| Critical Reasoning Butler: November 2025 |
| November 24 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
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CR 1 Driving excessively fast has been demonstrated to decrease the number of miles one can drive per gallon of fuel. Gary has recently been experiencing a decrease in mileage per gallon of fuel while driving his car. This clearly proves that Gary has been driving excessively fast lately.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion about Gary’s driving?
(A) Recently Gary’s speedometer has been indicating the speed of his car as lower than the car’s actual speed.
(B) Recently Gary has been driving more miles per day on average than before he began experiencing a decrease in fuel mileage.
(C) Other tests have shown that a car’s speed affects fuel mileage more than any other single factor.
(D) Before Gary began driving excessively fast his speedometer over-represented his car’s actual speed.
(E) Recently the tires on Gary’s car have been losing air pressure, and low tire air pressure is known to lower fuel mileage.
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CR 2 The prime principle of economics is that prices are determined by supply and demand, not by costs. Some products may cost 90 cents and sell for a dollar, while others go for a dollar yet cost only a cent to make. The second producer is neither a profiteer nor an exploiter, and the first producer is neither a benefactor nor a patron. Both producers merely respond to market signals based on supply and demand.
If the statements above are true, which of the following must be true?
(A) How much it costs to manufacture a product is not the primary determinant of its selling price.
(B) A product with a low manufacturing cost is more likely to succeed than a product with a high manufacturing cost.
(C) A manufacturer who sells a product with a low manufacturing cost at a high price to the customer is deceiving the customer.
(D) If a product costs a lot to manufacture then its manufacturer must ensure that he does not sell the product at a high price.
(E) A manufacturer who uses manufacturing costs of a product as a basis to determine the selling price of the product is bound to fail.