Verbal Section: Critical Reasoning

This is an MCQ quiz for GMAT, which includes questions on critical Reasoning which comes under the verbal section.

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Barry’s Barbecue is a restaurant chain that advertises itself as a safe place for diners with food allergies to eat. At Barry’s, whenever a diner books a reservation and mentions a food allergy, the kitchen staff is prohibited from preparing multiple dishes on the same grill. This ensures that there is no cross-contamination between dishes, but also can result in longer wait times as fewer meals can be prepared than would be the case under normal circumstances. Which of the following is best supported by the information above?

Diners with food allergies are generally willing to be patient with longer wait times in order to avoid cross-contamination between dishes. Not all restaurants follow food allergy precautions to avoid cross-contamination between multiple dishes. Barry’s will not make special kitchen accommodations for diners who do not make a reservation. Limiting cross-contamination from multiple dishes on the same grill is the most effective way to avoid issues for diners with food allergies. The kitchen staff at Barry’s sometimes prepares multiple dishes on the same grill.

A candy company conducted market research through a survey and a subsequent taste test. In the survey, 27% of respondents said they preferred dark chocolate, 28% said they preferred white chocolate, and 45% said they preferred milk chocolate. But when the same group participated in a taste test of the company"s new product line, 60% preferred dark chocolate. Which of the following can be inferred from the information above?

Most participants expressed a different preference in the taste test than they had indicated in the survey. Some people who stated a preference for white chocolate in the survey preferred dark chocolate in the taste test. The survey participants were generally inaccurate regarding their chocolate preferences. Some people who stated a preference for milk chocolate in the survey preferred dark chocolate in the taste test. Some people who preferred milk chocolate in the taste test had initially stated a preference for white chocolate in the survey.

Among the most effective ways to increase sales of an online service is to offer some form of free trial for users to experiment with before they purchase the full service. The benefit of such a practice is to encourage sales in individuals who would not buy the product without having tried it first. Which of the following is best supported by the information given above?

Online services that are easily adapted to free trial versions sell better than do online services that are not readily distributed as free trials. The number of people who see the free trial as an acceptable replacement for buying the online service is not greater than the number of people who buy the online service because of their experience within the free trial. In calculating the total number of an online service sold, free trials are generally included as zero-dollar sales rather than as a separate category. Because the cost of offering a free trial can be high, companies are often resistant to offering free trials, especially free trials that offer all features included within the paid version of the online service. The number of sales for a given online service is directly proportional to the number of visitors to the online service's website, a number that tends to increase if a free trial is offered.

Last year, more copies of accounting software programs were sold than in any previous year. For the first time ever, most of the copies sold were not sold to accountants but rather to individuals doing their own taxes or planning their own family budgets. However, the most-purchased copy of accounting software was a program designed for accountants performing corporate audits. Which of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

Last year fewer copies of accounting software were purchased by accountants than in the previous year. Last year more accounting software was sold to corporations than in any previous year. Last year there were more copies of accounting software sold to non-accountants than in any previous year. At least some non-accountants purchased the most-purchased copy of software last year. More non-accountants purchased accounting software last year than in any previous year.

Meditation can lead to reduced stress, increased concentration, and a longer life. And contrary to what many skeptics believe, regular meditation is more important than the duration of each session. While longer sessions produce better results, all the benefits listed above are possible from daily meditation sessions that are as short as ten minutes. Which of the following is best supported by the statement above?

It is possible to achieve as much of a gain in life expectancy from ten minutes of meditation per day as from less frequent meditation sessions of an hour or longer. Meditating less frequently than once per day will lead to less positive benefits than meditating daily. Mediation is only effective if it is performed on a daily basis. Daily meditation sessions of an hour or longer can increase one's life expectancy. People who meditate for ten minutes each day will live longer than those who meditate less frequently.

Gingivitis is a disease that occurs around the teeth and that can lead to periodontitis, a condition that causes tissue destruction in the gums and even tooth loss. Studies show that diets high in vitamin C can help to both prevent gingivitis and treat periodontitis. Which of the following is best supported by the statements above?

People whose diets are high in vitamin C are less likely to contract periodontitis than those whose diet are low in vitamin C. Periodontitis is a condition only contracted by those who have previously contracted gingivitis. Increasing the amount of vitamin C in one’s diet has helped some periodontitis patients reduce the severity of that condition. Some people suffering from periodontitis do so without having contracted gingivitis. A periodontitis treatment plan that does not include vitamin C is less effective than a plan that does.

Health insurance rates have been steadily increasing in this country for decades. Though health insurance companies paid for a smaller percentage of claims last year than they did ten years ago, the overall rise in the number of claims still means that more money is being paid out, and the companies compensate for this by hiking their rates. From the information above, it can be inferred that ten years ago

the percentage of health insurance claims that were unpaid was less than last year's percentage. more claims were not paid by insurance companies than were not paid last year. profits made by health insurance companies were similar to profits made by health insurance companies last year. fewer people made health insurance claims than was the case last year. health insurance companies paid a greater percentage of their claims than they paid twenty years ago.

A television news network has recently been criticized for failing to give as much time to individuals who do not believe climate change is occurring as they do to scientists who believe climate change is occurring, even though the network does give equal time to all sides of the debates over immigration, tax reform, and gun policy. The network claims that they only give equal time to both sides of a debate when one side cannot be definitively proven by existing scientific research. Which of the following can be correctly inferred from the information given above?

The television news network believes that the existence of climate change has been definitely proven by existing scientific research. If the news network gave the same time it gave to scientists to individuals who don’t believe in climate change, it would increase its ratings. The television news network believes that it is important to avoid debate on scientific discoveries. No individuals who spoke on the network and who did not believe climate change was occurring were scientists. There are no effective counter arguments against climate change that might sway viewers to believe that climate change is not occurring.

A computer equipped with fingerprint recognition software, which denies access to a computer to anyone whose fingerprint is not on file, identifies a person"s fingerprint by analyzing not only the detailed structure of the fingerprint, but also such characteristics as the level of pressure upon which the finger is placed on the scanner and the finger"s skin tone. Even the most adept computer hackers cannot duplicate all the characteristics the software analyzes. Which of the following can be logically concluded from the passage above?

Fingerprint recognition software has taken many years and tremendous investment to develop and perfect. It is not possible for any top computer hacker to gain access to a computer equipped with the recognition software solely by virtue of skill in replicating the structure of fingerprints. Use of the recognition software is largely impractical due to the time it takes to record and analyze a fingerprint. The fingerprint recognition software is so sensitive that many authorized users are often denied legitimate access. Computers equipped with the recognition software will soon be installed in most financial firms that deal with sensitive electronic information.

If the minimum wage increases again, MacDowell’s will have to increase the prices it charges for its products. And if that happens, MacDowell’s has a choice: it can spend more on advertising to attract more customers, or its sales and profitability will decrease. But since the extra advertising costs will simply raise total expenses, increasing those costs will still result in an overall decrease in profitability. Which one of the following conclusions can be logically drawn from the statements above?

If MacDowell’s sees a reduction in its profitability, that means that the minimum wage has increased. Unless the minimum wage increases, MacDowell’s will continue to remain profitable. If the minimum wage increases, MacDowell’s will no longer be able to remain profitable. MacDowell’s will be unable to maintain its current profitability if the minimum wage increases. MacDowell’s will see its profitability increase if the minimum wage does not increase.

Quiz/Test Summary

Title: Verbal Section: Critical Reasoning

Questions: 10

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