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Solutions Booklet
Instructions
This practice critical thinking test will assess your ability to make inferences and assumptions
and to reason logically with arguments. The test comprises the following five sections:
1. Analysing Arguments
2. Assumptions
3. Deductions
4. Inferences
5. Interpreting Information
Read the instructions preceding each section and answer the questions. There are a total of
40 questions in this test and you should aim to correctly answer as many questions as you can
within 40 minutes. An extra 10 minutes are included in the 40 minutes for time to read the
instructions.
Try to find a time and place where you will not be interrupted during the test. The test will
begin on the next page.
AssessmentDay
Practice Aptitude Tests
Section 1: Analysing arguments
Instructions:
When making important decisions, it is useful to be able to distinguish between a strong argument
and a weak argument. A strong argument is both important and directly related to the question. A
weak argument is not directly related to the question, or is of minor importance or may be related
to a trivial aspect of the question, or confuses correlation with causation (incorrectly assuming that
because two things are related, they cause each other to happen).
In this section, a statement is presented to you with an agreeing or disagreeing argument below. You
must regard each argument as true, regardless whether it is weak or strong, agrees or disagrees with
the statement. The first and second statements will have three arguments each and the third
statement will have only two arguments.
If you consider an argument to be strong, select Strong argument, or if you consider an argument to
be weak, select Weak argument. Judge each question and argument individually. Try not to take into
account individual opinion or general knowledge since each argument is considered to be true.
See the example questions below with the correct answers given.
Q1
Argument One: No; NASA has failed hundreds of space missions and risked crew members’ lives.
The cost of space adventure is unjustified when poverty exists in many parts of the world.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Correct answer: Strong Argument
Explanation: The argument weighs the value of space missions against the risk of human lives lost
due to failure or poverty.
Q2
Argument Two: Yes; space exploration has led to the development of countless valuable
technologies such as satellites, the Internet, and GPS.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Explanation: The argument presents many valuable technological outcomes of space exploration, all
of which are seen as benefits rather than drawbacks, positive contributions to humankind.
Q3
Argument Three: No; the discovery of extra-terrestrial life will lead to the end of our planet as we
know it.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Q4
Argument One: No; speed cameras are prone to errors and not sensitive to context. They miss any
driving offences committed below the speed limit, for example mobile phone use.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Correct answer: Strong Argument
Explanation: The argument presents a few downsides and limitations of speed cameras in preventing
dangerous driving, which doesn’t fall under the category of driving excessively quickly.
Q5
Argument Two: Yes; speed cameras can reduce the number of road accidents by penalising drivers
who drive dangerously.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Explanation: The argument presents the way in which a speed camera can be an effective measure,
by detecting drivers who pose a risk to others it punishes them which has been shown to have a
positive effect in reducing the number of road traffic accidents.
Q6
Argument Three: No; the road signs warning for speed cameras are an eyesore in the natural
scenery of the motorway.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Explanation: The argument given isn’t relevant to the statement, as it does not relate to the speed
cameras’ efficacy at reducing motorway accidents.
Q7
Argument One: Yes; the service will benefit people working late-night or early morning shifts on
weekends.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Correct answer: Strong Argument
Explanation: This is a relevant and prominent argument in favour of the 24-hour tube. It puts
forward the suggestion that a 24-hour tube service would be beneficial to workers for at least some
periods during the weekend.
Q8
Argument Two: No; the schedule removes the time-window after traffic hours in which network
maintenance is carried out, risking the safety and the smooth-running of the line.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument
Explanation: The argument raises an important concern and flaw in the 24-hour service.
Compromising the efficiency and safety of the transport system is not seen as a good trade off to
make to increase the running time of the service.
An assumption is something which is presumed or taken for granted. When a person says, “I will see
you tomorrow”, it is taken for granted that they will be around tomorrow, and that they will not
have last-minute plans which prevent them from seeing you tomorrow.
In this section, you will be provided with a number of statements. Each statement will be followed
by a series of proposed assumptions. You must decide which assumptions are logically justified
based on the evidence in the statement. If you think that the assumption is taken for granted in the
statement, and is therefore logically justified, select Assumption made. If you think that the
assumption is not taken for granted in the statement, and is not therefore logically justified, select
Assumption not made. Remember to judge each question individually and base your responses on
the statements provided.
See the example questions below with the correct answers given.
Your handwriting needs to be improved before you write a letter to your grandmother.
Q9
Assumption One: The person being spoken to has the capability of improving their handwriting.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: The statement given that the handwriting needs to improve, rests on the ability to do
so. If it was not possible, the statement would not have been made. It is stated on that assumption.
Therefore, assumption made.
Q10
Assumption Two: The person being told this does not have good handwriting.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: The handwriting is said to be not good enough for the grandmother. It may be possible
that the handwriting is good, but simply not up to the required standards. Therefore, this
assumption is not made in the statement.
Q11
Assumption Three: The person being spoken to is going to write a letter to their grandmother.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: The statement suggests that a letter is desired to be written. There is not a mention
that it is going to happen. This assumption does not support the statement.
