Some companies that consume large quantities of oil keep their own oil reserves for years in which average oil prices are exceptionally high. Thus, at times when oil prices are quite high, they can partially deplete their reserves, using oil that they bought earlier at lower prices, with the intention of buying oil to add back to their reserves when average oil prices are lower. Nevertheless, last year, when average oil prices were astronomically high throughout the year for geopolitical reasons, not all of these companies partially depleted their reserves.

Which of the following, if true, best explains why not all of these companies partially depleted their reserves?

Given that, recently, the founders of startup company Zeddifreddo have confirmed that they are in the late stages of discussion of an acquisition offer from another company, other potential acquirers of the company, who had suspected that Zeddifreddo's business performance was mostly hype and not a product of sound financials, have taken interest in making their own acquisition offers. They figure that, if Zeddifreddo's current potential acquirer has reached late stages of an acquisition discussion without having withdrawn its bid, that the acquirer must have had a chance to audit Zeddifreddo's financial position and has found it to be sound. Such reasoning might be hasty, however, since potential acquirers of a startup have been known to overlook that company's financial soundness and favor the acquisition on other grounds, however ill-advised such a position may be.

In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

Which of the following most logically completes the passage?

In cars, airbags provide good protection for the chest and head, but little or no protection for legs. A study of injuries resulting from car accidents showed that a large proportion were caused by blows to the legs. Therefore, if air bags protected this area, the risk of serious injury in car accidents would be greatly reduced, especially since _______________.

In most countries, lower taxes stimulate economic growth, which is an increase of the capacity of an economy to produce goods and services. In the nation of Tattua, economic growth is significantly higher than it is in the nation of Hothal. Clearly, therefore, Tattua's industries must, on the whole, be further advanced technologically than Hothal's are.

The argument is most vulnerable to which of the following criticisms?

The founders of a new company believe they have developed a new standard of DVD that will display movies at far higher fidelity than any existing standard. While they recognize that the benefits of the new technology may not be sufficient to induce the entire market to adopt the new player and disc formats, they predict that the format will be worth the cost of adoption in commercial venues that show movies on large screens, where the improvement in quality would be quite noticeable.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion drawn above?

A study this year found that, among citizens of Tamalia whose tax reports were selected at random for an audit, 21 percent had prepared their taxes with the assistance of a tax accountant. However, among those whose audits uncovered indications of potential tax fraud, only 3 percent had prepared their taxes with the assistance of a tax accountant. Clearly, citizens of Tamalia who prepare their taxes without the assistance of a tax accountant are more likely to commit tax fraud.

The conclusion drawn above depends on which of the following assumptions?

For our nation to maintain a position of economic strength relative to other countries, it requires both accelerated personal investment levels and the unobstructed growth of production capacity, the factor which is known as A by economists and which grows largely spontaneously through society's development of technology. However, since technology development can be driven through economic support to individual entrepreneurs, ensuring these two key economic outcomes will require balancing these two kinds of financial incentives from the government to the individual.

If the statements in the passage above are true, for our nation to maintain a position of economic strength relative to other countries, it must

Which of the following most logically completes the argument?

A particular computer virus frequently infects personal computers through an email message. Even though virus-scanning software installed on a computer is designed to identify and alarm the user of a virus infection on that computer shortly after it occurs, this particular virus is rarely observed by virus-scanning software. This fact, however, does not mean that the computer's security systems have blocked installation of the virus, because _______________.

In recent years, some painters of graffiti have been winning recognition as artists. But since graffiti is vandalism, painting graffiti is inherently an act of rebellion and lawbreaking. For this reason, painting graffiti is not art.

Which of the following is an assumption that supports drawing the conclusion above from the reason given for that conclusion?

Organic fertilizers are made from mineral deposits along with bone meal, plant meal, or composted manure, while synthetic fertilizers are made by processing synthetic chemicals. The numeric ratio listed on a fertilizer, whether it's organic or synthetic, indicates the proportions of the primary nutrients-nitrogen, phosphate, and potash-inside. For example, a bag of fertilizer labeled 4-8-6 contains 4 percent nitrogen, 8 percent phosphate, and 6 percent potash. A 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer and a 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer may differ in other respects, but farmers can rest assured that the bags differ neither in the amount of primary nutrients they deliver into soil, nor in the time period those nutrients remain available to plants' root systems.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?

