Argument Analysis Flashcards
6 cards from real Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Argument Analysis flashcards as text
Argument: 'Our product has thousands of 5-star reviews online. It must be excellent.' What weakens this?
Answer: Online reviews can be manipulated or incentivised, and are not always from genuine customers
Online reviews can be purchased, incentivised, or generated by bots. A high volume of positive reviews does not guarantee genuine product quality.
Argument: 'We should invest in renewable energy because it's good for the planet.' Which statement STRENGTHENS this argument?
Answer: Renewable energy investment is projected to generate more jobs and reduce long-term energy costs as well as reducing emissions
Additional concrete benefits (jobs, cost savings) beyond environmental ones strengthen the case by showing renewable energy is beneficial across multiple dimensions.
Argument: 'The majority of accidents on this road happen in daylight. Therefore, this road is more dangerous in daylight than at night.' What flaw does this contain?
Answer: More vehicles use the road in daylight, so proportionally the accident rate may be similar or lower
If far more vehicles use the road in daylight, a higher absolute number of accidents may still represent a lower accident rate per vehicle. The argument ignores volume of traffic.
Argument: 'People who wear seatbelts are involved in fewer fatal accidents. Therefore seatbelts save lives.' Which MOST strengthens this?
Answer: Controlled studies show that in comparable crashes, unbelted occupants are significantly more likely to die
Controlled studies that isolate the effect of seatbelts (comparing like-for-like crashes) provide the strongest causal evidence that seatbelts reduce fatality risk.
Argument: 'The introduction of the sugar tax led to a fall in sugary drink sales. Therefore, the tax has been successful.' What additional information is most important to evaluate this claim?
Answer: Whether consumers switched to other sugary products and whether health outcomes actually improved
Sales of sugary drinks may have fallen, but if people switched to other sugary products or if health did not improve, the policy's success is questionable. Outcomes matter more than sales figures.
Argument: 'Country A introduced mandatory exercise classes in schools and obesity rates fell. Exercise classes should be mandatory everywhere.' What WEAKENS this?
Answer: Country A simultaneously introduced nutritional guidelines and school meal standards, making it unclear which caused the fall in obesity
If other health interventions were introduced at the same time, the exercise classes cannot take sole credit for the fall in obesity. The conclusion is too narrow.