Weakens

1​ Space exploration is a waste of time. When governments spend money on sending people
into space, there is less to spend on helping people in need and on improving services for
everyone. Scientists say that when they do experiments in space, they learn more about
the universe. But their work would be more useful if it made life better here on Earth.

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens the above argument?
A​ Governments worldwide are increasing levels of education spending.
B​ Work by space scientists on aviation has increased the safety of flying.
C​ The 1969 Moon landing cost over 280 billion dollars in today’s money.
D​ Experiments on plants in space have shown how we could grow them on other
planets.

2​ Gabriella says that zoos should be banned, because it is wrong to keep wild animals in
captivity. She says that animals should have the right to live in their natural habitats.

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens Gabriella’s argument?

A​ Zoos provide an opportunity for humans to see wild animals without having to go
on safari.
B​ Modern zoos try to ensure animals are given some exercise and stimulation.
C​ Some wild animal species would die out completely if they were not bred in
captivity.
D​ Wild animals kept in confined spaces can display extremely distressed behaviour.
3​ ‘Solid’ glass can be better described as a slow-moving liquid. The particles in glass can
move, just like in a regular liquid, because they are not fixed in an orderly structure. In
glass, this movement is so slow that it cannot be detected during a person’s lifetime or
even over the course of several generations. Medieval window glass which has survived
to the present day is often found to be thicker at the bottom than at the top. This clearly
shows that glass flows.

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens the above argument?
A​ Glass can be melted and melted glass, like every liquid, flows and obtains the
shape of the vessel into which it is poured.
B​ The human eye cannot detect tiny differences in the thickness of glass.
C​ Modern buildings such as skyscrapers are often constructed from glass.
D​ Glass objects from Ancient Egypt or Greece which have remained untouched for
millennia are not thicker at the bottom than at the top.

4​ Ying thinks we should all buy soybean oil instead of palm oil for cooking. “I found out
that growing palm oil trees requires vast areas of rainforests to be cut down,” Ying says.
“To help save the rainforests and the animals that live in them, we must stop buying palm
oil.”

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens Ying’s argument?

A​ Palm oil is also used in bath products such as shampoo.
B​ People are using less oil in cooking than they used to.
C​ Growing soybeans also involves the destruction of rainforests.
D​ Palm oil is more frequently listed in recipes than soybean oil.
5​ When Olivia got a car, her cousin Natalie said to her: “More people are injured in car
crashes between 4pm and 7pm than at other times. This means you should be more
careful driving then, as you are more likely to be hurt in a crash.”

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens Natalie’s argument?

A​ Many more people drive between 4pm and 7pm than at other times.
B​ Natalie has never driven a car herself.
C​ People can still have car crashes even when they are driving carefully.
D​ Olivia has no choice but to drive at that time, because she finishes work at 5pm.

6​ Funny pet videos are viewed hundreds of thousands of times a day around the world.
Many people clearly enjoy watching cats leap away from cucumbers in terror or dogs
falling off the backs of couches. But these videos are harmful, and should be made illegal.
Forcing pets to perform can be stressful and frightening for them. Furthermore, the desire
of their owners to achieve ever-greater numbers of views creates a motive to film more
and more extreme videos.

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens the above argument?
A​ Many pet videos feature funny things that were caught on camera by chance.
B​ Trying to be popular on the internet can be bad for people’s mental health.
C​ Many countries have strict rules governing the treatment of working animals.
D​ The use of performing animals in circuses is generally thought to be morally
wrong.
7​ Becca helps her grandfather take care of the flowers he’s planted in his garden. She
showed him an app on her phone that identifies a plant simply by taking a photo of it. Her
grandfather said: “That won’t help you be a good gardener. A gardener needs to be able to
know – without always relying on someone or something else – what kind of plant it is
they’re looking at.”

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens his argument?

A​ There are many different kinds of plants available to gardeners in most places.
B​ The app does not always correctly identify the plant being photographed.
C​ People are able to appreciate the beauty of plants without knowing what kind they
are.
D​ Experienced gardeners often use books to help them identify plants

8​ Leonie has just been listening to the radio. She says: “The weather forecast said we are in
for a very hot spell. I don’t think it will be as hot as last December though. Last
December was the hottest December ever, so it is unlikely to be as hot as it was then.”

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens Leonie’s argument?

