Direction: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
Adapted from The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (1513)
Everyone admits how praiseworthy it is in a prince to keep the faith, and to live with integrity and not with craft. Nevertheless, our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of little account, and have known how to circumvent the intellect of men by craft, and in the end have overcome those who have relied on their word. You must know there are two ways of contesting, the one by the law, the other by force; the first method is proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is frequently not sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second. Therefore it is necessary for a prince to understand how to avail himself of the beast and the man. This has been figuratively taught to princes by ancient writers, who describe how Achilles and many other princes of old were given to the Centaur Chiron to nurse, who brought them up in his discipline; which means solely that, as they had for a teacher one who was half beast and half man, so it is necessary for a prince to know how to make use of both natures, and that one without the other is not durable. A prince, therefore, being compelled knowingly to adopt the beast, ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against snares and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves. Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand what they are about. Therefore a wise lord cannot, nor ought he to, keep faith when such observance may be turned against him, and when the reasons that caused him to pledge it exist no longer. If men were entirely good this precept would not hold, but because they are bad, and will not keep faith with you, you too are not bound to observe it with them. Nor will there ever be wanting to a prince legitimate reasons to excuse this non-observance. Of this endless modern examples could be given, showing how many treaties and engagements have been made void and of no effect through the faithlessness of princes; and he who has known best how to employ the fox has succeeded best. But it is necessary to know well how to disguise this characteristic, and to be a great pretender and dissembler; and men are so simple and so subject to present necessities, that he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.
Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:The word “dissembler," underlined in the last sentence, is referring to __________.
Explanation
The word "dissembler," given the other text in the sentence referring to "pretenders," can best be inferred to be referring to "one in disguise."
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Which of the following is given as an example of the faithlessness of princes in the passage?
Explanation
The only example given of the faithlessness of princes is "treaties and engagements that have been made void." The other examples either do not appear in the text, or are used for a different purpose.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:All of the following can be inferred from the text except that __________.
Explanation
The correct answer consists of the only untrue answer that is listed. All the other possibilities are supported by the text.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:The author believes that a prince is not bound to observe faith because __________.
Explanation
The correct answer sets forth the only assertion that is actually stated or supported by the text. All the incorrect answers sound as though they might be correct, but lack any corroborating evidence in the text.
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Direction: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them, whereas they are not only entirely different, but have different origins. Society is a blessing brought forth naturally by our wants, uniting our affections and promoting our happiness. Government is a necessary evil originating from the need to restrain our vices.
Suppose a small number of persons represent the first peopling of any country, or of the world. In this state of natural liberty, a thousand motives will excite them to society: the strength of one is so unequal to his wants, and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged to seek assistance and relief from another, who in turn requires the same. Considering the slavish times in which it developed, the form of government known as ―constitutional monarchy‖ is granted to have been a noble creation. When the world was overrun with tyranny, the least remove therefrom was a glorious rescue. However, government, if unchecked, evolves over time to a form so complex that a nation may suffer for years without being able to discover in which part the fault lies; and every political physician will advise a different medicine.
Four or five united in a society would be able to raise a dwelling, but one might labour out the period of life without accomplishing anything. Disease or misfortune could soon reduce an individual to a state in which he could easily perish. As time passes, however, in proportion as they surmount their early difficulties, the people will inevitably relax in their duty and attachment to each other; and this laxity will point out the necessity for each to surrender a part of his property in order to establish some form of government to protect the rest. Here then is the origin of government: the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here, too, is the design and end of government: freedom and security.
And it unanswerably follows that whatever form of government which appears most likely to ensure the protection which constitutes government‘s essential purpose, with the least expense, is preferable to all others. As the community expands, public concerns will increase and the distance at which the members are separated may render it inconvenient for all to meet on every occasion. Thus the members may consent to leave the legislative part to be managed by a number of chosen representatives, who are supposed to have the same concerns as those who appointed them, and who will act in the same manner as the whole would, if present.
That the interest of every part of the colony may be attended to, the whole may be divided into convenient parts, each part sending its proper number. And so that there be assured a common interest with every part of the community, on which the strength of government depends, prudence will point to the need for frequent elections, thereby assuring that the elected return and mix often with the community.
Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:The author concluded in the passage that the essential purpose of government is protection of property. In doing so the author assumes that:
I. there actually existed a time in which the disparity between an individual‘s needs and wants motivated cooperation, and not transgressions against property.
II. the part of property surrendered to establish some form of government is less than that which would be lost if it were left unprotected.
III. the moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune.
Explanation
To determine the assumptions supporting the conclusion that the essential purpose of government is the protection of property:
Conclusion:
The essential purpose of government is the protection of property.
Assumptions:
Option I:
Assumption: There was a time when people’s needs and wants motivated cooperation, not property offenses.
Supports Conclusion: Yes. It shows people initially cooperated, leading to the need for government protection of property.
Option II:
Assumption: Surrendering some property for government protection is less costly than leaving it unprotected.
Supports Conclusion: No. The passage doesn’t compare these two scenarios.
Option III:
Assumption: Moral laxity from reduced hardship results in property offenses, not failure to help those in need.
Supports Conclusion: Yes. It explains why government protection of property became necessary.
Answer:
D. I and III only
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:As evidenced by the arguments posed by the author in each paragraph, the primary purpose of the passage is to:
Explanation
To determine the primary purpose of the passage, let's analyze each option briefly:
Passage Summary:
Para 1: Differences between society (S) and government (G).
Para 2: How society is formed and the need for government.
Para 3: Roles and responsibilities of government.
Para 4: Limitations of government and formation of small groups.
Para 5: Election process and representation in government.
Options Analysis:
A. Chronicle the development of a particular form of government.
Analysis: Partially correct, but also discusses functions/responsibilities.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
B. Advocate a simple form of representative government.
Analysis: Aligns with the summary of emphasizing representation/election.
Conclusion: Likely correct.
C. Contrast society and government.
Analysis: Only the beginning contrasts S and G; the rest explains government's formation and roles.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
D. Distinguish representative government from constitutional monarchy.
Analysis: Only briefly mentions constitutional monarchy; no broad comparison.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
E. Criticize all forms of government as an unnecessary burden on people.
Analysis: The passage doesn't criticize government in every paragraph.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
Answer:
B. advocate a simple form of representative government.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:It can be inferred from the passage that its author would most probably respond to the view that the resources of government should be employed to relieve the effects of poverty by stating that:
Explanation
To determine how the author would respond to the view that the government should relieve the effects of poverty, let's briefly evaluate each option:
Author's Perspective:
The author believes the government's only legitimate function is to protect property and should be kept simple.
Options Analysis:
A. Government should naturally perform functions like relieving poverty.
Analysis: Opposite of the author's view. The author thinks government should not take on additional duties.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
B. These activities should be performed by individuals or associations outside of government.
Analysis: Aligns with the author's belief that government should focus solely on protecting property.
Conclusion: Correct.
C. Government must perform these functions if non-governmental efforts are ineffective.
Analysis: No evidence in the passage for this correlation between poverty and crime.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
D. Representatives elected by the people should decide.
Analysis: The author supports limited government, focusing only on property protection.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
E. Relieving poverty requires efforts to reduce illiteracy.
Analysis: Illiteracy is not discussed in the passage.
Conclusion: Incorrect.
Answer:
