GENERAL APPROACH FOR SOLVING CRITICAL REASONING QUESTIONS

The Cream of the Piece

Step 1: Read the question stem first. This will help you to decide what you are going to be looking for in the paragraph when you read it for the first time.

Step 2: Next read the passage, identifying the claim, the supporting reasons/evidence, the assumptions inherent in the argument and the inferences that can be made from the argument.

Step 3: Pre-phrase your answer—Knowing what you are going to be looking for while reading the options is helpful in order to get the correct answer. Then, check the options to see which one best fits your opinion.

ELEMENTARY PRACTICE EXERCISE

1. The best movie showing in the country right now is Black and Red —it has been in the #1 position for three weeks.

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

2. All mammals have red blood. Therefore, deers have red blood.

• If so, what is the “missing step,” or “hidden assumption?”

3. The Education Minister has recently suggested that all people should go to school for at least 15 years. However, this argument is clearly wrong since the minister himself is educated only upto the sixth class.

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

4. It is a well accepted fact that in order to raise your scores in the CAT, you should study and practice the question types in the test a lot. However, Motilal used this strategy and he did not get the score that he wanted. Therefore, this strategy is not helpful.

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

5. It is a commonly known fact that most people do not obey traffic signals when they drive on the roads. Isn’t it very often that you have noticed people disobey signals and get away scotfree? We can therefore conclude that the system of traffic signals is entirely useless.

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

6. Frozen water is less dense than liquid water. Therefore, frozen water will float in liquid water.

• If so, what is the “missing step,” or “hidden assumption?”

7. The President has recently suggested adding fluoride to all public water sources. This is obviously a bad idea since many of the former communist and fascist countries also added fluoride to all their public water sources.

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

8. Four hours ago I had a bad cold and headache, so I took six Dercold tablets. I still have the cold and the headache. Therefore, Dercold is a useless medicine.

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

9. In an attempt to increase sales, HTR Ltd. implemented a new customer service policy that required all sales representatives to address all prospective clients by name. Within three months of this step, sales had risen by over 25%, something that had never happened in the company’s history. The new policy was therefore a success.

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

10. It is obvious to everyone who can reason that Einstein could not have formulated the theory of relativity. It is a common fact that Einstein did not receive a passing grade in math class as a child.

• What is the “missing step” or “hidden assumption” in this argument?

• How can we weaken this argument?

• How can we strengthen this argument?

PRACTICE EXERCISES

1. Oligopoly is the state where there are many competitors within a single market. The Pepsi Company realizes that its operations are in competitive industries. Which of the following conclusions may be inferred from the above?

(a) Pepsi’s market is not oligopolistic.

(b) Monopoly is defined as one seller in a market.

(c) The Pepsi Company has a lot of domestic competition

(d) The Pepsi Company is operating in an oligopolistic market.

(e) Monopoly and oligopoly are similar markets.

2. People in a South African tribe have observed that heavy rains are usually preceded by claps of thunder. They are convinced that the heavy rains are somehow caused by the claps of thunder.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the tribals, conviction?

(a) The temperature must fall below 20 degrees Celsius for both heavy rains and claps of thunder to occur.

(b) The presence of rain bearing clouds is the reason for the heavy rains as well as the claps of thunder.

(c) The tribals of the particular tribe are unscientific people prone to superstitions.

(d) It is as yet to be proved that claps of thunder precede and hence, cause heavy rains.

(e) Claps of thunder actually cause heavy rains.

3. Professor Krithileshwar Jhamb argued that that the method of evaluation for teachers, used at IIM Bangalore where students evaluated the teachers, was not a valid measure of teaching quality. Students should fill out questionnaires at the end of the term when the courses have been completed.

Which of the following, if true, provides support for Professor Jhamb’s proposal?

(a) Professor Jhamb received low ratings from a majority of his students.

(b) Under the present system, students were made to evaluate their teachers’ mid term

(c) Students at IIM Bangalore are not interested in evaluating their teachers.

(d) The institution should have more methods to evaluate teachers.

(e) A new proposal for methods of evaluation is being decided.

4. PM Manmohan Singh lobbied for the inclusion of India amongst the set of ASEAN countries. This would help develop and liberalize trade with countries such as Japan, China and other prominent members of the ASEAN group.

Each of the following, if true, could account for the above, except:

(a) The PM is up for re-election and needs to show results.

