NUMS — Medical & Dental Entry Test

NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 6)

Take the NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 6): 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 hospital has installed a hand-sanitiser dispenser at the entrance of every ward to reduce the spread of infection. Assumptions: I. Cleaning the hands can reduce the spread of infection. II. The doctors and nurses of the hospital never wash their hands with soap. 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: Installing dispensers to cut infection assumes that hand cleaning helps. Nothing suggests staff never use soap.
Q2. Statement: A coaching centre advertises: 'Enrol in our crash course and improve your test score by the end of this month.' Assumptions: I. Some students want to raise their scores within a short time. II. Students cannot improve their scores by any other means. 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: The advertisement is aimed at students who want quick improvement. It does not claim that no other route exists.
Q3. Statement: The municipal committee has asked citizens to switch off non-essential lights between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. to save electricity. Assumptions: I. Switching off lights reduces the amount of electricity consumed. II. Every household in the city uses electricity only for lighting. 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 appeal makes sense only if switching off lights saves power. Households obviously use electricity for other purposes too.
Q4. Statement: The principal announced that the college library will stay open until 9 p.m. during the examination week. Assumptions: I. Some students will want to use the library in the evening. II. The college will also remain open on Sundays. 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: A. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: Extending hours assumes some students will use the library in the evening (I). Nothing implies Sunday opening (II).
Q5. Statement: The company has offered a free medical check-up to all its employees this year. Assumptions: I. Every employee will undergo the check-up. II. The employees have never had a medical check-up before. 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: An offer does not assume that every employee takes it up, nor that nobody has had a check-up previously.