B. these activities should be performed by individuals or associations outside of government.
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Direction: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
Adapted from “The Influence of the Conception of Evolution on Modern Philosophy” by H. Höffding (1909) in Evolution in Modern Thought (1917 ed.) When The Origin of Species appeared fifty years ago, Romantic speculation, Schelling's and Hegel's philosophy, still reigned on the continent, while in England, Positivism, the philosophy of Comte and Stuart Mill, represented the most important trend of thought. German speculation had much to say on evolution; it even pretended to be a philosophy of evolution. But then the word "evolution" was to be taken in an ideal, not in a real, sense. To speculative thought, the forms and types of nature formed a system of ideas, within which any form could lead us by continuous transitions to any other. It was a classificatory system which was regarded as a divine world of thought or images, within which metamorphoses could go on—a condition comparable with that in the mind of the poet when one image follows another with imperceptible changes. Goethe's ideas of evolution, as expressed in his Metamorphosen der Pflanzen und der Thiere, belong to this category; it is, therefore, incorrect to call him a forerunner of Darwin. Schelling and Hegel held the same idea; Hegel expressly rejected the conception of a real evolution in time as coarse and materialistic. "Nature," he says, "is to be considered as a system of stages, the one necessarily arising from the other, and being the nearest truth of that from which it proceeds; but not in such a way that the one is naturally generated by the other; on the contrary [their connection lies] in the inner idea which is the ground of nature. The metamorphosis can be ascribed only to the notion as such, because it alone is evolution.... It has been a clumsy idea in the older as well as in the newer philosophy of nature, to regard the transformation and the transition from one natural form and sphere to a higher as an outward and actual production."
Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Which of the following best describes the author’s presentation of Hegel’s thought about evolution?
Explanation
Among philosophers, Hegel is perhaps one of the hardest to read. Stay very close to this text and use context clues from within the passage. Clearly, Hegel is not being presented as an exponent of scientific evolution in the fashion of Darwin. The key portion of the passage is, "A system of stages, the one necessarily arising from the other, and being the nearest truth of that from which it proceeds; but not in such a way that the one is naturally generated by the other." Each stage is the "nearest truth" for the one following it. However, it is not the natural cause of it. Yes, Hegel is strange—and far more cryptic than this small selection. However, we have enough details to get our answer!
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:What is the overall purpose of this selection?
Explanation
This passage opens by framing the discussion in terms of Darwin's Origin of Species. Throughout the passage, it wishes to show how the German Romantics used the word and notion of "evolution" in a way that was radically different from that used by Darwin. In this selection, at least, we are not presented with a rigorous comparison/contrast with positivism, though it is mentioned at the beginning. This whole passage focuses on how certain figures used the term in a way quite different from that of Darwin. (Note, also, that the passage does not provide a complete catalogue of positions.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:What is a good definition for the term "Romantic" as it is used in this passage?
Explanation
In addition to the common use of "romantic" in our day-to-day speech, the word can also mean "idealistic" or "unrealistic." Think of when we speak of a "romanticized portrait" of some event, person, or thing. This implies that it is represented in a way that is not 100% true to the reality, making it seem more "stylized" and perfect than it actually is. This is the meaning here in this passage, for these philosophers had an "ideal" view of evolution, not a realistic one.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Which of the following is likely true about “Romantic speculation”?
Explanation
This answer is quite clear if you pay attention to two sentences: (1) "It even pretended to be a philosophy of evolution"; (2) "But then the word 'evolution' was to be taken in an ideal, not in a real, sense." The idea is that this "Romantic" philosophy was more of a revelry than a real undertaking of science.
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Direction: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
Adapted from The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (1776)
The greatest improvements in the productive powers of labor, and the greater part of the skill, dexterity, and judgment with which it is anywhere directed or applied, seem to have been the effects of the division of labor. The effects of the division of labor, in the general business of society, will be more easily understood by considering in what manner it operates in some particular manufactures. It is commonly supposed to be carried furthest in some very trifling ones; not perhaps that it really is carried further in them than in others of more importance, but in those trifling manufactures that are destined to supply the small wants of but a small number of people, the whole number of workmen must necessarily be small; and those employed in every different branch of the work can often be collected into the same workhouse, and placed at once under the view of the spectator.
In those great manufactures, on the contrary, which are destined to supply the great wants of the great body of the people, every different branch of the work employs so great a number of workmen that it is impossible to collect them all into the same workhouse. We can seldom see more, at one time, than those employed in one single branch. Though in such manufactures, therefore, the work may really be divided into a much greater number of parts, than in those of a more trifling nature, the division is not near so obvious, and has accordingly been much less observed.