(b) The PM’s United Party Alliance had promised the creation of new jobs in the economy.

(c) The inclusion of India in the ASEAN would be a major achievement on the economic and political front for Manmohan Singh.

(d) Being a shrewd economist, Manmohan Singh realised that trade agreements with prominent nations of the ASEAN would definitely lead to an increase in the trade deficit of the country.

(e) The IMF would punish the PM for such a deal.

5. “If the islanders are doomed to have local self governance—and it is the islanders who have determined this—then they should be ready to bear the negative consequences of local self governance,” said a British colonist as he left the shores of the island he was governing.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken his argument?

(a) Local rulers are always more interested in the development of their country than foreign colonists.

(b) Local self governance is not child’s play.

(c) The islanders are equally qualified and competent, if not more than the colonists, to run their own government.

(d) A group of islanders were against the transfer of power.

(e) The islanders were not working to form their own government.

6. Amrinder Singh is no big catch for the Tongress Party in Uttam Pradesh. Even though he is the brother of the ChiefMinister of the opposing Bhrasthwadi Party, he himself has no political clout and was not even important organizationally for his own party.

Which of the following statements is inconsistent with the above?

(a) Amrinder Singh is the brother of the present Chief Minister of Uttam Pradesh.

(b) The Bhrastwadi Party and the Tongress Party are political rivals.

(c) Amrinder Singh is being touted as the next leader of the Bhrasthwadi Party.

(d) Amrinder Singh has not been interested in politics.

(e) Amrinder Singh is not treated as very important by his own party men.

7. Stock market analyst Dhirubhai Mehta: “We believe that company’s stock will appreciate at 35% a year for the next 10-12 years. The Companyjust became the leader in its industry and we expect its sales to continue to grow at 8% a year over this period.”

Investor: “But how can the stock’s price be expected to grow more quickly than the company’s underlying sales?”

Which of the following facts would best support the stock analyst?

(a) The company’s expenses will be declining over the next 5 to 10 years.

(b) The Companyjust won a patent on a new product.

(c) Company A’s stock is currently overvalued by a significant amount.

(d) The company’s industry peer group is expected to experience stock appreciation rates of 30% over the same time horizon.

(e) The company is expecting some losses in the coming season.

8. A car magazine report: ‘The average mileage in the small car market was found to be 18 kilometers per litre. The average mileage was calculated by taking cars of all manufacturers in the segment, filling them with 10 litres of fuel and driving them along the Mumbai-Pune expressway. However, for the Karuti, the mileage was 22 kilometers per litre. Clearly, if you want to buy a new car, you should buy the Karuti. ’

Which of the following assumptions does the magazine make?

(a) The reader is interested in buying a car.

(b) Mileage is the sole consideration for the readers of the magazine who intend to buy a car.

(c) No other car in the segment had a mileage better than the Karuti ^,s mileage.

(d) None of these.

(e) The readers might also look for other factors as comfort, etc.

9. For the above question, which of the following additional information makes the argument stronger?

I. Petrol prices have touched the sky, and hence the reader should be primarily interested in saving on fuel costs while purchasing a new car.

II. Besides mileage, Karuti scored the best on 9 out of 10 performance indicators used by the survey.

III. The article is titled—“Your first Car”

(a) I and II

(b) IIandIII

(c) II only

(d) All of these

(e) None of these

10. Per-capita income in India last year was Rs 17,600. Real median income for female headed families was Rs. 38,000. Therefore, women wage-earners are paid more than the national average.

Which of the following would, if true, weaken the above conclusion?

(a) Only a small proportion of the total wage earners are women family heads.

(b) In 99 percent of the cases, families headed by a female included other wage-earners.

(c) Average income is significantly different from median income.

(d) All of these.

(e) None of these

11. The head of the NCAER was quoted as saying that the Consumer Price Index (CL) will go down next month because of a recent drop in the price of petrol and steel.

Which of the following cannot be inferred from the statement?

(a) The cost of petrol and steel has gone down sharply.

(b) Consumption of petrol and steel has gone up.

(c) Petrol and steel are major items in the CPI.

(d) The changes in the cost of petrol is reflected quickly in the CPI.

12. “There has been a high incidence of traffic accident related deaths last year.” Hence, the chairman of the CBDT suggested that excise taxes on cars and automobiles should not be reduced as planned by the government.

Which of the above statements weakens the argument above?

