NUMS — Medical & Dental Entry Test

NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 5)

Take the NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 5): 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: The college has made at least 75% attendance compulsory for sitting the annual examinations in order to improve learning. Assumptions: I. Regular attendance helps students to learn better. II. Every student with less than 75% attendance is a poor student. 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 rule is justified only if attendance aids learning. Calling every low-attendance student 'poor' is an unneeded and unsupported generalisation.
Q2. Statement: A hospital notice reads: 'Visit our free eye camp this Sunday and get your eyesight tested.' Assumptions: I. Some people want their eyesight tested without paying. II. Eyesight cannot be tested on any day other than Sunday. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption II is implicit
- B. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- C. Neither assumption is implicit
- D. Only assumption I is implicit ✓
Answer: D. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: A free camp is offered because some people value a free eye test. Nothing in the notice says tests are impossible on other days.
Q3. Statement: The pharmacist labelled the syrup bottle 'Keep in a cool place' so that the syrup would not spoil. Assumptions: I. Heat can cause the syrup to spoil. II. Every medicine spoils whenever it is kept at a warm temperature. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption II is implicit
- B. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- C. Only assumption I is implicit ✓
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Answer: C. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: The instruction relies on heat being harmful to this syrup. The claim about every medicine is far too broad to be assumed.
Q4. Statement: The principal urged students to use the library during their free periods. Assumptions: I. The library holds material useful for study. II. Students have some free periods in their timetable. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Both assumptions I and II are implicit ✓
- C. Only assumption II is implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Answer: B. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
Explanation: The appeal makes sense only if the library is worth using and if students actually have free periods.
Q5. Statement: The health department has asked all schools to hold the vaccination drive on a Monday. Assumptions: I. Every child in the district will be vaccinated on that Monday. II. Vaccines are effective only when given on a Monday. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Neither assumption is implicit ✓
- C. Only assumption II is implicit
- D. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
Answer: B. Neither assumption is implicit
Explanation: A date chosen for the drive does not assume that every child will be vaccinated that day or that Monday has special medical value.

