Analysing Arguments 1

Questions Booklet

Instructions
This critical thinking test will assess your ability to reason logically when analysing arguments.
Read the instructions preceding each section and answer the questions. There are a total of
28 questions in this test and you should aim to correctly answer as many questions as you can
within 30 minutes.
Try to find a time and place where you will not be interrupted during the test. The test will
begin on the next page.

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Practice Aptitude Tests

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 series of questions, each question is followed by a series of arguments. For this section you
must regard each argument as true, regardless if it is weak or strong.
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.

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form in whole or in part, is prohibited without
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Statement One:
Should motor cyclists be legally obliged to wear a motorcycle helmet?

Q1
Argument One: Yes; motorcycle helmets have been proven to reduce the severity and frequency of
motorcycle related injuries.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q2
Argument Two: No; car users are not forced to wear helmets so neither should motor cyclists.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q3
Argument Three: No; motorcycle helmets limit a cyclists range of vision, increasing the likelihood
of injury or death.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q4
Argument Four: Yes; governments are entitled to enact laws deemed necessary and useful.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

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Statement Two:
Should basic human rights be extended to other great ape species?

Q5
Argument One: Yes; scientific testing on animals is a morally wrong act and should therefore be
outlawed.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q6
Argument Two: No; the use of great ape species in scientific research will lead to life saving
medicines for human beings.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q7
Argument Three: Yes; great apes are intelligent beings, which are being harmed due to their lack of
human rights unnecessarily.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q8
Argument Four: Yes; keeping wild animals in zoos negatively affects the numbers of wild
populations of animals.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

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distribution in printed, electronic, or any other
form in whole or in part, is prohibited without
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Statement Three:
Should governments provide tax relief for renewable energy production?

Q9
Argument One: No; renewable energy costs more to generate than it makes through sale, making
renewable energy sources non-viable, costing the government money.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q10
Argument Two: Yes; Tax relief would help encourage consumers to lower their carbon footprint,
preventing global warming.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q11
Argument Three: Yes; holes in the ozone layer could potentially threaten human populations.

Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q12
Argument Four: No; governments use tax income to fund important public services, such as
healthcare and education.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

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Statement Four:
Should employers be legally obliged to offer employees a work based pension?

Q13
Argument One: Yes; work based pensions improve the quality of life of former employees after
retirement.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q14
Argument Two: Yes; having work based pension increases employee job satisfaction, making
employees less likely to resign their position.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q15
Argument Three: No; governments already offer state pensions to tax payers.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q16
Argument Four: No; employers should have the right to decide how they compensate employees.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

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Statement Five:
Should schools provide free school meals to students from low income families?

Q17
Argument One: No; school meals would not be provided to middle income family students.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q18
Argument Two: Yes; free school meals have been provided as standard until recently.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q19
Argument Three: No; children will take advantage of the system in order to gain free meals.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q20
Argument Four: Yes; free school meals will lower the childs living costs, saving low income families
money.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

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Statement Six:
Is the value of a university degree decreasing?

Q21
Argument One: Yes; starting salaries for graduates are not rising faster than, or keeping pace with
inflation
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q22
Argument Two: Yes; the number of graduates has increased dramatically over the years.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q23
Argument Three: No; education is a lifelong process which harbours many benefits.

Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q24
Argument Four: No; the number of opportunities for graduates has recently increased
dramatically.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

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Statement Seven:
Are sin taxes on goods such as alcohol a useful method of limiting consumption?

Q25
Argument One: Yes; the increased cost of alcohol has been shown to lower the occurrence of liver
diseases.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q26
Argument Two: Yes; alcohol has been shown to lead to numerous negative health effects, including
liver damage.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q27
Argument Three: No; sin taxes unfairly affect lower income individuals, putting poorer people in a
significant economic disadvantage.
Strong Argument
Weak Argument

Q28
Argument Four: No; sin taxes have not been shown to lower consumption, but instead slightly
increase consumption of these goods.

Strong Argument
Weak Argument

-- END OF CRITICAL THINKING TEST --

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