PARADOX
21. Preschool chiidren who spend the day in daycare 28.
nurseries are iil more often than those who do not.
They catch many common illnesses, to which they are
exposed by other children in the nurseries. However,
when these children reach school age they tend to be ill
less often than their classmates who did not spend the
day in dayczre nurseries during their preschool years.
Which one of the following, if true, best explains the
discrepancy in the information above?
(A) There are many common infectious ilinesses that
circulate quickly through a population of school-
age children, once one child is infected.
(B) Those children who have older siblings are likeiy
to catch any common infectious ilinesses that
their older siblings have.
(C) By school age, children who have been in
daycare nurseries have developed the immunities
to common childhood illnesses that cliildren
who have not been in such nurseries have yet to
deveiop.
(D) The number of infectious illnesses that children
in a daycare nursery or school develop is
roughly proportional to the number of children
in the facility, and daycare nurseries are smaller
than most schoois.
i (E) Although in general the illnesses that children
conffact through contact with other children at
daycare nurseries are not serious, some of those
illnesses if untreated have serious complications.
190
A survey of alumni of the class of 1960 atAurora
E
University yielded puzzling results. When asked to
indicate their academic rank, half of the respondents
reported that they were in the top quarter ofthe
graduating class in 1960.
Which one of the following most helps account for the
apparent contradiction above?
(A) A disproportionately large number of high-
ranking alumni responded to the suwey.
(B) Few, if any, respondents were mistaken about
their class rank.
(C) Not all the alumni who were actually in the top
quarter responded to the survey.
(D) Almost all of the alumni who graduated in 1960
responded to the survey.
(E) Academic rank at Aurora University was based
on a number of considerations in addition to
average grades.
Sources:PrepTestA, Section 4, Question 1
PrepTest 5, Section 7, Question 14
MASTERY PRACTICE

29. A study conducted over a 6-month period anaiyzed
daily attendance and average length ofvisit at the local
art museum. The results showed that when the museum
was not featuring a special exhibition, attendance tended
to be lower but patrons spent an average of45 minutes
longer in the museum than when it was featuring a
special exhibition.
Each of the foliowing, if true, couid heip to explain
the differing average lengths of visits to the museum
EXCEPT:
(A) Visitors to the museum during speciai exhibitions
tend to have narrowel artistic interests, and do
not view as many different exhibits during their
visit.
(B) A plan to extend normal museum hours during
special exhibitions was considered but not
enacted during the period studied.
(C) Many people who go to special exhibitions go
simply for the prestige of having been there.
(D) Admission tickets to the special exhibitions at the
museum are issued for a specific l-hour period
on a specific day.
(E) Many people who go to special exhibitions are on
organized tours and do not have the opportunity
to browse.
30. Carrots are known to be one of the trest sources of
naturally occurring vitamin A. However, although
farmers in Canada and the United States report
increasing demand for carrots over the last decade, the
number of people diagnosed with vitamin A deficiency
in these countries has also increased in that time.
Each of the following, if true of Canada and the United
States over the last decade, helps to resolve the apparent
discrepancy described above EXCEPT:
(A) The population has significantly increased in
every age group.
(B) The purchase ofpeeled and chopped carrots has
become very popular, though carots are known
to lose their vitamins quickly once peeled.
(C) Certain cuisines that have become popular use
many more vegetable ingredients, including
carrots, than most cuisines that were previously
popuiar.
(D) Carrot consumption has increased only among
those demographic groups that have historically
had low vitamin A deficiency rates.
(E) Weather conditions have caused a decrease in the
availability of carrots.
PARADOX QUESTIONS
PARADOX
31. Industry experts expect improvements in job safety
training to lead to safer work environments. A recent
survey indicated, however, that for manufacturers who
improved job safety training during the 1980s, the
number of on-the-job accidents tended to increase in
the months immediately following the changes in the
training programs.
Which one of the foilowing, if tme, most helps to
resolve the apparent discrepancy in the passage above?
(A) A similar suwey found that the number of
on-the-job accidents remained constant after j ob
safety training in the transportation sector was
improved.
(B) Manufacturers tend to improve their job safety
training oniy when they are increasing the size
of their workforce.
(C) Manufacturers tend to improve job safety training
only after they have noticed that the number of
on-the-job accidents has increased.
(D) It is likely that the increase in the number of
on-the-job accidents experienced by many
companies was not merely a random fluctuation.
(E) Significant safety measures, such as protective
equipment and government safety inspections,
were in place well before the improvements in
job safety training. i
*
32. In the city of Glasgow, Scotland, trade doubled between
1750, when the first bank opened there, and 1765,
when government reguiations on banking were first
implemented in Scotland.
Each of the following, if true, could contribute to an
explanation of the doubling described above EXCEPT:
(A) The technological revolution that started in the
early eighteenth century in England resulted in
increased trade between Engiand and Scotland.
(B) Reductions in tariffs on foreign goods in 1152Led
to an increase in imports to Glasgow.
(C) The establishment of banking in Glasgow
encouraged the use of paper money, which made
financial transactions more efftcient.
(D) Improvements in Scottish roads between 1750
and i758 facilitated trade between Glasgow and
the rest of Scotland.
(E) The initial govemment regulation of Scottish
banks stimulated Glasgow's economv.
Saurces: PrepTest 49, Section 4, Question 25
PrepTest 47, Sectian 3, Question 11
PrepTest4l, Section 1, Question 4
PrcpTest 47, Section 3, Question 5
I(APLAN) 191
 PARADOX