A​ The average temperatures in December have been rising steadily over the last 5
years.
B​ It is difficult to make accurate long-term predictions about the weather.
C​ Temperatures are often even hotter in January than they are in December.
D​ Weather forecasts in newspapers, online, and on TV are also predicting a very hot
December.
9​ Daniella says: “Did you know that top tennis players can serve the ball at over 220km
per hour? This means the other player has less than 0.25 seconds to see where the ball is
and then hit it. This would simply be impossible for a normal human being. I’m telling
you, some sportspeople must have superhuman reaction times!”

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens Daniella’s argument?

A​ Tennis players learn to anticipate where a serve is going to go before it is hit.
B​ Only very few tennis players can serve the ball at speeds of over 220km per hour.
C​ There is quite a range of times within what is usually considered a ‘normal’
reaction time.
D​ Reaction times in most sports are typically more than 0.25 seconds.

10​ What is the point in spending time and effort learning things when you can just look them
up on the internet? Even doctors these days now find themselves using Google when they
want to try to decide what is wrong with a patient. Was it really necessary for them to
have spent years studying science and medicine, when the information can now be found
online in an instant? As technology progresses, and as more and more people have access
to the internet, it surely becomes more and more of a waste of time gaining knowledge.
Memorizing facts should become a thing of the past.

Which one of these statements, if true, most weakens the above argument?
A​ Some doctors do not use the internet to assist them with their work.
B​ There is more information on the internet than any one human would be able to
memorize.
C​ People need some existing knowledge in order to make sense of information they
find online.
D​ In many jobs, practical skills are more valuable than knowing a lot of facts.
Evaluating Reasoning
11​ A school excursion to watch a musical at the theatre is scheduled to take place next
month. However, it will be cancelled if fewer than twenty students sign up for it. On top
of that, even if twenty students or more sign up, there must be enough teachers to
accompany them. The school’s policy states that there must be at least one teacher
looking after every ten students on an excursion.

Rohan: “As long as two teachers are available to accompany the students, the excursion
can still go ahead.”
Megan: “If the excursion is cancelled, it must be because not enough students signed up
for it.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Rohan only
B​ Megan only
C​ Both Rohan and Megan
D​ Neither Rohan nor Megan

12​ When players are dropped from the school football team, it is usually because the coach
thinks they have not been playing well enough. Sometimes a player will be dropped for
not attending training every week.

Kylie: “The coach said she’s going to drop Katya, even though she’s been playing well!
She can’t have been coming to all the weekly training sessions.”
Fiona: “If she came to the sessions and started playing even better, the coach definitely
wouldn’t drop her.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Kylie only
B​ Fiona only
C​ Both Kylie and Fiona
 D​ Neither Kylie nor Fiona
13​ Taller adults tend to have larger feet.
Monaro: “Your dad wears size 9 shoes, and he’s not as tall as my dad. So, my dad’s shoe
size must be at least 10.”
Kevin: “No that’s not right. My dad’s feet might be bigger than your dad’s.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Monaro only
B​ Kevin only
C​ Both Monaro and Kevin
D​ Neither Monaro nor Kevin

14​ Jake and Robert are brothers. Their parents have told them that they will not be allowed
to go to the party tonight if they have not completed their homework.
Natalie: “Jake is coming to the party, but Robert is not, so Robert can’t have completed
his homework.”
Daniel: “Jake must have completed his homework.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Natalie only
B​ Daniel only
C​ Both Natalie and Daniel
D​ Neither Natalie nor Daniel
15​ The skills required for roller-blading, roller-skating and ice-skating are very similar.
Ɣ Anyone who can roller-blade can also roller-skate.
Ɣ Anyone who can roller-blade can also ice-skate.
Ɣ Not everyone who can roller-skate can roller-blade.
Ɣ Anyone who can ice-skate can also roller-blade.
Wei: “Shane has been ice-skating for years. He will have no trouble roller-skating.”
Talia: “Hannah is unable to roller-blade. She won’t be able to roller-skate.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Wei only
B​ Talia only
C​ Both Wei and Talia
D​ Neither Wei nor Talia

16​ Scrub jays are a species of bird that will bury some of the nuts they collect in order to
save some food for later. Scientists studying the species made an interesting discovery:
Ɣ Some scrub jays move nuts they bury if they see other scrub jays watching them bury
the nuts the first time.
Ɣ It is only those scrub jays who have previously stolen nuts from other scrub jays that
move their nuts.
Logan: “That means a scrub jay must be able to predict which other scrub jays will steal
its nuts.”
Kimberley: “If a scrub jay moves a nut it has buried, you can be sure it has had its nuts
stolen before.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Logan only
B​ Kimberley only
C​ Both Logan and Kimberley
D​ Neither Logan nor Kimberley
17​ At the start of the meeting, every member of the movie club gets one vote on the movie to
be watched. Everyone must use their vote. The movie that gets the most votes is the one
that is watched that evening. This evening, there are 21 people at the meeting, and there
are 5 movies to choose from.
Kate: “The movie that we watch will need to get at least 5 votes.”
Samira: “If a movie gets 11 votes then we will definitely be watching it.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Kate only
B​ Samira only
C​ Both Kate and Samira
D​ Neither Kate nor Samira