Two fitness experts have developed a remarkable exercise system that appears to yield immediate and prolonged improvements to a person's physical and mental health. In careful testing, they have found that the system is accessible to people of different ages and fitness levels. Furthermore, since the system involves unusual techniques, custom pieces of small equipment, and natural dietary supplements, the system would take years for competitors to replicate. And when they tested the system during a two-month trial, potential customers stated emphatically that they would pay the stated prices to continue in the system and that they preferred it over other forms of exercise. All evidence indicates that the new exercise system will have successful launch in the market.

Which of the following would it be most useful to determine in order to evaluate the argument?

Drivers of automobiles who are over 30 are more likely to purchase music in digital format and are more likely to purchase it in larger amounts than are members of any other demographic group. The popular conception that young people listen to more music in digital format than adults must, therefore, be false.

The argument is flawed primarily because the author

White-labeling is the practice of providing a product to another company to be sold under that company's high-quality brand name. Since white-labeling allows the designer of a product to obtain additional revenue from a given design at minimal cost, and it allows the seller of the white-labelled product to sell and obtain a product without having to design the product, white-labeling is usually advantageous for both parties.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

Last year, Energy Corp's oil sales increased suddenly in the region of lower Ossamia. The Chief Financial Officer of the company explained this increase as the result of industrialization in the developing Ossamian nation of Mirmu. He predicts that, consequently, trade made possible by industrialization will grow between Mirmu and its Ossamian neighbors this year, leading to further increases in Energy Corp sales in the region.

Each of the following, if true, provides some support for the CFO's prediction described above EXCEPT:

A technical proposal has been advanced for a transportation system in which individuals travel through tubes in pressurized capsules on a cushion of air. One individual in a capsule, according to the proposal, will be able to travel up to ten times as fast as an automobile on a highway. Such a futuristic means of conveyance would surely be thrilling for individuals, but the cost of building the new transport tube between two major cities has been estimated at six billion dollars. Even if this doubtful cost figure is accurate, it represents a waste of money. The cost of maintaining the existing roads between the two cities in question is negligible compared to the cost of building the tube, and those six billion dollars can be dedicated to more vital public works projects.

Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens the argument presented above?

Which of the following most logically completes the passage?

A tropical thorn forest was cleared and converted by humans into soybean fields. The loss of the original habitat poses a threat to the area's population of cuis, which are wild guinea pigs. Ecologists originally estimated that the cuis in the area would vanish within four years. Two years later, the population of cuis is already cut in half, but it is unlikely that they will completely vanish from the region within the next two years, since _______________.

Counterfeit DVDs containing high-quality illegal copies of popular movies have proliferated in recent years and are sold at much lower prices than authorized DVDs, robbing the movies' rights holders of royalties on sales and diverting profits from production companies. To help track the distribution and sale of counterfeit DVDs, a government agency plans to produce informational brochures about the consequences and risks of counterfeiting; they also request sellers and consumers to report any counterfeit DVDs they encounter.

Which of the following, if true, would provide most support for the notion that the agencies' plan will have its intended effect?

The Hubble telescope has the great advantage over land-based telescopes of taking images from outside of the planet's atmosphere, which greatly blurs images. Nevertheless, the Hubble has two major disadvantages relative to land-based telescopes: it is difficult to repair, and to maneuver it requires the use of fuel, which will ultimately run out. An adviser at the space agency has proposed equipping the International Space Station with small robotic spacecraft that can be launched from orbit to repair the Hubble at a much lower cost than a repair craft launched from earth would cost.

Which of the following, if true, is NOT a serious weakness of the space agency adviser's plan?

At a large, popular restaurant, a reduction of 25 percent in the number of patrons each night would allow the management to get rid of the common long lines of people waiting to eat dinner. A second, partner restaurant, a 25 minute drive away, would, if refurbished, be an alternative for half of the patrons who visit the first restaurant. Nevertheless, a waiter at the restaurant is confident that refurbishing the partner restaurant would not end the long lines at the original location.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to justify the waiter's position?

Citizen: at our city's airport, we have invested time and money in security checkpoints that are a waste of time. We train and staff security staff for the purpose of searching incoming automobiles, but we search fewer than five percent of those automobiles. We might as well disband the security checkpoints. The cost is wasted, and there is a ninety-five percent chance that an illegal substance would get through the checkpoint anyway.

Council member: Even if we granted that those odds didn't justify the costs--which I disagree with--you seem not to recognize that the presence of the checkpoint itself deters some people who would bring in illegal substances from doing so.

The council member responds to the citizen's argument by