Critical Reasoning Practice sets with answer key
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01 Aug 2016, 09:34
11. Archaeologists have recently found, in various grave sites in the Mexican state of Veracruz, small ceramic animals with attached wheels. At first, this find might seem to discredit the belief that the wheel and its uses were unknown in pre- Colombian culture. On reflection, however, it would seem that the discovery actually bears out this belief. To be familiar with these toys and yet not to apply the principle of the wheel to daily tasks such as carting, transportation, and pottery making must indicate a lack of understanding of the wheel and its potential benefits.
Which of the following best expresses the argument made in the passage above?
(A) If the pre-Colombian people of Veracruz had understood the principle of the wheel, they would not have attached wheels to ceramic animals.
(B) If the pre-Colombian people of Veracruz had understood the principle of the wheel, they would have adapted it to everyday use.
(C) If the pre-Colombian people of Veracruz had uses for the wheel in their everyday lives, they would have adapted the idea of the wheel from the wheeled ceramic figures.
(D) The pre-Colombian people of Veracruz must have known of the wheel and its uses because they attached wheels to ceramic animals.
(E) Since the pre-Colombian people of Veracruz did not know of the wheel or its uses, the ceramic animals found in the grave sites must be the remains of later cultures.
Could you please explain me why is the answer B and no C or E ?
also this one
4. The candy manufacturer’s claim that employee “theft” costs the company thousands of dollars a year in potential sales is greatly overstated. Most of the candy eaten on the job and not paid for is eaten one piece at a time, by workers who would not be willing to buy an entire box of it anyway.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
(A) The workers eat only defective candies that could not be sold.
(B) Candy eaten by employees represents lost potential sales to nonemployees.
(C) A few workers account for most of the candy that is eaten but not paid for.
(D) Most of the candies eaten by employees are consumed during the holiday season, when production outputs are at their highest.
(E) The amount of candy eaten by employees is only a small fraction of the candy sold by the company.