18​ Although many birds are fiercely territorial, they are typically very sensitive when
nesting. If they feel their nest has been disturbed, they often abandon it altogether even if
the female has already laid her eggs.
Lorenzo: “My dad accidentally disturbed a nest when he was cleaning the roof. So there’s
a good chance it may now be abandoned.”
Katarina: “There’s an abandoned nest in the pomegranate tree in our garden. That must
have been disturbed too.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Lorenzo only
B​ Katarina only
C​ Both Lorenzo and Katarina
D​ Neither Lorenzo nor Katarina
19​ The Berruga lizard and Indora lizard are very similar. The only major difference between
the two species is their diet. Berrugas mostly eat termites and ants, but they will
occasionally eat other insects, and even things like snails. Indoras will eat almost
anything if they are hungry, and they especially like termites, but they never eat ants (and
in fact, ants are poisonous to Indoras). Keira and Jun have rescued an injured lizard, and
they want to find out which species it is.
Keira: “If we only feed it termites, we’ll be no closer to knowing whether it’s a Berruga
or an Indora.”
Jun: “The only way that we could know for certain would be to give it some ants.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Keira only
B​ Jun only
C​ Both Keira and Jun
D​ Neither Keira nor Jun

20​ Because of all the trees around it, the waterfall at Blake’s Point can only be seen from two
places: Dwarda’s Crossing, or the lookout across the valley. It’s been impossible to get to
the lookout since the rope bridge fell down two months ago.
Ivy: “I remember seeing the waterfall about a month ago, but I can’t remember where I
was. It must have been Dwarda’s Crossing.”
Annie: “My brother did a beautiful painting of the view of the waterfall from the lookout.
That must have been more than two months ago.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Ivy only
B​ Annie only
C​ Both Ivy and Annie
D​ Neither Ivy nor Annie
21​ The Tang family are planning a day out tomorrow. They will decide where to go based on
the weather in the morning. There are three possibilities:
● If it’s sunny in the morning, they’ll visit their aunt who lives by the beach.
● If it’s raining, they’ll go to the indoor market to do some shopping.
● If it’s overcast but not raining, they will head into town.

They might still go to the indoor market but they definitely won’t go to the beach. The
weather forecast for tomorrow morning is for sunshine.
Victor: “If you see the Tangs in the indoor market tomorrow, it must mean it’s been
raining.”
Aidan: “If you see them at the beach, it must mean the weather forecast was correct.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Victor only
B​ Aidan only
C​ Both Victor and Aidan
D​ Neither Victor nor Aidan

22​ To be able to go on the school excursion, permission slips must be handed in by Friday.
There are only 50 places available, and these are allocated to the first 50 students to hand
in their permission slips.
Megan: “I’ve already handed in my slip, so I’ll definitely get a place on the excursion.”
Kate: “I won’t be able to hand my slip in until Friday, so I won’t get a place on the
excursion.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Megan only
B​ Kate only
C​ Both Megan and Kate
D​ Neither Megan nor Kate
23​ There are three ways to cross the Korra River: Archer Bridge is open to cars and
pedestrians. It is only open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. It is one of the
highest bridges in Australia. Djorlom Bridge is open to cars, but not pedestrians. It is only
open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The Korra Ferry is for pedestrians only. It is
open on Sundays. It is also sometimes open on other days, but only if the bridge that
would normally be open is damaged.
Amanda: “If the ferry operates for three days in a row, it must mean that both bridges are
damaged.”
Declan: “I don’t have a car, and I’m terrified of heights. Unless I get someone to drive
me, I’ll only ever be able to cross on a Sunday.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Amanda only
B​ Declan only
C​ Both Amanda and Declan
D​ Neither Amanda nor Declan
24​ The Port Sunday Canoe Race is held once per year. There are three ways to qualify:
● Any team that comes first or second in a regional heat qualifies automatically.
● Last year’s winning team qualifies automatically (as long as the team has exactly the
same members).
● One team can qualify as a ‘wild card’: this team is chosen randomly from all the teams
that failed to qualify otherwise. Glen and Hayden are on the same team. They are trying
to qualify for this year’s race.
Glen: “We came third in our regional heat. We won the race last year, but one of our
members has left. Our only chance of qualifying is to get her to come back.”
Hayden: “If we can get her to come back, it won’t matter that we didn’t do well enough
in the regional heat.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Glen only
B​ Hayden only
C​ Both Glen and Hayden
D​ Neither Glen nor Hayden

