| Critical Reasoning Butler: April 2025 |
| April 27 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
__________________________
CR 1 In the absence of other physical factors, there are only two physical changes that can increase the pressure exerted by a solid object on a horizontal surface. These changes are an increase in the contact force of the object and a decrease in the contact area of the object. If the object is at rest, its contact force is equal to the object’s weight.
Assuming the statements above are accurate, it is true that for a solid object at rest on a horizontal surface
A. any increase in the pressure exerted on the surface by the object is due to a decrease in its contact area
B. if changes in the solid object’s contact force occur, there will be compensating changes to the object’s contact area with the surface
C. if there is a decrease in the object’s weight, then, other factors being equal, the pressure exerted on the surface by the object must increase
D. a solid object with a constant contact area always exerts constant pressure on the horizontal surface
E. if other physical factors are unchanged, increasing the object’s weight will lead to an increase in the pressure exerted by the object on the horizontal surface
__________________________
CR 2 A dairy cow’s milk production gradually increases over the first year of its calf’s life. On average, a healthy Jersey cow produces 10 gallons of milk per day, two months after its calf’s birth. Therefore, if a Jersey cow produces 9 gallons per day, two months after its calf’s birth, its rate of increase in milk production has been below average.
Which of the statements below indicates a flaw in this reasoning?
A. The volume of milk it produces is only one measure of the value of a dairy cow.
B. Some Jersey cows produce as much as 12 gallons of milk per day, two months after its calf’s birth.
C. The average increase in milk production is not synonymous with the average volume of milk produced.
D. “below average” does not necessarily connote insufficiency.
E. Some Jersey cows can produce 9 gallons of milk per day, immediately after the birth of its calf.