Critical Reasoning Test

Ace Logical Reasoning: Test-Prep Practice Questions

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Logical Reasoning Practice Questions

Welcome to our comprehensive collection of stimulus-style practice questions! These questions are designed to sharpen your critical thinking, logical reasoning, and analytical skills. These abilities are crucial for success in many standardized tests. Our carefully crafted questions mirror the format found in prestigious exams like the LSAT, GMAT, and GRE, as well as in many other exams.

Each question presents a brief “stimulus” – a short paragraph containing an argument, scenario, or set of facts – followed by a question and multiple-choice answers. These exercises will challenge you to analyze complex information, identify logical flaws, draw valid conclusions, and evaluate arguments.

 

1. A company claims that its new energy drink improves athletic performance. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen this claim?
The energy drink contains caffeine and B vitamins
Athletes who consumed the drink before competitions reported feeling more energetic
Sales of the energy drink have increased by 50% in the past year
A double-blind study showed that athletes who consumed the drink improved their performance times by an average of 3%
2. A school principal proposes extending the school day by one hour to improve student performance. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this proposal?
Students in countries with longer school days tend to perform better on international tests
The extra hour would be used for additional instruction in core subjects
Research shows that student attention and retention decrease significantly after 6 hours of instruction
Parents support the idea of a longer school day
3. A study found that students who listen to classical music while studying perform better on tests. Therefore, schools should play classical music during exams to improve student performance. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this argument?
Not all students enjoy classical music
The study was conducted on a small sample of students
The improved performance was only observed for certain subjects
The positive effect of music on performance diminishes with repeated exposure
4. A study found that people who eat breakfast regularly have lower rates of obesity. Therefore, eating breakfast helps prevent weight gain. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen this conclusion?
People who eat breakfast tend to consume fewer calories throughout the day
Breakfast eaters are more likely to engage in regular exercise
The study controlled for other factors that could affect weight, such as diet and exercise habits
Skipping breakfast is associated with increased snacking later in the day
5. A study found that people who drink coffee live longer on average than those who don't. Therefore, drinking coffee causes increased longevity. Which of the following best describes the flaw in this reasoning?
Correlation does not imply causation
The study may have been too small to be reliable
Coffee drinkers may have other healthy habits
The study didn't specify how much coffee was consumed
6. A company found that employees who participate in its wellness program take fewer sick days than those who don't. The company concludes that the wellness program is effective in reducing sick days. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen this conclusion?
Employees who participate in the wellness program tend to have healthier lifestyles overall
The wellness program includes regular health check-ups and vaccinations
Employees who don't participate in the wellness program are more likely to work overtime
The company offers incentives for participating in the wellness program
7. All dolphins are mammals. All mammals breathe air. Therefore, all creatures that breathe air are dolphins. Which of the following best describes the logical flaw in this argument?
False dichotomy
Circular reasoning
Hasty generalization
Fallacy of the converse
8. A restaurant decides to offer a money-back guarantee to attract more customers. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the effectiveness of this decision?
The restaurant's food quality is consistently high
Few customers have requested refunds at restaurants with similar guarantees
The guarantee will be prominently featured in the restaurant's advertising
The restaurant's prices are higher than average for the area
9. City A has implemented a new traffic management system, resulting in a 30% reduction in average commute times. City B is considering implementing the same system. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument that City B should expect similar results?
City A has a larger population than City B
City B already has more efficient public transportation than City A
The traffic patterns in City A and City B are significantly different
The cost of implementing the system in City B would be higher
10. In a certain country, the number of reported burglaries decreased by 10% last year. The police chief claims this is due to increased police patrols. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the police chief's claim?
The number of police officers increased by 5% last year
There was a 15% increase in the number of burglar alarms installed in homes
The decrease in burglaries was most significant in areas with increased police presence
The overall crime rate in neighboring countries also decreased
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These questions assess critical thinking, logical reasoning, and analytical skills. Here’s a list of some exams that typically include such questions:

LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)
MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)
SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)
ACT (American College Testing)
Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT)
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal
California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST)
CLA+ (Collegiate Learning Assessment)
California Bar Exam’s performance test section
Certain civil service exams
Some corporate hiring assessments

These exams use stimulus-based questions to evaluate a candidate’s ability to analyze information, identify logical flaws, draw valid conclusions, and evaluate arguments. The questions present a short paragraph or scenario followed by a question and multiple-choice answers.