Verbal Logical Reasoning Flashcards

All employees who attend the optional training session are eligible for a promotion. Sarah is an employee who is eligible for a promotion. Therefore, Sarah must have attended the optional training session. Which of the following statements identifies the flaw in the reasoning above?

Answer: It confuses a necessary condition with a sufficient condition.

The argument incorrectly assumes that because attending the training is a sufficient condition for promotion eligibility, it is also a necessary one. The initial statement says attending makes you eligible (sufficient), but it doesn't say it's the ONLY way to become eligible (necessary). Sarah could have become eligible through other means, such as outstanding performance. This is a common logical fallacy confusing sufficient and necessary conditions.

A recent study showed that cities with a higher number of public parks per capita have lower rates of respiratory illness. The conclusion drawn was that the presence of public parks improves air quality, leading to better respiratory health. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this conclusion?

Answer: Cities with more public parks also tend to have stricter industrial air pollution regulations.

This statement provides a plausible alternative cause for the lower rates of respiratory illness. If cities with more parks also have stricter pollution laws, it's possible that these regulations, not the parks themselves, are the primary reason for better air quality and improved respiratory health. This weakens the original conclusion by suggesting another factor is responsible for the observed effect.

Read the following passage and determine the primary assumption made by the author: 'Our company's 'Flexi-Time' policy, which allows employees to set their own work schedules, has been a resounding success. Since its implementation, overall team productivity has increased by 15%. Therefore, to further boost our company's output, we should extend this policy to all departments.'

Answer: The 15% increase in productivity is directly and solely caused by the 'Flexi-Time' policy.

The argument concludes that extending the policy will boost output based on the premise that productivity rose by 15% after the policy was introduced. The unstated assumption is that the policy was the direct and only cause of this increase. If other factors contributed to the productivity gain (e.g., a new software system, a successful project launch), then extending the policy might not have the same effect.

Which of the following is the best example of deductive reasoning?

Answer: All squares are rectangles. All rectangles have four sides. Therefore, all squares have four sides.

Deductive reasoning starts with general premises that are known to be true and uses them to reach a specific, logically certain conclusion. The premises 'All squares are rectangles' and 'All rectangles have four sides' logically guarantee the truth of the conclusion 'All squares have four sides'. The other options are examples of inductive reasoning, where specific observations are used to make a general, but not guaranteed, conclusion.

Statement 1: Some managers are leaders. Statement 2: All leaders are effective communicators. If the above statements are true, which of the following conclusions must also be true?

Answer: Some managers are effective communicators.

This is a syllogism that requires deductive reasoning. Since some managers are leaders (Statement 1), and all leaders are effective communicators (Statement 2), it logically follows that the managers who are leaders must also be effective communicators. Therefore, at least 'some managers are effective communicators'. We cannot conclude that *all* managers are, as the first statement only says 'some'.

A marketing manager stated, 'Our new advertising campaign for the 'Energize' sports drink has been highly effective. Sales have increased by 25% in the regions where the new ads were launched.' Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the manager's argument?

Answer: Sales of other sports drinks in the same regions have remained flat or declined during the same period.

This statement strengthens the argument by ruling out a general market trend as the cause for the sales increase. If other sports drinks are not seeing a similar rise in sales, it makes it much more likely that the increase in 'Energize' sales is due to the specific advertising campaign and not some other factor affecting the entire market. This helps to isolate the campaign as the most probable cause.