(Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills ) Flashcards

A passage about urban planning argues that mixed-use zoning reduces car dependency. The author then cites a study showing that residents of mixed-use neighborhoods walk more. This study functions in the argument as:

Answer: Empirical support for the causal link between zoning and behavior

The study provides data showing behavioral change (more walking) that supports the author's claim that mixed-use zoning reduces car dependency.

An author writes: 'One could argue that technology isolates individuals, but this view ignores how social media sustains long-distance relationships.' The phrase 'one could argue' signals:

Answer: A position the author introduces only to then rebut or qualify

'One could argue' is a distancing phrase that typically introduces a view the author is about to counter or complicate rather than endorse.

A CARS passage describes a philosopher who claims that free will is incompatible with determinism. Which of the following, if true, would most directly strengthen this philosopher's position?

Answer: Neuroscience shows that brain activity preceding a decision occurs before conscious awareness of the choice

If unconscious brain activity precedes and drives decisions, conscious choice appears illusory, directly supporting the claim that determinism undermines free will.

In a passage on medical ethics, the author distinguishes between 'therapeutic privilege'—withholding information from patients 'for their own good'—and patient autonomy. The author likely uses this distinction to argue that:

Answer: Therapeutic privilege is a paternalistic practice that compromises informed consent

Framing therapeutic privilege as withholding information while contrasting it with autonomy signals the author views the practice as paternalistic and ethically problematic.

A CARS question asks what the author would most likely agree with. The passage argues that economic growth metrics ignore environmental costs. The best answer would be:

Answer: Standard economic metrics are inadequate because they exclude ecological damage

The author's central point is about the inadequacy of existing growth metrics, not a sweeping prioritization of environment over economy or a specific policy mandate.

A passage attributes the decline of print journalism primarily to the internet's disruption of advertising revenue. A critic argues that declining readership preceded internet adoption. This critique:

Answer: Challenges the author's timeline, suggesting the cause may precede the proposed cause

If readership fell before the internet became widespread, the internet cannot be the primary cause of print journalism's decline, undermining the author's causal sequence.

In CARS, the primary purpose of re-reading the last sentence of a passage paragraph is typically to:

Answer: Confirm the paragraph's main point and how it connects to the overall argument

Concluding sentences often synthesize the paragraph's argument and signal its relationship to the passage's broader thesis, making them valuable for comprehension.