| Critical Reasoning Butler: August 2025 |
| August 7 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
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CR 1 The state legislature has proposed a new law that would provide a tax credit to people who install alarm systems in their homes. Members of the legislature claim that the new law will reduce crime, citing studies showing that crime rates fall as the percentage of homes with alarm systems rises.
Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the claim that the new law will reduce crime?
A. No law can prevent crime altogether.
B. The amount of the tax credit is so low relative to the cost of alarm systems that very few people will install alarm systems in order to obtain this credit.
C. Neighborhood crime prevention programs can reduce crime as effectively as alarm systems can.
D. The state would have to build more prisons to house all the people caught by the new alarm systems.
E. The state Cannot afford to reduce taxes any further.
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CR 2 Experts studying patterns of shark attacks on humans have noted that attacks tend to diminish when the water temperature drops below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Until recently, researchers believed this was because sharks prefer warmer water, and thus are present in fewer numbers in colder water. However, new research shows that sharks are present in equal numbers in cold and warm water.
Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent paradox?
(A) In general, humans prefer warm water.
(B) Sharks’ keen sense of smell is enhanced in cold water.
(C) In the Pacific, shark attacks tend to occur more frequently in the daytime.
(D) Of the more than 200 types of sharks present in the ocean, only three attack humans.
(E) The average temperature of the earth’s oceans is 55 degrees.