02. Workshop_Verbal Logic

8/3/2019 02. Workshop_Verbal Logic

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Page 1MBA Test PrepMBA Test Prep

Workshop on Verbal Logic

Vocabulary


MBA Test PrepMBA Test Prep

Practice Questions – Critical Reasoning

Direction for questions 1 to 14: This sectioncontains statements followed by questions basedon the statements. Read the statements and selectthe best option as the answer.

1. The writer can only be fertile if he renewshimself and he can only renew himself, if hissoul is constantly enriched by freshexperience.

Which of the following is most likely to supportthe above thought?(1) Only out of fresh experience can the writer

get germs for new writing.(2) The writer can meet new people.(3) The writer must see new places.(4) None of these

2. But because the idea of private property hasbeen permitted to override with its selfishness,the common good of humanity it does notfollow that there are not limits within which

that idea can function for the generalconvenience and advantage.

Which of the following is most likely toweaken the argument?(1) All the people of the society should

progress at an equitable rate and thereshould be no disparities and privateproperty does bring about a tremendousdisparity.

(2) One should not strive for the common good

of humanity at all, instead one should beconcerned with maximising one’s ownwealth.

(3) One should learn from the experiences offormer communist nations and should notrepeat his mistakes at all.

(4) Even prosperous capitalist countries likethe USA have their share of socialproblems.

3. I have been studying it, consciously andsubconsciously, for 40 years and I still findmen unaccountable; people I know intimatelycan surprise me by some action of theirswhich I never thought them capable of or bythe discovery of some trait which exhibit aside of themselves that I never evensuspected.

The idea in this sentence can be bestsummarised as(1) men are inconsistent and therefore one

should not be confident even about one’sclosest friends.

(2) men are unpredictable, one can never tellwhat they will do next; hence, one shouldbe very careful in one’s dealings.

(3) no matter how closely you knowsomebody there still exists an unknownfacet of his personality.

(4) None of these

4. Three airlines — IA, JA and SA — operate onthe Delhi- Mumbai route. To increase thenumber of seats sold, SA reduced its faresand this was emulated by IA and JAimmediately. The general belief was that thevolume of air travel between Delhi and Mumbaiwould increase as a result.

Which of the following, if true, would addcredence to the general belief?

(1) Increase in profitability of the three airlines.(2) Extension of the discount scheme toother routes.

(3) A study that shows that air travellers inIndia are price-conscious.

(4) A study that shows that as much as 80per cent of air travel in India is company-sponsored.





Vocabulary

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5. According to McNeill, a Brahmin priest wasexpected to be able to recite at least one ofthe Vedas. The practice was essential forseveral centuries when the Vedas had not yetbeen written down. It must have had aselective effect, since priests would have beenrecruited from those able or willing tomemorize long passages. It must have helpedin the dissemination of the work, since amemorized passage can be duplicated manytimes.

Which of the following can be inferred fromthe above passage?(1) Reciting the Vedas was a Brahmin’s

obligation.(2) The Vedic priest was like a recorded audio

cassette.(3) McNeill studied the behaviour of Brahmin

priests.(4) Vedic hymns had not been scripted.

6. Developed countries have made adequateprovisions for social security for seniorcitizens. State insurers (as well as privateones) offer medicare and pension benefits topeople who can no longer earn. In India, withthe collapse of the joint family system, thetraditional shelter of the elderly hasdisappeared. And the state faced with a

financial crunch is not in a position to providesocial security. So, it is advisable that theworking population give serious thought tobuilding a financial base for itself.

Which one of the following, if it were to happen,weakens the conclusions drawn in the abovepassage the most?(1) The investible income of the working

population, as a proportion of its totalincome, will grow in the future.

(2) The insurance sector is underdevelopedand trends indicate that it will beextensively privatized in the future.

(3) India is on a path of development that willtake it to a developed country status, withall its positive and negative implications.

(4) If the working population builds a strongerfinancial base, there will be a revival ofthe joint family system.

