1.In January there was a large drop in the number of new houses sold， because interest rates for mortgages were falling and many consumers were waiting to see how low the rates would go. This large sales drop was accompanied by a sharp rise in the average price of new houses sold.

　　Which of the following， if true， best explains the sharp rise in the average price of new houses？

　　（A） Sales of higher-priced houses were unaffected by the sales drop because their purchasers have fewer constraints limiting the total amount they pay.

　　（B） Labor agreements of builders with construction unions are not due to expire until the next January.

　　（C） The prices of new houses have been rising slowly over the past three years because there is an increasing shortage of housing.

　　（D） There was a greater amount of moderate-priced housing available for resale by owners during January than in the preceding three months.

　　（E） Interest rates for home mortgages are expected to rise sharply later in the year if predictions of increased business activity in general prove to be accurate.

　　2.An experiment was done in which human subjects recognize a pattern within a matrix of abstract designs and then select another design that completes that pattern. The results of the experiment were surprising. The lowest expenditure of energy in neurons in the brain was found in those subjects who performed most successfully in the experiments.

　　Which of the following hypotheses best accounts for the findings of the experiment？

　　（A） The neurons of the brain react less when a subject is trying to recognize patterns than when the subject is doing other kinds of reasoning.

　　（B） Those who performed best in the experiment experienced more satisfaction when working with abstract patterns than did those who performed less well.

　　（C） People who are better at abstract pattern recognition have more energyefficient neural connections.

　　（D） The energy expenditure of the subjects brains increases when a design that completes the initially recognized pattern is determined.

　　（E） The task of completing a given design is more capably performed by athletes， whose energy expenditure is lower when they are at rest than is that of the general population.

　　3.Archaeologists have found wheeled ceramic toys made by the Toltec， twelfth-century inhabitants of what is now Veracruz. Although there is no archaeological evidence that the Toltec used wheels for anything but toys， some anthropologists hypothesize that wheeled utility vehicles were used to carry materials needed for the monumental structures the Toltec produced.Which of the following， if true， would most help the anthropologists explain the lack of evidence noted above？

　　（A） The Toltec sometimes incorporated into their toys representations of utensils or other devices that served some practical purpose.

　　（B） Any wheeled utility vehicles used by the Toltec could have been made entirely of wood， and unlike ceramic， wood decays rapidly in the humid climate of Veracruz.

　　（C） Carvings in monument walls suggest that the Toltec's wheeled ceramic toys somtimes had ritual uses in addition to being used by both children and adults as decorations and playthings.

　　（D） Wheeled utility vehicles were used during the twelfth century in many areas of the world， but during this time wheeled toys were not very common in areas outside Veracruz.

　　（E） Some of the wheeled ceramic toys were found near the remains of monumental stuctures.

　　4.A severe drought can actually lessen the total amount of government aid that United States farmers receive as a group. The government pays farmers the amount，if any， by which the market price at which crops are actually sold falls short of a preset target price per bushel for the crops. The drought of 1983， for example， caused farm-program payments to drop by $10 billion.

　　Given the information above， which of the following， if true， best explains why the drought of 1983 resulted in a reduction in farm-program payments？

　　（A） Prior to the drought of 1983， the government raised the target price for crops in order to aid farmers in reducing their debt loads.

　　（B） Due to the drought of 1983， United States farmers exported less food in 1983 than in the preceding year.

　　（C） Due to the drought of 1983， United States farmers had smaller harvests and thus received a higher market price for the 1983 crop than for the larger crop of the preceding year.

　　（D） Due to the drought of 1983 ， United States farmers planned to plant smaller crops in 1984 than they had in 1983.

　　（E） Despite the drought of 1983， retail prices for food did not increase significantly between 1982 and 1983.

　　5.In the United States， vacationers account for more than half of all visitors to what are technically called “pure aquariums” but for fewer than one quarter of all visitors to zoos， which usually include a “zoo aquarium” of relatively modest scope.

　　Which of the following， if true， most helps to account for the difference described above between visitors to zoos and visitors to pure aquariums？

　　（A） In cities that have both a zoo and a pure aquarium， local residents are twice as likely to visit the aquarium as they are to visit the zoo.

　　（B） Virtually all large metropolitan areas have zoos，whereas only a few large metropolitan areas have pure aquariums.

　　（C） Over the last ten years，newly constructed pure aquariums have outnumbered newly established zoos by a factor of two to one.

