GMAT Verbal › Strengthen/Weaken
While the ivory trade has been banned in most developed nations, in newly-developed countries ivory is prized as a signal of wealth. In particular, there is great demand for complete elephant tusks - items that have spawned a counterfeit industry in which replicas of complete tusks are mass-produced and sold as real ivory. Buyers should beware, however, of tusks that have no imperfections as these are almost certainly counterfeits.
Which of the following most strengthens the argument above?
Large wildfires are among the most serious natural disasters in the world, causing billions of dollars of damage and dozens, if not hundreds, of deaths each year. Perhaps surprisingly, most fire departments in wildfire-prone areas cite safety as their reason for choosing not to extinguish small brush fires. These small fires, they say, can help clear the dry brush and debris that fuels the large, catastrophic fires.
Which of the following, if true, provides the best justification for the fire departments’ choice to not extinguish small brush fires?
Many students complain about the increasing size of classes taught by more popular university professors. They disregard the fact that, though the number of students at the university has doubled over the past eight years, the faculty-to-student ratio has decreased from 1:17 to 1:14. Clearly, the students are misinformed in their complaint.
Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the conclusion of the argument above?
It is often difficult to differentiate between different enantiomers, molecules with the same chemical formula that are mirror images of one another, with traditional tests. Since enantiomers of certain types of drugs can cause major health problems, some drug manufacturers have created processes that ensure that only the correct form of the drug is produced in order to avoid exposing consumers to harmful enantiomers. However, while such processes do prevent harmful enantiomers from being created during the drug creation process, these processes do not prevent harm from some drug enantiomers since _____.
Which of the following most logically completes the argument?
Doctor: Some well-known figures in the medical community have begun to endorse large doses of vitamin supplements – especially folic acid – as part of treatment for diseases like ulcerative colitis. These doctors and television personalities claim that the vitamins can lessen the side effects of ulcerative colitis and lead to an overall improvement in the health of patients with ulcerative colitis. However, there is no evidence that the pure forms of vitamins found in supplements have any greater effect than those found in food. Patients with ulcerative colitis should instead spend their money on buying healthy foods like fruits and vegetables in order to get their vitamins.
Which of the following would most weaken the doctor’s argument?
Radar detectors are devices that sense the nearby use of a radar gun, and, in doing so, alert drivers to the presence of police officers who might catch drivers for speeding. But evidence shows that drivers who have radar detectors in their cars are actually 10% more likely to receive speeding tickets than those who do not have radar detectors. Drivers should therefore save the money they would spend on radar detectors and simply pay the tickets they’re going to receive whether they use a radar detector or not.
Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the argument above?
Between 2000 and 2010 the rabbit population along the coast of Nova Scotia declined dramatically. Wildlife biologists studying the decline could find no signs of disease or undernourishment, so it is likely that the decline was caused by increased predation. Coyotes prefer to hunt larger mammals such as deer and elk, but it is well known that the deer population in Nova Scotia declined substantially in that period because of chronic wasting disease, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting the herd. Therefore, it is likely that coyotes were the cause of the dramatic decline in the rabbit population.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?
The Metropolitan Cooking Academy surveyed prospective students and found that students wanted a curriculum that focused on today's healthy dining trends. In order to reverse the trend of declining interest in the school's programs, administrators propose a series of new courses focused on cooking exotic species of fish, alternative grains such as quinoa, and organically produced vegetables.
Which of the following, if true, supplies the best reason to suspect that the proposed new courses will increase interest in the Metropolitan Cooking Academy?
Accountant: This company simply cannot afford to hire a new salesperson. With salespeople we not only incur the salary and healthcare costs, but also the costs of a new computer, a business cell phone plan, and mileage reimbursement for driving to sales appointments. This new salesperson could raise our monthly expenses by a full 10%.
Which of the following, if true, most undermines the accountant’s argument?