7. Various studies have shown that our forestedand hilly regions and, in general, areas wherebiodiversity — as reflected in the variety offlora — is high, are the places where povertyappears to be high. And these same areasare also the ones where educationalperformance seems to be poor. Therefore, it

may be surmised that, even disregardingpoverty status, richness in biodiversity goeshand in hand with educational backwardness.

Which one of the following statements, if true,can be said to best provide supportingevidence for the surmise mentioned in thepassage?(1) In regions where there is little variety in

flora, educational performance is seen tobe as good as in regions with high varietyin flora, where poverty levels are high.

(2) Regions which show high biodiversity alsoexhibit poor education performance, atlow levels of poverty.

(3) Regions which show high biodiversityreveal high levels of poverty and pooreducational performance.

(4) In regions where there is low biodiversity,at all levels of poverty, educationalperformance is seen to be good.

8. Thomas Malthus, the British clergyman-turned economist, predicted that the planetwould not be able to support the humanpopulation for long. His explanation was thathuman population grows at a geometric rate,while the food supply grows only at anarithmetic rate.

Which one of the following, if true, would notundermine the thesis offered by Malthus?

(1) Population growth can be slowed downby the voluntary choices of individuals andnot just by natural disasters.

(2) The capacity of the planet to feed agrowing human population can beenhanced through biotechnologicalmeans.





Vocabulary

(3) Human systems, and natural systems likefood supply, follow natural laws of growthwhich have remained constant, and willremain unchanged.

(4) Human beings can colonize otherplanetary systems on a regular andongoing basis to accommodate a growingpopulation.

9. The company’s coffee crop for 1998-99 totalled8,079 tonnes, an all-time record. The increaseover the previous year’s production of 5,830tonnes was 38.58 per cent. The previoushighest crop was 6,089 tonnes in 1970-71.The company had fixed a target of 8,000tonnes to be realized by the year 2000-01,and this has been achieved two years earlier,thanks to the emphasis laid on the key areas

of irrigation, replacement of unproductivecoffee bushes, intensive refilling and improvedagricultural practices. It is now our endeavourto reach the target of 10,000 tonnes in 2001-02.

Which one of the following would contributemost to making the target of 10,000 tonnesin 2001-02 unrealistic?

(1) The potential of the productivity enhancing

measures implemented up to now hasbeen exhausted.

(2) The total company land under coffee hasremained constant since 1969 when anestate in the Nilgiri Hills was acquired.

(3) The sensitivity of the crop to climaticfactors makes predictions aboutproduction uncertain.

(4) The target-setting procedures in thecompany had been proved to be soundby the achievement of the 8,000 tonnes

target.

10. Animals, in general, are shrewd in proportionas they cultivate society. Elephants andbeavers show the greatest signs of thissagacity when they are together in largenumbers, but when man invades theircommunities they lose all their spirit of

industry. Among insects, the labours of thebee and the ant have attracted the attentionand admiration of naturalists, but all theirsagacity seems to be lost upon separation,and a single bee or ant seems destitute ofevery degree of industry. It becomes the moststupid insect imaginable, and it languishesand soon dies.

Which of the following can be inferred fromthe above passage?

(1) Humankind is responsible for thedestruction of the natural habitat ofanimals and insects.

(2) Animals, in general, are unable tofunction effectively outside their normalsocial environment.

(3) Naturalists have great admiration for beesand ants, despite their lack of industryupon separation.

(4) Elephants and beavers are smarter thanbees and ants in the presence of humanbeings.

11. In this era of global capital flows, so muchmoney is now flowing throughout the worldthat no single country can fight the problemon inflation effectively by tightening its

monetary policy.

If the above is true, which of the followingcould be most logically concluded?

(1) Changes in cash reserve ratio by ReserveBank of India will control the rate inflationif India.

(2) Countries’ finance ministries havesufficient control over their respectiveeconomies.

(3) Countries’ finance ministries haveinsufficient control over their respectiveeconomies.

(4) Inflation does not matter as long asincomes increase.

(5) Citizens should limit their consumptionwhich will reduce the demand of products,thus reducing inflation.





Vocabulary

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12. Many entrepreneurs try to control thecomposition of their boards of directors, butmore experienced entrepreneurs tend to sharecontrol, inviting participation from institutionalinvestors and outside directors.

