Critical reading is a demanding process. To read critically, you must slow down your reading and, with pencil in hand, perform specific operations on the text. Mark up the text with your reactions, conclusions, and questions. When you read, become an active participant. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. critical reading is a slow, dull, but essential process
B. the best critical reading happens at critical times in a person's life.
C. readers should get in the habit of questioning the truth of what they read.
D. critical reading requires thoughtful and careful attention.
E. critical reading should take place at the same time each day.
Correct Answer
critical reading requires thoughtful and careful attention.
Explanation
This answer is implied by the whole paragraph. The author stresses the need to read critically by performing thoughtful and careful operations on the text. Choice a is incorrect because the author never says that reading is dull. Choices b, c, and e are not supported by the paragraph.
Analyzing Arguments problems
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1. Obesity is a serious problem in this country. Research suggests that obesity can lead to a number of health problems including diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. Recent research has even indicated that there may be a relationship between obesity and some types of cancer. Major public health campaigns that increase awareness and propose simple lifestyle changes that will, with diligence and desire, eliminate or least mitigate the incidence of obesity are a crucial first step in battling this critical problem. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. public health campaigns that raise consciousness and propose lifestyle changes are a productive way to fight obesity.
B. obesity is the leading cause of diabetes in our country.
C. people in our country watch too much television and do not exercise enough.
D. a decline in obesity would radically decrease the incidence of asthma.
E. fast-food restaurants and unhealthy school lunches contribute greatly to obesity.
Correct Answer: public health campaigns that raise consciousness and propose lifestyle changes are a productive way to fight obesity.
Explanation:
The support for this choice is in the last sentence, which states that major public health campaigns that increase awareness and propose lifestyle changes are important in our fight against obesity. Choice b can be ruled out because although the paragraph states that obesity can lead to diabetes, it doesn't tell us that it is the leading cause of this disease. Choices c and e might sound reasonable and true, but they are not supported in the paragraph. And although we are told that obesity has been connected to asthma, this fact is not quantified in any way, so choice d is also not supported by the information given.
2. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures. No search of a person's home or personal effects may be conducted without a written search warrant issued on probable cause. This means that a neutral judge must approve the factual basis justifying a search before it can be conducted. This paragraph best supports the statement that the police cannot search a person's home or private papers unless they have
Options
A. legal authorization
B. direct evidence of a crime.
C. read the person his or her constitutional rights.
The second and third sentence combine to give support to choice a. The statement stresses that there must be a judge's approval (i.e., legal authorization) before a search can be conducted. Choices b and d are wrong because it is not enough for the police to have direct evidence or a reasonable belief?a judge must authorize the search for it to be legal. Choices c and e are not mentioned in the passage.
3. There are no effective boundaries when it comes to pollutants. Studies have shown that toxic insecticides that have been banned in many countries are riding the wind from countries where they remain legal. Compounds such as DDT and toxaphene have been found in remote places like the Yukon and other Arctic regions. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. toxic insecticides such as DDT have not been banned throughout the world.
B. more pollutants find their way into polar climates than they do into warmer areas
C. studies have proven that many countries have ignored their own antipollution laws.
D. DDT and toxaphene are the two most toxic insecticides in the world.
E. even a worldwide ban on toxic insecticides would not stop the spread of DDT pollution.
Correct Answer: toxic insecticides such as DDT have not been banned throughout the world.
Explanation:
The support for this choice is in the second sentence, which states that in some countries, toxic insecticides are still legal. Choice b is incorrect because even though polar regions are mentioned in the paragraph, there is no support for the idea that warmer regions are not just as affected. There is no support for choice c. Choice d can be ruled out because there is nothing to indicate that DDT and toxaphene are the most toxic. Choice e is illogical.
4. During colonial times in America, juries were encouraged to ask questions of the parties in the courtroom. The jurors were, in fact, expected to investigate the facts of the case themselves. If jurors conducted an investigation today, we would throw out the case. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. juries are less important today than they were in colonial times.
B. jurors today are less interested in court cases than they were in colonial times.
C. courtrooms today are more efficient than they were in colonial times.
D. jurors in colonial times were more informed than jurors today.
E. the jury system in America has changed since colonial times.
Correct Answer: the jury system in America has changed since colonial times.
Explanation:
The paragraph focuses on the idea that the jury system is different from what it was in colonial times. There is no support given for choices a, b, and c. Choice d is incorrect because, even though jurors in colonial times were expected to investigate and ask questions, this does not necessarily mean that they were more informed than today's jurors.
5. In the 1966 Supreme Court decision Miranda v. Arizona, the court held that before the police can obtain statements from a person subjected to an interrogation, the person must be given a Miranda warning. This warning means that a person must be told that he or she has the right to remain silent during the police interrogation. Violation of this right means that any statement that the person makes is not admissible in a court hearing. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. police who do not warn persons of their Miranda rights are guilty of a crime.
