GMAT VERBAL WEEK 3

To protect the environment, paper towels in public restrooms should be banned and replaced with hot-air dryers. The use of such dryers would reduce the need to cut down trees to turn into paper towels. Furthermore, since fewer paper towels would be needed, the environmental impact of the emissions from the paper- manufacturing process would be lessened. Which of the following is an assumption upon which the above proposal depends?

• The operating expenses related to hot-air dryers are no greater than those related to paper towels.

• The manufacture and operation of hot-air dryers use fewer natural resources than do the manufacture and use of paper towels.

• Hot-air dryers are the only viable alternative to paper towels in public restrooms.

• Hot-air dryers are at least as effective at drying the hands as are paper towels.

• The operators of public restrooms are willing to replace paper towels with hot-air dryers.

A company’s health program offers medical coverage for all of its full-time employees. As part of the program, employees can choose from one of three plans, each of which offers a different mix of medical benefits depending on an individual’s particular needs. Thus, all full-time employees who take advantage of the company’s program are sure to be covered for most, if not all, of their medical needs. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?

• Part-time employees can also receive coverage from the company’s health program.

• None of the three plans costs the company significantly more than the other plans.

• There are no full-time employees whose medical needs are mostly uncovered by each of the three available plans.

• There is no alternative plan that would cover more medical needs than the plans in the current program.

• At least one of the three plans offers dental coverage for full- time employees whose health is impacted by their dental needs.

A local hardware store is concerned that its sales will diminish when a competing hardware store opens in the same area next month. However, it is actually more likely that the existing store’s sales will increase. Over the next few months, due to high demand for mixed-use residential and commercial buildings, over three times as many construction projects will be started in the area as were started over the past five years. The argument above depends on which of the following assumptions?

• The managers of the new construction projects will purchase an equal amount of material from both hardware stores.

• The construction projects will require the purchase of materials that are sold at the existing hardware store.

• The materials sold at the existing store are higher in quality than those to be sold at the new hardware store.

• The area revitalization spurred by new mixed-use developments will encourage local residents to perform improvements on their own homes.

• The existing hardware store will lower its prices below those of its competitors to attract new customers.

Earlier this year, our city’s three main reservoirs had unusually low water levels. As a result, city officials initiated a program that encouraged residents to reduce their water usage by 20 percent. Since the program was announced, the water level at all three reservoirs has returned to normal. Our city officials should be applauded for their role in preventing a crisis. Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the efficacy of the officials’ program?

• The current water level in the reservoirs is lower than it was at the same time last year.

• Other nearby reservoirs recovered from lower water levels this year, even though those reservoirs provide water to cities that did not enact water restriction policies.

• Residents reduced their water usage for lawn maintenance significantly more than they did for washing clothes.

• Imposing stiff penalties on residents who did not conserve water would have resulted in even higher water levels in the reservoirs.

• Water usage in the city dropped steadily during the first two weeks of the program before leveling off.

To attract new visitors, the local zoo is planning to offer new experiences. One proposal involves allowing visitors to assist in feeding the big cats, such as the lions and the tigers. However, unlike the zookeepers, visitors do not spend time interacting with the cats and becoming familiar to them. Enacting this plan would be like inviting people to enter the home of a well-armed stranger without knocking.

Which of the following statements, if true, would most strengthen the argument?

• Visitors have not spent as much time studying the behavior of big cats as the zookeepers have.

• Those who would be most interested in opportunities to assist in feeding big cats are already regular visitors and would not bring along new visitors.

• Burglars who are attacked by an occupant during a home invasion usually incur serious injuries requiring emergency treatment.

• People who visit zoos have less experience interacting with wild animals than do people who do not visit zoos.

• Feeding big cats requires entering their habitat, which can only be done safely after previous interaction with the animals.

The city of Northtown collects an average of $2.2 million in business taxes per year. Neighboring Southtown collects an average of $1.8 million in business taxes per year. Both cities assess business taxes on net profits. In an attempt to attract new businesses to Southtown, the spokesperson for the chamber of commerce of that city uses these statistics to claim that Southtown’s lower business tax rate offers a more favorable environment for business than can be found in Northtown. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the spokesperson’s argument?

• Most tax revenue collected in Northtown comes from business taxes.

• Most tax revenue collected in Southtown comes from business taxes.

• The net profits generated by Northtown businesses are currently twice those of Southtown businesses.

• Northtown has twice the population of Southtown.

• Southtown businesses generate twice as much sales revenue as do Northtown businesses.

Public interest law focuses on the legal issues that affect the entire community or involve broad areas of public concern, such as illegal discrimination, environmental protection, child welfare, and domestic violence. A particular nonprofit agency focusing on public interest law is woefully understaffed; many lawyers are urgently needed to continue its important work providing low-cost legal services to residents who are unable to afford a private attorney. In order to fill these vacancies as efficiently as possible, the agency should advertise the jobs to students in this year’s graduating class at the local law school to encourage them to enter the field of public interest law. Each of the following, if true, weakens the recommendation above EXCEPT:

• Positions in corporate law that are advertised at the local law school have higher average salaries than do legal positions at nonprofit agencies.

• The local law school maintains an active placement service for its graduates and publicizes job openings in the community to its graduating class.

• The open positions at the nonprofit agency require several years of prior experience in the practice of law.

• Several lawyers recently le the nonprofit agency because the agency’s salaries did not enable the lawyers to make their student loan payments.

• The local law school is ranked third highest in the country, and graduates of the school aspire to work for large, highly rated law firms located in major cities.

Soil quality is one of the most important factors affecting the growth of crops. Farmers oen look for ways to improve soil conditions in order to increase crop production. One possibility involves the planting of dynamic accumulators—plants, such as comfrey, that may draw up significant quantities of beneficial nutrients from beneath the topsoil. Numerous reports have shown that plants grown in areas alongside dynamic accumulators are healthier and more abundant than those grown in areas without dynamic accumulators. Which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the claim that planting dynamic accumulators would help farmers increase crop production?

• Would tending to dynamic accumulators increase the costs of crop production?

• Are there solutions other than planting dynamic accumulators that would be more effective at increasing the farmers’ crop production?

• Are there plants other than comfrey that would draw up a

  greater number of nutrients?

• Are any of the plants in the reports the types of crops grown by farmers?

• Would planting dynamic accumulators provide any additional benefits to farmers other than increased soil quality?

A grain-processing company is considering purchasing a catfish farm in an attempt to reduce waste by using the by-products of its grain processing as fish food. Catfish whose diet includes grain by-products have been found to reach marketable size in five months, and restaurants have expressed interest in having a reliable source for catfish. The answer to which of the following questions is LEAST directly relevant to the grain-processing company’s consideration of whether fish farming is a preferable alternative to discarding grain by-products?

• How does the cost of discarding grain by-products compare to the operating costs of a fish farm?

• How many pounds of catfish are served by restaurants locally and nationally each year?

• Are there government regulations that apply to the production and transportation of fish?

• Do catfish require nutrients not supplied by grain by-products?

• In how many months do wild catfish reach marketable size?

Our legislature is considering passing legislation to ban skateboarding on city streets, citing safety concerns. However, a

review of public health records reveals that the legislature’s concern is misplaced. Each year, many more people are injured while jogging than are injured while skateboarding. So in fact, skateboarding is safer than jogging. Which of the following indicates a flaw in the reasoning

• It fails to distinguish professional skateboarders who attempt very dangerous maneuvers from amateurs who are comparatively cautious.

• It assumes without warrant that no one who skateboards also jogs.

• It fails to consider the number of people who skateboard as compared with the number of people who jog.

• It ignores the possibility that other activities cause even more injuries than either skateboarding or jogging.

• It fails to address the issue and instead attacks the character of the legislature.