NUMS — Medical & Dental Entry Test

NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 1)

Take the NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 1): 30 multiple-choice questions (40 minutes) with instant scoring…

What this test covers

30 NUMS Logical Reasoning

Sample questions with answers

The first 5 questions of this test, with the correct answer and explanation.

Q1. Statement: "Take this tablet twice a day for quick relief from the pain," the doctor told the patient. Assumptions: I. The tablet is effective in relieving the pain. II. The patient is likely to follow the doctor's advice. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit ✓
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Answer: C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
Explanation: The doctor would not prescribe the tablet unless he believed it works, and giving advice assumes the patient will act on it.
Q2. Statement: Hospital notice: "Visitors are requested to switch off their mobile phones inside the ICU." Assumptions: I. Mobile phones may disturb ICU patients or interfere with equipment. II. Some visitors bring mobile phones into the ICU. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit ✓
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Answer: C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
Explanation: The notice is only needed if phones cause a problem there and if visitors actually bring them in.
Q3. Statement: The government has raised the tax on cigarettes in order to reduce smoking. Assumptions: I. Higher prices may discourage some people from smoking. II. Every smoker will quit smoking immediately. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit ✓
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Answer: A. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: The policy assumes price affects smoking, but it does not assume that every smoker will quit at once.
Q4. Statement: Advertisement: "Join our academy to improve your entry-test score." Assumptions: I. Students want to improve their entry-test scores. II. Every student who does not join the academy will fail. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit ✓
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Answer: A. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: The advertisement appeals to students' wish to improve; it makes no claim about everyone else failing.
Q5. Statement: Notice in a building: "In case of fire, use the stairs; do not use the lift." Assumptions: I. Lifts may be unsafe to use during a fire. II. Fires break out in this building every week. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit ✓
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Answer: A. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: The instruction assumes lifts are dangerous in a fire, not that fires are frequent.