25​ The three languages of Mekani, Kaiana and Sekludi are quite similar to each other, and
they have some words in common. For example, ‘kanu’ means ‘house’ in all three
languages. Any word that is the same in Mekani and Kaiana is also the same in Sekludi.
Kaiana and Sekludi have lots of words in common, but never words for animals. Words
for animals are always different.
Patricia: “If a word is the same in Mekani and Kaiana, it can’t be an animal.”
Yilin: “If a word is the same in Mekani and Sekludi, it can’t be an animal.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Patricia only
B​ Yilin only
C​ Both Patricia and Yilin
D​ Neither Patricia nor Yilin
26​ Rob and Paul are citizens of Bolivistan. In Bolivistan, whenever the national football
team is playing, shopkeepers always decorate their windows with the Bolivistani national
flag. Rob: “That’s funny. I thought the national team were playing today, but I don’t see
any flags in shop windows. I must have got the date wrong.”
Paul: “Well, I saw quite a few flags in the shops last Wednesday – that must have been
when they were playing.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Rob only
B​ Paul only
C​ Both Rob and Paul
D​ Neither Rob nor Paul

27​ Anyone who helped Mr Bamblett with the school garden last week will be given a ticket
to the Country Fair at the weekend.
Katherine: “That’s great. I helped Mr Bamblett with the garden last Thursday, so I’ll
definitely get a ticket.”
Kylie: “Fran told me that she is going to the Country Fair. She must have helped out too.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Katherine only
B​ Kylie only
C​ both Katherine and Kylie
D​ neither Katherine nor Kylie
28​ You can only go on the ride at the theme park if you are at least 12 years old or are with
an adult.
Robbie: “Bindi just went on the ride with her father, so she must be less than 12 years
old.” Coen: “But Nicole was on her own on the ride, so she must be at least 12 years
old.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Robbie only
B​ Coen only
C​ both Robbie and Coen
D​ neither Robbie nor Coen

29​ The ukulele is a musical instrument from Hawaii. It looks a bit like a small guitar. More
and more schools have selected this instrument for their younger children because it is
easy to play. This means they can quickly start to play music together. Actively listening
and working with others helps them learn to interact with each other better.
Ray: “If they gave Tony’s class ukulele lessons for a term, they would probably get on
with each other better.”
Juan Pablo: “But it’s not possible to give ukulele lessons to the whole class. That means
that some of them will never learn to get along.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Ray only
B​ Juan Pablo only
C​ both Ray and Juan Pablo
D​ neither Ray nor Juan Pablo
30​ Some people think that being brave means not being afraid of anything. But this is wrong.
A brave person is someone who does whatever they need to do even if they do feel afraid.
Xinyi: “Simon is afraid of flying but he got on the plane anyway, because there was no
other way to visit his grandparents – he must be a brave person!”
William: “Actually, anyone who gets on an aeroplane must be brave.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Xinyi only
B​ William only
C​ both Xinyi and William
D​ neither Xinyi nor William

31​ A new system of tunnels has recently been built in the city of Rainville. It is used for car
traffic and helps drivers get from one side of the city to the other in a short amount of
time. However, when it is raining very heavily, the tunnels are closed to cars and instead
function to carry excess rainwater away from the city towards a nearby lake, thus
preventing floods from occurring in the city. Otherwise, the tunnels are open twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week.
Amelia: “My mother told me she could not drive through the tunnels yesterday evening,
because they were closed. It must have been raining.”
Sheng: “It is not raining right now, so the tunnels will be open to drivers.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Amelia only
B​ Sheng only
C​ both Amelia and Sheng
D​ neither Amelia nor Sheng
32​ The deadline to complete the geography homework was last Friday. Anyone who didn’t
complete it on time will have to stay behind after school tomorrow to finish it off.
Kalinda: “I know Abby didn’t hand in the homework on time, so she’ll definitely be
staying behind tomorrow.”
Keira: “Lottie has to stay behind tomorrow, so she must have failed to complete the
homework on time too!”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Kalinda only
B​ Keira only
C​ both Kalinda and Keira
D​ neither Kalinda nor Keira

