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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

A study of kindergarten students has shown that children from households that own many books, an average of 54 books, show average or high reading achievement levels, while the households of children with lower reading achievement levels tend to own fewer books, 5 books on average.

What additional information would strengthen the assertion that parents who don`t buy children's books to keep in the home cause their children to fall behind their peers in reading skills?

Disposable diapers, while a convenience, are an environmental disaster. If people would use cloth diapers instead of those made of disposable paper, much less paper would be produced saving millions of trees each year. Therefore, people should go back to buying, washing and reusing cloth diapers and Earth's precious natural resources would not be consumed so rapidly.

This argument depends of which of the following assumptions?

Industry Analyst: This summer is expected to be particularly hot and dry in the major orange-growing regions of Florida, the state accounting for the largest share of orange production in the United States. While hot and dry weather usually leads to a substantial drop in the yield of oranges, my projections indicate that the revenues of Florida orange producers will not be substantially affected by these unfavorable conditions.

Which of the following statements, if true, would support the claim of the Industry Analyst?

Advertisement: Last year, Factorial Mutual Fund continued its strong record of investment performance. Investors who included Factorial Fund in their portfolios realized an average capital gain of 15% across all of their investment assets, nearly double the market return. Therefore, investors interested in high returns should consider adding Factorial Mutual Fund to their portfolios.

The claim in the advertisement above is based on which of the following assumptions?

Spokesperson: The major school lunch vendors recently agreed to stop selling high-calorie beverages in elementary and middle schools because studies show that children of ages 7 to 8 who substitute one low-calorie beverage for one high-calorie soft drink in their daily diets will, on average, weigh 20 pounds less than they would have by the time they reach high school. Since only low-calorie beverages will be sold in schools, within six to eight years, we can expect to see a reduction in the percentage of overweight high-school children.

The spokesperson assumes which of the following to be true?

Scientist: All other things being equal, the intensity of heat increases as the distance from the heat source decreases. Knowing this, most people conclude that the Earth's seasons are caused by the Earth's changing distance from the sun. In other words, winter occurs when the Earth is far from the sun, and summer occurs when the earth is close to the sun. However, we know that as North America experiences summer, South America experiences winter, even though the difference in the continents' distance to the sun is negligible. Therefore, the earth's changing distance from the sun does not cause the seasons.

In the argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

The mayor of Coast Town has determined that the best way to pay for the construction of a new library is to charge all residents and non-residents a fee for visiting Coast Town's well-regarded beach. The mayor reasons that at current levels of visitation, the revenue generated from the beach visitation fee will pay for the new library within three years.

Which of the following pieces of information would be most useful in evaluating the mayor's conclusion?

A recent survey conducted in the New Homes magazine indicated that more than 70% of its readers are planning to purchase or build a new home over the next two years. Based on the results of the survey, the editor of the magazine concluded that over the next two years, the real estate industry is likely to experience rapid growth driven by the high market demand for new homes.

Which of the following statements, if true, would be the most damaging to the conclusion of the magazine's editor?