The other 25 questions

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Q6. Statement: The city council has banned plastic shopping bags to protect the environment. Assumptions: I. Plastic bags harm the environment. II. People will stop shopping in the city. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Q7. Statement: The principal announced that the college library will stay open until 10 p.m. during the examination period. Assumptions: I. Students study only in the library. II. No student studies at home. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Q8. Statement: Advertisement: "Buy one, get one free – offer valid this week only." Assumptions: I. The product is of poor quality. II. The offer will attract more customers. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Q9. Read the two statements. A: Heavy rain fell continuously on the city for three days. B: Many low-lying areas of the city were flooded. Which option best describes the relationship between them?
- A. Statement A is the cause and statement B is its effect
- B. Statement B is the cause and statement A is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. Both statements are independent and unrelated events
Q10. Read the two statements. A: The prices of vegetables in the market have risen sharply. B: An unseasonal frost destroyed most of the vegetable crop this season. Which option best describes the relationship between them?
- A. Statement A is the cause and statement B is its effect
- B. Statement B is the cause and statement A is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. Both statements are independent and unrelated events
Q11. Read the two statements. A: Schools across the region announced early summer holidays. B: Hospitals in the region reported a sharp rise in heatstroke cases. Which option best describes the relationship between them?
- A. Statement A is the cause and statement B is its effect
- B. Statement B is the cause and statement A is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. Both statements are independent and unrelated events
Q12. Read the two statements. A: The number of candidates taking the medical entry test rose this year. B: A major earthquake struck a distant country. Which option best describes the relationship between them?
- A. Statement A is the cause and statement B is its effect
- B. Statement B is the cause and statement A is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. Both statements are independent and unrelated events
Q13. Read the two statements. A: A factory dumped untreated chemical waste into the river. B: Large numbers of dead fish were found downstream of the factory. Which option best describes the relationship between them?
- A. Statement A is the cause and statement B is its effect
- B. Statement B is the cause and statement A is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. Both statements are independent and unrelated events
Q14. Read the two statements. A: This month, after a water test found bacteria in its tanks, the hospital installed a new water-filtration plant. B: Cases of typhoid among hospital staff rose sharply last month. Which option best describes the relationship between them?
- A. Statement A is the cause and statement B is its effect
- B. Statement B is the cause and statement A is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. Both statements are independent and unrelated events
Q15. Argument: "Students who eat breakfast score higher in tests than those who skip it. Therefore, eating breakfast improves test scores." Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
- A. Students who eat breakfast also tend to sleep longer and study more regularly than those who skip it.
- B. Test scores in the school have improved over the last five years.
- C. Breakfast is considered the most important meal by many nutritionists.
- D. Most students in the study ate breakfast at least four days a week.
Q16. A study found that patients given a new drug had lower blood pressure after eight weeks. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the claim that the drug lowers blood pressure?
- A. The drug is more expensive than existing blood-pressure medicines.
- B. Some patients in the study also reported mild headaches.
- C. The study was conducted in a large teaching hospital.
- D. A similar group of patients given a placebo over the same eight weeks showed no change in blood pressure.
Q17. "Ali must be an excellent doctor because he graduated from a famous medical college." This conclusion depends on which assumption?
- A. Excellent doctors only come from famous colleges.
- B. Famous medical colleges charge high fees.
- C. Ali studied harder than his classmates.
- D. Graduates of famous medical colleges are excellent doctors.
Q18. "Every time I carry an umbrella, it does not rain. So carrying an umbrella prevents rain." What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It attacks the person instead of the argument.
- B. It uses an emotional appeal.
- C. It treats a coincidence as a cause.
- D. It relies on the opinion of an expert.
Q19. All the wards on the third floor of the hospital were cleaned yesterday. Ward 7 was not cleaned yesterday. Which conclusion follows?
- A. Ward 7 is on the second floor.
- B. Ward 7 will be cleaned today.
- C. Ward 7 is not on the third floor.
- D. No wards were cleaned on other floors.
Q20. Argument: "Town A has more doctors per person than Town B but also a higher death rate. So having more doctors increases deaths." Which of the following, if true, most weakens this argument?
- A. Town B has more pharmacies than Town A.
- B. Town A has a much older population and a large hospital that receives critically ill patients from nearby areas.
- C. Doctors in Town A work longer hours than those in Town B.
- D. Both towns have similar numbers of schools.
Q21. Statement: Many people in a village are falling ill with diarrhoea because their drinking water is contaminated. Courses of action: I. Supply the village with safe, treated drinking water. II. Close the village school permanently. Which course(s) of action follow(s)?
- A. Only course of action I follows
- B. Only course of action II follows
- C. Both courses of action follow
- D. Neither course of action follows
Q22. Statement: Several students fainted during a long morning assembly held in the hot sun. Courses of action: I. Hold the assembly in a shaded area or shorten it. II. Arrange a medical check-up for the students who fainted. Which course(s) of action follow(s)?
- A. Only course of action I follows
- B. Only course of action II follows
- C. Both courses of action follow
- D. Neither course of action follows
Q23. The hospital administration decided to hire more nurses in order to reduce patients' waiting times. Which assumption underlies this decision?
- A. Nurses are paid less than doctors.
- B. Waiting times in other hospitals are shorter.
- C. Patients prefer nurses to doctors.
- D. A shortage of nurses is contributing to long waiting times.
Q24. "Sana will reach Islamabad by 5 p.m. because her train leaves Lahore at noon." Which assumption is necessary for this conclusion?
- A. Sana has bought a first-class ticket.
- B. Trains are faster than buses on this route.
- C. The train journey takes no more than five hours.
- D. Sana has relatives in Islamabad.
Q25. Complaints about long waiting times at a clinic dropped sharply in the month it introduced an online appointment system. Which of the following, if true, best supports the claim that the online system caused the drop?
- A. A new clinic opened nearby and attracted many patients that month.
- B. The number of patients and staff stayed the same that month as in earlier months.
- C. Many patients found the online system hard to use.
- D. The clinic repainted its waiting area the same month.
Q26. Argument: "The new syllabus is clearly better: the pass rate rose from 60% to 80% in the year it was introduced." Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
- A. Teachers received training on the new syllabus.
- B. The new syllabus includes more practical work.
- C. More students enrolled in the course that year.
- D. In the same year, the passing mark was lowered from 50% to 40%.
Q27. In a college, every student who studies Biology also studies Chemistry. Some students who study Chemistry also study Physics. Hassan studies Biology. Which of the following must be true?
- A. Hassan studies Chemistry but not Physics.
- B. Hassan studies Chemistry.
- C. Hassan studies Physics.
- D. All Chemistry students study Biology.
Q28. Statement: Of 200 people given a new vaccine, none developed the disease, while 30 of 200 similar unvaccinated people did. Conclusions: I. The vaccine appears to protect against the disease. II. The vaccine has no side effects. Which conclusion(s) follow(s)?
- A. Only conclusion I follows
- B. Only conclusion II follows
- C. Both conclusions I and II follow
- D. Neither conclusion follows
Q29. Advertisement: "Use BrightSmile toothpaste – recommended by dentists." Which assumption does the advertiser make?
- A. People rarely visit dentists.
- B. People value the recommendations of dentists.
- C. BrightSmile is the cheapest toothpaste available.
- D. Dentists use no other toothpaste.
Q30. Argument: "The college library is full every evening, so the college should extend its opening hours." Which assumption is the argument based on?
- A. Students dislike studying at home.
- B. Students would use the library if it stayed open longer.
- C. The library has too many books.
- D. Other colleges close their libraries early.