NUMS — Medical & Dental Entry Test

NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 7)

Take the NUMS Logical Reasoning — Critical Thinking: Assumptions, Cause and Effect (Set 7): 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: A bus company announced that fares will be reduced by 10% from next month to attract more passengers. Assumptions: I. Some people will travel more by bus if the fares are lower. II. All the private vehicles will go off the roads after the reduction. 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: Cutting fares to attract passengers assumes lower fares can draw more people (I). Nothing suggests that all private vehicles will vanish (II).
Q2. Statement: The health department has urged parents to vaccinate infants against measles before the age of one. Assumptions: I. Vaccination offers protection against measles. II. Measles cannot affect adults. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- B. Only assumption I is implicit ✓
- C. Neither assumption is implicit
- D. Only assumption II is implicit
Answer: B. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: The appeal makes sense only if vaccination protects against measles (I). Nothing in the statement concerns adults (II).
Q3. Statement: The school has banned mobile phones from classrooms to improve the concentration of students. Assumptions: I. Students have no other way of contacting their parents during school hours. II. Mobile phones can distract students during lessons. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- B. Only assumption II is implicit ✓
- C. Neither assumption is implicit
- D. Only assumption I is implicit
Answer: B. Only assumption II is implicit
Explanation: The ban aims to improve concentration, so it assumes phones distract students (II). No such claim about contacting parents is made (I).
Q4. Statement: The ministry has asked all hospitals to display the list of free services at their entrances. Assumptions: I. Some patients are not aware of the free services. II. Every patient who enters a hospital reads the notice at the entrance. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption II is implicit
- B. Only assumption I is implicit ✓
- C. Neither assumption is implicit
- D. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
Answer: B. Only assumption I is implicit
Explanation: The order is pointless unless some patients are unaware of the services (I). It does not assume that every patient reads the notice (II).
Q5. Statement: The city administration has decided to plant 10,000 trees along the canal bank this spring. Assumptions: I. All the existing trees in the city have died. II. No tree has ever been planted in the city before. 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
Answer: C. Neither assumption is implicit
Explanation: Planting more trees does not require that every existing tree has died or that none was ever planted. Neither is implicit.