The other 25 questions

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Q6. Statement: A railway notice reads: 'Book your tickets online and avoid standing in long queues at the counter.' Assumptions: I. Booking online takes less time than waiting in a counter queue. II. Every passenger owns a computer. 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 doctor advised the patient to finish the whole antibiotic course even after the fever had gone. Assumptions: I. A fever can disappear before an infection has been fully cleared. II. Stopping the course early may leave some bacteria alive. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption I is implicit
- B. Only assumption II is implicit
- C. Neither assumption is implicit
- D. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
Q8. Statement I: The water-purification plant of a town stopped working for a week. Statement II: Cases of diarrhoea in the town rose sharply over the following 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 the common cause described
- C. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- D. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
Q9. Statement I: The number of mosquito-borne illnesses in a district fell sharply in September. Statement II: The health department began draining stagnant water pools across the district in July. (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 the common cause described
- C. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- D. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
Q10. Statement I: Sales of woollen shawls at a market rose sharply in December. Statement II: Sales of hot tea at roadside stalls near the market also rose sharply in December. (Both followed the sudden start of severe cold weather at the beginning of December.) 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 the common cause described
- C. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- D. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
Q11. Statement I: A new pharmacy opened in a village on the north side of the town last month. Statement II: The town's cricket club won the district trophy last month. (The two events happened in the same month.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
- B. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- C. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- D. Both statements are effects of the common cause described
Q12. Statement I: Fewer patients missed their follow-up visits at a clinic this quarter. Statement II: The clinic began sending text-message reminders to patients at the start of this quarter. (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 the common cause described
- C. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
- D. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
Q13. Statement I: Many farmers in a district sold their cattle at low prices this summer. Statement II: Fodder prices in the same district doubled this summer. (Both were the result of a long drought that dried up the pastures.) 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, with no cause-and-effect link
- D. Both statements are effects of the common cause described
Q14. Statement I: A college raised its hostel fee by 30% in September. Statement II: Several students left the hostel and rented rooms in the town in October. (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 the common cause described
- C. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- D. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
Q15. A shopkeeper says: "After I began playing soft music in my shop, my sales doubled, so the music brings customers." Which fact most weakens his conclusion?
- A. Some customers say that they like the music in the shop
- B. A new metro station opened beside the market that month, doubling visitors to every shop
- C. The music system was bought at a discount from a wholesaler
- D. Other shops in the market play louder music than his shop
Q16. A researcher concludes that a herbal tea lowers blood pressure, because 20 volunteers who drank it daily for a month showed lower readings. Which fact most weakens the conclusion?
- A. The tea has a pleasant taste and is easy to prepare
- B. The herbal tea is cheaper than most prescribed medicines
- C. The volunteers were between 40 and 60 years of age
- D. The volunteers were also placed on a strict low-salt diet during the month
Q17. An editor argues that the school's new uniform policy raised exam results, since results improved in the year after it was introduced. Which fact most weakens this argument?
- A. Parents were informed about the policy several months in advance
- B. Results improved by a similar margin in every school, even those with no new uniform
- C. The uniform policy was welcomed by most of the teachers
- D. The new uniform is made of a cheaper cloth than the old uniform was
Q18. A columnist argues that people in a city have become far sicker because the number of pharmacies has doubled in ten years. Which fact most weakens the argument?
- A. The population of the city also doubled during the same ten years
- B. Many pharmacies sell cosmetics as well as medicines
- C. Several pharmacies in the city stay open all night
- D. Some of the new pharmacies are quite small in size
Q19. A nutritionist claims that eating breakfast improves children's concentration in class. Which finding most strengthens the claim?
- A. Children randomly given breakfast scored higher on concentration than those given none
- B. Many children in the city say that they often skip breakfast at home
- C. Teachers generally prefer pupils who arrive punctually at school each day
- D. Breakfast is usually the first meal that most children eat each day
Q20. A planner argues that planting trees along roads will lower summer street temperatures. Which fact most strengthens this argument?
- A. The cost of a young tree is small compared with road repairs
- B. Trees are planted along the roads in many other countries of the world
- C. Tree-lined streets measured about 4 °C cooler than similar streets without trees
- D. Citizens generally find tree-lined roads pleasant to walk along in summer
Q21. A health magazine argues that walking for 30 minutes each day reduces the risk of heart disease. Which fact most strengthens this argument?
- A. A long study adjusting for age, diet and smoking found less heart disease in walkers
- B. Many people walk to their workplace in the early morning hours
- C. Walking costs nothing and needs no special equipment or training
- D. Heart disease is among the commonest causes of death in many countries
Q22. In a ward, every patient who had surgery received an antibiotic. Hira is a patient in the ward and did not receive an antibiotic. Which statement is definitely true?
- A. Hira has an infection
- B. Hira refused the antibiotic
- C. The antibiotic was unavailable
- D. Hira did not have surgery
Q23. Clinic X saw 120 patients and referred 15% of them to specialists. Clinic Y saw 80 patients and referred 25% of them. Which inference is definitely true?
- A. Clinic Y has better doctors than Clinic X
- B. The two clinics referred the same number of patients
- C. Clinic Y referred more patients than Clinic X
- D. Clinic X referred more patients than Clinic Y
Q24. Some nurses work night shifts. Everyone who works night shifts gets a transport allowance. Which conclusion is definitely true?
- A. No nurse gets a transport allowance
- B. Only nurses get a transport allowance
- C. Some nurses get a transport allowance
- D. All nurses get a transport allowance
Q25. Statement: A fire broke out in the chemistry laboratory of a college, though no one was hurt. Courses of action: I. The college should check fire-safety equipment in all laboratories and train the staff to use it. II. The college should close all its science laboratories 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: The playground of a school floods after every rainfall and classes get disrupted. Courses of action: I. The school management should arrange proper drainage for the ground. II. The school should be closed permanently. 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. A man says: "Every time I wash my car, it rains the next day. So washing my car causes rain." What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It treats one event following another as proof that the first caused the second
- B. It attacks the person instead of examining the claim made
- C. It presents only two possible options when more exist
- D. It assumes the very conclusion it is trying to prove
Q28. A speaker says: "No one has ever proved that ghosts do not exist, so they must exist." What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It depends on the opinion of an unqualified authority
- B. It confuses the cause of an event with its effect
- C. It treats the absence of disproof as if it were proof
- D. It generalises from a small and unrepresentative sample
Q29. A minister says: "Either we build the dam or the country will face darkness. We cannot afford the dam, so darkness is certain." What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It attacks the person making the proposal rather than the idea
- B. It offers only two choices when other sources of power could exist
- C. It assumes that what is true of a part is true of the whole
- D. It reasons from a single unusual case to a general rule
Q30. In a town the 200 doctors have an average age of 38 years and the 300 nurses have an average age of 33 years. What is the average age of all 500 doctors and nurses together?
- A. 36 years
- B. 33.5 years
- C. 35.5 years
- D. 35 years