Which option best summarizes the idea thatmight be guiding experienced entrepreneurs’behaviour?(1) The experienced entrepreneurs expect

experienced directors to monitor theperformance of the enterprise and be asounding board.

(2) The experienced entrepreneurs expect theinstitutional investors to support theopinion of entrepreneurs on all majordecisions.

(3) The experienced entrepreneurs expect the

institutional investors and outside directorsto agree to higher remuneration for theboard members.

(4) Experienced entrepreneurs expect theexperienced directors to engage in day-to-day management of the company.

(5) More the number of influential people onboard, the easier it is to raise finances.

13. All the parliamentarians whom the reporterinterviewed told that they had voted as per

their conscience. Therefore, probably all theparliamentarians voted as per theirconscience. This argument is an example of:(1) Inductive generalization(2) Predictive argument(3) Generalization based on authority(4) Deduction generalization(5) Argument from analogy

14. As man casts off worn-out garments and putson others that are new, similarly the embodied

soul, casting off worn-out bodies, enters intoothers, which are new. Of the following, whichone best typifies the argument?(1) Inductive generalization(2) Predictive argument(3) Argument from authority(4) Causal argument(5) Argument from analogy

Practice Questions – Parajumbles

1. 1. I can think of no serious prose play thathas survived the generation that gave itbirth.

A. They are museum pieces.B. They are revived now and then because a

famous part tempts a leading actor, or amanager in want of a stop-gapthinks he will put on a play on which hehas no loyalties to pay.

C. A few comedies have haphazardly traveleddown a couple of centuries or so.

D. The audience laugh at their wit withpoliteness and at their farce withembarrassment.

6. They are not held nor taken out of

themselves.

(1) CDBA (2) CBAD(3) ABDC (4) BACD

2 . 1. The wind had savage allies.

A. If it had not been for my closely fittedhelmet, the explosions might haveshattered my eardrums.

B. The first clap of thunder came as a

deafening explosion that literally shookmy teeth.

C. I didn’t hear the thunder, I actually felt it – an almost unbearable physicalexperience.

D. I saw lighting all around me in every shapeimaginable.

6. It was raining so torrentially that I thoughtI would drown in mid air.

(1) BCAD (2) CADB

(3) CBDA (4) ACDB





Vocabulary

3 . 1. A thorough knowledge of the path orcourse to be followed is essential forachieving success.

A. Seniors must show the path clearly bylaying down the precise expectations ofthe management in terms of jobdescription, key result areas and personaltargets.

B. They should also ‘light the path’ bypersonal example.

C. Advice tendered or help offered must beobjectively evaluated for its effectivenessin achieving the desired goal.

D. A display of arrogance and a fals e senseof ‘self-worth’, in order to belittle those whocome to help prove dysfunctional.

6. The individuality of each employee mustbe respected.

(1) CDAB (2) CADB(3) BADC (4) ABCD

4 . A. To have settled one’s affairs is a very goodpreparation to leading the rest of one’slife without concern for the future.

B. When I have finished this book I shall knowwhere I stand.

C. One does not die immediately after onehas made one’s will; one make’s one’swill as a precaution.

D. I can afford then to do what I choose withthe years that remain to me.

(1) DBAC (2) CABD(3) BDAC (4) CBDA

5 . A. It is exciting and various.B. I am a writer as I might have been a doctor

or a lawyer.C. The writer is free to work in what he

believes.D. It is so pleasant a profession that it not

surprising if a vast number of personsadopt it who have no qualifications for it.

(1) CADB (2) ABDC(3) DBCA (4) BDAC

6. 1. India’s experience of industrialization ischaracteristic of the difficulties faced bya newly independent developing country.

A. In 1947, India was undoubtedly an under – developed country with one of the lowestper capita incomes in the world.

B. Indian industrialization was the result of aconscious deliberate policy of growth byan indigenous political elite.

C. Today India ranks fifth in the internationalcomity of nations if measured in terms ofpurchasing power.

D. Even today however, the benefits of Indianindustrialization since independence havenot reached the masses.

6. Industrialization in India has been a limited

success; one more example of growthwithout development.

