Thinking skills RGSW OCR Legacy jan 2009

Last updated 10 months ago

20 questions

Note from the author:

Instructions

1

yourself

yourself

New research shows that long-term exposure to noise pollution could be causing thousands of premature deaths from heart disease. It is thought that as many as 3% of all deaths that result from heart disease are due to long-term noise exposure, including traffic noise. People may not be aware of the damaging effect of noise and we must ensure that those who live in noisy areas are given adequate information. Which of the following is the best statement of the main conclusion in the above argument?

A. Long-term exposure to traffic noise could be causing thousands of premature deaths.

B. Noise pollution is a bigger problem than previously thought.

C. We must give adequate information about noise pollution to people living in noisy areas.

D. We must ensure that people become more aware of the dangers of noise pollution.

In 2006 almost 200,000 British-born citizens emigrated from the UK. The major reason for this huge migration was the need for more sunshine and, not surprisingly, sunny Australia and Spain were two of the most popular destinations. Long-term weather forecasts suggest our summer weather will be wetter and many people now believe that employment prospects are better in some EU countries. Which of the following is the conclusion that can best be drawn from the above passage?

A. It is likely that the numbers of British-born citizens leaving the UK will rise.

B. It is likely that the UK population will fall as a result of emigration.

C. It is likely that unemployment will become the major reason for emigrating from the UK.

D. It is likely that immigration to the UK from other EU countries will fall.

Study after study has shown the beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet. Apart from the reduced risk of heart disease, people who are vegetarian have an IQ that is about 5 points higher than meat eaters. This greater intelligence could bring many benefits in life such as improved exam success and greater employment opportunities. It is a very competitive world so we should encourage all school age children to become vegetarians. Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

A. School age children are very unlikely to suffer from heart disease.

B. It may be that more intelligent people are more likely to become vegetarians.

C. Greater employment opportunities do not always result from good exam results.

D. The effects of a vegetarian diet may only become apparent after several years.

Sales of milk chocolate have always been considerably higher than dark chocolate in this country. However, new evidence that dark chocolate can help our hearts and increase our sexual energy may change that. Other foods that have been discovered to increase sexual energy have become more popular amongst consumers. Once people have tasted a good quality dark chocolate, they continue to buy it as they find that they prefer it to milk chocolate. Which of the following is the conclusion that can best be drawn from the above passage?

A. We should expect to see a long-term increase in sales of dark chocolate.

B. We should expect to see sales of dark chocolate overtake milk chocolate sales.

C. We should expect to see a temporary increase in sales of dark chocolate.

D. We should expect to see an increase in total sales of chocolate.

What is the best statement of the main conclusion in the following argument?

A) Directors of music videos should get more credit for their work.

B) Art galleries are to blame for the fact that music videos are not more widely seen.

C) Music videos should be classed as works of art.

D) Art galleries should be persuaded to show music videos.

There has been a glut of films recently in which good-for-nothing men behave in an unappealing and lazy fashion and somehow end up with gorgeous, smart, and dynamic women. Despite these crass plots, the films have been hugely popular with audiences and critics alike. In reality, this type of male behavior is not attractive to women and we should not be encouraging it. It is hoped that Hollywood will take a new direction in its mainstream comedies. We should also be ashamed of the endless jokes about bodily functions in these films.

What is the best statement of the main conclusion of the argument?

A) There will be negative consequences for many relationships if men behave like teenagers.

B) We should make Hollywood take a new direction in its mainstream comedies.

C) It is hoped that Hollywood will make a different type of mainstream comedy.

D) We should be ashamed of the jokes about bodily functions in these films.

Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A) The majority of the people who enjoy these films are men.

B) Films can affect the attitudes and behaviors of many of those who watch them.

C) Men who are lazy are not attractive to gorgeous and dynamic women.

D) Hollywood does not realize the impact that their films can have on those who watch them.

