1. Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants has been temporarily stored on-site, but this is not a satisfactory kind of place for long-range storage. Since no suitable plan of safe permanent storage of such waste from the nation’s existing and planned nuclear plants has been devised, some people propose that we should stop trying to develop such a plan and instead should shut down all present nuclear plants and build no new nuclear plants.

The proposal mentioned above falls short of offering a complete solution to the problem it addresses because

2. Only 1,000 to 2,000 species of fruit flies exist worldwide. Nowhere in the world are fruit flies more taxonomically diverse than in the Hawaiian islands, which host some 500 species. A subset of fruit flies called the picture-winged drosophilids is represented in Hawaii by 106 species. All of the fruit fly species now present in the Hawaiian archipelago are thought to be the descendants of the same one or two ancestral females.

Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage?

3. In 1860 Bavarian quarry workers discovered the impression of a feather in a limestone slab dating to the Mesozoic era. It had previously been assumed that birds developed only after the close of the Mesozoic era and after the disappearance of pterosaurs, a species characteristic of that era. But there in limestone lay the imprint of a fully aerodynamic, three-inch-long feather. This, therefore, must have been the earliest bird—certainly, the earliest found to that date.

The argument assumes which one of the following?

4. State researchers have found that since the oil price increases of the 1970s, there has been a decline in home energy consumption. They concluded that almost all of the decline has been achieved through reduced standards of living and changes in the way people spend their time.

Each of the following, if true, would support the conclusion above EXCEPT:

5. Senator Strongwood reported that, contrary to a study cited by the administration, a thorough study by his own party concluded that a reduction in the capital gains tax would lead to an increase in the federal deficit. “Hooray for common sense,” he said. “Everyone knows that when you cut taxes you lose revenue.” He concluded that the administration’s plan for reducing the capital gains tax was now dead, because he could not imagine any senator voting to increase the deficit.

Which one of the following accurately describes something Senator Strongwood does in advancing his argument?

6. The most successful economies have been, and will continue to be, those that train as many people as possible in the human skills required to research, to develop, and to apply new technology. Japan is a model for this sort of training effort. Europe as a whole is in a weaker position: there is a shortage of skilled labor trained to use the new technologies, and there are not enough scientists able to develop and apply the technology. However, even in Japan there is a shortage of technically qualified people, and, like most European countries, Japan has far too many workers qualified to perform only menial tasks.

Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage?

7. When Cortez arrived in Mexico in A.D. 1519, he observed the inhabitants playing a ceremonial game with a rubber ball. The pre-Columbian inhabitants of Mexico began to use rubber around A.D. 1000. Thus, we can be sure that the game must have originated sometime between approximately A.D. 1000 and Cortez’ arrival.

The conclusion reached above depends on which one of the following assumptions?

8. The Baysville Chamber of Commerce recently met to discuss a proposal to beautify the Baysville area’s freeways by relocating power lines, adding landscaping, and removing billboards. At the meeting, Mary Simms, who was representing an outdoor advertising company, declared, “Billboards are the basis of our business. If they are torn down, our ability to earn a living will be severely damaged.” “I don’t agree,” said Jack Jordan, a local merchant. “The basis of our business is an attractive community. People who might shop in Baysville don’t want to see ugly billboards on their way into town. Billboards are hurting our ability to earn a living.

” Jack Jordan’s remarks suggest that he is misinterpreting which one of the following words used by Mary Simms?

9. Some people are Montagues and some people are Capulets. No Montague can be crossed in love. All Capulets can be crossed in love. Therefore, Capulets are not Montagues. Anyone who is not a Montague is intemperate. Assume that all of the statements in the passage are true.

If it is also true that no Montague is intemperate, then which one of the following must be true?

10. The formation of hurricanes that threaten the United States mainland is triggered by high atmospheric winds off the western coast of Africa. When abundant rain falls in sub-Saharan Africa, hurricanes afterward hit the United States mainland with particular frequency. Therefore, the abundant rains must somehow promote the ability of the winds to form hurricanes.

Which one of the following arguments contains a flaw that is most similar to one in the argument above?

11. It is even more important that we criticize democracies that have committed human rights violations than that we criticize dictatorships that have committed more violent human rights offenses. Human rights violations are always inexcusable, but those committed by governments that represent the will of the people are even more reprehensible than those committed by dictators. Further, our criticism is more likely to have an effect on the former than on the latter.

Which one of the following is a proper inference from the passage?

12. A recent study found that snoring, though not common in either group, is more common among smokers than among nonsmokers. On the basis of this evidence, the author hypothesized that smoking by itself can induce snoring.

Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the author’s hypothesis?

13. The press reports on political campaigns these days as if they were chess games. One candidate’s campaign advisor makes a move; the other candidate’s advisor makes a countermove. The press then reports on the campaign advisors and not on the candidates. The losers in this chess game are the voters. They are deprived of the information they need to make informed decisions because the press is ignoring substantive policy issues and reporting only on the process of the campaign. It is clear that the campaign advisors should stay out of the limelight and let the press report on the most revealing positions on substantive issues the candidates have taken.

Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument in the passage depends?

14. The press reports on political campaigns these days as if they were chess games. One candidate’s campaign advisor makes a move; the other candidate’s advisor makes a countermove. The press then reports on the campaign advisors and not on the candidates. The losers in this chess game are the voters. They are deprived of the information they need to make informed decisions because the press is ignoring substantive policy issues and reporting only on the process of the campaign. It is clear that the campaign advisors should stay out of the limelight and let the press report on the most revealing positions on substantive issues the candidates have taken.

Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage?

15. Studies of brain lateralization in animals have purported to show that, whereas most human beings are right-handed, about half of any given group of animals will be “left-handed” (i.e., showing a preference for their left limbs) and half will be “right- handed.” This finding is suspect, however; it has long been noted that dogs will almost always “shake hands” with the right paw.

Which one of the following, if true, is the strongest defense against the counterexample of dogs that “shake hands”?

16. Professor: If both parents have type O blood then their children can only have type O blood. This is a genetic law. Student: But that’s not true. My father has type B blood and I have type O blood.

The student has most likely misinterpreted the professor’s remark to imply that

17. A recent survey of brand preferences showed that R-Bar Beans are considered the best of all brands among all age groups, leading both Texas T Beans and Aunt Sally’s Beans by a wide margin. However, the national sales figures show that Texas T and Aunt Sally’s each sold many more cans of beans last year than did R-Bar.

Each of the following would, by itself, help to resolve the apparent paradox described in the passage EXCEPT: