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PARADOX

21. Preschool chiidren who spend the day in daycare

nurseries are iil more often than those who do not.

They catch many common illnesses, to which they are

exposed by other children in the nurseries. However,

when these children reach school age they tend to be illless often than their classmates who did not spend the

day in dayczre nurseries during their preschool years.

Which one of the following, if true, best explains the

discrepancy in the information above?

(A) There are many common infectious ilinesses that

circulate quickly through a population of school-

age children, once one child is infected.

(B) Those children who have older siblings are likeiy

to catch any common infectious ilinesses that

their older siblings have.

(C) By school age, children who have been in

daycare nurseries have developed the immunities

to common childhood illnesses that cliildren

who have not been in such nurseries have yet to

deveiop.(D) The number of infectious illnesses that children

in a daycare nursery or school develop is

roughly proportional to the number of children

in the facility, and daycare nurseries are smaller

than most schoois.

(E) Although in general the illnesses that children

conffact through contact with other children at

daycare nurseries are not serious, some of those

illnesses if untreated have serious complications.

A survey of alumni of the class of 1960 atAurora

University yielded puzzling results. When asked to

indicate their academic rank, half of the respondents

reported that they were in the top quarter ofthegraduating class in 1960.

Which one of the followingmost helps account for the

apparent contradiction above?

(A) A disproportionately large number of high-

ranking alumni responded to the suwey.

(B) Few, if any, respondents were mistaken about

their class rank.

(C) Not all the alumni who were actually in the top

quarter responded to the survey.

(D) Almost all of the alumni who graduated in 1960

responded to the survey.

(E) Academic rank at Aurora University was based

on a number of considerations in addition to

average grades.

28.

E

Sources:PrepTestA, Section 4, Question 1

PrepTest 5, Section 7, Question 14

190 MASTERY PRACTICE



31.9. A study conducted over a 6-month period anaiyzed

daily attendance and average length ofvisit at the local

art museum. The results showed that when the museum

was not featuring a special exhibition, attendance tended

to be lower but patrons spent an average of45 minutes

longer in the museum than when it was featuring a

special exhibition.

Each of the foliowing, if true, couid heip to explain

the differing average lengths of visits to the museum

EXCEPT:

(A) Visitors to the museum during speciai exhibitions

tend to have narrowel artistic interests, and do

not view as many different exhibits during their

visit.(B) A plan to extend normal museum hours during

special exhibitions was considered but not

enacted during the period studied.

(C) Many people who go to special exhibitions go

simply for the prestige of having been there.

(D) Admission tickets to the special exhibitions at the

museum are issued for a specific l-hour period

on a specific day.

(E) Many people who go to special exhibitions are on

organized tours and do not have the opportunity

to browse.

Carrots are known to be one of the trest sources ofnaturally occurring vitamin A. However, although

farmers in Canada and the United States report

increasing demand for carrots over the last decade, the

number of people diagnosed with vitamin A deficiency

in these countries has also increased in that time.

Each of the following, if true of Canada and the UnitedStates over the last decade, helps to resolve the apparent

discrepancy described above EXCEPT:

(A) The population has significantly increased inevery age group.

(B) The purchase ofpeeled and chopped carrots has

become very popular, though carots are known

to lose their vitamins quickly once peeled.

(C) Certain cuisines that have become popular use

many more vegetable ingredients, including

carrots, than most cuisines that were previously

popuiar.

(D) Carrot consumption has increased only among

those demographic groups that have historically

had low vitamin A deficiency rates.

(E) Weather conditions have caused a decrease in the

availability of carrots.

PARADOX

Industry experts expect improvements in job safety

training to lead to safer work environments. A recent

survey indicated, however, that for manufacturers who

improved job safety training during the 1980s, the

number of on-the-job accidents tended to increase in

the months immediately following the changes in the

training programs.

Which one of the foilowing, if tme, most helps to

resolve the apparent discrepancy in the passage above?

(A) A similar suwey found that the number ofon-the-job accidents remained constant after j ob

safety training in the transportation sector was

improved.

(B) Manufacturers tend to improve their job safety

training oniy when they are increasing the size

of their workforce.

(C) Manufacturers tend to improve job safety training

only after they have noticed that the number ofon-the-job accidents has increased.

(D) It is likely that the increase in the number ofon-the-job accidents experienced by many

companies was not merely a random fluctuation.(E) Significant safety measures, such as protective

equipment and government safety inspections,

were in place well before the improvements injob safety training.

In the city of Glasgow, Scotland, trade doubled between

1750, when the first bank opened there, and 1765,

when government reguiations on banking were first

implemented in Scotland.

Each of the following, if true, could contribute to an

explanation of the doubling described above EXCEPT:(A) The technological revolution that started in the

early eighteenth century in England resulted in

increased trade between Engiand and Scotland.

(B) Reductions in tariffs on foreign goods in 1152Led

to an increase in imports to Glasgow.

(C) The establishment of banking in Glasgow

encouraged the use of paper money, which made

financial transactions more efftcient.

(D) Improvements in Scottish roads between 1750

and i758 facilitated trade between Glasgow and

the rest of Scotland.

(E) The initial govemment regulation of Scottish

banks stimulated Glasgow's economv.

i*0.

32.

Saurces: PrepTest 49, Section 4, Question 25PrepTest 47, Sectian 3, Question 11

PrepTest4l, Section 1, Question 4

PrcpTest 47, Section 3, Question 5

PARADOX QUESTIONS I(APLAN) 191



PARADOX

33. Conscientiousness is high on most firms' list of traits

they want in empioyees. Yet a recent study found that

laid-off conscientious individuals are less likely to findjobs within five months than are their peers who shirked

their workplace responsibilities.

Each of the following, if true, helps to resolve theapparent paradox above EXCEPT:

(A) People who shirk their workplace responsibilities

are less iikely to keep thejobs they have, so

there are more of them looking for jobs.

(B) Conscientious people tend to have a greater than

average concern with finding the job most suited

to their interests and abilities.(C) Resentment about having been laid off in spite

oftheir conscientiousness leads some people toperform poorly in interviews.

(D) People who are inclined to shirk their workplace

responsibilities are more likely to exaggerate

their credentials, leading prospective employers

to believe them to be highly qualified.(E) Finding ajob is less urgent for the conscientious,

because they tend to have iarger savings.

Raisins are made by drying grapes in the sun. Although

some of the sugar in the grapes is caramelized in the

process, nothing is added. Moreover, the oniy thing

removed from the grapes is the water that evaporates

during the drying, and water contains no calories or

nutrients. The fact that raisins contain more iron per

calorie than grapes do is thus puzzling.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to

explain why raisins contain more iron per calorie than

do grapes?

(A) Since grapes are bigger than raisins, it takes

several bunches of grapes to provide the same

amount of iron as a handful of raisins does.

(B) Carameiized sugar cannot be digested, so its

calories do not count toward the calorie content

of raisins.

(C) The body can absorb iron and other nutrients

more quickly from grapes than from raisins

because of the relatively high water content ofgrapes.

(D) Raisins, but not grapes, are available year-round,

so many people get a greater share of their

yearly iron intake from raisins than from grapes.

(E) Raisins are often eaten in combination with other

iron-containing foods, while grapes are usuaily

eaten by themselves.

35. After the United Nations Security Council authorized

military intervention by a coalition of armed forces

intended to halt civil strife in a certain country,

the parliament of one IIN member nation passed a

resolution condemning its own prime minister forpromising to commit miiitary personnel to the action.

A parliamentary leader insisted that the overwhelmingvote for the resolution did not imply the parliament's

opposition to the anticipated intervention; on the

contrary, most members of parliament supported the

UN plan.

Which one of the foliowing, if true, most heips to

resolve the apparent discrepancy presented above?

(A) The UN Security Council cannot legally commit

the military of a member nation to armed

intervention in other countries.

(B) In the parliamentary leader's nation, it is the

constitutional prerogative of the parliament, not

of the prime minister, to initiate foreign military

action.

(C) The parliament would be responsible forproviding the funding necessary in order

to contribute military personnel to the UNintervention.

(D) The public would not support the military

action unless it was known that the parliament

supported the action.

(E) Members of the parliament traditionally are more

closely attuned to public sentiment, especially

with regard to miiitary action, than are prime

ministers.

Sources: PrepTest 37, Sectian 2, Question IPrcpTest 36, Section 7, Question 9PrepTest33, Section 7, Question 14

34.

1.92 MASTERY PRACTICE



36. High cholesterol levels are highly correlated with

cardiovascular disease. In the Italian town of Limone,

however, each of the residents has had high choiesterol

levels for many years, and yet they have not developed

cardiovascular disease.

Which one of the following, if tme, most helps toexplain the unusual health condition ofthe residents ofLimone?

(A) Persons who come from families that have

enjoyed great longevity tend not to develop

cardiovascular disease.

(B) The stress and pollution found in large cities

exacelbate existing cardiovascular disease, but

there is little stress or pollution in Limone.(C) The residents of Limone have normal blood sugar

ievels, and very low blood sugar levels tend to

cancel out the cardiovascular effects of a hieh

cholesterol level.(D) The residents of Limone inherited from common

ancestors a blood protein that prevents vascular

blockage, which is a cause of cardiovascular

disease.

(E) Olive oil is a staple of the diet in some parts

of Italy, but unlike butter, olive oil is a

monosaturated fat, and monosaturated fats do

not contribute to cardiovascular disease.

Shotly after the power plant opened and began

discharging its wastewater into the river, there was

a decrease in the overall number ofbass caught by

angiers downstream from the plant.

Each of the following, if true, could expiain the decrease

described above EXCEPT:(A) The discharged wastewater made the river more

attractive to fish that are the natural predatols ofbass.

(B) The discharged water was walmer than the

normal river temperature, leading the bass to

seek cooler water elsewhere.

(C) Because of the new p1ant, access to the pafi of the

river downstream from the plant was improved,

leading to an increase in the number of anglers

fishing for bass.

(D) Because of the new plant, the 1evel of noise

downstream increased, making that section ofthe river a less popular place for angiers to fish.

(E) The discharged wastewater created turbulence

that disrupted the vegetation of the river

downstream, destroying some of the bass's

natural habitat.

PARADOX

38. Radial keratotomy (RK), a surgery that is designed to

reshape the cornea so that light focuses corectly on the

retina, is supposed to make eyeglasses or contact lenses

that correct for nearsightedness unnecessary. Yet a study

of patients who have undergone RK shows that some ofthem still need to wear glasses or contact lenses.

Each of the foilowing, if true, wouid help to resolve the

apparent discrepancy in the information above EXCEPT:

(A) As the eye heals from an operation to corectnearsightedness, it may in fact overcorrect,

causing the person to be farsighted.

(B) The more severe a patient's nearsightedness, the

less effective the corneal reshaping of RK willbe in correcting the problem.

(C) Occasionally an RK patient's eyes may heal

differently, causing a difference in the two eyes'

visual acuity that can be overcome only with

corrective lenses.

(D) RK patients who originally suffered from only

mild nearsightedness may, if the cornea does not

heal evenly, develop an astigmatism that requires

corrective lenses.

(E) Those who choose to undergo RK tend to be as

nearsighted before this operation as those who

choose not to undereo RK.

Saurces: PrepTest C, Sectian 2, Question 4PrepTestC, Secticn 3, Questian 6

PrepTest C, Section 3, Questign 17

**

31.

I(APtANARADOX QUESTIONS rv5



42. Numismatist: In medieval Spain, most gold coins were

minted from gold mined in West Africa, in the

arcathat is now Senegal. The gold mined in this

region was the purest knorvn. Its gold content of92 percent allowed coins to be minted withoutrefining the gold, and indeed coius minted from

this source of goid can be recognized becausethey have that gold content. The mints could

refine gold and produced other kinds of coins that

had much purer gold content, but the Senegalese

gold was never refined.

As a preliminary to negotiating prices, nerchants sellinggoods often specified that payment should be in the

coins rninted from Senegalese goid. Which one of thefollowing, if true, most helps to explain this preference?

(A) Because rehned gold varied considerably inpurity, specifying a price as a number ofrefined-gold coins did not fix the quanrir],

of gold received in payment.

(B) During this period most day-to-day trading wasconducted using silver coins. though gold coins

were used for costly transactions and long-distance commerce.

(C) The mints were able to determine the puritr,. and

hence the value. ofgold coins by roeasuring

their density.

(D) Since gold coins' monetary value rested on tiregold they contained, payments were fiequentlymade using coins mjnted in severai differentcountries.

(E) Merchants obtaining gold to reseli for use injewelry could not sell the metal unless it was

first refined.

PARADCIX

43. A study of the difference in eamings between men and

women in the country of Naota found that the average

annual earnings of women who are employed full tirne

is 80 percent of the average anuual earnings of men

who are empioyed full time. Hovrever. other research

consistently shows that, in l,{aota, tire average annual

earnings of ail empioyed u'omen i-. 65 percent of the

average annual earnings of ail employed men.

Which one of the following. il also established byresearch, most helps expiain the a.pparent discreoancy

between the research results described above?

(A) ln Naota, the difference betq'een the average

annual eamings of all female workers and the

average annual eamings of all maie worker-q has

been graciually increasing over the past 30 years.(B) trn Naota, the average annual earnings of

women who work full time in exactly the

same occupations and under exactly the same

conditions as men is almost the same as the

men's average annual eamings.(C) In Naota. a growing propor-tion of femaie

workers hoid full-time managerial, supervi scry,

or professional positions, and such positions

typically pay more than other types of positions

pay.

(D) In Naota, alarget proportion of female workers #than male workers are part-time workers, and #part-time wolkers typically eam less than

full-time workers earr.(E) In ten other countries q'lrere the proportion of

women in the work lbrce is similar to that ofNaota, the average annual earnings of u'omenwho work firll time ranges from a low of50 percent to a high of 90 percent of the average

annual eamings of men who work full time.

Scurces: PrepTest 25, Section 2, Question 14PrepTest 22, 9e*ion 2, Questian 21

PARADOX QUESTIONs rr,4 p tA t'{ ) 195



PARADOX

46.4. Council member: The preservation of individual

property rights is of the utmost importance to

the ciry council. Yet, in this city, property owners

are restricted to little more than cutting grass

and weeding. Anything more extensive, such as

remodeling, is prohibited by our zoning laws.

Which one of the following provides a resolution to

the apparent inconsistency described by the councii

member?

(A) Propefiy owners are sometimes ailowed

exemptions from restrictive zoning laws.

(B) It is in the best interest of property owners to

maintain current laws in order to prevent an

increase in their property taxes.

(C) The city council places less importance on

propefiy rights than do property owners.

(D) An individual's property rights may be infringed

upon by other people altering their own property.

(E) Zonrng iaws ensure that property rights are not

overly extensive.

The hearts of patients who are given vitamin E before

undergoing heart surgery are less susceptible to certain

postoperative complications than are the hearts ofpatients who are not given vitamin E before heart

surgery. From six hours after surgery onward, however,

the survivors from both groups show the same level

ofhearl function, on average, and also recover equally

well. Despite this iack of long-term effect, doctors often

recommend vitamin E for patients about to undergo

heart surgery.


explain the doctors' recommendation?

(A) Postoperative complications pose the greatest

threat to patients during the first six hours after

heart surgery.

(B) Postoperative complications occur six or more

hours after surgery for some patients who have

not been given vitamin E.

(C) It sometimes takes less than six hours for a

patient's heart function to retum to normal after

heart surgery.

(D) Certain categories of patients are inherently less

likely to develop postoperative complications

than other patients are.

(E) Many patients who are told that they are being

given vitamin E actually receive a medically

inert substance.

Between 1977 and 1987, the country of Ravonia lost

about 12,000jobs in logging and wood processing,

representing a 15 percent decrease in empioyment in the

country's timber industry. Paradoxically, this ioss of jobs

occurred even as the amount of wood taken from the

forests of Ravoinia increased by 10 percent.


resolve the apparent paradox?

(A) Noi since the 1950's has the timber industry been

Ravonia's most important industry economicaliy.(B) Between 1971 and1981 ,the totalnumberof

acres of timberland in Ravonia fell, while the

demand for rvood products increased.

(C) Since 1977, a growing proportion of the timber

that has been cut in Ravonia has been expofted

as raw unprocessed wood.

(D) Since 1977, domestic sales of wood and wood

products have increased by more than export

saies have increased.

(E) In 1911 , overall unemployment in Ravonia was

approximately 10 percent; in 1987, Ravonia's

unemployment rate was 15 percent.

A certain type of insect trap uses a scented iure to attract

rose beetles into a plastic bag from which it is difficultfor them to escape. If several of these traps are instaiied

in a backTard garden, the number of rose beetles in

the garden will be greatly reduced. If only one trap is

installed, however, the number of rose beetles in the

garden will actually increase.


resolve the apparent discrepancy?

(A) The scent of a single trap's lure usually cannot be

detected throughout a backyard garden by rose

beetles.

(B) Several traps are better able to catch a large

number ofrose beetles than is one trap aione,

since any rose beetles that evade one trap are

likely to encounter another trap if there are

severai traps in the garden.

(C) W}-ren there are several traps in a garden, they

each capture fewer rose beetles tlian any single

trap would if it were the only trap in the garden.

(D) The presence of any traps in a backl'ard garden

will attract more rose beetles than one trap

can catch, but severai traps will not attract

significantly more rose beetles to a garden than

one trap wili.(E) When there is only one trap in the garden, the

plastic bag quickiy becomes fiiled to capacity,

allowing some rose beetles to escape.

41.

Sources: PrepTest 22, Section 4, Questian 77PrepTest A, Section 7, Question 12

PrepTest 77, Section 2, Questian 74

PrepTest 77, Section 3, Question 2

I(APLAN96 MASTERY PRACTICE



PARADOX

39. The indigenous people ofTasmania are clearly relatedto the indigenous people of Australia, but were separatedfrom them when the land bridge between Australia andThsmania disappeared approximately i0,000 years ago.Two thousand years after the disappearance ofthe landbridge, howeveq there were major differences between

the culture and technoiogy of the indigenous Tasmaniansand those of the indigenous Australians. The indigenousTasmanians, unlike their Australian relatives. had nodomesticated dogs, fishing nets, polished stone tools,or hunting implements iike the boomerang ancl thespear-thrower.

Each of the following, if true, would contribure ro anexpianation of differences described above EXCEpT:

(A) After the disappearance of the land bridge theindigenous Tasmanians simply abandonedcertain practices and technologies that they hadoriginally shared with their Australian relatives.

(B) Devices such as the spear-thrower and the

boomerang were developed by the indigenousTasmanians more than 10,000 years ago.

(C) Technoiogical innovations such as fishing nets,polished stone tools, and so on, were imported toAustralia by Polynesian explorers more recentlythan 10,000 years ago.

(D) Indigenous people of Australia developed huntingimplements iike the boomerang and the spear_

thrower after the disappearance of the landbridge.

(E) Although the technological and culturalinnovations were developed in Australia morethan 10.000 years ago, they were developed bygroups in northern Australia with whom the

indigenous Thsmanians had no contact prior tothe disappearance of the land bridge.

40. A ciothing manufacturer reports that unsalable gaments,those found to be defective by inspectors plus thosereturned by retailers, total 7 percent of the garmentsproduced. Further it reports that all of its unsaiablegarments are recycled as scrap, but the percentage ofgannents reported as recycled scrap is 9 percent.

Which one of the following, if true, could contributemost to expiaining the discrepancy between the reportedpercentages?

(A) Garments with minor blemishes are senr ro

wltolesale outlets for sale at ciiscounted prices

and are not returned for recvclins.(B) The percentage of garments ..tu.i"a by rerail

outlets as unsalable includes, in addition todetective merchandise, gaments in unacceptabiestyles or colors.

(C) Some inspectors, in order to appear moreefficient. tend to overeport defects.

(D) The total number of gaments produced by themanufacturer has increased slightly over thepast year.

(E) Insaiable gaments are recorded by count, butrecycled gannents are recorded by weight.

41. A stingray without parasites is healthier than it wouldbe if it had parasites. Nevertheless, the lack of parasitesin stingrays is an indicator that the ecosystem in whichthe stingrays live is under environmental stress such aspollution.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps toreconcjle the discrepancy indicated above?

(A) During part of their life cycles, the parasites

of stingrays require as hosts shrimp oroysters, which are environmentally vulnerableorganisms.

(B) A stingray is a free-ranging predator that feeds onsmalier organisms but has few predators itself.

(C) A parasite drains part of the vitaiity of its host bydrawing nourishment from the host.

(D) An ecosystem can be considered stressed if onlya few species of very simple organisms can livethere.

(E) Since rhe life of parasitesdepends on that of theirhost, they need ro live without killing their host

or else not reproduce and infect other individualsbefore their own host dies.

Sources: PrepTest 29, Section 1, euestion 25PrepTest B, Section 1, Question 25PrcpTest 26, Section 3, euestion 7g

I(A PLAN MASTERY PRACTICE

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