33. Conscientiousness is high on most firms' list of traits 35. After the United Nations Security Council authorized
they want in empioyees. Yet a recent study found that military intervention by a coalition of armed forces
laid-off conscientious individuals are less likely to find intended to halt civil strife in a certain country,
jobs within five months than are their peers who shirked the parliament of one IIN member nation passed a
their workplace responsibilities. resolution condemning its own prime minister for
promising to commit miiitary personnel to the action.
Each of the following, if true, helps to resolve the
apparent paradox above EXCEPT:
A parliamentary leader insisted that the overwhelming
vote for the resolution did not imply the parliament's
(A) People who shirk their workplace responsibilities opposition to the anticipated intervention; on the
are less iikely to keep thejobs they have, so contrary, most members of parliament supported the
there are more of them looking for jobs. UN plan.
(B) Conscientious people tend to have a greater than
Which one of the foliowing, if true, most heips to
average concern with finding the job most suited
resolve the apparent discrepancy presented above?
to their interests and abilities.
(C) Resentment about having been laid off in spite (A) The UN Security Council cannot legally commit
oftheir conscientiousness leads some people to the military of a member nation to armed
perform poorly in interviews. intervention in other countries.
(D) People who are inclined to shirk their workplace (B) In the parliamentary leader's nation, it is the
responsibilities are more likely to exaggerate constitutional prerogative of the parliament, not
their credentials, leading prospective employers of the prime minister, to initiate foreign military
to believe them to be highly qualified. action.
(E) Finding ajob is less urgent for the conscientious, (C) The parliament would be responsible for
because they tend to have iarger savings. providing the funding necessary in order
to contribute military personnel to the UN
34. Raisins are made by drying grapes in the sun. Although intervention.
some of the sugar in the grapes is caramelized in the (D) The public would not support the military
* process, nothing is added. Moreover, the oniy thing action unless it was known that the parliament
* removed from the grapes is the water that evaporates supported the action.
during the drying, and water contains no calories or (E) Members of the parliament traditionally are more
nutrients. The fact that raisins contain more iron per closely attuned to public sentiment, especially
calorie than grapes do is thus puzzling. with regard to miiitary action, than are prime
ministers.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to
explain why raisins contain more iron per calorie than
do grapes?
(A) Since grapes are bigger than raisins, it takes
several bunches of grapes to provide the same
amount of iron as a handful of raisins does.
(B) Carameiized sugar cannot be digested, so its
calories do not count toward the calorie content
of raisins.
(C) The body can absorb iron and other nutrients
more quickly from grapes than from raisins
because of the relatively high water content of
grapes.
(D) Raisins, but not grapes, are available year-round,
so many people get a greater share of their
yearly iron intake from raisins than from grapes.
(E) Raisins are often eaten in combination with other
iron-containing foods, while grapes are usuaily
eaten by themselves.

