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RC Session 1 + CR Session 1
RC Session 1

(O.C.T.A.V.E. APPLICATION)
Directions: Read the passages and select the right answer for each of the questions:
Passage 1
Measuring more than five feet tall and ten feet long,
the Javan rhinoceros is often called the rarest large
mammal on earth. None exist in zoos. Like the Indian
rhino, the Javan has only one horn; African and
Sumatran rhinos have two. While the Javan rhino
habitat once extended across southern Asia, now there
are fewer than one hundred of the animals in
Indonesia and under a dozen in Vietnam. Very little is
known about Javan rhinos because they lead secretive
and solitary lives in remote jungles. Till today,
scientists debate whether females even have horns,
and most scientific work has had to rely on DNA
garnered from dung.
The near extinction of the Javan rhino is the direct
result of human actions. For centuries, farmers, who
favored the same habitat, viewed them as crop eating
pests and shot them on sight. During the colonial
period, hunters slaughtered thousands. Now, human
efforts to save them may well prove futile. The
Vietnamese herd is probably doomed, as too few
remain to maintain the necessary genetic variation.
Rhinos from Java cannot supplement the Vietnamese
numbers because in the millions of years since
Indonesia separated from the mainland, the two
groups have evolved into separate sub-species. In
Indonesia, the rhinos are protected on the Ujung
Kulon peninsula, which is unsettled by humans, and
still have sufficient genetic diversity to have a chance
at survival. Ironically, however, the lack of human
disturbance allows mature forests to replace the
shrubby vegetation the animals prefer. Thus, human
benevolence may prove little better for these rhinos
than past human maltreatment.

1.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

2.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
3.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

For what purpose does the author include

the last sentence of the passage?
To demonstrate that the Vietnamese herd has
better odds of surviving than the Indonesian herd.
To illustrate that human benevolence can be just
as detrimental to the survival of a species as can
human maltreatment.
To reinforce the idea that the Indonesian herd of
the Javan rhino species will not survive.
To support the fact that good actions on part of
humans can increase the chances of survival of
the Javan rhinoceros species
To support the contention that the Javan rhino
species may not be able to recover from its current
state
Which of the following best expresses the
authors attitude toward the likely fate of
the Javan Rhino?
slightly optimistic about the species long-term
survival
resigned to the extinction of the species
ambivalent about the long-term outcome for the
species
pessimistic about the species chance for survival
uncertain about the ongoing impact of farmers and
hunters
Which of the following can be inferred from
the passage?
More is known about the genetics of the Javan
rhino than is known about its mating patterns
Javan rhinos are one of the most endangered
animal species on the planet.
Hunters killed more Javan rhinos in Indonesia than
in Vietnam.
Most animal extinctions are the result of human
actions.
Genetic diversity is the most important factor for
the survival of a species.

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Passage 2
Some modern anthropologists hold that biological
evolution has shaped not only human morphology but
also human behavior. The role those anthropologists
ascribe to evolution is not of dictating the details of
human behavior but one of imposing constraints
ways of feeling, thinking, and acting that come
naturally in archetypal situations in any culture. Our
frailtiesemotions and motives such as rage, fear,
greed, gluttony, joy, lust, lovemay be a very mixed
assortment, but they share at least one immediate
quality: we are, as we say, in the grip of them. And
thus they give us our sense of constraints.
Unhappily, some of those frailtiesour need for everincreasing security among themare presently
maladaptive. Yet beneath the overlay of cultural detail,
they, too, are said to be biological in direction, and
therefore as natural to us as are our appendixes. We
would need to comprehend thoroughly their adaptive
origins in order to understand how badly they guide us
now. And we might then begin to resist their pressure.