(a) Although there was a high incidence of traffic accident related deaths last year, it was not significantly higher than the previous years.

(b) Compulsory insurance covered most physical damage to automobiles and property.

(c) A Government of India report has shown that the demand for automobiles was highly inelastic.

(d) It was found in a study that an inadequate road network accounted for 30% of the accidents last year.

(e) Higher prices would definitely deter lawyers.

13. The Incandescent brand fruit juice claims to be the most original fruit juice available on the market today. To prove this claim, the company marketing Incandescent called 10 people and asked them about their thoughts on Ifuitjuices available on the market today. Nine of them stated that they unequivocally drink Incandescent brand fruit juices on a regular basis because it is closest to the taste of real fruits.

Which of the following would most weaken this argument?

(a) The Incandescent brand Ifuitjuice is highly addictive.

(b) The 10 people called were related closely to top executives of the company.

(c) Most people prefer cola drinks to Ifuitjuices. Here, Incandescent is a poor third to Coke and Pepsi.

(d) The 10 people were selected at random.

(e) All of these

14. For the above question, which of the options actually strengthen the argument?

(a) (a) and (b)

(b) (c) and (d)

(c) (d) only

(d) (a) and (d)

(e) (a), (b) and (d)

15. Chewing tobacco has many benefits. However, the primary benefits occur in the area of mental health. The habit originates in a search for contentment. The life expectancy of our people has increased greatly in recent years; it is possible that the relaxation and contentment and enjoyment produced by tobacco chewing has lengthened many lives. Hence, Chewing Tobacco is beneficial.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the above conclusion?

(a) The government earns millions of dollars from the sales of chewing tobaccos

(b) The evidence cited in the statement covers only one example of the effects of tobacco chewing

(c) There is as yet no statistical evidence to prove a link between chewing and longevity.

(d) None of these.

(e) Chewing tobacco satiates the longing in a person.

16. Which of the following if true would best support the above argument?

(a) Chewing tobacco has proved to be less harmful than smoking.

(b) In a survey of 100 people, it was found that people who chewed tobacco had longer lives than people who drank Pepsi.

(c) A study conducted by the National Institute of Health Research found a link between chewing tobacco and longevity.

(d) Chewing tobacco leads to happier individuals. Happiness is proven to be a cause for longevity.

(e) None of these.

17. Many of the junk foods on the market today, doughnuts, burgers and pizza, have less nutrients than natural foods, which were dominant a decade or two ago. Many nutritionists claim that pizza and doughnuts give less nourishment than natural foods. A spokesman of a leading junk food Company—Pizza House — stated recently that an examination of grade-school students shows less nutritional deficiency than in their parents’ time. Hence, junk foods are not as bad as made out to be.

Which of the following, if true, would tend to strengthen the view of the spokesman?

(a) Grade school children reported eating no breakfast at all.

(b) Fewer junk foods were available to the parents.

(c) Adults claim to eat junk foods as well as natural foods.

(d) Both (b) and (c).

(e) Only (a) and (c).

18. My neighbour, Mr. Kohli’s dogs bark and howl every time he lets them outside. My class teacher told me that dogs tend to bark and howl when they see other dogs eating biscuits sitting in their owner’s laps. I personally believe they bark and howl because they enjoy disrupting my meditations.

Which of the following can be inferred from the preceding passage?

(a) Mr. Kohli lets out his dogs very often.

(b) The dogs are always howling and barking to disturb neighbours.

(c) The dogs enjoy being outside.

(d) Mr. Kohli’s dogs bark and howl whenever they are outside.

(e) None of these.

19. The argument for liberalization which answers the worries of the left parties about the possible trade deficits created by the opening up of the Indian economy goes thus: ‘In today’s economic scenario, where there are many trading countries, the trade between two specific countries need not be balanced. The differing demands of goods and services and the differing productive capabilities of the same among different countries will cause a country like India to have trade deficits with some countries and surpluses with other countries. On the whole, the trade deficits and surpluses will balance out in order to give a trade balance’.

Which of the following conclusions best summarises the argument presented in the passage above?

(a) Left parties need not worry about trade deficits in India since its trade will always be in balance even though it runs a deficit with a single country.

(b) India’s trade deficits and surpluses with other countries always balance out.

(c) The left parties in India should not be concerned about India’s trade deficits with specific countries because they will balance out in the long run.

(d) None of these.

