function in the body. The argument would be most weakened by which of the following, if it were true?
A. The tonsils have been shown to have a vital role to play in the physiology of laboratory rabbits and guinea pigs.
B. People live normal lives after appendectomies but the appendix is known to be part of the digestive system.
C. Tonsillectomies are performed only when the tonsils become seriously infected.
D. The human tonsil develops as part of the immune system, a system of vital importance in defense against disease.
E. Another part of the body can take over the function of the tonsils if they are removed.
12: Most scientists agree that new lines of interdisciplinary research are the need of the hour. Even government committees on science have stressed the need for more interdisciplinary projects. Yet, of ten proposals for new interdisciplinary projects last year, only one was successfully funded. Some have suggested that this means that as yet researchers are not coming up with sufficiently persuasive projects, or that their proposals are not of high enough quality, or even that the reputations of these researchers is not high enough. However, the real reason probably lies in the way funding is organized. Funding is still allocated according to the old categories and there are no funds specifically for research that overlaps different subject areas. The two parts in bold-face are related to each other in which of the following ways?
A. The first is a fact that the author attempts to account for. The second is data that explicitly supports the author’s main conclusion.
B. The first is a situation that the author finds paradoxical; the second is an assumption that the author uses to reinforce the paradox.
C. The first is a finding that the author attempts to account for; the second is a finding that contradicts the author’s main conclusion.
D. The first is a position that the author opposes; the second is the author’s main position.
E. The first is a finding that the author finds unacceptable; the second is the author’s own position
13: The enormous distances between stars are not spaces entirely devoid of matter. The interstellar spaces are filled with ‘dust’: very low density matter. This miniscule amount of matter, spread over almost infinite distances, acts like a curtain obscuring the stars that lie behind. If it were not for this material we would see no dark patches in the sky at night: the sky would be entirely covered with stars.The two parts in boldface play what roles in the argument above?
A. The first is the main point the author wishes to make. The second is a hypothetical result of accepting that point.
B. The first is a fact that the author thinks is important in explaining a certain phenomenon. The second is a result that the author would expect if that fact were not true.
C. The first is an established fact that the author wishes to explain. The second is a consequence of accepting this fact.
D. The first is a suggestion that the author wishes to dispute. The second is a hypothesis that the author wishes to explain.
E. The first is a speculation that the author wishes to justify. The second is a consequence that would result if that speculation is not true.
14: Jay apparently believes that
A. The frequency of breakdowns in his office is above average
B. He has the best available hardware
C. No other office has a similar ratio of computers to users
D. Software specifications are not important in his office
E. He does not need more people working in his office
15: French cuisine is highly regarded all over the world. Yet in Paris there are more American restaurants selling burgers and fries (which many people now class as ‘junk food’) than there are in any other European capital city. Obviously the French are very fond of ‘junk food’, and are not too proud to eat it. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author’s contention?
A. There are an unusually large number of American tourists in Paris who eat at burger joints
B. There are also a larger number of Lebanese restaurants in Paris than there are in other European capital cities
C. Junk food is actually has high nutritional value when eaten in moderation
D. The number of French tourists eating in New York burger restaurants is very low
E. French Cordon Bleu cuisine is very expensive
16: The second presupposition of the practice of argument making is the hypothetical that __________.
A. The speaker's reason, if true is the logical basis for the speaker's claim
B. The speaker's claim, if false, will be rejected by the listener
C. The listener's attention, if focused, will agree with what the speaker is saying
D. The listener's response, if measured, will be to judge the argument sound
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Critical Reasoning MCQs
