Verbal Reasoning Flashcards

A passage describes a surgeon who performed a new technique on 10 patients with 100% success. She concludes the technique is superior to existing methods. What is the main weakness?

Answer: The sample is too small and there is no comparison group

Ten patients without a control group is insufficient evidence for superiority. The claim requires a larger sample with comparison to existing techniques under similar conditions.

'If smoking causes cancer, then stopping smoking should reduce cancer rates. Cancer rates have fallen since smoking rates fell.' What logical form is this?

Answer: Modus ponens applied to population data — the evidence is consistent with the hypothesis

The argument correctly uses modus ponens (if P then Q; P; therefore Q) applied to population-level data. The correlation is consistent with the causal hypothesis, though not conclusive proof.

Passage: 'Doctors in rural areas earn less than urban colleagues.' A policy maker concludes rural areas need financial incentives to attract doctors. Which statement best evaluates this?

Answer: The conclusion is reasonable if pay is the primary reason doctors avoid rural posts, but other factors may also matter

Financial incentives address pay disparities, but other deterrents (isolation, fewer training opportunities, family considerations) may be equally or more important.

A text states: 'The UK has one of the highest rates of antibiotic prescribing in Europe.' A student concludes UK doctors are irresponsible. What is this an example of?

Answer: Jumping to conclusions — the statistic could reflect higher infection rates or other legitimate factors

The statistic alone does not indicate irresponsibility. High prescribing could reflect greater disease burden, different diagnostic thresholds, or patient demand — not necessarily poor practice.

Passage says: 'Patients who feel listened to recover faster.' A hospital invests only in communication training. Which gap in reasoning exists?

Answer: Faster recovery may be caused by other aspects of care, and communication alone may be insufficient

The passage identifies association, not a sufficient cause. Recovery is multifactorial; focusing only on communication while neglecting clinical care would be an unjustified single-cause solution.

'Research shows that people who eat breakfast perform better academically.' A school makes breakfast compulsory. Which assumption is the school making?

Answer: Making breakfast compulsory will cause the same benefits seen in voluntary breakfast eaters

Those who voluntarily eat breakfast may differ in other ways (home stability, routine, motivation) that also drive academic performance. Mandating breakfast assumes removing the choice gap removes the performance gap.