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Q6. Statement: The institute has decided to publish the merit list on its website instead of pinning it on the notice board. Assumptions: I. Nobody ever visits the institute's notice board. II. Candidates will be able to see the list on the website. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption II is implicit
- B. Only assumption I is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Neither assumption is implicit
Q7. Statement I: A major bridge on the main highway was washed away by flood water in July. Statement II: After the flood, trucks carrying vegetables to the nearby town could not cross the river for two weeks. (Statement I happened first.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- B. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- C. The two statements are independent events with no cause-and-effect link
- D. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
Q8. Statement I: Hospital admissions for heat stroke rose sharply in Karachi last week. Statement II: Sales of cold drinks in Karachi rose sharply last week. (Both happened during the same week, when the temperature in Karachi reached 46 °C.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. The two statements are independent events with no cause-and-effect link
Q9. Statement I: The inter-university debating championship was held in Islamabad in April. Statement II: The price of petrol was raised across the country in May. (Statement I happened first.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- C. The two statements are independent events with no cause-and-effect link
- D. Both statements are effects of a common cause
Q10. Statement I: The school closed all classes for a week in September. Statement II: A dengue outbreak affected a large number of students in the school in early September. (Statement II happened first.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. The two statements are independent events with no cause-and-effect link
Q11. Statement I: The government cut the import duty on cooking oil in January. Statement II: The retail price of cooking oil fell in February. (Statement I happened first.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- D. The two statements are independent events with no cause-and-effect link
Q12. Statement I: Fishermen in a coastal village sold far less fish in the market in the second week of March. Statement II: A violent storm kept the fishing boats from going to sea during the first week of March. (Statement II happened first.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- B. Both statements are effects of a common cause
- C. The two statements are independent events with no cause-and-effect link
- D. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
Q13. A councillor says: "Road accidents on the new highway fell by 40% after speed cameras were installed last year, which proves the cameras work." Which fact most weakens this conclusion?
- A. Speed cameras are expensive to install and then to maintain every year
- B. Many drivers say that they dislike having speed cameras on highways
- C. Traffic on the highway fell by half after a nearby bridge opened that year
- D. Accidents on a second highway with similar cameras fell by 35% as well
Q14. A coaching academy claims: "Our 80% success rate in the entry test proves that our teaching is the best." Which fact most weakens this claim?
- A. The academy was founded ten years ago by a retired headmaster
- B. Some of the students who join the academy come from other cities
- C. The academy charges a higher fee than most of the other academies do
- D. The academy admits only students who already scored above 90% before
Q15. A village council argues: "The well water tested clean last year, so it is safe to drink today." Which fact most weakens this argument?
- A. A sewage pipe next to the well burst two weeks ago
- B. The well was dug by the villagers many years ago
- C. Water from the well is used for washing clothes
- D. Most villagers prefer the taste of well water
Q16. A hospital manager says: "Average waiting time in our emergency room dropped last month, so the new triage system works." Which fact most weakens this conclusion?
- A. A transport strike last month halved the number of patients arriving at the emergency room
- B. Some of the nurses were trained in triage before it was introduced
- C. The hospital's emergency room has twenty beds and two ambulances
- D. The new triage system was introduced at the start of last month
Q17. A newspaper editorial argues: "Raising the minimum wage will reduce poverty among low-paid workers." Which fact most weakens this argument?
- A. Low-paid workers form a large part of the labour force in the country
- B. Some employers already pay their workers more than the minimum wage
- C. Employers respond to a higher minimum wage by dismissing many low-paid workers
- D. The minimum wage has already been raised in several other countries
Q18. The principal argues that compulsory first-aid training will reduce deaths from accidents among students. Which fact most strengthens this argument?
- A. Accidents at schools are less common than accidents on the roads
- B. Accident deaths fell by a third in schools with the training but not in similar schools without it
- C. First-aid training takes only two days to complete in most schools
- D. Students generally enjoy learning practical skills at their school
Q19. A dentist argues that fluoride toothpaste reduces cavities in children. Which fact most strengthens this argument?
- A. Many children are taught to brush their teeth twice every single day
- B. Toothpaste companies advertise the fluoride in their products very heavily
- C. Fluoride toothpaste is sold in most of the pharmacies in the country
- D. In a trial, children using fluoride paste had fewer cavities than matched children using plain paste
Q20. A city planner says that more street lighting will reduce thefts at night. Which fact most strengthens this claim?
- A. Thieves who were interviewed said they avoid brightly lit streets as they are easily recognised there
- B. Most thefts in this city take place in the afternoon and not at night
- C. Some of the streets in the city already have decorative lights on them
- D. Street lights consume a large amount of electricity every night in the city
Q21. A nutritionist argues that sleeping eight hours a night improves students' exam performance. Which fact most strengthens this argument?
- A. Most students sleep fewer than eight hours on the night before exams
- B. The same students scored higher in every subject after sleeping eight hours instead of five
- C. Some brilliant scientists have slept very little throughout their careers
- D. Students who sleep eight hours a night are usually taller than the others
Q22. Of 300 patients treated at a clinic, 180 were women. Of the women, 90 were diabetic and of the men, 60 were diabetic. Which inference is definitely true?
- A. Diabetes is more common among the women than among the men
- B. The proportion of diabetic patients is the same among the men and the women
- C. Diabetes is more common among the men than among the women
- D. The women outnumber the men by two to one
Q23. Everyone who owns a tractor in a village also owns farmland. Hamid owns no farmland. Which statement is definitely true?
- A. Hamid owns a tractor on rented land
- B. Hamid does not own a tractor
- C. Hamid rents a tractor from a neighbour
- D. Hamid owns a tractor but no farmland
Q24. In 2021, 400 candidates sat a test and 55% passed. In 2022, 300 candidates sat the test and 60% passed. Which statement is definitely true?
- A. The same number of candidates passed in both years
- B. More candidates passed in 2022 than in 2021
- C. More candidates passed in 2021 than in 2022
- D. The pass percentage fell between 2021 and 2022
Q25. Statement: A water pipeline in a locality has burst and the area has been without supply for two days. Courses of action: I. The water department should repair the pipeline immediately and supply water by tanker meanwhile. II. The residents should be asked to leave the locality permanently. Which option follows?
- A. Only course of action II follows
- B. Both courses of action I and II follow
- C. Only course of action I follows
- D. Neither course of action follows
Q26. Statement: Cases of tuberculosis have risen sharply in a crowded slum area. Courses of action: I. The health authorities should arrange screening camps in the area. II. Awareness about treatment and prevention should be spread among the residents. Which option follows?
- A. Only course of action I follows
- B. Both courses of action I and II follow
- C. Only course of action II follows
- D. Neither course of action follows
Q27. Statement: Many commuters complain that the morning buses on a particular route are badly overcrowded. Courses of action: I. Commuters should be asked to stop travelling in the morning. II. The bus route should be closed permanently. Which option follows?
- A. Neither course of action follows
- B. Only course of action I follows
- C. Only course of action II follows
- D. Both courses of action I and II follow
Q28. Ahmad says: "Dr Rana claims this vitamin brand is effective, but she is paid by the company, so the vitamins must be useless." What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It generalises from a very small and unrepresentative sample
- B. It confuses the cause of an event with the effect of it
- C. It assumes the very conclusion it is trying to prove
- D. It attacks the person making the claim and ignores the evidence
Q29. A speaker argues: "Nobody has ever proved that ghosts do not exist, so ghosts must exist." What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It attacks the person instead of the claim
- B. It treats a lack of proof against a claim as proof that the claim is true
- C. It offers only two choices when more are possible
- D. It relies on the opinion of a famous expert
Q30. A student says: "Either we ban all mobile phones on campus or students will fail their exams." What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It confuses cause with effect
- B. It generalises from one student's experience
- C. It assumes what it is trying to prove
- D. It presents only two options when other possibilities exist