(e) Only (a) and (b).

20. Most citizens are very conscientious about observing a law when they can see the reason behind it. For instance, there has been very little need to actively enforce the recently-implemented law that increased the penalty for godmen duping people of their money by playing with their emotions. This is because citizens are very conscientious about duping someone in the name of religion, as it leaves their religious gurus with a bad name.

Which of the following statements would the author of this passage be most likely to believe?

(a) The increased penalty alone is a significant motivation for most citizens to obey the law.

(b) There are still too many inconsiderate citizens in the society.

(c) Godmen should not be allowed to play with the emotions of the people.

(d) Society should make an effort to teach citizens the reasons for its laws.

(e) People would be more likely to listen to genuine religious gurus than self proclaimed godmen.

21. Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, net increases in Indian direct investments in the Far East (funds outflows) exceeded net new Far East direct investment in India.

Each of the following, if true, could help to account for this trend except:

(a) Land values in the Far East were increasing at a faster rate than in India.

(b) Labour mobility was higher in India than in the Far East.

(c) The cost of labour (wages) was consistently lower in the Far East than in India.

(d) Corporate liquidity was lower in India than in the Far East.

(e) Labour and land values were increasing at a faster rate in the Far East.

22. Inflation can only be fundamentally caused by two factors—Supply side factors and demand side factors. These factors are either reductions in the supply of goods and services or increases in demand due to either the increased availability of money or the reallocation of demand. Unless other compensating changes also occur, inflation is bound to result if either of this occurs. In economies prior to the introduction of banks (a pre banking economy) the quantity of money available, and hence, the level of demand, was equivalent to the quantity of gold available. If the statements above are true, then it is also true that in a pre banking economy

(a) any inflation would be the result of reductions in the supply of goods and services.

(b) if other factors in the economy are unchanged, increasing the quantity of gold available would lead to inflation.

(c) if there is a reduction in the quantity of gold available, then, other things being equal, inflation would result.

(d) Whatever changes in demand occur, there would be compensating changes in the supply of goods and services.

(e) All of the above.

23. Which of the following best completes the argument below?

One effect of the FM radio was a collapse in the market for audio cassettes. Formerly, people had to buy audio cassettes in order to listen to their favorite music, but the advent of FM radio changed all that by ‘giving people music on tap’. Similarly, the introduction of crops genetically engineered to be resistant to

pests will

(a) increase the size of crop harvests.

(b) increase the cost of seeds.

(c) reduce demand for chemical pesticides.

(d) reduce the value of farmland.

(e) None of the above.

24. Most large retail stores of all goods and brands hold discount sales in the month of November. The original idea of price reduction campaigns in November became popular when it was realized that the sales of products would generally slow down following the Diwali rush, were it not for some incentive. The lack of demand could be solved by the simple solution of reducing prices.

There is now an increasing tendency among major chains of stores across the country to have their “November sales” begin before Diwali. The idea behind this trend is to endeavor to sell the maximum amount of stock at a profit, even if that may not be at the maximum profit.

Which of the following conclusions cannot be drawn from the above?

(a) The incidence of “early” November sales results in lower holdings of stocks withthe corollary of lower stockholding costs.

(b) Demand is a function of price; as you lower price, demand increases.

(c) Major stores seem to think it makes sense to have the November sales campaigns pre-Diwali.

(d) The major department stores do not worry as much about profit maximisation as they do about sales maximisation.

(e) A price cut offers an incentive to buy for the customs.

25. Of the world’s largest AIDS cases countries in 2010, three had the same share of world AIDS patients as they had in 2000. These three countries may serve as examples of countries that succeeded in holding steady their share of the AIDS disease.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the idea that these countries serve as examples as described above?

(a) Of the three countries, two had a much larger share of world AIDS incidence in 2000 than in 2010.

(b) Countries should strive to reduce their share of the total AIDS patients in the world, rather than try to hold it constant.

(c) The three countries have different rates of population growth.

(d) None of these.

26. In a famous experiment at the IISC campus, when a cat smelled milk, it salivated. In the experiment, a bell was rung whenever food was placed near the cat. After a number of trials, only the bell was rung, whereupon the cat would salivate even though no food was present. Such behaviour has been observed in other animals such as dogs, monkeys, etc. and is a vital input for training domesticated animals.

Which of the following conclusions may be drawn from the above experiment?

(a) Cats and other animals can be easily tricked.