Despite not allowing the viewer to taste or smell the food, TV cookery programmes are very popular. It therefore seems unlikely that the popularity is due to an enjoyment of the food and there must be something else going on. Most of the programmes feature only a kitchen, ingredients, and a chef. Our enjoyment of the programmes must therefore be more about the personality of the chef than the quality of the food. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the above argument?

A. Not all of the cookery programmes seen on TV feature famous chefs cooking in a kitchen.

B. Cookery programmes featuring quick and easy recipes are just as popular as programmes featuring restaurant standard recipes.

C. Supermarkets often sell out of the ingredients that have recently featured on cookery programmes.

D. Viewing figures are higher for programmes featuring the most famous chefs.

Successfully banning smoking in public places has already led to considerable improvements in the health of the nation. The introduction of the ban was followed by a considerable drop in the number of people admitted to hospital as a result of heart attacks. Further restrictions on smoking and sales of cigarettes would therefore bring even more health benefits as it is widely accepted that smoking is a causal factor in heart disease. Even if these restrictions are unpopular, the government would be wise to introduce further restrictions on smoking and the sales of cigarettes. Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A. The ban on smoking in public places had the most impact on those most at risk of heart attacks.

B. The smoking ban in public places was widely observed.

C. Future reductions in smoking can only be achieved through further restrictions.

D. A ban on smoking in public places led to a decrease in the total amount of smoking.

Superfoods have amazing properties. Broccoli, for example, can help prevent cancer and heart disease. Red cabbage is also thought to guard against breast cancer. Cancer rates have been increasing steadily for many years at the same time as vegetables and salad have become less popular. If these foods are so potent, it must be the case that the increase in cancer rates is a result of a decrease in consumption of broccoli and all the other superfoods. We should be wise to dramatically increase our consumption of these superfoods. Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

A. It is not possible to generalise from broccoli to all superfoods as they all have very different properties.

B. The relationship between the trends described may be a correlation rather than a causal connection.

C. Just because cancer rates have increased doesn’t mean that they will continue to do so.

D. The situation is not as simple as eating superfoods in large quantities or eating no superfoods.

A common image seen on video-sharing sites is of Americans blowing up fruit. Whether it be watermelons or mangos, they seem to love the sight of exploding fruit. It might be tempting to see this behaviour as limited to Americans alone but this would be wrong. We all enjoy the colours of fireworks exploding and who can say that they haven’t enjoyed dropping a big stone into a pool to watch the splash? If further proof were needed, the amazing popularity of action films featuring non-stop explosions should suffice. This suggests that it is a part of human nature to enjoy watching an explosion like blowing up fruit. The many video clips posted by Americans could also simply be because they have more video equipment than other nations to make these clips. Which of the following is the best statement of an intermediate conclusion in the above argument?

A. It is wrong to suggest that Americans are the only ones who enjoy blowing up fruit.

B. Americans must have more video equipment than other nations to make videos of exploding fruit.

C. It is part of human nature to enjoy an explosion such as blowing up fruit.

D. It is tempting to think that only Americans are interested in blowing up fruit.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the above argument?

A. Video equipment is often cheaper in America than in European countries.

B. Americans have plenty of spare fruit to blow up because they grow so much of it.

C. Clips of all types on video-sharing sites are predominantly from America.

D. The video-sharing sites are usually operated from America.

Worries that computer encryption codes may be broken by hackers in the near future are misplaced. Currently, it would take 10 trillion calculations to find the necessary prime numbers to crack a 50-digit code – the sort that might be used to protect bank accounts and other sensitive data. Even the fastest computer in the world would take 100 years to perform that many calculations. Laser-based quantum computers could potentially crack codes in minutes, but these are still in their infancy and only exist in one or two research laboratories. Which of the following is NOT an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A. The vast majority of computer encryption codes are 50 digits or more.

B. It is very unlikely that conventional computers will become significantly faster in the near future.

C. Hackers do not have access to new laser-based quantum computers in research laboratories.

D. Laser-based quantum computers are so complicated that they will never become commercially available.

Which of the following is the best statement of the main conclusion in the above argument?

