Logical Reasoning · Logic
Critical Reasoning (Arguments): MAH CET, NMAT and SNAP practice questions
20 questions in the pattern of MAH MBA CET, NMAT and SNAP. Each question is marked with the exams it suits. Answer it, then open the step-by-step solution.
Exam: All MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Q1 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
A city's air quality improved in the year it opened a new metro line. The mayor concludes that the metro reduced air pollution.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the mayor's conclusion?
A Other cities without a metro saw no improvement in air quality. B Many people who used to drive now take the metro. C In the same year, two large coal-fired power plants near the city were shut down. D Metro ridership grew steadily through the year.
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Solution The plant closures offer another explanation for the cleaner air, so the metro may not be the cause.
Answer: (C) In the same year, two large coal-fired power plants near the city were shut down.
Q2 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Ravi scored the highest marks in the class test, so he will be the best person to represent the school in the debate competition.
The conclusion depends on which assumption?
A Ravi wants to take part in the competition. B The debate will be held at the school. C A high score in the class test shows ability in debating. D Other students did not prepare for the test.
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Solution The argument links test marks to debating skill without saying why; that link is the assumption.
Answer: (C) A high score in the class test shows ability in debating.
Q3 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Every employee who completed the safety course received a certificate. Some employees in the warehouse did not receive a certificate.
Which of the following must be true?
A All office employees received a certificate. B The safety course was optional. C No warehouse employee completed the course. D Some warehouse employees did not complete the safety course.
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Solution Anyone who completed the course got a certificate, so those without one did not complete it.
Answer: (D) Some warehouse employees did not complete the safety course.
Q4 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Since our competitor has opened a branch in Nashik, we must open one there too or we will lose our Nashik customers.
Which assumption does the argument make?
A Opening a branch costs very little. B Nashik is the largest city in the state. C Customers in Nashik will prefer a nearby branch to travelling to our existing one. D Our competitor's branch will fail.
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Solution The fear of losing customers depends on customers preferring the closer branch.
Answer: (C) Customers in Nashik will prefer a nearby branch to travelling to our existing one.
Q5 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
No member of the chess club is under 12 years old. Aman is a member of the chess club.
Which of the following must be true?
A Aman joined the club this year. B Aman is at least 12 years old. C Aman is the oldest member of the club. D Aman is a good chess player.
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Solution Since no member is under 12, Aman must be 12 or older.
Answer: (B) Aman is at least 12 years old.
Q6 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Since the company introduced flexible working hours, the number of sick days taken has fallen by 20%. Flexible hours clearly improve employees' health.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
A Under the new policy, employees can take time off for personal work without calling it a sick day. B Most employees chose to start work later in the day. C Employees say they like flexible hours. D The company's profits rose in the same period.
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Solution If people used to report personal time as sick days, the fall may not reflect better health at all.
Answer: (A) Under the new policy, employees can take time off for personal work without calling it a sick day.
Q7 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Doctors recommend that people walk for 30 minutes a day, because regular walking reduces the risk of heart disease.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the recommendation?
A Some athletes also have heart disease. B Walking shoes have become cheaper. C Many people find walking boring. D A ten-year study found that people who walked daily had fewer heart problems than similar people who did not, after allowing for diet and smoking.
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Solution Allowing for diet and smoking makes it likelier that walking itself lowers the risk.
Answer: (D) A ten-year study found that people who walked daily had fewer heart problems than similar people who did not, after allowing for diet and smoking.
Q8 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Mobile data has become cheap, and most young people now watch videos on their phones. Television channels have seen their young audience shrink for three years in a row.
Which conclusion is best supported by these statements?
A Young people no longer watch any television. B Mobile data will become more expensive soon. C Cheaper mobile video may be drawing young viewers away from television. D Television channels will close within a few years.
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Solution The statements support a possible link, not the stronger claims in the other options.
Answer: (C) Cheaper mobile video may be drawing young viewers away from television.
Q9 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
A restaurant added photographs of its dishes to the menu and sales of the pictured dishes rose. The owner believes the photographs caused the rise.
Which of the following, if true, most supports the owner's belief?
A Prices of all dishes were raised at the same time. B Sales of dishes that were not pictured stayed the same over the period. C The photographs were taken by a professional. D The restaurant is busiest at weekends.
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Solution If only the pictured dishes gained, the photographs are the likely cause rather than a general rise in customers.
Answer: (B) Sales of dishes that were not pictured stayed the same over the period.
Q10 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
A company says its new fertiliser raises wheat yields. On farms that used it, yields were 15% higher than the previous year.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the company's claim?
A Neighbouring farms with the same weather that did not use the fertiliser saw no rise in yield. B Wheat prices rose sharply that year. C The fertiliser costs more than older brands. D Farmers who used it were pleased with the results.
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Solution Comparing with similar farms rules out the weather as the reason for the higher yield.
Answer: (A) Neighbouring farms with the same weather that did not use the fertiliser saw no rise in yield.
