GMAT Sample Questions

GMAT Verbal Section : GMAT Sample Critical Reasoning Questions

46. Teenagers are often priced out of the labor market by the government-mandated minimum-wage level because employers cannot afford to pay that much for extra help. Therefore, if Congress institutes a subminimum wage, a new lower legal wage for teenagers, the teenage unemployment rate, which has been rising since 1960, will no longer increase.

    Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above?

    1. Since 1960 the teenage unemployment rate has risen when the minimum wage has risen.
    2. Since 1960 the teenage unemployment rate has risen even when the minimum wage remained constant.
    3. Employers often hire extra help during holiday and warm weather seasons.
    4. The teenage unemployment rate rose more quickly in the 1970's than it did in the 1960's.
    5. The teenage unemployment rate has occasionally declined in the years since 1960.

    Answer : B

47. Which of the following best completes the passage below?

    The computer industry's estimate that it loses millions of dollars when users illegally copy programs without paying for them is greatly exaggerated. Most of the illegal copying is done by people with no serious interest in the programs. Thus, the loss to the industry is much smaller than estimated because

    1. many users who illegally copy programs never find any use for them
    2. most of the illegally copied programs would not be purchased even if purchasing them were the only way to obtain them
    3. even if the computer industry received all the revenue it claims to be losing, it would still be experiencing financial difficulties
    4. the total market value of all illegal copies is low in comparison to the total revenue of the computer industry
    5. the number of programs that are frequently copied illegally is low in comparison to the number of programs available for sale

    Answer : B

48. This year the New Hampshire Division of Company X, set a new record for annual sales by that division. This record is especially surprising since the New Hampshire Division has the smallest potential market and the lowest sales of any of Company X's divisions.

    Which of the following identifies a flaw in the logical coherence of the statement above?

    1. If overall sales for Company X were sharply reduced, the New Hampshire Division's new sales record is irrelevant to the company's prosperity.
    2. Since the division is competing against its own record, the comparison of its sales record with that of other divisions is irrelevant.
    3. If this is the first year that the New Hampshire Division has been last in sales among Company X's divisions, the new record is not surprising at all.
    4. If overall sales for Company X were greater than usual, it is not surprising that the New Hampshire Division was last in sales.
    5. Since the New Hampshire Division has the smallest potential market, it is not surprising that it had the lowest sales.

    Answer : B

49. Statement of a United States copper mining company: Import quotas should be imposed on the less expensive copper mined outside the country to maintain the price of copper in this country; otherwise, our companies will not be able to stay in business. Response of a United States copper wire manufacturer: United States wire and cable manufacturers purchase about 70 percent of the copper mined in the United States. If the copper prices we pay are not at the international level, our sales will drop, and then the demand for United States copper will go down.

    If the factual information presented by both companies is accurate, the best assessment of the logical relationship between the two arguments is that the wire manufacturer's argument

    1. is self-serving and irrelevant to the proposal of the mining company
    2. is circular, presupposing what it seeks to prove about the proposal of the mining company
    3. shows that the proposal of the mining company would have a negative effect on the mining company's own business
    4. fails to give a reason why the proposal of the mining company should not be put into effect to alleviate the concern of the mining company for staying in business
    5. establishes that even the mining company's business will prosper if the mining company's proposal is rejected

    Answer : C

50. Y has been believed to cause Z. A new report, noting that Y and Z are often observed to be preceded by X, suggests that X, not Y, may be the cause of Z.

    Which of the following further observations would best support the new report's suggestion?

    1. In cases where X occurs but Y does not, X is usually followed by Z.
    2. In cases where X occurs, followed by Y, Y is usually followed by Z.
    3. In cases where Y occurs but X does not, Y is usually followed by Z.
    4. In cases where Y occurs but Z does not, Y is usually preceded by X.
    5. In cases where Z occurs, it is usually preceded by X and Y.

    Answer : A