Critical Reasoning Questions and Answers

Critical Reasoning Questions and Answers

26)

Oil filters are packed in individual boxes which are then packed into a larger cubic transport boxes. How many transport boxes of oil filters will fit into the cargo area of a lorry?
Statement 1 - Each transport box measures 50cm x 50cm x 50cm.
Statement 2 - The length and the breadth of the cargo area is 10m and 3m.

Which of the statements above make it possible to answer the question.

A. Statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not sufficient.
B. Statement 2 alone is sufficient, but statement 1 alone is not sufficient.
C. Both statements together are sufficient, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
D. Each statement alone is sufficient.
E. Statements 1 and 2 together are not sufficient.

View answer

Explanation: To answer this question it is necessary to calculate:
1) The volume of a transport box
2) The volume of the load area.
The first statement alone means that the volume of a transport box can be calculated.
The second statement alone does not allow the volume of the cargo area to be
calculated because there is no information about the height.

Therefore Statements 1 and 2 together are not sufficient and option E is correct.

27)

There are two valves at the bottom of a water tank which allow the tank to be drained. If both valves are opened, how long will it take before the tank is empty?
Statement 1 - If only valve 1 is opened, the tank will be empty in 10 minutes.
Statement 2 - If only valve 2 is opened, the tank will be empty in 20 minutes.

Which of the statements above make it possible to answer the question.

A .Statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not sufficient.
B. Statement 2 alone is sufficient, but statement 1 alone is not sufficient.
C. Both statements together are sufficient, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
D. Each statement alone is sufficient.
E. Statements 1 and 2 together are not sufficient.

Explanation: The first statement alone means that:
One tenth of the tank will be emptied per minute when valve 1 is opened.
But since we have no information about the rate of emptying for valve 2, the first statement alone is insufficient.

The second statement alone means that:
One twentieth of the tank will be emptied per minute when valve 2 is opened.
But since we have no information about the rate of emptying for valve 1, the second statement alone is insufficient.
However, using both statements we know that one tenth plus one twentieth of the tank is being drained per minute when both valves are open. By adding these two fractions and calculating the reciprocal we can obtain the time in minutes that it takes to drain the tank with both valves open.
Since both statements together are sufficient, but neither statement alone is sufficient to answer the question, option D is the correct answer.
Note that you do not need to actually calculate the result – only to deduce that you need both pieces of information to do so.

28)

same time take 30 minutes to fill the bottles. How long should it take Molly working by herself to fill the bottles?
Statement 1 - Molly fills half as many bottles as Jim.
Statement 2 - Jim would take 45 minutes by himself.

Which of the statements above make it possible to answer the question.

A. Statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not sufficient.
B. Statement 2 alone is sufficient, but statement 1 alone is not sufficient.
C. Both statements together are sufficient, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
D. Each statement alone is sufficient.
E. Statements 1 and 2 together are not sufficient.

View answer

Explanation:

The first statement alone is sufficient because it means that:
Molly fills 300 bottles and Jim fills 600 bottles in 30 minutes.

Therefore, it would take Molly 90 minutes to fill 900 bottles.
The second statement alone is sufficient because it means that:
Jim would fill 900 bottles in 45 minutes.

This means that Jim’s work rate is 20 bottles per minute.
So, in the 30 minutes working together Jim will fill 600 of the bottles.
Therefore Molly will fill 300 bottles in 30 minutes or 900 bottles in 90 minutes.
Since each statement alone is sufficient to answer the question, Option D is the correct answer.
Note that you do not need to actually calculate the result – only to deduce that you need both pieces of information to do so.

29)

In 1695 about 11,400 doctors who had treated plague sufferers died and about 23,670 doctors who had not treated plague sufferers died. On the basis of these figures, it can be concluded that it was more dangerous for doctors not to participate in the treatment of plague sufferers than it was for them to participate in it.

Which of the following statements would cast most doubt on the conclusion above?

A. Expressing the difference between the numbers of deaths among doctors who had treated plague sufferers and doctors who had not treated plague suffers as a percentage of the total number of deaths.
B. Examining the death rates for doctors in the years before and after 1695.
C. Separating deaths due to natural causes during the treatment of plague suffers from deaths caused by other causes.
D. Comparing death rates per thousand members of each group rather than comparing total numbers of deaths.
E. The figures quoted may vary by plus or minus ten percent from the actual figures.

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Explanation:

There essential information missing from the question statement is the total number of doctors who treated plague sufferers and the total number of doctors who did not. In order to cast doubt on the conclusion it is essential to know the mortality rate of doctors in each group rather that the total number. This mortality rate could be specified as percentage or deaths per thousand or some other measure. The important point is that it specifies the ratio of doctors who survived compared to doctors who died in each group.

Option D is the correct answer as the other options take no account of the relative sizes of the two groups.

30)

The cost of manufacturing tractors in Korea is twenty percent less than the cost of manufacturing tractors in Germany. Even after transportation fees and import taxes are added, it is still cheaper to import tractors from Korea to Germany than to produce tractors in Germany.

Which of the following assertions is best supported by this information?

A. Labor costs in Korea are twenty percent below those in Germany.
B. Importing tractors into Germany will eliminate twenty percent of the manufacturing jobs in Germany.
C. The costs of transporting a tractor from Korea to Germany is more than twenty percent of the cost of manufacturing the tractor in Korea.
D. The import taxes on a tractor imported from Korea to Germany is less than twenty percent of the cost of manufacturing the tractor in Germany.
E. It takes twenty percent less time to make a tractor in Korea than it does in Germany.

View answer

Explanation: The question asks ‘Which of the following assertions is best supported by this
information?’
A. This assertion is not supported because the twenty percent difference may be
due to costs other than labour costs.
B. This assertion is not supported by the information given.
C. This assertion is not supported by the information given.
D. The import taxes must be less than twenty percent because ‘even after
transport costs and import taxes it is still cheaper to manufacture tractors in
Korea.
E. This assertion is not supported by the information given.
Option D is the correct answer.