I
Sources: PrepTest 37, Sectian 2, Question
PrcpTest 36, Section 7, Question 9
PrepTest33, Section 7, Question 14

1.92 MASTERY PRACTICE

 PARADOX

36. High cholesterol levels are highly correlated with
cardiovascular disease. In the Italian town of Limone,
however, each of the residents has had high choiesterol
levels for many years, and yet they have not developed
cardiovascular disease.
Which one of the following, if tme, most helps to
explain the unusual health condition ofthe residents of
Limone?
(A) Persons who come from families that have
enjoyed great longevity tend not to develop
cardiovascular disease.
(B) The stress and pollution found in large cities
exacelbate existing cardiovascular disease, but
there is little stress or pollution in Limone.
(C) The residents of Limone have normal blood sugar
ievels, and very low blood sugar levels tend to
cancel out the cardiovascular effects of a hieh
cholesterol level.
(D) The residents of Limone inherited from common
ancestors a blood protein that prevents vascular
blockage, which is a cause of cardiovascular
disease.
(E) Olive oil is a staple of the diet in some parts
of Italy, but unlike butter, olive oil is a
monosaturated fat, and monosaturated fats do
not contribute to cardiovascular disease.
31. Shotly after the power plant opened and began
discharging its wastewater into the river, there was
a decrease in the overall number ofbass caught by
angiers downstream from the plant.
38. Radial keratotomy (RK), a surgery that is designed to
reshape the cornea so that light focuses corectly on the
retina, is supposed to make eyeglasses or contact lenses
that correct for nearsightedness unnecessary. Yet a study
of patients who have undergone RK shows that some of
them still need to wear glasses or contact lenses.
Each of the foilowing, if true, wouid help to resolve the
apparent discrepancy in the information above EXCEPT:
(A) As the eye heals from an operation to corect
nearsightedness, it may in fact overcorrect,
causing the person to be farsighted.
(B) The more severe a patient's nearsightedness, the
less effective the corneal reshaping of RK will
be in correcting the problem.
(C) Occasionally an RK patient's eyes may heal
differently, causing a difference in the two eyes'
visual acuity that can be overcome only with
corrective lenses.
(D) RK patients who originally suffered from only
mild nearsightedness may, if the cornea does not
heal evenly, develop an astigmatism that requires
corrective lenses.
(E) Those who choose to undergo RK tend to be as
nearsighted before this operation as those who
choose not to undereo RK.
*
*

Each of the following, if true, could expiain the decrease

described above EXCEPT:
(A) The discharged wastewater made the river more
attractive to fish that are the natural predatols of
bass.
(B) The discharged water was walmer than the
normal river temperature, leading the bass to
seek cooler water elsewhere.
(C) Because of the new p1ant, access to the pafi of the
river downstream from the plant was improved,
leading to an increase in the number of anglers
fishing for bass.
(D) Because of the new plant, the 1evel of noise
downstream increased, making that section of
the river a less popular place for angiers to fish.
(E) The discharged wastewater created turbulence
that disrupted the vegetation of the river
downstream, destroying some of the bass's
natural habitat.