(1) CDAB (2) DCBA(3) CABD (4) BACD

7. A. Surrendered, or captured, combatantscannot be incarcerated in razor wirecages; this ‘war’ has a dubious legality.

B. How can then one characterize a conflictto be waged against a phenomenon as

war?C. The phrase ‘war against terror’, which has

passed into the common lexicon, is ahuge misnomer.

D. Besides, war has a juridical meaning ininternational law, which has codified thelaws of war, imbuing them with ahumanitarian content.

E. Terror is a phenomenon, not an entity—either State or non-State.

(1) ECDBA (2) BECDA

(3) EBCAD (4) CEBDA





Vocabulary

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8 A. I am much more intolerant of a humanbeing’s shortcomings than I am of ananimal’s, but in this respect I have beenlucky, for most of the people I have comeacross have been charming.

B. Then you come across the unpleasanthuman animal—the District Officer whodrawled, ‘We chaps are here to help youchaps,’ and then proceeded to be asobstructive as possible.

C. In these cases of course, the fact thatyou are an animal collector helps; peoplealways seem delighted to meet someonewith such an unusual occupation and goout of their way to assist you.

D. Fortunately, these types are rare, and thepleasant ones I have met more thancompensated for them—but even so, I

think I will stick to animals.E. When you travel round the world collectinganimals you also, of necessity, collecthuman beings.

(1) EACBD (2) ABDCE(3) ECBDA (4)ACBDE

9. A. To avoid this, the QWERTY layout put thekeys most likely to be hit in rapidsuccession on opposite sides. This madethe keyboard slow, the story goes, but

that was the idea.B. A different layout, which had been

patented by August Dvorak in 1936, wasshown to be much faster.

C. The QWERTY design (patented byChristopher Sholes in 1868 and sold toRemington in 1873) aimed to solve amechanical problem of early typewriters.

D. Yet the Dvorak layout has never beenwidely adopted, even though (with electrictypewriters and then PCs) the anti-

jamming rational for QWERTY has beendefunct for years.

E. When certain combinations of keys werestruck quickly, the type bars often jammed.

(1) BDACE (2) CEABD(3) BCDEA (4)CAEBD

10. A. A few months ago I went to PrincetonUniversity to see what the young peoplewho are going to be running our countryin a few decades are like.

B. I would go to sleep in my hotel roomaround midnight each night, and when Iawoke, my mailbox would be full ofreplies—sent at 1:15 a.m., 2:59 a.m.,3:23 a.m.

C. One senior told me that she went to bedaround two and woke up each morning atseven; she could afford that much restbecause she had learned to supplementher full day of work by studying in hersleep.

D. Faculty members gave me the names ofa few dozen articulate students, and I sentthem e-mails, inviting them out to lunch

or dinner in small groups.E. As she was falling asleep she would recitea math problem or a paper topic to herself;she would then sometimes dream aboutit, and when she woke up, the problemmight be solved.

(1) DABCE (2) DACEB(3) ADBCE (4) AECBD

Practice Questions – Para Completion

1. Relations between the factory and the dealerare distant and usually strained as the factorytries to force cars on the dealers to smoothout production. Relations between the dealerand the customer are equally strainedbecause dealers continuously adjust prices — make deals — to adjust demand withsupply while maximizing profits. Thisbecomes a system marked by a lack of long-term commitment on either side, whichmaximizes feelings of mistrust. In order to

maximize their bargaining positions, everyoneholds back information — the dealer aboutthe product and the consumer about his truedesires.

(1) As a result, ‘deal making’ becomesrampant, without concern for customersatisfaction.





Vocabulary

(2) As a result, inefficiencies creep into thesupply chain.

(3) As a result, everyone treats the other asan adversary, rather than as an ally.

(4) As a result, fundamental innovations arebecoming scarce in the automobileindustry.

(5) As a result, everyone loses in the longrun.