To take an example, therefore, from a very trifling manufacture, but one in which the division of labor has been very often taken notice of: the trade of a pin-maker. A workman not educated to this business (which the division of labor has rendered a distinct trade), nor acquainted with the use of the machinery employed in it (to the invention of which the same division of labor has probably given occasion), could scarce, perhaps, with his utmost industry, make one pin in a day, and certainly could not make twenty. But in the way in which this business is now carried on, not only the whole work is a peculiar trade, but it is divided into a number of branches, of which the greater part are likewise peculiar trades. One man draws out the wire; another straights it; a third cuts it; a fourth points it; a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head; to make the head requires two or three distinct operations; to put it on is a peculiar business; to whiten the pins is another; it is even a trade by itself to put them into the paper; and the important business of making a pin is, in this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations, which, in some manufactories, are all performed by distinct hands, though in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them.
In every other art and manufacture, the effects of the division of labour are similar to what they are in this very trifling one; though, in many of them, the labour can neither be so much subdivided, nor reduced to so great a simplicity of operation. The division of labour, however, so far as it can be introduced, occasions, in every art, a proportionable increase of the productive powers of labour. The separation of different trades and employments from one another, seems to have taken place, in consequence of this advantage.
Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:The tone of this passage is best described as __________.
Explanation
Throughout this passage, the author considers the division of labor in an objective light. He is neutral and not particularly biased toward one belief or side of an argument. He cares about his subject and doesn’t appear to be bored by it, so we can’t call his tone “blasé and uncaring.” Furthermore, his tone isn’t notably furious or even emotional, so we can’t call his tone “fervent and emotional” and “furious and kindling outrage.” This leaves us with one answer choice, the correct one: “academic and even.” This best describes the academic, neutral tone that the author uses throughout the passage.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
Explanation
When answering a question asking you to state the main idea of a passage, it is important to select an answer choice to which each paragraph can relate, but that is not broad enough to include many other ideas that the paragraph doesn’t discuss. In this case, the answer choice “While it is easier to observe the division of labor in small-scale industries, considering it in large-scale industries provides a better example of the phenomenon” doesn’t mention pin-making at all. “The division of labor is an important economics concept that should be applied to both small- and large-scale industries” is incorrect because the author is not claiming that the division of labor should be “applied” to industries, but that it is visible in them. This leaves us with two answer choices: “One can observe the division of labor in the pin-making industry” and “Labor has been most improved in its division; the best example of this is in large industries, such as the large-scale manufacturing of pins.” The latter answer is the best choice because it captures the author’s thesis, which he states in the passage’s first sentence, “The greatest improvements in the productive powers of labor, and the greater part of the skill, dexterity, and judgment with which it is anywhere directed or applied, seem to have been the effects of the division of labor.” It is also the better answer because it captures the author’s argument about the differences between considering the division of labor in small-scale and large-scale industries.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Which of the following terms could replace the word “scarce” in the underlined sentence without changing its meaning?
Explanation
The word “scarce” is used in the following sentence:
“A workman not educated to this business [of pin making] . . . nor acquainted with the use of the machinery employed in it . . . could scarce, perhaps, with his utmost industry, make one pin in a day, and certainly could not make twenty.”
It is helpful to pause a moment and consider what kind of word “scarce” is in the sentence. “Scarce,” along with “perhaps” and “with his utmost industry,” describes the verb “make.” So, “scarce” is functioning as an adverb. “Always” and “never” don’t make sense in the sentence; each word is contradicted by the “perhaps” that follows “scarce.” This leaves us with “infrequently” and “hardly.” The combination of “infrequently, perhaps . . . make one pin in a day, and certainly could not make twenty” doesn’t make as much sense as does “hardly,” which works better with the comparison being made. Furthermore, “scarce” cannot mean infrequently, so “hardly” is the best answer choice. This is how the author is using the term in the passage: to state that one person could hardly make a pin in a day, much less twenty.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Eggplants are always purple. John bought a purple vegetable. Therefore, it was an eggplant.
Q. Which of the following arguments contains reasoning most similar to the flawed reasoning in the above argument?
Explanation
In this argument, the flaw is framed in the following way:
X is always Y. A is Y. Therefore, A is X.
(Just because X is always Y does NOT mean that Y is always X.)
The flawed argument is therefore most like:
Except for 2, prime numbers are always odd. The number 13 is odd. Therefore, it is prime.
