| Critical Reasoning Butler: June 2026 |
| June 1 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
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CR 1 2019 saw a record high in the population of the endangered black-cheeked gibbon at the Bokeo Nature Reserve. Many hope that 2020 will bring another record.
The population of the reserve increases either when new gibbons migrate to the region or when a breeding pair successfully delivers an infant. Experts have said that there is little reason to expect a sudden influx of the near-extinct ape this year. Further, there is considerable evidence that fewer gibbons will pair up this year than did last year, and
it is highly unlikely that these breeding pairs will produce more infants per pair than did last year’s pairs. Thus, it is clear that the gibbon population will not experience another year of record growth.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A) The first provides evidence in support of the argument’s main conclusion; the second is a claim challenged by the argument.
B) The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a conclusion drawn by the argument in order to support that generalization.
C) The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a judgment that has been advanced in order to challenge that generalization.
D) The first is put forward as obvious truth that the argument is based on; the second is a judgment advanced in support of the argument’s main conclusion.
E) The first is presented as obvious truth that the argument is based on; the second is a claim that has been advanced in support of a position opposed by the argument.
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CR 2 A medical technology company recently developed an altered design for the prosthetic hip that it produces. The intention behind the development of the new design was to reduce the number of patients whose bodies rejected the prosthetic. The medical trial of the new prosthetic hip showed a ten percent reduction in the number of patients whose bodies rejected the prosthetic. The project managers concluded that the new design did reduce the instance of prosthetic rejection.
Which of the following, if true, casts most doubt on the project managers' conclusion?
A. Further examination of the medical trial showed that the reduction in the number of patients whose bodies rejected the prosthetic could be wholly attributed to a reduction in the number of patients who reported symptoms consistent with the rejection.
B. The initial goal of the redesign project was to reduce the number of patients whose bodies rejected the prosthetic by at least thirty percent.
C. Although some experts have been arguing that the materials used in the company’s prosthetic hips are outdated and must be replaced, the new design does not make any changes in the materials used to build the prosthetics.
D. Since the new prosthetic hip design differs from the original only in the way its components are organized, the cost of the materials used in the prosthetic remains unchanged between designs.
E. During the trials, two thirds of the patients on whose bodies the newly designed prosthetics were implemented were younger than forty years, the age at which the human body’s acceptance of foreign objects begins declining.