　　（D） People who visit a zoo in a given year are two times more likely to visit a pure aquarium that year than are people who do not visit a zoo.

　　（E） The zoo aquariums of zoos that are in the same city as a pure aquarium tent to be smaller than the aquariums of zoos that have no pure aquarium nearby.

　　6.In the United States， the Postal Service has a monopoly on first-class mail， but much of what is sent first class could be transmitted electronically. Electronic transmittal operators argue that if the Postal Service were to offer electronic transmission， it would have an unfair advantage， since its electronic transmission service could be subsidized from the profits of the monopoly.

　　Which of the following， if each is true， would allay the electronic transmittal operators' fears of unfair competition？

　　（A） If the Postal Service were to offer electronic transmission， it could not make a profit on first-class mail.

　　（B） If the Postal Service were to offer electronic transmission， it would have a monopoly on that kind of service.

　　（C） Much of the material that is now sent by first-class mail could be delivered much faster by special package couriers， but is not sent that way because of cost.

　　（D） There is no economy of scale in electronic transmission——that is，the cost per transaction does not go down as more pieces of information are transmitted.

　　（E） Electronic transmission will never be cost-effective for material not sent by first-class mail such as newspaper and bulk mail.

　　7.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

　　（A） many users who illegally copy programs never find any use for them

　　（B） most of the illegally copied programs would not be purchased even if purchasing them were the only way to obtain them. （C） even if the computer industry received all the revenue it claims to be losing， it would still be experiencing financial difficulties.

　　（D） the total market value of all illegal copies is low in comparison to the total revenue of computer industry.

　　（E） the number of programs that are frequently copied illegally is low in comparison to the number of programs available for sale

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

　　Sales campaigns aimed at the faltering personal computer market have strongly emphasized ease of use， called user-friendliness. This emphasis is oddly premature and irrelevant in the eyes of most potential buyers， who are trying to address the logically prior issue of whether——。

　　（A） user-friendliness also implies that owners can service their own computers

　　（B） personal computers cost more the more user-friendly they are

　　（C） currently available models are user-friendly enough to suit them

　　（D） the people promoting personal computers use them in their own homes

　　（E） they have enough sensible uses for a personal computer to justify the expense of buying one

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

　　At a recent conference on environmental threats to the North Sea， most participating countries favored uniform controls on the quality of effluents， whether or not specific environmental damage could be attributed to a particular source of effluent. What must， of course， be shown， in order to avoid excessively restrictive controls， is that ___________.

　　（A） any uniform controls that are adopted are likely to be implemented without delay

　　（B） any substance to be made subject to controls can actually cause environmental damage

　　（C） the countries favoring uniform controls are those generating the largest quantities of effluents

　　（D） all of any given pollutant that is to be controlled actually reaches the North Sea at present

　　（E） environmental damage already inflicted on the North Sea is reversible

　　10.Which of the following， if true， best completes the argument below？

　　Comparisons of the average standards of living of the citizens of two countries should reflect the citizens' comparative access to goods and services. Reliable figures in a country's own currency for the average income of its citizens are easily obtained.But it is difficult to get an accurate comparison of average standards of living from these figures. because——。

　　（A） there are usually no figures comparing how much of two different currencies must be spent in order to purchase a given quantity of goods and services

　　（B） wage levels for the same job vary greatly from country to country，depending on cultural as well as on purely economic factors

　　（C） these figures must be calculated by dividing the gross national product of a country by the size of its population

　　（D） comparative access to goods and services is only one of several factors relevant in determining quality of life

　　（E） the wealth， and hence the standard of living， of a country's citizens is very closely related to their income

　　11.Which of the following， if true， is the most logical completion of the argument below？

　　The tax system of the Republic of Grootland encourages borrowing by granting its taxpayers tax relief for interest paid on loans. The system also discourages saving by taxing any interest earned on savings. Nevertheless， it is clear that Grootland's tax system does not consistently favor borrowing over saving， for if it did， there would be no——。

　　（A） tax relief in Grootland for those portions of a taxpayer's income， if any， hat are set aside to increase that taxpayer's total savings

　　（B） tax relief in Grootland for the processing fees that taxpayers pay to ending institutions when obtaining certain kinds of loans

　　（C） tax relief in Grootland for interest that taxpayers are charged on the unpaid balance in credit card accounts

　　（D） taxes due in Grootland on the cash value of gifts received by taxpayers from banks trying to encourage people to open saving accounts

　　（E） taxes due in Grootland on the amount that a taxpayer has invested in interest-bearing savings accounts

　　12.The amount of time it takes for most of a worker's occupational knowledge and skills to become obsolete has been declining because of the introduction of advanced manufacturing technology （AMT）。 Given the rate at which AMT is currently being introduced in manufacturing， the average worker's old skills become obsolete and new skills are required within as little as five years.