B. a Miranda warning must be given before a police interrogation can begin.
C. the police may no longer interrogate persons suspected of a crime unless a lawyer is present.
D. the 1966 Supreme Court decision in Miranda should be reversed
E. persons who are interrogated by police should always remain silent until their lawyer comes
Correct Answer: a Miranda warning must be given before a police interrogation can begin.
Explanation:
This answer is clearly supported in the second sentence. Nothing in the paragraph suggests that it is a crime not to give a Miranda warning, so choice a is incorrect. Choice c is also wrong because police may interrogate as long as a warning is given. There is no support given for either choice d or e.
6. Walk into any supermarket or pharmacy and you will find several shelves of products designed to protect adults and children from the sun. Additionally, a host of public health campaigns have been created, including National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, that warn us about the sun's damaging UV rays and provide guidelines about protecting ourselves. While warnings about the sun's dangers are frequent, a recent survey found that fewer than half of all adults adequately protect themselves from the sun. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. children are better protected from the sun's dangerous rays than adults
B. sales of sun protection products are at an all-time high.
C. adults are not heeding the warnings about the dangers of sun exposure seriously enough.
D. more adults have skin cancer now than ever before
E. there is not enough information disseminated about the dangers of sun exposure.
Correct Answer: adults are not heeding the warnings about the dangers of sun exposure seriously enough.
Explanation:
The last sentence gives direct support for this response. Although children might be better protected from the sun than adults, the paragraph does not specifically cite statistics about children, so we can't know for sure, ruling out choice a. There is no evidence provided in the paragraph to support choices b and d. Choice e is incorrect since the last sentence tells us that warnings about the sun's dangers are frequent.
7. For too long, school cafeterias, in an effort to provide food they thought would be appetizing to young people, mimicked fast-food restaurants, serving items such as burgers and fries, pizza, hot dogs, and fried chicken. School districts nationwide are now addressing this trend by incorporating some simple and inexpensive options that will make cafeteria lunches healthier while still appealing to students. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. school cafeterias have always emphasized nutritional guidelines over any other considerations.
B. young people would rather eat in a school cafeteria than a local fast-food restaurant.
C. school lunch menus are becoming healthier due to major new initiatives on the part of school districts.
D. it is possible to make school lunches both healthier and appealing without spending a great deal of money and undertaking a radical transformation.
E. vegetarian lunch options would greatly improve the nutritional value of the school lunch program.
Correct Answer: it is possible to make school lunches both healthier and appealing without spending a great deal of money and undertaking a radical transformation.
Explanation:
The final sentence of the paragraph supports choice d. The other choices are not supported by the passage. Choice c may seem correct at first, but the paragraph states that the new initiatives are simple and inexpensive, not major. Choice e might seem to represent a truth, but vegetarian options are not discussed in this paragraph.
8. Forest fires feed on decades-long accumulations of debris and leap from the tops of young trees into the branches of mature trees. Fires that jump from treetop to treetop can be devastating. In old-growth forests, however, the shade of mature trees keeps thickets of small trees from sprouting, and the lower branches of mature trees are too high to catch the flames. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. forest fire damage is reduced in old-growth forests.
B. small trees should be cut down to prevent forest fires.
C. mature trees should be thinned out to prevent forest fires
D. forest fires do the most damage in old-growth forests.
E. old-growth forests have a larger accumulation of forest debris.
Correct Answer: forest fire damage is reduced in old-growth forests.
Explanation:
The last sentence provides direct support for choice a. The author never suggests that any trees should be cut down or thinned out, which eliminates choices b and c. Choice d contradicts the author's opinion. The author suggests that old growth forests have less debris, which rules out choice e.
9. During the last six years, the number of practicing physicians has increased by about 20%. During the same time period, the number of healthcare managers has increased by more than 600%. These percentages mean that many doctors have lost the authority to make their own schedules, determine the fees that they charge, and decide on prescribed treatments. This paragraph best supports the statement that doctors
Options
A. resent the interference of healthcare managers.
B. no longer have adequate training.
C. care a great deal about their patients.
D. are less independent than they used to be.
E. are making a lot less money than they used to make.
Correct Answer: are less independent than they used to be.
Explanation:
The author of this statement suggests that doctors are less independent. The author stresses that many doctors have lost authority. There is no support for the opinion that doctors resent the healthcare managers, however which rules out choice a. The doctors training is never mentioned (choice b). Doctors may care about their patients (choice c), but this information is not part of the paragraph. Choice e is not mentioned.
10. By the time they reach adulthood, most people can perform many different activities involving motor skills. Motor skills involve such diverse tasks as riding a bicycle, threading a needle, and cooking a dinner. What all these activities have in common is their dependence on precision and timing of muscular movement. This paragraph best supports the statement that
Options
A. most adults have not refined their motor skills.
B. all adults know how to ride a bicycle.
C. refined motor skills are specifically limited to adults.
D. children perform fewer fine motor activities in a day than adults do.