(b) The ringing of a bell was associated with food in the mind of the Cat.

(c) A conclusion cannot be reached on the basis of one experiment.

(d) Two stimuli are stronger than one.

27. At a rally in the Moinul Haque Stadium, candidate Laloo exclaimed: “Nearly everyone at the rally is behind me. It looks like I am going to be elected.” Which of the following statements, if true, best supports the above conclusion?

(a) Laloo’ s opponent also appeared at the rally.

(b) The rally was attended by almost all the residents of Laloo ^,s constituency.

(c) Laloo was never defeated in an election.

(d) Laloo was supported by the MLA.

(e) Laloo was an undesirable candidate.

28. Ram is a terrible driver. He has had at least five traffic violations in the past year.

Which of the following can be said about the above claim?

(a) This is an example of an argument that is directed against the person making an argument rather than the argument itself.

(b) The argument is fallacious because it contains an illegitimate parallelism

(c) The above argument obtains its strength from a similarity of two compared situations.

(d) The argument is built upon an assumption that is not stated but is concealed.

29. Since the late 1970s, there has been a dramatic decline in the incidence of traditional childhood diseases such as chicken pox, in India. This decline has been accompanied by an increased incidence of scleroid malaria, a hitherto rare viral infection among children. Few adults, however, have been affected by the disease. Which of the following, if true, would best help to explain the increased incidence of scleroid malaria among children?

(a) Hereditary factors determine in part, the degree to which a person is susceptible to the virus that causes scleroid malaria.

(b) The decrease in traditional childhood diseases and the accompanying increase in scleroid malaria have not been found in any other country.

(c) Children who contract chicken pox develop an immunity to the virus that causes scleroid malaria.

(d) None of these.

(e) Children who get a ruebella infection don’t get chicken pox.

Questions 30 and 31 are based on the following:

An annually conducted nationwide survey by a leading health research organization, shows a continuing marked decline in the use of illegal drugs like hashish and charas by high school seniors over the last five years.

30. In using the results of the survey described above, in order to make conclusions about illegal drug use in the teenage population as a whole, which of the following, if true, casts most doubt on the relevance of the survey results?

(a) Because of cuts in funding, no survey of illegal drug use by high school seniors will be conducted next year.

(b) Another survey found an increase in the rate of smoking amongst the high school seniors.

(c) Illegal drug use by teenagers is highest in those areas of the country where teenagers are least likely to stay in high school for their senior year.

(d) The proportion of high school seniors who say that they strongly disapprove of illegal drug use has declined over the last three years.

(e) Both (a) and (c).

31. Which of the following, if true, would provide most support for concluding from the survey results described above that the use of illegal drugs by people below the age of 20 is declining?

(a) Another survey found an increase in the rate of smoking amongst the high school seniors.

(b) In the past, high school seniors were consistently the population group most likely to use illegal drugs and most likely to use them heavily.

(c) The percentage of high school seniors who use illegal drugs is consistently very similar to the percentage of all people below the age of 20 who use illegal drugs.

(d) Both (b) and (c).

(e) All of (a), (b) and (c).

32. The local education authorities in India have recently issued a “prescribed” list of books that are approved for reading in schools by children aged between 5 and 11.

A furor has arisen among many parents because an authoress by the name of Pooja Mehta, very popular with children, has been omitted from the said list. When asked to comment on the omission, the head of the committee that was responsible for preparing the list of books said that the books of Mrs Pooja Mehta have been omitted because “we thought they are of an inferior quality and do not sufficiently stimulate the children’s intellectual ability and not because they contain characters which are stereotypes or may show racial prejudice.” Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the above paragraph?

(a) There was an opinion that Mrs Mehta’s books were omitted because they contained characters that were stereotypes or showed racial prejudice.

(b) The parents’ view is that Mrs Pooja Mehta’s books might have been left off the list because some of her characters were racist.

(c) Mrs Pooja Mehta was popular with children and parents because she included stereotype characters in her books.

(d) None of these.

(e) Mrs. Pooja Mehta’s speciality was the ability to write about racial prejudice.

33. All televisions emit sounds. And all radios emit sounds. Therefore, I conclude that all televisions are radios.

The argument above is invalid because

(a) the writer bases his argument on another argument that contains circular reasoning.

(b) the writer has illogically classified two disparate groups together when there is no relationship between them, except that they both have the same attribute.