Q12
Assumption One: The person or group will be able to use the bridge.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: The statement simply states that the bridge would be the fastest means of getting
across, not that the group will be able to use it.
Q13
Assumption Two: The person or group need to cross the river.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: The statement is that the bridge would be the fastest means of getting across, not that
the group need to even try to use it. This assumption does not support the statement. Therefore,
assumption not made.
Q14
Assumption Three: The bridge is the most convenient way of crossing the river.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: The statement talks about the speed at which they could cross rather than the
convenience. It may be that the bridge is not safe to cross.
Q15
Assumption One: The person saying this will be free tomorrow.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: This person speaking assumes that they will be free tomorrow, otherwise it would be
unlikely that they would make plans to go to a park.
Q16
Assumption Two: The park is always busy.
Assumption Made
Assumption Not Made
Explanation: The park may or may not be busy. The assumption is not made upon the statement that
they are looking for a park.
In this section, a statement will be provided followed by a series of suggested conclusions. Here, you
must take the statement to be true. After reading each conclusion underneath the statement, you
must decide whether you think it follows from the statement provided.
If you agree that the conclusion exactly follows the statement, chose Conclusion Follows.
However, if you do not agree that the conclusion exactly follows then chose Conclusion Does Not
Follow.
You must select your answer based only on the information presented; not using general knowledge.
Similarly, you are advised not to let your own opinions or prejudices influence your decisions; stick
to the statements and base your judgements on the facts presented.
See the example questions below with the correct answers given.
The amount of household rubbish being rejected for recycling in England has
increased by 84% over the past four years. Councils say they are working to stop
people putting the wrong items in bins. The cost to local authorities of re-sorting
‘contaminated’ recycling bins is said to be the primary reason the vast majority of the
waste is being rejected.
Q17
Conclusion One: Recycling by councils started four years ago.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement does not say when it started, the only reference to time is in the first
sentence of the passage and to illustrate how much has been rejected for recycling.
Q18
Conclusion Two: People are not correctly sorting their recyclable items.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement says that councils are working to stop people putting the wrong items in
bins, so we can easily deduce that putting items in the wrong bins is the same as not correctly
sorting their recyclable items.
Q19
Conclusion Three: Time is the main driver of councils rejecting recyclable items.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement says that cost is said to be the primary reason.
The gap between hourly earnings between males and females becomes steadily wider
after women become mothers. Over the subsequent 12 years, women's hourly pay rate
falls 33% behind men's. This is partly because women who return to work often do so in a
part-time capacity and miss out on opportunities for promotion.
Q20
Conclusion One: Part-time work is a barrier to promotion.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The final sentence in the passage cites part-time work as a reason for women missing
out on promotion opportunities.
Q21
Conclusion Two: Having a child has an impact on a woman’s career.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement says that women miss out on wages and promotion opportunities after
they have children.
Q22
Conclusion Three: Women who do not have children earn equal pay.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The first sentence mentions that a ‘gap’ in earnings already exists. We are explicitly told
that becoming a mother increases the difference between a woman’s and a man’s pay rate
increases, but there is no indication that before this event that the pay rate is the same for both men
and women.
There is evidence that suggests a seven-day NHS would benefit patients. However, a
lack of funding and staffing means there are concerns about the quality of service
being consistent throughout the week.
Q23
Conclusion One: The service could vary in quality from day to day.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement says there are concerns over the consistency of the service which could
be delivered throughout the week.
Q24
Conclusion Two: The NHS will employ more staff.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement says there is a lack of funding and staffing. This almost infers that more
staff and funding will be required, but not whether there are any plans to do so that we can deduce
from the two sentences
An inference is a conclusion drawn from observed or supposed facts. For example, if someone
presses a light switch but the light does not turn on, they might infer that the filament has burnt out.
However, inferences may or may not be correct. For example, in this case, the bulb could be missing,
or a fuse could be blown.
The questions in this section of the test will begin with a statement of facts that must be regarded as
true. After each statement, you will be presented with possible inferences which might be drawn
from facts in the statement. Analyse each inference separately and decide on its degree of truth.
For each inference, you will be provided with 5 possible answers: True, Probably True, More
Information Required, Probably False, and False.
Select:
True, if you believe the inference is definitely true, i.e. it correctly follows beyond a reasonable
doubt.
Probably True, if, based on the facts at hand, you think the inference is probably true; that it is more
likely to be true than false, but not true beyond a reasonable doubt.
More Information Required, if you decide that there is not enough data to make a decision based
on the provided facts (or lack of facts).
Probably False, if, based on the facts presented, you think the inference is probably false; i.e. it is
more likely to be false than true, but there is not enough evidence to suggest that it is definitely
false.
False, if you think the inference is definitely false; i.e. it must be incorrect because it misrepresents
the facts provided or contradicts the facts provided in the statement.
Have a look at the example questions below with the correct answers given.
The use of computers in schools has increased by a huge proportion over the last
decade. This is considered good for the education of students by most parents and
teachers, but some feel it is making it easier for children to get distracted.
