Commercially available chemical fertilizers contain the same nutrients and micronutrients as organic fertilizers such as manure and composted garden clippings. Plants have tiny root hairs that absorb nutrients, and whether the source of the nutrients is organic or chemical is irrelevant to the plant's ability to take in the nutrients. Nevertheless, organic fertilizers are better for the health of the plant than are chemical fertilizers alone.

Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the position above?

Since 1995, Congress has exempted oil companies that have leases issued by the federal government allowing them to drill for deep-water oil off the Gulf of Mexico from royalty payments as an incentive to spur development in times of low oil and gas prices. These leases were supposed to have included a provision that reinstates the royalties should the market prices of oil and gas exceed a certain level. Because of an error by the federal government, however, the language that reinstates the royalties is missing from the more than 1,100 leases issued by the U.S. government in 1998 and 1999. Since the market price of oil and gas has recently risen far above the threshold levels, this error could allow the oil companies to reap a windfall of more than $10 billion through the life of the leases. In response, the government is pressuring the oil companies to renegotiate the leases. The executives of the oil companies strongly oppose renegotiation; all have issued statements stating that they expect the government to honor the terms of the contracts and that renegotiating a duly signed agreement would set a bad precedent.

Which of the following statements best reflects the position of the oil company executives?

The children in the second grade at a local elementary school scored lower on tests of math skills this year than the second graders did last year. The school board blames the disappointing results on the budget cuts that forced the school to consolidate several classes of second-grade students, thus depriving them of the individualized attention that they had previously enjoyed.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the explanation offered by the school board for the students' lower test scores?

Ecologist: The incidence of alligator attacks on humans in the vicinity of the Blue Lagoon has increased in recent years. Relocating at least half of the Blue Lagoon's alligator population would help decrease the incidence of alligator attacks on humans.

The ecologist's claim relies on which of the following assumptions?

A company determines its yearly profits by deducting its operating expenses from its revenue for that year. Company X manufactures only widgets and gadgets. Company X's profits for this year are significantly higher than those for last year, although the company's operating expenses remained the same and the company sold the same number of widgets and gadgets as it did last year.

The statements above, if true, best support which of the following conclusions?

Congress has passed a law that scales back the tax credits offered to purchasers of hybrid cars. Because of this, the number of hybrid cars sold each year, which has approximately doubled in each of the last five years, is likely to flatten in the next few years.

Which of the following statements, if true, most weakens the conclusion that the number of hybrid cars sold annually is likely to flatten in the next few years?

Surveys consistently show that the best-selling ice cream flavor is vanilla, although those who prefer chocolate rarely order vanilla. Vanilla-flavored candy, then, probably sells better than chocolate-flavored candy.

Which of the following is an assumption upon which the author of the argument relies?

In recent years, the Holdsville Transportation Authority (HTA) has noted consistent delays on its Holdsville-River Valley bus, which runs from downtown Holdsville to the suburb of River Valley. In order to decrease the commuting time from Holdsville to River Valley, the HTA recently eliminated the James Street stop on the Holdsville-River Valley line. However, data show that the average commuting time from Holdsville to River Valley has actually increased since the elimination of the stop.

Which of the following provides the best explanation for the increase in commuting time from Holdsville to River Valley?

The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death penalty. In contrast, the death penalty remains legal in the United States. The difference in the legality of capital punishment demonstrates that the majority of American citizens believe in the death penalty, while the majority of Filipino citizens do not.

Which of the following is an assumption upon which the above argument depends?

Normally, businesses operate at a profit. In other words, they sell their products to customers for more money than the products initially cost. This pricing structure permits businesses to sustain themselves over time. The Stop and Go Supermarket, however, sells its milk for less money than it costs.

Which of the following, if true, would best explain why the pricing structure for milk makes economic sense for Stop and Go?

On average, American consumers buy a new computer every four years even though older computers are still perfectly capable of basic operations such as word processing and surfing the Internet. This is the case despite the fact that most computers are designed to work for approximately ten years.

The statements above, if true, best support which of the following as a conclusion?

Smith, a basketball player, successfully made 80% of the shots that he attempted this year – an exceptionally high percentage for a player in Smith's league. However, this statistic does not mean that Smith is an exceptional shooter, because the best shooters take many shots from risky locations 20 or more feet away from the basket. Instead, Smith's high shooting percentage simply shows that he takes most of his shots from locations very close to the basket.

Which of the following statements, if true, provides additional support for the argument?

At any given time, approximately fifteen percent of all homes in Florida are on the market. In Texas, however, only seven percent of all homes are on the market at any given time. Therefore, one will have a wider selection of homes to choose from if one looks for a home in Florida rather than in Texas.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously strengthen the argument above?

Albinism is a rare genetic condition that inhibits the production of melanin, or pigmentation, in the skin and hair. People born with albinism are unusually susceptible to sunburn, melanoma, and a range of other health issues that are generally connected to excessive exposure to the sun.

The statements above, if true, provide the most support for which of the following conclusions?

The hepatitis B virus is common in China relative to other countries in the region. The disease can easily be prevented through vaccination, regulation of barbershop and manicure practices, and health education. Yet, the incidence of this disease continues to rise in China, while it remains stable or is falling in China's neighboring countries.

Which of the following, if true, would best explain the situation described above?