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 company's marketing team claims that their new television commercial has been successful because sales increased by 15% in the month following its first airing. Which of the following, if true, most weakens this claim?

The company lowered the price of its product by 10% during the same period

The commercial aired during a popular sporting event with high viewership

The increase in sales was consistent with the company's average monthly growth over the past year

The company's main competitor experienced production issues during the same period

2. All mammals are warm-blooded. All warm-blooded animals have a four-chambered heart. Therefore, all animals with a four-chambered heart are mammals. Which of the following best describes the logical flaw in this argument?

False dichotomy

Circular reasoning

Hasty generalization

Fallacy of the converse

3. A city planner argues that building more bike lanes will reduce traffic congestion. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen this argument?

Cities with extensive bike lane networks have lower rates of car ownership

Bike lanes are less expensive to maintain than roads for cars

A survey shows that 25% of car commuters would switch to biking if there were more bike lanes

Bike lanes improve air quality by reducing vehicle emissions

4. An economist argues that raising the minimum wage will lead to job losses, as businesses will be forced to lay off workers to maintain profitability. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this argument?

Some businesses have already voluntarily raised their minimum wages

Higher wages lead to increased worker productivity and reduced turnover

The proposed minimum wage increase is gradual and implemented over several years

Other countries with higher minimum wages have lower unemployment rates

5. A city plans to reduce air pollution by implementing a congestion charge for vehicles entering the city center. Critics argue that this will harm local businesses. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the critics' argument?

Similar charges in other cities have led to improved air quality

Public transportation usage increased in cities with congestion charges

Local businesses in cities with congestion charges reported increased foot traffic and sales

The proposed charge is lower than in other cities with similar policies

6. A study found that students who participate in extracurricular activities have higher grades. Therefore, schools should require all students to participate in extracurricular activities to improve academic performance. Which of the following is an assumption underlying this argument?

All extracurricular activities have the same effect on academic performance

The relationship between extracurricular activities and grades is causal

Students who don't participate in extracurricular activities have lower grades

Mandatory participation would yield the same benefits as voluntary participation

7. All students who excel in math also excel in science. Some students who excel in science also excel in literature. Which of the following conclusions can be logically drawn from these premises?

All students who excel in math also excel in literature

Some students who excel in math may excel in literature

No students who excel in math excel in literature

All students who excel in literature also excel in science

8. An environmental group argues that banning single-use plastic bags will significantly reduce plastic pollution in oceans. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this argument?

Many people reuse plastic bags for other purposes before discarding them

Single-use plastic bags account for only a small percentage of total ocean plastic pollution

Alternative bag options, such as paper or cloth, have their own environmental impacts

Some marine animals mistake plastic bags for food

9. A study found that people who meditate regularly have lower stress levels than those who don't. Therefore, meditation causes a reduction in stress. Which of the following best describes the flaw in this reasoning?

It assumes correlation implies causation

It relies on a small sample size

It ignores potential long-term effects

It fails to consider alternative stress-reduction methods

10. A company's sales have increased by 25% since implementing a new marketing strategy. The CEO concludes that the new strategy is responsible for the increase in sales. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the CEO's conclusion?

The company's main competitor went out of business during the same period

The company introduced a new product line alongside the marketing strategy

The industry as a whole experienced a 30% growth in sales during the same period

The company increased its advertising budget by 50% to support the new strategy

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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.