Q11 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Our app's new design was released last month, and the number of users fell by 10%. The new design is driving users away.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the conclusion?
A Some users wrote positive reviews of the new design. B Last month, a competitor launched a free version of a similar app, and all apps in the category lost users. C The design team worked on it for six months. D The new design uses brighter colours.
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Solution A loss shared by all similar apps points to the competitor, not the design.
Answer: (B) Last month, a competitor launched a free version of a similar app, and all apps in the category lost users.
Q12 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Water levels in the reservoir are 30% lower than at this time last year, and the monsoon is forecast to be weaker than usual.
Which conclusion follows most reasonably?
A The city will certainly run out of water. B The monsoon forecast is always wrong. C Last year's monsoon was the strongest in decades. D The city may face water shortages unless it reduces use.
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Solution Lower stocks and a weak monsoon point to a risk of shortage; 'certainly' goes too far.
Answer: (D) The city may face water shortages unless it reduces use.
Q13 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Our bookshop's sales fell last quarter. Since online stores sell the same books at lower prices, we should cut our prices to win back customers.
The argument assumes that:
A Online stores will raise their prices soon. B All customers prefer to read printed books. C Customers left mainly because of price rather than for other reasons. D The bookshop makes no profit at present.
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Solution Cutting prices only helps if price was the reason customers left; the argument takes this for granted.
Answer: (C) Customers left mainly because of price rather than for other reasons.
Q14 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
A coaching institute advertises that 90% of its students cleared the exam, compared with a national pass rate of 40%. It claims its teaching is the reason.
Which of the following most weakens the claim?
A The exam is held twice a year. B The institute admits only students who score above 85% in its own entrance test. C The institute has branches in many cities. D Students pay high fees at the institute.
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Solution If it selects only strong students, they may have passed anyway, without its teaching.
Answer: (B) The institute admits only students who score above 85% in its own entrance test.
Q15 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
All the trains from Pune to Mumbai stop at Lonavala. The 7:15 express does not stop at Lonavala.
Which of the following must be true?
A No express trains stop at Lonavala. B The 7:15 express is not a train from Pune to Mumbai. C The 7:15 express runs from Mumbai to Pune. D The 7:15 express is the fastest train.
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Solution If it were a Pune–Mumbai train it would stop at Lonavala, so it cannot be one. Its actual route is not known.
Answer: (B) The 7:15 express is not a train from Pune to Mumbai.
Q16 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Towns with more police officers per person have higher crime rates. So adding police officers increases crime.
Which of the following most weakens this reasoning?
A Some crimes are never reported to the police. B Police salaries vary from town to town. C Towns usually hire more police officers after their crime rates have already risen. D Police officers in such towns work long hours.
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Solution If high crime leads to hiring more police, the cause runs the other way.
Answer: (C) Towns usually hire more police officers after their crime rates have already risen.
Q17 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Neha always takes an umbrella when the forecast predicts rain. Today Neha did not take an umbrella.
Which of the following must be true?
A The forecast did not predict rain today. B It did not rain today. C Neha forgot her umbrella. D The forecast is usually wrong.
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Solution If rain had been predicted she would have taken it. Whether it actually rained is not known.
Answer: (A) The forecast did not predict rain today.
Q18 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
In a survey, 80% of the company's customers said they would recommend its service. Only 10% of the customers responded to the survey.
Which of the following best describes a problem with using this survey to show that most customers are satisfied?
A The survey should have asked more questions. B 80% is too high a figure to be believed. C The company should have paid customers to respond. D Customers who chose to respond may not represent all customers.
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Solution With only 10% responding, the result may reflect a self-selected group rather than all customers.
Answer: (D) Customers who chose to respond may not represent all customers.
Q19 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
Students who eat breakfast score higher in morning tests than those who skip it. A school therefore plans to serve free breakfast to improve test scores.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the plan?
A Students who eat breakfast also tend to sleep earlier. B In a trial, students given breakfast scored higher than similar students who were not, even when family income was the same. C Some students do not like the breakfast menu. D Breakfast is the most expensive meal for the school to provide.
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Solution The trial rules out income as the hidden cause, so breakfast itself seems to raise scores.
Answer: (B) In a trial, students given breakfast scored higher than similar students who were not, even when family income was the same.
Q20 LR · Critical Reasoning (Arguments) MAH CET NMAT SNAP
To reduce traffic jams, the city should double the parking charges in the market area.
The suggestion assumes that:
A The market area has no public transport. B Higher parking charges will make fewer people drive into the market area. C Parking charges are the city's main income. D Traffic jams occur only in the market area.
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Solution The plan works only if higher charges discourage driving there.
Answer: (B) Higher parking charges will make fewer people drive into the market area.
These are original practice questions written by Target Campus in the pattern and difficulty of MAH MBA CET, NMAT, SNAP and other MBA entrance tests. They are not previous-year papers.
