Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Argument Analysis 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which statement BEST supports the argument that 'social media is harmful to teenagers' mental health'?
- Longitudinal studies show increased anxiety and depression in teenagers correlate with heavier social media use, even after controlling for other factors (Correct answer)
- Many teenagers use social media
- Social media companies are profitable
- Some adults also experience mental health issues
Correct answer: Longitudinal studies show increased anxiety and depression in teenagers correlate with heavier social media use, even after controlling for other factors
A longitudinal study controlling for confounding factors provides the strongest form of evidence — it tracks change over time and attempts to isolate social media as the cause.
Question 2: Argument: 'Climate change is not real because it was cold last winter.' What type of error does this make?
- Confusing short-term weather variation with long-term climate trends (Correct answer)
- Using scientific evidence incorrectly
- Making an ad hominem attack
- Creating a false dichotomy
Correct answer: Confusing short-term weather variation with long-term climate trends
Climate is the long-term pattern of weather; a single cold winter does not disprove a long-term warming trend. The argument confuses a local short-term event with global long-term data.
Question 3: Argument: 'This drug is used in Country X, so it should be approved here too.' What flaw does this argument contain?
- It ignores potential differences in regulatory standards, population health profiles, and clinical evidence between countries (Correct answer)
- Drug approval is expensive
- Other countries make mistakes
- Regulations vary between countries
Correct answer: It ignores potential differences in regulatory standards, population health profiles, and clinical evidence between countries
Approval in another country is not sufficient evidence for approval here — regulatory standards, population characteristics, and clinical evidence requirements differ between countries.
Question 4: Argument: 'Violent video games cause violent behaviour. Player X plays violent games and committed a violent act.' What flaw does this commit?
- Confirming a generalisation from a single case, without accounting for countless other players who did not become violent (Correct answer)
- Video games are designed for entertainment
- The player may have had other issues
- Video game research is difficult to conduct
Correct answer: Confirming a generalisation from a single case, without accounting for countless other players who did not become violent
Millions of people play violent games without becoming violent. Using one case to confirm a broad causal claim ignores the overwhelming number of counter-examples.
Question 5: Argument: 'The charity spends 30% of donations on administration. This is too high — they waste donors' money.' What information would BEST help evaluate this argument?
- The average administration percentage for comparable charities and whether their outcomes justify the spend (Correct answer)
- Whether the charity is registered
- How many donations they receive
- What the charity's mission statement says
Correct answer: The average administration percentage for comparable charities and whether their outcomes justify the spend
Knowing the sector average and the outcomes achieved would help assess whether 30% is genuinely wasteful or reasonable for the type of work the charity does.
Question 6: An argument concludes: 'Because students who receive private tutoring get better grades, tutoring causes grade improvement.' What weakens this?
- Students who receive tutoring may already be more motivated or have greater parental support (Correct answer)
- Tutoring is expensive
- Not all students need tutoring
- Some tutors are better than others
Correct answer: Students who receive tutoring may already be more motivated or have greater parental support
Motivated students with supportive parents may both pursue tutoring and achieve higher grades. The link could be driven by motivation and support, not tutoring itself.
Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Argument Analysis 4
Which statement BEST supports the argument that 'social media is harmful to teenagers' mental health'?