1. The author is primarily concerned with:

A. expressing displeasure at an eventual inevitability
related to the pressure of maladaptive frailties
B. outlining a new claim about foundations of human
behavior with a special focus on maladaptive
frailties and defending their origins
C. detailing those human frailties that give us a sense
of our constraints and presenting the outcome of
such constricting behaviors
D. summarizing a position on human frailties and
presenting his own stance
E. suggesting ways to deal with a problem and
predicting eventual consequences of not doing so
2. It can be inferred that in his discussion of
maladaptive frailties the author assumes
that
A. evolution does not favor the emergence of
adaptive characteristics over the emergence of
maladaptive ones
B. any structure or behavior not positively adaptive is
regarded as transitory in evolutionary theory
C. maladaptive characteristics, once fixed, make the
emergence of other maladaptive characteristics
more likely
D. the designation of a characteristic as being
maladaptive must always remain highly tentative
E. changes in the total human environment can
outpace evolutionary change

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Passage 3
The function of capital markets is to facilitate an
exchange of funds among all participants, and yet in
practice we find that certain participants are not on a
par with others. Members of society have varying
degrees of market strength in terms of information
they bring to a transaction, as well as of purchasing
power and creditworthiness, as defined by lenders.
For example, within minority communities, capital
markets do not properly fulfill their functions; they do
not provide access to the aggregate flow of funds in
the United States. The financial system does not
generate the credit or investment vehicles needed for
underwriting economic development in minority areas.
The problem underlying this dysfunction is found in a
rationing mechanism affecting both the available
alternatives for investment and the amount of financial
resources. This creates a distributive mechanism
penalizing members of minority groups because of
their socioeconomic differences from others. The
existing system expresses definite socially based
investment preferences that result from the previous
allocation of income and that influence the allocation
of resources for the present and future. The system
tends to increase the inequality of income distribution.
And, in the United States economy, a greater
inequality of income distribution leads to a greater
concentration of capital in certain types of investment.
Most traditional financial-market analysis studies
ignore financial markets deficiencies in allocation
because of analysts inherent preferences for the
simple model of perfect competition. Conventional
financial analysis pays limited attention to issues of
market structure and dynamics, relative costs of
information, and problems of income distribution.
Market participants are viewed as acting as entirely
independent and homogeneous individuals with
perfect foresight about capital-market behavior. Also,
it is assumed that each individual in the community at
large has the same access to the market and the same
opportunity to transact and to express the preference
appropriate to his or her individual interest. Moreover,
it is assumed that transaction costs for various types
of financial instruments (stocks, bonds, etc.) are
equally known and equally divided among all
community members.

1.

The authors main point is argued by

(A) giving examples that support a conventional
generalization
(B) showing that the view opposite to the authors
is self-contradictory
(C) criticizing the presuppositions of a proposed
plan
(D) showing that omissions in a theoretical
description make it inapplicable in certain
cases
(E) demonstrating that an alternative hypothesis
more closely fits the data

2.

The main point made by the passage is that

(A) financial markets provide for an optimum
allocation of resources among all competing
participants by balancing supply and demand
(B) the allocation of financial resources takes
place among separate individual participants,
each of whom has access to the market
(C) the existence of certain factors adversely
affecting members of minority groups shows
that financial markets do not function as
conventional theory says they function
(D) investments in minority communities can be
made by the use of various alternative
financial instruments, such as stocks and
bonds
(E) since transaction costs for stocks, bonds, and
other financial instruments are not equally
apportioned
among
all
minority-group
members, the financial market is subject to
criticism

3.

The passage states that traditional studies

of the financial market overlook imbalances
in the allocation of financial resources
because
(A) an optimum allocation of resources is the final
result of competition among participants
(B) those performing the studies choose an
oversimplified description of the influences on
competition
(C) such imbalances do not appear in the statistics
usually compiled to measure the markets
behavior
(D) the analysts who study the market are
unwilling to accept criticism of their methods
as biased
(E) socioeconomic difference form the basis of a
rationing mechanism that puts minority
groups at a disadvantage

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Critical Reasoning Session 1

