Revelian Verbal Logical Reasoning Questions and Answers

Question 1

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?

Accepted Answer

It confuses a necessary condition with a sufficient condition.

Answer

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.

Question 2

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

Question 3

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.'

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

Question 5

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?

Accepted Answer

Some managers are effective communicators.

Answer

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'.

Revelian Test Practice Test

Revelian Test Practice Test

Revelian Verbal Logical Reasoning Questions and Answers