Here
x = prime numbers
Y = odd
A = 13
The structure of this argument is the same as the structure argument in:
Eggplants are always purple. John bought a purple vegetable. Therefore, it was an eggplant.
X= eggplants
Y = purple
A = purple vegetable
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Two students were given practice exams. One exam ordered the questions from hardest to easiest, while the other exam ordered the questions from easiest to hardest. The student who took the test with questions ordered hardest to easiest performed more poorly than the other student. Therefore, tests that ordered hardest to easiest will cause a student to perform more poorly.
Q. This argument is most vulnerable to criticism if which of the following statements is true?
Explanation
The conclusion of this argument is that when questions are ordered hardest to easiest, students perform more poorly on them. In order to refute this causal assertion, another source of the poor performance must be introduced. The fact that the student who performed more poorly has a lower grade point average than the other student is a significant intervening cause, and therefore the correct answer.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Shopping in person is an activity that many people loathe. This accounts for the popularity of online shopping, which has few of the hassles of in-person shopping. Online shoppers are able to avoid lines, traffic, and having to hunt around the store for the items they need. With a few keystrokes and a credit card, they can accomplish a task in a few minutes that might have taken hours in "real life."
Q. The claim that shopping in person is an activity that many people loathe plays which of the following roles in the argument?
Explanation
This claim sets up the argument, which concludes that online shopping is popular precisely because many people loathe shopping in person. It is, therefore, a premise and not a conclusion, and is the reason for the conclusion. While it might feasibly be characterized as a generalization, that is not the role the claim plays in the argument.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Our collective obsession with celebrities and entertainment news is ruining this country. As a nation, we face daunting political, economic, social and environmental problems that threaten our existence. Instead of dealing with these problems, we instead focus on the minute details of even the most minor celebrities. How can we prepare for the challenges of the future when we’re so obsessed with trivia of the present?
Q. The argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
Explanation
The argument assumes that spending too much time following celebrity/entertainment news is not just pointless, but dangerous. Claiming that serious, national problems and celebrity news are equally important is therefore incorrect since the author considers these problems to be more important. Similarly, the author clearly believes that these problems have some basis in fact, so the fears are not groundless. And while the author may agree that all news about celebrities and entertainment is trivial, this does not go far enough in addressing the danger about which the author warns. Finally, the economic impact of the entertainment industry is irrelevant to the issue of whether it distracts people from dealing with serious problems. Only the correct answer makes the connection between the prevalence of celebrity obsession and the danger it poses in the form of distraction.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Everyone who thinks the Rams would win the championship thought that Jones would receive the award for Most Valuable Player. But Jones did not receive the award for Most Valuable Player. Therefore, anyone who believes the Rams will win the championship is wrong.
Q. Which one of the following arguments contains flawed reasoning most similar to that in the argument above?
Explanation
The correct answer parallels the flawed reasoning of the stimulus. Both give a situation where the first argument is dismissed on the basis that the second argument presented is false.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Advertisement: Coma Cola is the best-tasting cola on the market and we conducted a test using over 1000 cola consumers to prove it. Each consumer was given two identical cups filled with a carbonated beverage from the same fountain. One cup was filled with Coma Cola and the other was filled with unadulterated soda water. Ninety-nine percent of the consumers preferred the Coma Cola. So, Coma Cola is the best tasting cola available.
Q. The advertisement’s reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it fails to consider whether __________.
Explanation
The advertisement's claim, that Coma Cola is the best tasting cola, is based on 99% percent of cola consumers choosing it over soda water. The flaw in the experimental setup is that just because a consumer chooses Coma Cola over soda water, it does not mean that she will choose Coma Cola over any other cola, let alone over all other colas.
The correct answer recognizes that, in order to validly make such a claim, one would have to show a preference for Coma Cola over other colas, not over soda water (or even over other flavored soft drinks, as one of the incorrect answer choices indicates).