　　Which of the following plans， if feasible， would allow a company to prepare most effectively for the rapid obsolescence of skills described above？

　　（A） The company will develop a program to offer selected employees the opportunity to receive training six years after they were originally hired.

　　（B） The company will increase its investment in AMT every year for a period of at least five years.

　　（C） The company will periodically survey its employees to determine how the introduction of AMT has affected them.

　　（D） Before the introduction of AMT， the company will institute an educational program to inform its employees of the probable consequences of the introduction of AMT.

　　（E） The company will ensure that it can offer its employees any training necessary for meeting their job requirements.

　　13. F： We ought not to test the safety of new drugs on sentient animals， such as dogs and rabbits. Our benefit means their pain， and they are equal to us in the capacity to feel pain.

　　G： We must carry out such tests； otherwise， we would irresponsibly sacrifice the human lives that could have been saved by the drugs.Which of the following， if true， is the best objection that could be made from F's point of view to counter G's point？

　　（A） Even though it is not necessary for people to use cosmetics， cosmetics are also being tested on sentient animals.

　　（B） Medical science already has at its disposal a great number of drugs and other treatments for serious illnesses.

　　（C） It is not possible to obtain scientifically adequate results by testing drugs in the test tube，without making tests on living tissue.

　　（D） Some of the drugs to be tested would save human beings from great pain

　　（E） Many tests now performed on sentient animals can be performed equally well on fertilized chicken eggs that are at avery early stage of development.

　　14.Roland： The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this country now report that they know someone who is unemployed.

　　Sharon： But a normal， moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent， with 1 out of 20 workers unemployed. So at any given time if a person knows approximat-ely 50 workers， 1 or more will very likely be unemployed.

　　Sharon's argument is structured to lead to which of the following as a conclusion？

　　（A） The fact that 90% of the people know someone who is unemployed is not an indication that unemployment is abnormally high （B） The current level of unemployment is not moderate.

　　（C） If at least 5% of workers are unemployed， the result of questioning a representative group of people cannot be the percentage Roland cites

　　（D） It is unlikely that the people whose statements Roland cites are giving accurate reports.

　　（E） If an unemployment figure is given as a certain percent， the actual percentage of those without jobs is even higher.

　　15.Sharon's argument relies on the assumption that

　　（A） normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceeded

　　（B） unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the population

　　（C） the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the population

　　（D） Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presents

　　（E） knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing one's job than does knowledge of unemployment statistics

　　16.Working shorter workweeks causes managers to feel less stress than does working longer workweeks. In addition， greater perceived control over one's work life reduces stress levels. It can be concluded， therefore， that shorter workweeks cause managers to feel they have more control over their work life.

　　The argument made above uses which of the following questionable techniques？

　　（A） Associating two conditions as cause and effect on the basis of their being causally associated with the same phenomenon （B） Taking for granted that two factors that have a certain effect individually produce that effect more strongly when both act together.

　　（C） Assuming what it sets out to prove

　　（D） Using an irrelevant point in order to draw a conclusion

　　（E） Basing a conclusion on preconceived views about the needs of managers

　　17.Many plant varieties used in industrially developed nations to improve cultivated crops come from lessdeveloped nations. No compensation is paid on the grounds that the plants used are “the common heritage of humanity.” Such reasoning is， however， flawed. After all， no one suggests that coal， oil， and ores should be extracted without payment.

　　Which of the following best describes an aspect of the method used by the author in the argument above？

　　（A） The author proceeds from a number of specific observations to a tentative generalization.

　　（B） The author applies to the case under discussion facts about phenomena assumed to be similar in some relevant respect.

　　（C） A position is strengthened by showing that the opposite of that position would have logically absurd consequences.

　　（D） A line of reasoning is called into question on the grounds that it confuses cause and effect in a causal relation.

　　（E） An argument is analyzed by separating statements of fact from individual value judgments.

　　key： ACBCB ABEBA AEEAB AB