A. Jatropha is the ideal bio-fuel plant.

B. Environmental groups should stop arguing in favour of bio-fuels.

C. Running a car on the oil from the Jatropha plant would be 'carbon neutral.'

D. Environmental groups can take up the cause of bio-fuels once more.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the above argument?

A. Bio-fuel plants can take several years to grow to maturity.

B. The ecosystems of many hot dry areas would be irreparably damaged by intensive farming of Jatropha.

C. The oil released from Jatropha seeds could also be used in cooking oil.

D. The area of land covered by the rainforest is greater than the areas of hot dry land suitable for growing Jatropha.

Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A) There were as many violent internationals in 1931 as there are now.

B) Definitions of violence on a rugby field have changed little since 1931.

C) The match in 1931 was typical of other matches between France and Wales in the 1930s.

D) The rules of rugby have not changed significantly since 1931.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the above argument?

A) Research has suggested a strong correlation between high self-esteem and drink-driving.

B) Research has suggested a weak link between low self-esteem and drug use.

C) Research has suggested that high self-esteem in children can lead to better school performance.

D) Research has suggested that books about self-esteem have little effect on readers.

Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

Reading a book about improving self-esteem is not sufficient to guarantee an increase in self-esteem.

Showing that trying to achieve high self-esteem is bad does not prove that we should accept low self-esteem.

The author has not considered that a combination of improving self-esteem and learning to live with ourselves may be the most successful route to happiness.

Psychologists will have only carried out research on a small sample and we cannot be sure that they know what is best for every individual.

Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

The majority of the public would like more scientific information about nuclear power.

The majority of the public were dissatisfied with the promotional campaign for nuclear power.

The majority of the public already have an opinion about nuclear power.

The majority of the public would read the scientific information about nuclear power.

Which of the following is NOT a statement of a flaw in the above argument?

A. It is not possible to generalise from one private company to all private companies.

B. It is not possible to generalise from the example of a French train to train services in other countries.

C. The increase in average speeds in the 1960s is very likely to have been due to improvements in the design and power of engines.

D. Average speed may be important, but it is unlikely to be enough to guarantee the quality of the train service.

New research shows that long-term exposure to noise pollution could be causing thousands of premature deaths from heart disease. It is thought that as many as 3% of all deaths that result from heart disease are due to long-term noise exposure, including traffic noise. People may not be aware of the damaging effect of noise and we must ensure that those who live in noisy areas are given adequate information.
Which of the following is the best statement of the main conclusion in the above argument?

A. Long-term exposure to traffic noise could be causing thousands of premature deaths.

B. Noise pollution is a bigger problem than previously thought.

C. We must give adequate information about noise pollution to people living in noisy areas.

D. We must ensure that people become more aware of the dangers of noise pollution.

In 2006 almost 200,000 British-born citizens emigrated from the UK. The major reason for this huge migration was the need for more sunshine and, not surprisingly, sunny Australia and Spain were two of the most popular destinations. Long-term weather forecasts suggest our summer weather will be wetter and many people now believe that employment prospects are better in some EU countries.
Which of the following is the conclusion that can best be drawn from the above passage?

A. It is likely that the numbers of British-born citizens leaving the UK will rise.

B. It is likely that the UK population will fall as a result of emigration.

C. It is likely that unemployment will become the major reason for emigrating from the UK.

D. It is likely that immigration to the UK from other EU countries will fall.

Study after study has shown the beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet. Apart from the reduced risk of heart disease, people who are vegetarian have an IQ that is about 5 points higher than meat eaters. This greater intelligence could bring many benefits in life such as improved exam success and greater employment opportunities. It is a very competitive world so we should encourage all school age children to become vegetarians.

Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

A. School age children are very unlikely to suffer from heart disease.

B. It may be that more intelligent people are more likely to become vegetarians.

C. Greater employment opportunities do not always result from good exam results.

D. The effects of a vegetarian diet may only become apparent after several years.

Sales of milk chocolate have always been considerably higher than dark chocolate in this country. However, new evidence that dark chocolate can help our hearts and increase our sexual energy may change that. Other foods that have been discovered to increase sexual energy have become more popular amongst consumers. Once people have tasted a good quality dark chocolate, they continue to buy it as they find that they prefer it to milk chocolate.