2. We can usefully think of theoretical modelsas maps, which help us navigate unfamiliarterritory. The most accurate map that it ispossible to construct would be of no practicaluse whatsoever, for it would be an exactreplica, on exactly the same scale, of theplace where we were. Good maps pull outthe most important features and throw away

a huge amount of much less valuableinformation. Of course, maps can be bad aswell as good — witness the attempts bymedieval Europe to produce a map of theworld. In the same way, a bad theory, nomatter how impressive it may seem inprinciple, does little or nothing to help usunderstand a problem.

(1) But good theories, just like good maps,are invaluable, even if they are simplified.

(2) But good theories, just like good maps,will never represent unfamiliar conceptsin detail.

(3) But good theories, just like good maps,need to balance detail and feasibility ofrepresentation.

(4) But good theories, just like good maps,are accurate only at a certain level ofabstraction.

(5) But good theories, just like good maps,are useful in the hands of a user who knows

their limitations. ________ __ 3. In the evolving world order, the comparative

advantage of the United States lies in itsmilitary force. Diplomacy and international lawhave always been regarded as annoyingencumbrances, unless they can be used toadvantage against an enemy. Every active

player in world affairs professes to seek onlypeace and to prefer negotiation to violenceand coercion.

(1) However, diplomacy has often been usedas a mask by nations which intended touse force.

(2) However, when the veil is lifted, we

commonly see that diplomacy isunderstood as a disguise for the rule offorce.

(3) However, history has shown that many ofthese nations do not practice what theyprofess.

(4) However, history tells us that peace isprofessed by those who intend to useviolence.

(5) However, when unmasked, such nationsreveal a penchant for the use of force.

4. I am sometimes attacked for imposing ‘rules’.Nothing could be further from the truth. I haterules.All I do is report on how consumers react todifferent stimuli. I may say to a copywriter,“Research shows that commercials withcelebrities are below average in persuadingpeople to buy products.Are you sure you want to use a celebrity?”Call that a rule? Or I may say to an art director,

“Research suggests that if you set the copyin black type on a white background, morepeople will read it than if you set it in whitetype on a black background.”

(1) Guidance based on applied research canhardly qualify as ‘rules’.

(2) Thus, all my so called ‘rules’ are rootedin applied research.

(3) A suggestion perhaps, but scarcely a rule.(4) Such principles are unavoidable if one

wants to be systematic about consumerbehaviour.(5) Fundamentally it is about consumer

behaviour — not about celebrities or typesettings.





Vocabulary

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5. Age has a curvilinear relationship with theexploitation of opportunity. Initially, age willincrease the likelihood that a person willexploit an entrepreneurial opportunity becausepeople gather much of the knowledgenecessary to exploit opportunities over thecourse of their lives, and because age providescredibility in transmitting that information toothers. However, as people become older,their willingness to bear risks declines, theiropportunity costs rise, and they become lessreceptive to new information.

(1) As a result, people transmit moreinformation rather than experiment withnew ideas as they reach an advanced age.

(2) As a result, people are reluctant toexperiment with new ideas as they reach

an advanced age.(3) As a result, only people with loweropportunity costs exploit opportunitywhen they reach an advanced age.

(4) As a result, people become reluctant toexploit entrepreneurial opportunities whenthey reach an advanced age.

(5) As a result, people depend on credibilityrather than on novelty as they reach anadvanced age.

Practice Questions – Text Summary

1. It is important for shipping companies to beclear about the objectives for maintenanceand materials management — as to whetherthe primary focus is on service levelimprovement or cost minimization. Often whencertain systems are set in place, the costminimization objective and associatedprocedure become more important than theflexibility required for service level

improvement. The problem really arises sincecost minimization tends to focus on out ofpocket costs which are visible, while theopportunity costs, often greater in value, arelost sight of.

A. Shipping companies have to eitherminimize costs or maximize servicequality. If they focus on cost minimization,they will reduce quality. They should focuson service level improvement, or elseopportunity costs will be lost sight of.

B. Shipping companies should determine theprimary focus of their maintenance andmaterials management. Focus on costminimization may reduce visible costs,but ignore greater invisible costs and impairservice quality.