33​ Chris and Li Li were both setting up dog-walking services in their local areas. They both
discovered that:
• The more people who know about our services, the more people are likely to use them.
• If no one knows about them, then no one will use them.
• If we put leaflets in people’s houses, then more people will know about them.
Rosie: “Lots of people have started using Li Li’s service recently. She must have been out
leafleting houses.”
Ryan: “And no one has been using Chris’s service, so he can’t have been posting any
leaflets at all.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Rosie only
B​ Ryan only
C​ both Rosie and Ryan
D​ neither Rosie nor Ryan
34​ Sally is planning to organise a street party. However, the people on her street are often
very busy. Unless she is able to get her invitations printed out and posted in good time,
then very few people will come to the party.
Joy: “If there aren’t many people at the party, we’ll know that Sally didn’t post her
invitations in time.”
Samira: “If there are a lot of people at the party, we’ll know that she did post her
invitations in time.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Joy only
B​ Samira only
C​ both Joy and Samira
D​ neither Joy nor Samira

35​ At the end of each term, Mr Chen gives scores in reading and writing to each student in
his English class. These two scores are then added together to give an overall score in
English for the term (for example, a student with scores of 30 in reading and 40 in writing
would have an overall score of 70 in English). Last term, Sara and Mila got the same
overall score in English.
Sara: “If our scores in writing were different from each other, then our scores in reading
must have been different too.”
Mila: “And if our scores in reading were the same, then our scores in writing must have
been the same too.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Sara only
B​ Mila only
C​ Both Sara and Mila
D​ Neither Sara nor Mila
36​ To become a successful architect, you need to be creative and also have excellent
attention to detail.
Will: “Sally is creative – she loves drawing and painting – and always checks her written
work carefully. She’s sure to become a great architect.”
Evie: “James enjoys writing stories and has a vivid imagination, but he struggles with
detailed tasks. Architecture is probably not for him.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Will only
B​ Evie only
C​ Both Will and Evie
D​ Neither Will nor Evie

37​ Monotremes are the only type of mammal that lay eggs.
Jack: “If you see a mammal laying an egg, you know it must be a monotreme.”
Amelia: “And if you see an animal laying an egg, and you know it isn’t a monotreme,
then it can’t be a mammal.”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Jack only
B​ Amelia only
C​ Both Jack and Amelia
D​ Neither Jack nor Amelia
38​ Whenever the red light on the side of Yifan’s computer is flashing on and off, it means
that the processor is starting to overheat.
Yifan: “The red light isn’t flashing at the moment, so the temperature of the processor
must be fine.”
Ria: “No, that’s not right. The light is on continuously – that must mean that the
processor has already overheated!”

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A​ Yifan only
B​ Ria only
C​ Both Yifan and Ria
D​ Neither Yifan nor Ria
Identifying Mistake
39​ Children at John’s school were asked to complete a questionnaire about their sleeping
habits, to find out if they were getting enough sleep. The survey found that people who
read a lot at bedtime slept fewer hours (on average) per night than people who didn’t.
John: “This shows that reading at night does not help you to get to sleep.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake that John has made?
A​ It could be that people are reading more because they are having trouble sleeping.
B​ It could be that people who don’t read as much spend more time playing computer
games.
C​ It could be that some children are not allowed to stay up late reading books.
D​ It could be that some books are more exciting to read than others.

40​ Lauren wants to join her school’s basketball team. To qualify, players must be at least 140
centimeters tall. Miriam: “Lauren was 139 centimeters tall last year, but she has now
grown to be 141 centimeters tall. So, she will definitely be chosen to be part of the team
this year.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Miriam has made?
A​ Lauren might not actually enjoy playing basketball.
B​ There might not be enough players to form a complete basketball team.
C​ Height might not be the only thing used to choose players for the basketball team.
D​ Other sports teams might also have a height requirement.
41​ Matt and Yash play chess together every day at lunch. They are at around the same skill
level, and they have each won around half of the matches they’ve played against each
other. Mr. Stead: “I can’t remember how many games Matt and Yash played last week,
but I know Matt won five, so they must have played about ten games.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Mr Stead has made?
A​ Either Matt or Yash might have played unusually well last week.
B​ The players have each won around half, not exactly half, of their games.
C​ Matt and Yash may have had lots of homework last week.
D​ It doesn’t matter who wins, because the important thing is that they both have fun.