The other 25 questions

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Q6. Statement: The pharmacy owner told his staff, 'Check the expiry date of every medicine before handing it to a customer.' Assumptions: I. Medicines can be unsafe or ineffective after their expiry date. II. Customers are unable to read the expiry dates themselves. 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
Q7. Statement: The coach told the team to sleep at least eight hours before the final match. Assumptions: I. The team will certainly win the match if it sleeps for eight hours. II. Adequate sleep can improve a player's performance. 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
Q8. Statement: The manager has asked the staff to submit leave applications at least a week in advance. Assumptions: I. Advance notice helps the manager arrange replacements. II. Every application submitted a week early will be approved. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit in the statement?
- A. Only assumption II is implicit
- B. Neither assumption is implicit
- C. Both assumptions I and II are implicit
- D. Only assumption I is implicit
Q9. Statement I: A factory's output fell sharply in July. Statement II: The factory's workers went on a month-long strike that began in June. (Statement II happened first.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
- B. Both statements are effects of a common cause: a rise in the price of fuel
- C. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- D. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
Q10. Statement I: Many farmers in the district could not repay their bank loans due at the end of May. Statement II: The district's wheat crop, the farmers' main source of income, was destroyed by hail in April. (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. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
- C. Both statements are effects of a common cause: a rise in the price of fuel
- D. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
Q11. Statement I: Sales of umbrellas rose sharply in the city in July. Statement II: Cases of dengue fever rose in the city in August. (Both followed the event in the background.) Background: Unusually heavy monsoon rain began in the city in June. 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: unusually heavy monsoon rain
- C. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
- D. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
Q12. Statement I: A new cinema opened in the town in March. Statement II: The price of wheat flour rose in the town in April. (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. Both statements are effects of a common cause: a rise in the price of fuel
- 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 students of a school reported eye irritation on Monday. Statement II: Several residents living near the school reported breathing difficulty on Monday. (Both followed the event in the background.) Background: A chemical plant near the school leaked a gas on Sunday night. Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Both statements are effects of a common cause: a gas leak from a chemical plant
- B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- C. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
- D. The two statements are independent, with no cause-and-effect link
Q14. Statement I: A hospital's emergency ward received 40% more patients in March. Statement II: A nearby hospital closed its emergency ward in February. (Statement II happened first.) Which option describes the relationship between the two statements?
- A. Both statements are effects of a common cause: population growth in the city
- B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
- 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. Argument: Since a tutoring app was introduced, the average marks of a class rose from 62 to 70. Hence the app improved the marks. Which statement, if true, most weakens this argument?
- A. The app was built for students in another city and then adapted for this school.
- B. Most students said they enjoyed using the app on their phones at home.
- C. Students who used the app for longer improved their marks the most this term.
- D. That month the school replaced difficult examination papers with much easier ones.
Q16. Argument: Hospital Z has a higher death rate than hospital Y, so the doctors at Z must be less skilled. Which statement, if true, most weakens this argument?
- A. Hospital Z has a much larger car park and garden than hospital Y has.
- B. Hospital Z charges lower fees to its patients than hospital Y charges to its own.
- C. Hospital Z mainly treats critically ill patients referred from other hospitals.
- D. Hospital Y has a larger number of beds and wards than hospital Z has in total.
Q17. Argument: In a survey of 100 students at one elite city school, 90 preferred online lectures, so most students in the country prefer online lectures. Which statement, if true, most weakens this argument?
- A. The students surveyed were all aged between sixteen and eighteen years old.
- B. The questionnaire consisted of ten short questions about lecture timings and fees.
- C. Every student at that school has fast internet at home, unlike most students nationwide.
- D. The survey form took each student about five minutes to complete in class.
Q18. Argument: A new vaccine is effective, because among 2,000 volunteers who received it only 10 caught the disease, against 120 of 2,000 volunteers who received a harmless injection. Which statement, if true, most strengthens this argument?
- A. The disease is seen mostly in young children rather than in adults.
- B. Volunteers were assigned to the two groups by a random draw.
- C. The vaccine was manufactured in a foreign country by a large company.
- D. The study was carried out during the cold winter months of one year.
Q19. Argument: The fall in the town's bird population was caused by the new mobile towers, because bird numbers fell soon after they were built. Which statement, if true, most strengthens this argument?
- A. The town has a weekly market that attracts many visitors from nearby villages.
- B. Bird numbers stayed steady in nearby areas without towers over the same period.
- C. Many residents of the town enjoy watching birds in the early morning hours.
- D. All the mobile towers in the town are painted in a dull grey colour.
Q20. Argument: Daily practice of past papers raises scores in the entry test, because students of Academy A, who practised daily, scored better than students of Academy B. Which statement, if true, most strengthens this argument?
- A. Academy A has a greater number of teachers than Academy B has.
- B. Academy A has a larger building and a bigger library than Academy B.
- C. Academy B was opened in 1998, several years before Academy A was.
- D. The students of both academies had similar scores before practice began.
Q21. Statement: Every student who scored above 90% in the mock test passed the entrance test. Which inference must be true?
- A. Every student who passed the entrance test scored above 90% in the mock test.
- B. A student who passed the entrance test certainly scored above 90% in the mock test.
- C. Any student who failed the entrance test scored 90% or less in the mock test.
- D. A student who scored 90% or less in the mock test failed the entrance test.
Q22. Data: In a town, 60% of households own a motorbike, 30% own a car and 15% own both. What percentage of households own neither?
- A. 55%
- B. 45%
- C. 25%
- D. 10%
Q23. Statement: In a clinic every patient who visits on Tuesday is seen by Dr Amna, and Dr Amna sees no patient after 4 p.m. Zara visited the clinic on Tuesday. Which must be true?
- A. Zara was also seen by another doctor.
- B. Zara visited after 4 p.m.
- C. Dr Amna sees patients only on Tuesday.
- D. Zara was seen by Dr Amna.
Q24. Statement: Several residents complain that the street lights on their road have not worked for two weeks. Courses of action: I. The municipal authority should inspect and repair the lights promptly. II. Residents should stop using the road after dark for ever. Which course(s) of action should logically follow?
- A. Neither course of action follows
- B. Both courses of action I and II follow
- C. Only course of action II follows
- D. Only course of action I follows
Q25. Statement: A large number of students in a college hostel have fallen ill after eating the mess food. Courses of action: I. The college should have the kitchen and the food inspected by health officials. II. The college should close the hostel permanently. Which course(s) of action should logically follow?
- A. Both courses of action I and II follow
- B. Only course of action I follows
- C. Only course of action II follows
- D. Neither course of action follows
Q26. Statement: The water level in a village well has dropped sharply this summer. Courses of action: I. The village council should arrange an alternative drinking-water supply until the level recovers. II. The council should organise a cricket tournament for the village youth. Which course(s) of action should logically follow?
- A. Neither course of action follows
- B. Only course of action II follows
- C. Both courses of action I and II follow
- D. Only course of action I follows
Q27. Two students from a certain town failed the board exam, so the students of that town must be lazy. What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It relies on an authority who has no expertise in the subject at hand.
- B. It assumes that the town's students never study for any of their exams.
- C. It draws a conclusion on a whole group from a very small sample.
- D. It attacks the town itself rather than the exam results of the students.
Q28. No one 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 who denies the claim instead of the claim itself.
- B. It treats the lack of disproof as proof that the claim is true.
- C. It presents just two alternatives when many other alternatives exist too.
- D. It draws a conclusion about all cases from a very small sample of cases.
Q29. Either we ban all private cars or the city will be choked by smog. We will not ban all cars, so the city will be choked. What is the main flaw in this reasoning?
- A. It draws a conclusion about all cases from a very small sample of cases.
- B. It attacks the person who proposes the ban instead of the proposal itself.
- C. It treats the lack of any disproof as proof that the claim is true.
- D. It presents just two alternatives when other options exist as well.
Q30. Passage: A town library reported that its membership rose from 400 to 600 after it began opening on Sundays. Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?
- A. Sunday opening caused every one of the new members to join the library.
- B. Most members now use the library on Sundays, not on weekdays.
- C. Membership was higher after Sunday opening began than before it.
- D. The library should open on Saturdays as well, to increase membership.