Assumptions

(A.N.T. Application)
1.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
2.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
3.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Agricultural societies cannot exist without staple crops. Several food plants, such as kola and okra, are known to
have been domesticated in western Africa, but they are all supplemental, not staple, foods. All the recorded
staple crops grown in western Africa were introduced from elsewhere, beginning, at some unknown date, with
rice and yams. Therefore, discovering when rice and yams were introduced into western Africa would establish
the earliest date at which agricultural societies could have arisen there.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
People in western Africa did not develop staple crops that they stopped cultivating once rice and yams were
introduced.
There are no plants native to western Africa that, if domesticated, could serve as staple food crops.
Rice and yams were grown as staple crops by the earliest agricultural societies outside of western Africa.
Kola and okra are better suited to growing conditions in western Africa than domesticated rice and yams are.
Kola and okra were domesticated in western Africa before rice and yams were introduced there.
Although there has been great scientific debate for decades over global warming, most scientists now agree that
human activity is causing the Earths temperature to rise. Though predictions vary, many global warming experts
believe that average global temperatures will rise between three and eight degrees Fahrenheit during the next
century. Such an increase would cause an alarming rise in sea levels, displacing millions of people by destroying
major population centers along the worlds coastlines.
Which of the following is an assumption in support of the arguments conclusion?
New technological developments in the next century will not divert rising seas from the worlds coastal cities.
Individuals will not become more aware of the steps they can take to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
Rising sea levels similarly affect all coastal population centers.
Some global warming experts predict a greater than eight degree Fahrenheit increase in global temperatures
during the next century.
Human activity is the sole cause of increasing global temperatures.
Country B's oil production is not sufficient to meet its domestic demand. In order to sharply reduce its
dependence on foreign sources of oil, Country B recently embarked on a program requiring all of its automobiles
to run on ethanol in addition to gasoline. Combined with its oil production, Country B produces enough ethanol
from agricultural by-products to meet its current demand for energy.
Which of the following must be assumed in order to conclude that Country B will succeed in its plan
to reduce its dependence on foreign oil?
Electric power is not a superior alternative to ethanol in supplementing automobile gasoline consumption.
In Country B, domestic production of ethanol is increasing more quickly than domestic oil production.
Ethanol is suitable for the heating of homes and other applications aside from automobiles.
In Country B, gasoline consumption is not increasing at a substantially higher rate than domestic oil and ethanol
production.
Ethanol is as efficient as gasoline in terms of mileage per gallon when used as fuel for automobiles.

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4.

5.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

In response to the increasing cost of producing energy through traditional means, such as combustion, many
utility companies have begun investing in renewable energy sources, chiefly wind and solar power, hoping
someday to rely on them completely and thus lower energy costs. These sources require significant initial capital
investment, but the operating costs are not so high; so the utility companies claim that they will be able to
provide stable energy supplies to all their clients. As one can easily see, these sources will be less risky for the
utilities than non-renewable sources, such as gas, oil, and coal, whose prices can fluctuate dramatically according
to availability.
The claim of the utility companies assumes which of the following?
A. The public will embrace the development of wind and solar power.
B. No new deposits of gas, oil, and coal will be discovered in the near future.
C. Weather patterns are consistent and predictable.
D. The necessary technology for conversion to wind and solar power is not more expensive than the technology
needed to create energy through combustion.
E. Obtaining energy from non-renewable sources, such as gas, oil and coal, cannot be made less risky.
In 1992 outlaw fishing boats began illegally harvesting lobsters from the territorial waters of the country of
Belukia. Soon after, the annual tonnage of lobster legally harvested in Belukian waters began declining; in 1996,
despite there being no reduction in the level of legal lobster fishing activity, the local catch was 9,000 tons below
pre-1992 levels. It is therefore highly likely that the outlaw fishing boats harvested about 9,000 tons of lobster
illegally that year.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
Compared to 1992 levels, the population of catchable lobsters in Belukias territorial waters had not sharply
declined by 1996.
The average annual lobster catch, in tons, of an outlaw fishing boat has increased steadily since 1992.
Outlaw fishing boats do not, as a group, harvest more lobsters than do licensed lobster-fishing boats.
The annual legal lobster harvest in Belukia in 1996 was not significantly less than 9,000 tons.
A significant proportion of Belukias operators of licensed lobster-fishing boats went out of business between 1992
and 1996.
Evaluate the argument

6.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
7.