Which of the following is the conclusion that can best be drawn from the above passage?

A. We should expect to see a long-term increase in sales of dark chocolate.

B. We should expect to see sales of dark chocolate overtake milk chocolate sales.

C. We should expect to see a temporary increase in sales of dark chocolate.

D. We should expect to see an increase in total sales of chocolate.

What is the best statement of the main conclusion in the following argument? 

A) Directors of music videos should get more credit for their work.

B) Art galleries are to blame for the fact that music videos are not more widely seen.

C) Music videos should be classed as works of art.

D) Art galleries should be persuaded to show music videos.

There has been a glut of films recently in which good-for-nothing men behave in an unappealing and lazy fashion and somehow end up with gorgeous, smart, and dynamic women. Despite these crass plots, the films have been hugely popular with audiences and critics alike. In reality, this type of male behavior is not attractive to women and we should not be encouraging it. It is hoped that Hollywood will take a new direction in its mainstream comedies. We should also be ashamed of the endless jokes about bodily functions in these films.

What is the best statement of the main conclusion of the argument?

A) There will be negative consequences for many relationships if men behave like teenagers.

B) We should make Hollywood take a new direction in its mainstream comedies.

C) It is hoped that Hollywood will make a different type of mainstream comedy.

D) We should be ashamed of the jokes about bodily functions in these films.

Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A) The majority of the people who enjoy these films are men.

B) Films can affect the attitudes and behaviors of many of those who watch them.

C) Men who are lazy are not attractive to gorgeous and dynamic women.

D) Hollywood does not realize the impact that their films can have on those who watch them.

Despite not allowing the viewer to taste or smell the food, TV cookery programmes are very popular. It therefore seems unlikely that the popularity is due to an enjoyment of the food and there must be something else going on. Most of the programmes feature only a kitchen, ingredients, and a chef. Our enjoyment of the programmes must therefore be more about the personality of the chef than the quality of the food. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the above argument?

A. Not all of the cookery programmes seen on TV feature famous chefs cooking in a kitchen.

B. Cookery programmes featuring quick and easy recipes are just as popular as programmes featuring restaurant standard recipes.

C. Supermarkets often sell out of the ingredients that have recently featured on cookery programmes.

D. Viewing figures are higher for programmes featuring the most famous chefs.

Successfully banning smoking in public places has already led to considerable improvements in the health of the nation. The introduction of the ban was followed by a considerable drop in the number of people admitted to hospital as a result of heart attacks. Further restrictions on smoking and sales of cigarettes would therefore bring even more health benefits as it is widely accepted that smoking is a causal factor in heart disease. Even if these restrictions are unpopular, the government would be wise to introduce further restrictions on smoking and the sales of cigarettes. Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A. The ban on smoking in public places had the most impact on those most at risk of heart attacks.

B. The smoking ban in public places was widely observed.

C. Future reductions in smoking can only be achieved through further restrictions.

D. A ban on smoking in public places led to a decrease in the total amount of smoking.

Superfoods have amazing properties. Broccoli, for example, can help prevent cancer and heart disease. Red cabbage is also thought to guard against breast cancer. Cancer rates have been increasing steadily for many years at the same time as vegetables and salad have become less popular. If these foods are so potent, it must be the case that the increase in cancer rates is a result of a decrease in consumption of broccoli and all the other superfoods. We should be wise to dramatically increase our consumption of these superfoods.
Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

A. It is not possible to generalise from broccoli to all superfoods as they all have very different properties.

B. The relationship between the trends described may be a correlation rather than a causal connection.

C. Just because cancer rates have increased doesn’t mean that they will continue to do so.

D. The situation is not as simple as eating superfoods in large quantities or eating no superfoods.

A common image seen on video-sharing sites is of Americans blowing up fruit. Whether it be watermelons or mangos, they seem to love the sight of exploding fruit. It might be tempting to see this behaviour as limited to Americans alone but this would be wrong. We all enjoy the colours of fireworks exploding and who can say that they haven’t enjoyed dropping a big stone into a pool to watch the splash? If further proof were needed, the amazing popularity of action films featuring non-stop explosions should suffice. This suggests that it is a part of human nature to enjoy watching an explosion like blowing up fruit. The many video clips posted by Americans could also simply be because they have more video equipment than other nations to make these clips.
Which of the following is the best statement of an intermediate conclusion in the above argument?