42​ In an athletics competition there are four heats, and every participant runs in two of the
heats. The finalists are all of the participants who finished in the top two in at least one of
the heats.
Chloe: “Tim was faster than Leon in the first heat, so if Leon qualifies for the final, so
will Tim.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Chloe has made?
A​ Aim may not run as fast in his other heat.
B​ Leon may not race against Tim again in his other heat.
C​ Leon may qualify based on his performance in his other heat.
D​ Tim may have had more chance to practice for the competition than Leon.
43​ Ms. Walker would like to investigate whether drinking milk with lunch makes any
difference to her students’ results in a times tables test. She decides to do an experiment.
She splits her class into two groups according to their birthdays. For one whole month,
students who were born between January and June are given milk with their lunch, and
students who were born between July and December are given juice. After one month she
gives the whole class a times table test. On average, the students who drank milk with
lunch score five marks better than the students who drank juice.
Ms. Walker: “So it’s true then − drinking milk with lunch improves children’s ability to
remember the times tables!”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Ms Walker has made?
A​ Some of the students might drink a lot of milk or juice at home.
B​ The students who drank milk may have been better at times tables before the
experiment started.
C​ The students who drank juice might do better in other kinds of activities.
D​ More of the students may have been born between January and June than between
July and December.

44​ Two different species of frog are known to live on the Quilpie Nature Reserve: speckled
greenbacks, and red sentinels. Ahmed and Melissa are investigating the populations of the
two species, and have done an experiment. Ahmed: “For a whole year, every time a frog
was spotted on the reserve, we made a note of which species it was. Over the year, we
recorded 113 red sentinels and only 15 speckled greenbacks.”
Melissa: “That tells us that red sentinels are much more common on this reserve, and
speckled greenbacks are actually quite rare.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Melissa has made?
A​ Just because red sentinels are more common in Quilpie does not mean that they
are more common in other places.
B​ There may be other species of frog on the reserve that have not been discovered
yet.
 C​ Seasonal changes in weather may affect the two species of frogs differently.
D​ Red sentinels may be easier to spot than speckled greenbacks.

45​ To qualify for the Kings’ County Volleyball Trophy finals, teams must meet at least one
of three conditions:
1. coming first or second in their qualifying group
2. scoring 15 match points or more in the qualifying stages
3. winning the ‘Fair Play Award’ in the qualifying stages Lucy is looking at the qualifying
results, and planning the final stage of the tournament.
Lucy: “There were six groups, so twelve teams came first or second. Fourteen teams
scored at least 15 match points. And of course one team won the Fair Play Award. So I
should plan for 27 teams in the finals.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Lucy has made?
A​ The winner of the Fair Play Award may have scored fewer than 15 match points.
B​ Some teams may have met more than one of the conditions, so there will be fewer
than 27 teams.
C​ Some teams may have scored a lot more than 15 match points.
D​ Some teams may have met more than one of the conditions, so there will be more
than 27 teams.
46​ The Northern Intercity Railway employs ticket inspectors to check that everyone
travelling on a train has a valid ticket, and catch anyone trying to ride for free. Anyone
caught without a ticket has to pay a $500 fine. In the last five years, not a single person
has been caught without a valid ticket.
Linda: “That just shows that the ticket inspectors are a waste of time and money − they
never catch anyone. The Railway should save the money, or employ them to do
something more useful.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Linda has made?
A​ Fear of being caught may be the reason that nobody tries to travel without a ticket.
B​ Just because nobody has been caught in the last five years does not mean they will
not be in future.
 C​ The Northern Intercity Railway may not have anything more useful to spend the
money on.
D​ Just because the inspectors have not caught anyone does not mean that nobody has
travelled without a valid ticket.

47​ Zoe is going to a party this weekend and most of the children in her class will be going as
well.
Zoe: “I will know most of the people at the party because they are in my class.”

Which one of the following sentences shows that Zoe has made a mistake?
A​ Zoe might know some of the people at the party who are not in her class.
B​ Most of the people in the class are going to the party because they know each
other.
C​ Zoe might spend her time at the party getting to know new people.
D​ A large number of people might have been invited to the party.

48​ Horses have eyes on the sides of their heads, which means they can see almost all around
them at any time. We think they evolved this way because they are prey animals
(predators hunt and eat them), and a wide field of view makes it harder for predators to
sneak up on them.
Lana: “Chameleons must be prey too, because they also have eyes on the sides of their
head.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Lana has made?
A​ There may be some prey animals that have very weak eyesight.
B​ There may also be reasons for non-prey animals to have eyes on the sides of their
heads.
 C​ There may be other ways horses evolved to avoid predators, like quick reaction
times.
D​ There may be predators that succeed in hunting horses despite their wide field of
view.

49​ A constellation is a group of stars in the night sky, often in the shape of an animal, or
another recognizable object. In ancient times, sailors used the positions of the
constellations to navigate on the open seas.
Amir: “That must mean that the sailors had to hope they had clear skies at night,
otherwise they’d be certain to get lost!”

