Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Argument Analysis 4

Question 1

Which statement BEST supports the argument that 'social media is harmful to teenagers' mental health'?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal studies show increased anxiety and depression in teenagers correlate with heavier social media use, even after controlling for other factors

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Confusing short-term weather variation with long-term climate trends

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

It ignores potential differences in regulatory standards, population health profiles, and clinical evidence between countries

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Confirming a generalisation from a single case, without accounting for countless other players who did not become violent

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

The average administration percentage for comparable charities and whether their outcomes justify the spend

Answer

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.

Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Practice Test

Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Practice Test

Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Argument Analysis 4