Critical 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 city government plans to reduce traffic congestion by implementing a congestion charge for vehicles entering the city center during peak hours. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the effectiveness of this plan?

Similar congestion charges have successfully reduced traffic in other cities

Many commuters have flexible work hours and can adjust their schedules

Public transportation in the city is already operating at full capacity

The city center has limited parking spaces available

2. A city proposes implementing a congestion charge for vehicles entering the city center during peak hours to reduce traffic. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this proposal?

Similar charges have successfully reduced traffic in other cities

The majority of vehicles entering the city center during peak hours are commercial vehicles making essential deliveries

Public transportation in the city is well-developed and can handle increased ridership

The proposed charge would generate significant revenue for the city

3. A recent study found that people who regularly practice meditation have lower blood pressure than those who don't. Therefore, meditation directly causes a reduction in blood pressure. Which of the following best describes the flaw in this reasoning?

It assumes correlation implies causation

It fails to consider alternative explanations

It relies on a small sample size

It overgeneralizes the results

4. A company's profit margin increased after it outsourced its customer service department to a foreign country. The CEO concludes that outsourcing was a successful cost-cutting measure. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the CEO's conclusion?

The company's sales volume increased significantly during the same period

The quality of customer service declined after outsourcing

Other companies in the same industry have also outsourced their customer service

The cost savings from outsourcing were offset by increased training and communication expenses

5. A city government plans to reduce air pollution by implementing stricter emissions standards for vehicles. Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the effectiveness of this plan?

The majority of the city's air pollution comes from industrial sources, not vehicles

Many residents oppose the plan due to the potential increased cost of vehicle maintenance

Similar measures in other cities have led to a decrease in the number of cars on the road

The city's population is expected to grow significantly in the next decade

6. All mammals are warm-blooded. No reptiles are warm-blooded. Therefore:

All warm-blooded animals are mammals

No mammals are reptiles

Some reptiles are mammals

All of the above

7. 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

8. A study found that people who consume high amounts of caffeine are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety. Therefore, reducing caffeine intake will help alleviate anxiety symptoms. Which of the following, if true, most weakens this argument?

Some people with anxiety disorders avoid caffeine altogether

Caffeine consumption has been linked to improved cognitive performance

People prone to anxiety may be more likely to consume caffeine to stay alert

Anxiety symptoms can be caused by various factors unrelated to diet

9. A study found that students who eat breakfast perform better on morning exams than those who skip breakfast. The researchers conclude that eating breakfast improves cognitive performance. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen this conclusion?

Students who eat breakfast tend to sleep more hours per night

The study controlled for other factors such as study habits and overall academic performance

Schools that provide free breakfast report higher overall test scores

Students who eat breakfast are more likely to arrive at school on time

10. An advertisement claims that Brand X toothpaste is recommended by more dentists than any other brand. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the impact of this claim?

The survey only included dentists who had received free samples of Brand X

Brand X is more expensive than most other toothpaste brands

The difference in recommendations between Brand X and the second-most recommended brand is statistically insignificant

Brand X has been on the market for longer than most other brands

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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.