Critical Reasoning Flashcards

Argument: Reducing the workweek to 4 days will increase productivity. Evidence: A pilot program showed a 13% productivity gain. Which finding most strengthens this argument?

Answer: The productivity gain persisted over 6 months across diverse industries.

A sustained gain across multiple industries over six months provides strong, generalizable evidence for the conclusion.

A CEO states: 'Our stock price rose 30% after we announced the merger, proving the market believes the merger is beneficial.' Which of the following, if true, most undermines this claim?

Answer: The entire sector's stock prices rose 35% in the same period.

If the whole sector rose more than the company, the merger announcement may not be the cause of the price increase.

All projects over $1M require executive approval. A project requires executive approval. What can be definitively concluded?

Answer: The project may or may not cost over $1M.

The conditional says over-$1M projects require approval, but approval may also be required for other reasons — so the project may or may not exceed $1M.

A firm plans to cut its marketing budget to reduce costs. The assumption is that this will not significantly reduce sales. Which of the following most challenges this assumption?

Answer: The firm's top competitors are increasing their marketing spend.

If competitors increase marketing while the firm cuts back, the firm risks losing market share, threatening the sales stability assumption.

An argument concludes that coffee consumption causes heart disease, citing a study of 500 heavy coffee drinkers who had a 20% higher incidence of heart disease. What critical flaw exists?

Answer: The study does not control for other lifestyle factors.

Without controlling for confounding variables (smoking, diet, exercise), the higher incidence cannot be attributed to coffee alone.

A consultant recommends Strategy X over Strategy Y because X worked well in Europe. The assumption is that results from Europe will apply to the US market. This assumption is most vulnerable if:

Answer: Consumer behavior in Europe differs significantly from the US.

If consumer behavior differs significantly between markets, the strategy's success in one market cannot be assumed to transfer.