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:One tax-reform proposal that has gained increasing support in recent years is the flat tax, which would impose a uniform tax rate on incomes at every level. Opponents of the flat tax say that a progressive tax system, which levies a higher rate of taxes on higher-income taxpayers, is fairer, placing the greater burden on those better able to bear it. However, the present crazy quilt of tax deductions, exemptions, credits, and loopholes benefits primarily the high-income taxpayer, who is consequently able to reduce his or her effective tax rate, often to a level below that paid by the lower-income taxpayer. Therefore, ______
Explanation
(A) higher-income taxpayers are likely to lend their support to the flat-tax proposal now being considered by Congress : Incorrect, given the premise higher income taxpayers are less likely to lend support to the flat tax proposal.
(B) a flat-tax system that allowed no deductions or exemptions would substantially increase actual government revenues : No information about government revenues in the premise, "could be true" answer but we cannot be sure about this. Incorrect.
(C) the lower-income taxpayer might well be penalized by the institution of a flat-tax system in this country : Opposite of what is the central argument. Incorrect.
(D) the progressive nature of our present tax system is more illusory than real : The argument talks about how progressive tax, even though initially enforced to tax the high paying group, has ended up doing quite the opposite. Hence, the progressive nature does not hold relevance in reality. Hold.
(E) the flat tax would actually be fairer to the lower-income taxpayer than any progressive tax system could be : The part "any progressive tax system could be" makes this option an exaggerated one. Agreed that the present system of progressive tax is flawed give that high-income group is able to find loopholes, but what is such changes are made that the high-income group cannot find loopholes and is taxed fairly? Hence, the claim that flat tax would be fairer to "any" progressive tax system cannot be made. Incorrect.
Hence, D.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:Mr. Janeck: I don't believe Stevenson will win the election for governor. Few voters are willing to elect a businessman with no political experience to such a responsible public office.
Ms. Siuzdak: You're wrong. The experience of running a major corporation is a valuable preparation for the task of running a state government.
M. Siuzdak's response shows that she has interpreted Mr. Janeck's remark to imply which of the following?
Explanation
Mr. Janeck: I don't believe Stevenson will win the election for governor. Few voters are willing to elect a businessman with no political experience to such a responsible public office.
Ms. Siuzdak: You're wrong. The experience of running a major corporation is a valuable preparation for the task of running a state government.
From the response of Ms. Siuzdak, in which she concluded that Mr. Janeck is wrong. In her justification, she points out that running a major corporation is a valuable preparation for the task of running a state government. Since the voters that Mr. Janeck refers to as unwilling to vote for a businessman without political experience are not available to listen to her argument, her points are obviously directed at him. The fact that the focus of her argument is to point out that Stevenson's experience as a businessman is vital, she assumes that Mr. Janeck does not believe that Stevenson is qualified for the office of a governor.
Option A says that Mr. Janeck considers Stevenson unqualified for the office of governor and this is in line with the above. Hence A has to be the interpretation that Ms. Siuzdak has for the comments of Mr. Janeck.
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Question for Verbal Practice Questions - 1
Try yourself:At one time, European and Japanese companies tried to imitate their American rivals. Today, American appliance manufacturers import European scientists to lead their research staffs; American automakers design cars that mimic the styling of German, Italian, and French imports; and American electronics firms boast in their advertising of Japanese-style devotion to quality and reliability. In the world of high technology, America has lost the battle for international prestige.
Each of the following statements, if true, would help to support the claim above EXCEPT:
Explanation
To find the statement that does not support the claim that America has lost the battle for international prestige in high technology, let's analyze each option briefly:
Options Analysis:
A. American cameras compared to Swiss imports.
Conclusion: Supports the claim (American technology behind Swiss).
B. American stereos resemble Japanese products.
Conclusion: Supports the claim (American technology behind Japanese).
C. American video game brand sounds Japanese.
Conclusion: Supports the claim (American technology mimics Japanese branding).
D. American TVs adopt German techniques.
Conclusion: Supports the claim (American technology behind German).
E. American frozen foods advertised as European-style by European chefs.
Conclusion: Does not directly compare technology, focuses on chefs.
Answer:
E. An American maker of frozen foods advertises its dinners as Real European-style entrees prepared by fine French and Italian chefs.
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