Which one of the following sentences shows that Amir has made a mistake?
A​ Even if the skies are clear, it might not be possible to see all the constellations.
B​ It may have been more likely to have clear skies in ancient times than it is now.
C​ It may be that ancient sailors had other methods of navigation too.
D​ Ancient sailors may have had other reasons to observe the stars.

50​ Trisha is trying to decode a secret message from her friend Brianna. She doesn’t know the
code, so she has to try to guess at what it might be. The coded message reads: SFB HDIG
KCUTDF FZXROOZ
Trisha: “I think that the first word of the message might be ‘the’. But that would mean
that the letter ‘E’ only appears once in the message, which would be unusual, because ‘E’
is a very common letter.”

Which one of the following sentences shows that Trisha has made a mistake?
A​ The first word of the original message might not actually be ‘the’.
B​ Brianna’s message might only contain one letter ‘E’, even if that is unusual.
 C​ The code might contain numbers and other symbols, not just the letters of the
alphabet.
D​ Letters in the message might not always be represented by the same letters in the
code.

51​ In the Junior Golf Championship, prizes are given out to the players who finish first,
second, and third, and to anyone who gets a hole-in-one.
Sam: “Well, I know that one player scored a hole-in-one this year. So that means that four
players will get prizes.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Sam has made?
A​ Some players might deserve a prize even if they didn’t score a hole-in-one.
B​ The hole-in-one might have been scored by a player who finished first, second, or
third.
C​ Younger players might find it difficult to score a hole-in-one.
D​ We do not know the total number of players in the competition.

52​ Ferdinand has an atlas which he can use to look up any city in the world.
Ferdinand: “If you tell me the name of a city, you don’t need to tell me which country
it’s in – I can look it up in my atlas.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Ferdinand has made?
A​ There are some cities which have the same name as the country they are in.
B​ There are some cities which have the same name as each other.
C​ There are some countries which do not have any cities at all.
D​ There are some cities that have changed their name.
53​ Jarrah’s music teacher has promised that any students who did not have a chance to
perform in the Spring concert will definitely be chosen to play in the Autumn concert.
Jarrah: “Well, I did perform in the Spring concert. So that means I definitely won’t be
chosen for Autumn. I’ll have to find something else to do.”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Jarrah has made?
A​ Just because anyone who did not play in Spring will play in Autumn, it does not
mean that anyone who played in Spring will not play in Autumn.
B​ Just because somebody is chosen for the concert, it does not mean they will
actually perform.
C​ Just because Jarrah was chosen to perform at a concert in the past, it does not
mean he will be chosen again in future.
D​ Just because someone did not perform in the Spring concert, it does not mean that
they would not have liked to.

54​ There are two ways to qualify for the annual Grant County Athletics Championship: by
winning at least three local events during the year, or by breaking a county record. This
year, 10 students from Lisa’s school have qualified for the Championship.
Lisa: “I know that a total of six county records were broken by our students this year. So
that means that more than half of our qualifiers must be record-breakers!”

Which one of the following sentences shows the mistake Lisa has made?
A​ Some of the students from Lisa’s school may have broken more than one county
record.
B​ Some county records may have been broken more than once.
C​ The number of county records broken this year may be higher than usual.
D​ Some students who broke county records may also have won three local events or
more.
Strengthens

55​ The principal of a school says, “PE classes should include non-competitive sports such as
bushwalking and dance, and not just focus on competitive sports like football and tennis.
Many students do not enjoy playing against their friends and classmates, as it often leads
to unhealthy rivalries.”

Which one of these statements, if true, most strengthens the principal’s argument?
A​ Playing a competitive sport is a great way to learn the importance of teamwork.
B​ Non-competitive sports are just as effective as competitive sports at improving
fitness.
C​ PE classes are compulsory for students to attend.
D​ Students like to have a range of different sports that they can choose to play.

56​ Leo and Nicole are disussing dramatized violence on television. Nicole says that it is
harmless because it is not real violence.
Leo replies: “That is obviously untrue. What people see on television influences their
attitudes and their behaviour. Violent programmes can have serious consequences.”

Which one of these statements, if true, most strengthens Leo’s argument?

A​ Violence is a fact of life, and banning it on television won’t stop it happening.
B​ Seeing violence on television can help people understand its consequences.
C​ Television advertising is very effective in influencing people’s behaviour.
D​ People who don’t want to see violent programmes don’t have to watch them.
57​ A famous archaeologist has said that, although it is vital to encourage public interest in
archaeology, large numbers of people should not be allowed to visit historical sites of
interest, because they cause lasting damage to the sites over the years.