(c) the writer has made a mistaken analogy between two dissimilar objects.

(d) the writer has failed to express his reasoning fully.

(e) The writer has failed to express a relation between the two objects.

34. In elections in a democratic set up, the proper role of the press is to cover only those factors in the campaign which bear on the eventual outcome. Since the outcome is invariably a victory for the candidate of one of two major parties, the press should not cover the campaigns of candidates of minor parties. The argument above relies on which of the following assumption ?

(a) It is unlikely that there will be more than three candidates in any given race.

(b) Candidates of minor parties will never win elections.

(c) The number of votes cast for a candidate of a minor party is not likely to affect the outcome of the contest between the candidates of the two major parties.

(d) Both (b) and (c).

(e) None of the above.

35. The daily journey from his home to his office takes Shyam on an average fifty five minutes by car. Shyam learns about a different route from a neighbour. This route is longer in distance, but will only take thirty five minutes on the average, because it contains stretches of roads where it is possible to drive at higher speeds. Shyam ‘s only consideration apart from the time factor, is the cost. He calculates that his car will consume 10% less gasoline if he takes the suggested new route. Shyam decides to take the new route for the next two weeks as an experiment.

If the above were the only considerations, which one of the following may have an effect on the decision Shyam has made?

(a) Major road work is begun on the shorter distance route, which holds up traffic for an extra ten minutes. The project will take six months, but after it, the improvements will allow the journey to be made in half an hour less than at present.

(b) Re-routing of heavy vehicular traffic from the shorter route to a new route, is expected to reduce the amount of traffic to one third of the current levels

(c) Shyam finds a third route which is slightly longer than his old route, but shorter than the suggested route.

(d) Both (a) and (b).

(e) Shyam suffers from an eye problem which makes it difficult for him to drive longer distances.

36. The cost of housing in many urban parts of India has become so excessive that many young couples, with above-average salaries, can only afford small apartments. EMI and rent commitments are so huge that they cannot consider the possibility of starting a family since a new baby would probably mean either the mother or father giving up a well-paid position— something they can ill afford. The lack of or great cost of child-care facilities further precludes the return of both parents to work.

Which of the following adjustments could practically be made to the situation described above which would allow young couples to improve their housing prospects?

(a) Encourage couples to remain childless.

(b) Encourage couples to have one child only.

(c) Encourage young couples to move to cheaper areas for living.

(d) None of these is likely to have an impact on the current situation.

(e) Both (a) and (c).

37. By the early 1990s, the services sector contributed approximately 20 percent of India’s GDP. Still, no coherent system of rules, principles, and procedures exist to govern the service sector.

Which of the following best summarises the argument?

(a) Regulatory systems lag behind reality.

(b) A regulatory system ought to reflect the importance of the service sector.

(c) India’s GDP was five times its service sector.

(d) None of these.

(e) The service sector contributes insignificantly to the GDP.

38. In 1980, Uttam Pradesh earned Rs. 17 million in tourist revenue. By 1990, tourist revenue doubled and in 2000, it reached the sum of Rs. 132 million.

Each of the following, if true, may explain the trend in tourist revenue except:

(a) The number of tourists has increased from 1940 to 1980.

(b) Average expenditure per tourist has increased.

(c) Average stay per tourist has increased.

(d) The number of total hotel rooms has increased.

(e) Only (a) and (b).

39. Following the massive earthquake in Gujarat, building rules in Gujarat required all apartment buildings constructed after 2002 to have earthquake resistant designs.

Fromwhich of the following can the statement above be inferred?

(a) Apartment buildings built after 2002 had to be earthquake resistant.

(b) All apartment buildings built in Gujarat after 2002 have to have earthquake resistant designs.

(c) Some apartment buildings constructed before 2002 had earthquake resistant designs.

(d) Both (a) and (b).

(e) Building rules require the buildings to have fixed number of floors.

40. In 1980, the average per capita telephone consumption in India was one telephone per hundred people. By 2005, the figure became one telephone per 8 people.

Each of the following, if true, could explain this trend except:

(a) The cost of owning telephones has gone down to one fifth of its earlier values.

(b) There has been a privatisation of the telecom sector in the 1990s.

(c) Getting a telephone connection has been simplified, and waiting lines have been eliminated.

(d) There has been an increase in affluence and disposable income amongst the country’s vast middle class.

(e) Only (a) and (b).

Answer Key