Q25
Inference One: Most schools are trying to implement the use of computers in the classroom.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Explanation: The statement is telling us that the majority of people support the use of computers, so
this implies that the majority of people are trying to implement them.
Q26
Inference Two: Some children would be distracted when using the computers.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Explanation: It is not demonstrably true, but is heavily inferred in the last part of the second
sentence of the passage.
The use of computers in schools has increased by a huge proportion over the last
decade. This is considered good for the education of students by most parents and
teachers, but some feel it is making it easier for children to get distracted.
Q27
Inference Three: The children want to use the computers.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Q28
Inference Four: More schools will bring in the use of computers over the next decade.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Explanation: Most people approve of the use of computers, so it makes sense for all schools to start
bringing computers into schools and classrooms.
A group of friends attended a theme park over the course of a weekend. It took them
six hours to get there by public transport, because none of them could drive, and the
ticket cost was higher than usual as they visited on the weekend. They purchased the
‘fast-passes,’ which allowed them to take a shorter queue on any ride.
Q29
Inference One: All of the friends really wanted to go.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Explanation: They were willing to spend six hours to get there and pay a higher price for it, so it is
fairly likely that they all wanted to go.
Q30
Inference Two: Going to the theme park would be cheaper on a week day.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Explanation: This must be true seeing as the statement says that it was more expensive than usual
because their visit was on a weekend. This infers that visiting during the week would have been
cheaper.
A group of friends attended a theme park over the course of a weekend. It took them
six hours to get there by public transport, because none of them could drive, and the
ticket cost was higher than usual as they visited on the weekend. They purchased the
‘fast-passes,’ which allowed them to take a shorter queue on any ride.
Q31
Inference Three: The fast passes ended up costing the same amount as the normal passes.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Explanation: The ‘fast-passes’ suggest that there is some benefit to purchasing them over whatever
the standard passes sold were. Added benefits usually infer an added cost.
Q32
Inference Four: The waiting time for the group was half of that of someone without a fast-pass for
any ride.
True
Probably True
Insufficient Data
Probably False
False
Explanation: The statement does not give any information from which we can infer the waiting time
difference for people with and without a ‘fast-pass.’
The following questions will consist of a passage of information, followed by a series of conclusions.
You are instructed to assume all information in the passage is true. The task is to judge whether or
not each of the proposed conclusions logically flows beyond a reasonable doubt from the
information given in the paragraph.
If you think that a conclusion follows beyond a reasonable doubt (but perhaps not exactly, or
necessarily, unlike in the Deductions section), select Conclusion Follows. If you think the conclusion
does not follow beyond a reasonable doubt based on the facts given, select Conclusion Does Not
Follow. Do not use general knowledge when answering, only use the information provided in the
passage. Remember to judge each conclusion individually.
See the example questions below with the correct answers given.
Q33
Conclusion One: The UK does not have the right climate for Anopheles mosquitoes.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement says that Anopheles mosquitoes are in tropical regions, whereas the UK
has a climate described as ‘temperate,’ this is not the right environment for malaria nor the
mosquitoes.
Q34
Conclusion Two: Only female mosquitoes can infect humans.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement says malaria is transmitted through the bite of the female Anopheles
mosquitoes.
Q35
Conclusion Three: Malaria is not life-threatening if treated early.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: There is no mention relating malaria’s severity with the time a person has been infected
with the virus. The first sentence states that it is life-threatening, and we have no information to
prove otherwise for any time period, in particular the early stages of infection.
Further Education refers to any study taken after the age of 16 that is not part of
Higher Education, i.e. study not taken as part of an undergraduate degree course. It is
delivered by a range of public, private and voluntary providers and seeks to equip the
learner with the skills for further learning or for the job market.
Q36
Conclusion One: Further Education can be a gateway to degree level study.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: It is below degree level but seeks to equip learners for further study.
Q37
Conclusion Two: Further Education can help develop employability skills.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The final sentence infers this as ‘seeking to equip the learner with the skills for…the job
market’ could be seen as assisting people to develop skills which will assist them in acquiring and
maintaining a job (various aspects relevant to working life).
Q38
Conclusion Three: Further education has to be taken through state schools or colleges.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The second sentence states gives more examples of where Further Education courses
can take place, which aren’t just state schools and colleges but private or voluntary bodies as well.
One of the ways the food industry tries to control the environment in which foodstuff
are produced is by applying pesticides. They help farmers and growers minimise the
damage done to their crops by weeds and or insects. They can also potentially be
harmful to humans and wildlife so their use is monitored, and there are limits on
pesticide traces that can be found in food.
Q39
Conclusion One: Pesticides are used to maximise crop yields.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: They are, at least partly, how growers maximise yields by stopping weeds and insects
damaging crops.
Q40
Conclusion Two: Pesticides are the most cost-effective way of maximising crop yield.
Conclusion Follows
Conclusion Does Not Follow
Explanation: The statement does not mention cost, there’s certainly not enough information to
determine whether of all methods to maximise crop yield that this is the most cost-effective.