Which one of these statements, if true, most strengthens the archaeologist’s argument?
A​ It is possible to create accurate replicas of historical sites to satisfy the interest of
the public.
B​ People’s fascination for experiencing the ancient world is an important part of
tourism.
C​ Many historical sites around the world have already banned visitors in order to
prevent damage.
D​ There is a growing interest in ancient history, especially among young people.

58​ When Tom told Aida that he was thinking of giving up his hobby of drawing to focus on
becoming an engineer,
Aida said: “You don’t need to give up a hobby like drawing just because you want to
work in engineering. It’s good for you to have hobbies. They help keep you happy and
relaxed so you can also study harder.”

Which one of these statements, if true, most strengthens Aida’s argument?

A​ Artistic or creative skills are seen as important skills for engineers to have.
B​ Tom’s latest school report said that he wasn’t studying hard enough.
C​ Tom’s school encourages its students to have at least one hobby.
D​ Learning to draw well also often takes hard work and concentration.
59​ Sanjay said that wind farms will not meet all our energy needs as the demand for
electricity grows, because we cannot rely on a source that varies with the weather. We
need power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is why the construction of wind
turbines, with their uneven output, is not the solution.

Which one of these statements, if true, most strengthens Sanjay’s argument?

A​ Scientists have found that global average wind speeds are increasing.
B​ There is no practical way to store the energy generated by wind turbines.
C​ Local residents often complain about wind turbines spoiling the landscape.
D​ A single wind turbine can generate the same energy as a thousand solar panels.

60​ Anh’s mother has written a letter to the school. She has suggested that, for the children’s
safety, cars should be banned from the roads around the school at the beginning and end
of the day, as there is a high risk of a child being involved in an accident.

Which one of these statements, if true, most strengthens Anh’s mother’s argument?
A​ Parents who go to work after taking children to school may be late if they have to
walk with their children to school.
B​ When people cannot find a place to park they can get very bad-tempered.
C​ Exhaust fumes from cars are invisible but very harmful to children.
D​ People who live close to the school have complained about the noise at the
beginning and end of the school day.
61​ There are some countries in the world where a high birth rate is a major worry, especially
when the country is less economically developed, and resources to feed and care for
children are scarce. But in other countries, the opposite is the case. The birth rate in
several rich countries is falling, at the same time as older people there are living longer.
This will become a problem as time goes on, because there will be far more old people
who need looking after, but far fewer younger people to do that. By allowing birth rates to
fall so much, these countries are storing up a problem for the future.

Which of these statements, if true, most strengthens the above argument?

A​ Parents who have fewer children can devote more time and energy to the children
they do have.
B​ Older people have much greater health needs, especially when they are over 85.
C​ Older people do not always want to be dependent on their children and
grandchildren.
D​ Young people should see care of their parents and grandparents as their duty.

62​ Why is it that Brazil has produced such successful soccer teams, and so many brilliant
players? One theory is that it is because Brazil has a lot of very poor areas, and so people
are just desperate to leave the ‘favelas’ (slums), and that becoming a professional soccer
player is a good way to do this. But a better explanation is the unique popularity in Brazil
of a game called futsal. Futsal is played with a smaller ball that is more difficult to
control, and in smaller spaces where people have to think faster and be more accurate
with their passing. As former soccer superstar Ronaldinho said, “When you come to play
soccer, it’s easy if you’ve come from futsal.”

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the above argument?
A​ Ronaldinho played futsal extensively before turning to soccer.
B​ Ronaldinho is not the only successful soccer player from Brazil to have started by
playing futsal.
C​ Some coaches in other countries also believe that futsal is the best way to improve
soccer skills.
D​ There are many other countries that have areas as poor as Brazil that have not had
the same success in soccer.
63​ It’s quite common to hear celebrities and politicians boasting about how little they sleep.
They like to create the impression that their success and achievement come from their
giving up sleep to work exceptionally long hours. But the truth is that success and sleep
go hand in hand. A group of Spanish psychologists have interviewed a wide range of
successful people over the last 30 years and have found that most of them credit their
achievements to plenty of rest and sleep. Far from being an obstacle to a great life, sleep
in fact seems to underpin it!

Which one of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the above argument?
A​ Average working hours have increased over the last ten years.
B​ People are as honest when interviewed by the press as when they are interviewed
by researchers.
C​ Many people view public figures like celebrities and politicians as role models.
D​ Getting less than seven hours of sleep can reduce people’s ability to make good
decisions.