C. Any cost minimization programme inshipping is bound to lower the quality ofservice. Therefore,shipping companiesmust be clear about the primary focus oftheir maintenance and materialsmanagement before embarking on cost

minimization.D. Shipping companies should focus onquality level improvement rather than costcutting. Cost cutting will lead to untoldopportunity costs. Companies should havesystems in place to make the service levelflexible.

(1) A (2) B(3) C (4) D

2. Try before you buy. We use this memorablesaying to urge you to experience theconsequences of an alternative before youchoose it, whenever this is feasible. If youare considering buying a van after havingalways owned sedans, rent one for a week orborrow a friend’s. By experiencing theconsequences first hand, they become moremeaningful. In addition, you are likely toidentify consequences you had not eventhought of before. May be you will discoverthat it is difficult to park the van in your small

parking space at work, but that, on the otherhand, your elderly father has a much easiertime getting in and out of it.A. If you are planning to buy a van after being

used to sedans, borrow a van or rent itand try it before deciding to buy it. Thenyou may realize that parking a van isdifficult while it is easier for your elderlyfather to get in and out of it.





Vocabulary

B. Before choosing an alternative, experienceits consequences if feasible. If, forexample, you want to change fromsedans to a van, try one before buying it.You will discover aspects you may neverhave thought of.

C. Always try before you buy anything. Youare bound to discover manyconsequences. One of the consequencesof going in for a van is that it is moredifficult to park than sedans at the officecar park.

D. We urge you to try products such as vansbefore buying them. Then you canexperience consequences you have notthought of such as parking problems. Butyour father may find vans morecomfortable than cars.

(1) A (2) B(3) C (4) D

3. Physically, inertia is a feeling that you justcan’t move; mentally, it is a sluggish mind.Even if you try to be sensitive, if your mind issluggish, you just don’t feel anything intensely.You may even see a tragedy enacted in frontof your eyes and not be able to respondmeaningfully. You may see one personexploiting another, one group persecuting

another, and not be able to get angry. Yourenergy is frozen. You are not deliberatelyrefusing to act; you just don’t have thecapacity.A. Inertia makes your body and mind

sluggish. They become insensitive totragedies, exploitation, and persecutionbecause it freezes your energy anddecapacitates it.

B. When you have inertia you don’t actalthough you see one person exploiting

another or one group persecuting another.You don’t get angry because you areincapable.

C. Inertia is of two types — physical andmental. Physical inertia restricts bodilymovements. Mental inertia preventsmental response to events anacted in frontof your eyes.

D. Physical inertia stops your body frommoving; mental inertia freezes yourenergy, and stops your mind fromresponding meaningfully to events, eventragedies, in front of you.

(1) A (2) B(3) C (4) D

4. Some decisions will be fairly obvious — ‘no-brainers’. Your bank account is low, but youhave a two week vacation coming up and youwant to get away to some place warm to relaxwith your family. Will you accept your in-laws’offer of free use of their Florida beachfrontcondo? Sure. You like your employer and feelready to move forward in your career. Will youstep in for your boss for three weeks whileshe attends a professional development

course? Of course.A. Some decisions are obvious under certaincircumstances. You may, for example,readily accept a relative’s offer of freeholiday accommodation. Or step in foryour boss when she is away.

B. Some decisions are no-brainers. You neednot think when making them. Examplesare condo offers from in-law and job offersfrom bosses when your bank account islow or boss is away.

C. Easy decisions are called ‘no-brainers’because they do not require any cerebralactivity. Examples such as accepting freeholiday accommodation abound in ourlives.

D. Accepting an offer from in-laws when youare short on funds and want a holiday is ano-brainer. Another no-brainer is taking theboss’s job when she is away.

(1)A (2) B(3) C (4) D





Vocabulary

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Workshop on Verbal Logic Answer key

1 1 2 1 3 3 4 3 5 2

6 3 7 4 8 3 9 1 10 2

11 3 12 1 13 1 14 5

1 2 2 1 3 3 4 4 5 2

6 4 7 4 8 1 9 2 10 3

1 5 2 1 3 2 4 3 5 4

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Critical Reasoning

Parajumbles

Para Completion

Text Summaries

Documents

02. Workshop_Verbal Logic