Saurces: PrepTest C, Sectian 2, Question 4

PrepTestC, Secticn 3, Questian 6
PrepTest C, Section 3, Questign 17

PARADOX QUESTIONS I(APtAN rv5


42. Numismatist: In medieval Spain, most gold coins were
minted from gold mined in West Africa, in the
arcathat is now Senegal. The gold mined in this
region was the purest knorvn. Its gold content of
92 percent allowed coins to be minted without
refining the gold, and indeed coius minted from
this source of goid can be recognized because
they have that gold content. The mints could
refine gold and produced other kinds of coins that
had much purer gold content, but the Senegalese
gold was never refined.
As a preliminary to negotiating prices, nerchants selling
goods often specified that payment should be in the
coins rninted from Senegalese goid. Which one of the
following, if true, most helps to explain this preference?
(A) Because rehned gold varied considerably in
purity, specifying price as a number of
a women who work full time in exactly the
refined-gold coins did not fix the quanrir],
of gold received in payment.
(B) During this period most day-to-day trading was
conducted using silver coins. though gold coins
were used for costly transactions and long-
distance commerce.
(C) The mints were able to determine the puritr,. and
hence the value. ofgold coins by roeasuring
their density.
(D) Since gold coins' monetary value rested on tire
gold they contained, payments were fiequently
made using coins mjnted in severai different
countries.
(E) Merchants obtaining gold to reseli for use in
jewelry could not sell the metal unless it was
first refined.
Scurces: PrepTest 25, Section 2, Question 14
PARADOX QUESTIONs
PARADCIX
43. A study of the difference in eamings between men and
women in the country of Naota found that the average
annual earnings of women who are employed full tirne
is 80 percent of the average anuual earnings of men
who are empioyed full time. Hovrever. other research
consistently shows that, in l,{aota, tire average annual
earnings of ail empioyed u'omen i-. 65 percent of the
average annual earnings of ail employed men.
Which one of the following. il also established by
research, most helps expiain the a.pparent discreoancy
between the research results described above?
(A) ln Naota, the difference betq'een the average
annual eamings of all female workers and the
average annual eamings of all maie worker-q has
been graciually increasing over the past 30 years.
(B) trn Naota, the average annual earnings of
same occupations and under exactly the same
conditions as men is almost the same as the
men's average annual eamings.
(C) In Naota. a growing propor-tion of femaie
workers hoid full-time managerial, supervi scry,
or professional positions, and such positions
typically pay more than other types of positions
pay.
(D) In Naota, alarget proportion of female workers #
than male workers are part-time workers, and #
part-time wolkers typically eam less than
full-time workers earr.
(E) In ten other countries q'lrere the proportion of
women in the work lbrce is similar to that of
Naota, the average annual earnings of u'omen
who work firll time ranges from a low of
50 percent to a high of 90 percent of the average
annual eamings of men who work full time.
PrepTest 22, 9e*ion 2, Questian 21
rr,4 p tA t'{ ) 195
 PARADOX
44. Council member: The preservation of individual
property rights is of the utmost importance to
the ciry council. Yet, in this city, property owners
are restricted to little more than cutting grass
and weeding. Anything more extensive, such as
remodeling, is prohibited by our zoning laws.
Which one of the following provides a resolution to
the apparent inconsistency described by the councii
member?
(A) Propefiy owners are sometimes ailowed
exemptions from restrictive zoning laws.
(B) It is in the best interest of property owners to
maintain current laws in order to prevent an
increase in their property taxes.
(C) The city council places less importance on
propefiy rights than do property owners.
(D) An individual's property rights may be infringed
upon by other people altering their own property.
(E) Zonrng iaws ensure that property rights are not
overly extensive.
The hearts of patients who are given vitamin E before
undergoing heart surgery are less susceptible to certain
postoperative complications than are the hearts of
patients who are not given vitamin E before heart
i surgery. From six hours after surgery onward, however,
t the survivors from both groups show the same level
ofhearl function, on average, and also recover equally
well. Despite this iack of long-term effect, doctors often
recommend vitamin E for patients about to undergo
heart surgery.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to
explain the doctors' recommendation?
(A) Postoperative complications pose the greatest
threat to patients during the first six hours after
heart surgery.
(B) Postoperative complications occur six or more
hours after surgery for some patients who have
not been given vitamin E.
(C) It sometimes takes less than six hours for a
patient's heart function to retum to normal after
heart surgery.
(D) Certain categories of patients are inherently less
likely to develop postoperative complications
than other patients are.
(E) Many patients who are told that they are being
given vitamin E actually receive a medically
inert substance.
196 I(APLAN
46. Between 1977 and 1987, the country of Ravonia lost
about 12,000jobs in logging and wood processing,
representing a 15 percent decrease in empioyment in the
country's timber industry. Paradoxically, this ioss of jobs
occurred even as the amount of wood taken from the
forests of Ravoinia increased by 10 percent.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to
resolve the apparent paradox?
(A) Noi since the 1950's has the timber industry been
Ravonia's most important industry economicaliy.
(B) Between 1971 and1981 ,the totalnumberof
acres of timberland in Ravonia fell, while the
demand for rvood products increased.
(C) Since 1977, a growing proportion of the timber
that has been cut in Ravonia has been expofted
as raw unprocessed wood.
(D) Since 1977, domestic sales of wood and wood
products have increased by more than export
saies have increased.
(E) In 1911 , overall unemployment in Ravonia was
approximately 10 percent; in 1987, Ravonia's
unemployment rate was 15 percent.
41. A certain type of insect trap uses a scented iure to attract
rose beetles into a plastic bag from which it is difficult
for them to escape. If several of these traps are instaiied
in a backTard garden, the number of rose beetles in
the garden will be greatly reduced. If only one trap is
installed, however, the number of rose beetles in the
garden will actually increase.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to
resolve the apparent discrepancy?
(A) The scent of a single trap's lure usually cannot be
detected throughout a backyard garden by rose
beetles.
(B) Several traps are better able to catch a large
number ofrose beetles than is one trap aione,
since any rose beetles that evade one trap are
likely to encounter another trap if there are
severai traps in the garden.
(C) W}-ren there are several traps in a garden, they
each capture fewer rose beetles tlian any single
trap would if it were the only trap in the garden.
(D) The presence of any traps in a backl'ard garden
will attract more rose beetles than one trap
can catch, but severai traps will not attract
significantly more rose beetles to a garden than
one trap wili.
(E) When there is only one trap in the garden, the
plastic bag quickiy becomes fiiled to capacity,
allowing some rose beetles to escape.
Sources: PrepTest 22, Section 4, Questian 77
PrepTest A, Section 7, Question 12
PrepTest 77, Section 2, Questian 74
PrepTest 77, Section 3, Question 2
MASTERY PRACTICE
 PARADOX