Columnist: George Orwells book 1984 seems to have exercised a lot of influence on many intellectuals. One
thousand readers of the most intellectually stimulating national daily were surveyed and asked to name the one
book that had the most influence on their lives. The book chosen most often was the Bible; 1984 was second.
The answer to which one of the following questions would most help in evaluating the columnists argument?
How many of those surveyed had actually read the books they chose?
How many books had each person surveyed read?
Did people speak the truth while answering the survey question?
Overall how many book titles were nominated by these 1000 people?
How many people chose 1984?
Profits for one of Company Xs flagship products have been declining slowly for several years. The CFO
investigated and determined that inflation has raised the cost of producing the product but consumers who were
surveyed reported that they werent willing to pay more than the current price. As a result, the CFO
recommended that the company stop producing this product because the CEO only wants products whose profit
margins are increasing.
The answer to which of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating whether the
CFOs decision to divest the company of its flagship product is warranted?
A. Does the company have new and profitable products available with which to replace the flagship product?
B. What percentage of Company Xs revenues is represented by sales of the flagship product in question?
C. Are there additional features which could be added to the product and for which consumers might be willing
to pay a higher price?
D. Will the rest of Company Xs management team agree with the CFOs recommendation?
E. Is there a way to alter the manufacturing or distribution processes in order to reduce the cost to produce the
flagship product?

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8.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no
consistent effect. Recently, however, a zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of
colds. Since the gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges, the greater effectiveness
of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.
In order to evaluate the argument, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?
Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases
Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds
Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency
Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc
Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration

9.

In a certain wildlife park, park rangers are able to track the movements of many rhinoceroses because those
animals wear radio collars. When, as often happens, a collar slips off, it is put back on. Putting a collar on a
rhinoceros involves immobilizing the animal by shooting it with a tranquilizer dart. Female rhinoceroses that have
been frequently re-collared have significant lower fertility rate than un-collared females. Probably, therefore,
some substances in the tranquilizer inhibit fertility.
In evaluating the argument, it would be most useful to determine which of the following?
A. Whether there are more collared female rhinoceroses than un-collared female rhinoceroses in the park.
B. How the tranquilizer that is used for immobilizing rhinoceroses differs, if at all, from tranquilizers used in working
with other large mammals.
C. How often park rangers need to use tranquilizer dart to immobilize rhinoceroses for reasons other than attaching
radio collars.
D. Whether male rhinoceroses in the wild park lose their collar any more often than the park's female rhinoceroses
do
E. Whether radio collar is the only practical means that park rangers have for tracking the movements of
rhinoceroses in the park.
10. Community activist: If Morganville wants to keep its central shopping district healthy, it should prevent the
opening of a huge SaveAll discount department store on the outskirts of Morganville. Records from other small
towns show that whenever SaveAll has opened a store outside the central shopping district of a small town,
within five years the town has experienced the bankruptcies of more than a quarter of the stores in the shopping
district.
The answer to which of the following would be most useful for evaluating the community activists
reasoning?
A. Have community activists in other towns successfully campaigned against the opening of a SaveAll store on the
outskirts of their towns?
B. Do a large percentage of the residents of Morganville currently do almost all of their shopping at stores in
Morganville?
C. In towns with healthy central shopping districts, what proportion of the stores in those districts suffer bankruptcy
during a typical five-year period?
D. What proportion of the employees at the SaveAll store on the outskirts of Morganville will be drawn from
Morganville?
E. Do newly opened SaveAll stores ever lose money during their first five years of operation?

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