A. It is wrong to suggest that Americans are the only ones who enjoy blowing up fruit.

B. Americans must have more video equipment than other nations to make videos of exploding fruit.

C. It is part of human nature to enjoy an explosion such as blowing up fruit.

D. It is tempting to think that only Americans are interested in blowing up fruit.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the above argument?

A. Video equipment is often cheaper in America than in European countries.

B. Americans have plenty of spare fruit to blow up because they grow so much of it.

C. Clips of all types on video-sharing sites are predominantly from America.

D. The video-sharing sites are usually operated from America.

Worries that computer encryption codes may be broken by hackers in the near future are misplaced. Currently, it would take 10 trillion calculations to find the necessary prime numbers to crack a 50-digit code – the sort that might be used to protect bank accounts and other sensitive data. Even the fastest computer in the world would take 100 years to perform that many calculations. Laser-based quantum computers could potentially crack codes in minutes, but these are still in their infancy and only exist in one or two research laboratories.

Which of the following is NOT an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A. The vast majority of computer encryption codes are 50 digits or more.

B. It is very unlikely that conventional computers will become significantly faster in the near future.

C. Hackers do not have access to new laser-based quantum computers in research laboratories.

D. Laser-based quantum computers are so complicated that they will never become commercially available.

Which of the following is the best statement of the main conclusion in the above argument?

A. Jatropha is the ideal bio-fuel plant.

B. Environmental groups should stop arguing in favour of bio-fuels.

C. Running a car on the oil from the Jatropha plant would be 'carbon neutral.'

D. Environmental groups can take up the cause of bio-fuels once more.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the above argument?

A. Bio-fuel plants can take several years to grow to maturity.

B. The ecosystems of many hot dry areas would be irreparably damaged by intensive farming of Jatropha.

C. The oil released from Jatropha seeds could also be used in cooking oil.

D. The area of land covered by the rainforest is greater than the areas of hot dry land suitable for growing Jatropha.

Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A) There were as many violent internationals in 1931 as there are now.

B) Definitions of violence on a rugby field have changed little since 1931.

C) The match in 1931 was typical of other matches between France and Wales in the 1930s.

D) The rules of rugby have not changed significantly since 1931.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the above argument?

A) Research has suggested a strong correlation between high self-esteem and drink-driving.

B) Research has suggested a weak link between low self-esteem and drug use.

C) Research has suggested that high self-esteem in children can lead to better school performance.

D) Research has suggested that books about self-esteem have little effect on readers.

Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

Reading a book about improving self-esteem is not sufficient to guarantee an increase in self-esteem.

Showing that trying to achieve high self-esteem is bad does not prove that we should accept low self-esteem.

The author has not considered that a combination of improving self-esteem and learning to live with ourselves may be the most successful route to happiness.

Psychologists will have only carried out research on a small sample and we cannot be sure that they know what is best for every individual.

Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

The majority of the public would like more scientific information about nuclear power.

The majority of the public were dissatisfied with the promotional campaign for nuclear power.

The majority of the public already have an opinion about nuclear power.

The majority of the public would read the scientific information about nuclear power.

Which of the following is NOT a statement of a flaw in the above argument?

A. It is not possible to generalise from one private company to all private companies.

B. It is not possible to generalise from the example of a French train to train services in other countries.

C. The increase in average speeds in the 1960s is very likely to have been due to improvements in the design and power of engines.

D. Average speed may be important, but it is unlikely to be enough to guarantee the quality of the train service.