39. The indigenous people ofTasmania are clearly related 41. A stingray without parasites is healthier than it would
to the indigenous people of Australia, but were separated
be if it had parasites. Nevertheless, the lack of parasites
from them when the land bridge between Australia and in stingrays is an indicator that the ecosystem in which
Thsmania disappeared approximately i0,000 years ago.
the stingrays live is under environmental stress such as
Two thousand years after the disappearance ofthe land pollution.
bridge, howeveq there were major differences between
the culture and technoiogy of the indigenous Tasmanians Which one of the following, if true, most helps to
and those of the indigenous Australians. The indigenous reconcjle the discrepancy indicated above?
Tasmanians, unlike their Australian relatives. had no (A) During part of their life cycles, the parasites
domesticated dogs, fishing nets, polished stone tools, of stingrays require as hosts shrimp or
or hunting implements iike the boomerang ancl the oysters, which are environmentally vulnerable
spear-thrower. organisms.
Each of the following, if true, would contribure ro an (B) A stingray is a free-ranging predator that feeds on
expianation of differences described above EXCEpT: smalier organisms but has few predators itself.
(C) A parasite drains part of the vitaiity of its host by
(A) After the disappearance of the land bridge the drawing nourishment from the host.
indigenous Tasmanians simply abandoned (D) An ecosystem can be considered stressed if only
certain practices and technologies that they had a few species of very simple organisms can live
originally shared with their Australian relatives. there.
(B) Devices such as the spear-thrower and the (E) Since rhe life of parasites depends on that of their
boomerang were developed by the indigenous host, they need ro live without killing their host
Tasmanians more than 10,000 years ago. or else not reproduce and infect other individuals
(C) Technoiogical innovations such as fishing nets, before their own host dies.
polished stone tools, and so on, were imported to
Australia by Polynesian explorers more recently
than 10,000 years ago.
* (D)
t Indigenous people of Australia developed hunting
implements iike the boomerang and the spear_
thrower after the disappearance of the land
bridge.
(E) Although the technological and cultural
innovations were developed in Australia more
than 10.000 years ago, they were developed by
groups in northern Australia with whom the
indigenous Thsmanians had no contact prior to
the disappearance of the land bridge.

40. A ciothing manufacturer reports that unsalable gaments,

those found to be defective by inspectors plus those
returned by retailers, total 7 percent of the garments
produced. Further it reports that all of its unsaiable
garments are recycled as scrap, but the percentage of
gannents reported as recycled scrap is 9 percent.
Which one of the following, if true, could contribute
most to expiaining the discrepancy between the reported
percentages?
(A) Garments with minor blemishes are senr ro
wltolesale outlets for sale at ciiscounted prices
and are not returned for recvclins.
(B) The percentage of garments ..tu.i"a by rerail
outlets as unsalable includes, in addition to
detective merchandise, gaments in unacceptabie
styles or colors.
(C) Some inspectors, in order to appear more
efficient. tend to overeport defects.
(D) The total number of gaments produced by the
manufacturer has increased slightly over the
past year.
(E) Insaiable gaments are recorded by count, but Sources: PrepTest 29, Section 1, euestion 25
recycled gannents are recorded by weight. PrepTest B, Section 1, Question 25
PrcpTest 26, Section 3, euestion 7g
L94 I(A PLAN MASTERY PRACTICE