Inference Questions
Inference questions ask what information can be concluded or inferred from a passage, or, sometimes, what is "most strongly supported." They are one of the unusual types of logical reasoning question that does not involve an argument premise or conclusion; typically there are 2 per section.
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1. The rarity of tusks in domesticated hogs is striking given that they are better nourished than their wild boar counterparts. However, it is true that feral hogs which have escaped into the wild and have difficulty finding food will often subsequently grow tusks.
If the statements above are true, they provide the most support for which one of the following?
(A) The better nourished a creature is, the more it will grow the way it naturally ought to grow.
(B) Wild boars typically have better nourishment than domesticated hogs.
(C) If a hog found in the wild does not have tusks, it is probably the case that it recently escaped from captivity.
(D) The absence of tusks on domesticated hogs is not due to a difference in genetics from feral hogs.
(E) The diet of wild hogs contains something which stimulates tusk growth.
2. Most snoogles who are zuggies are also moozles. Some snoogles that are not moozles are sneeds. Moreoever, all sneeds are woozles.
If the statements above are true, then which one of the following must be true?
(A) Some woozles are moozles.
(B) All woozles are sneeds.
(C) At least one snoogle is not a sneed and is a moozle.
(D) Most snoogles that are woozles are moozles.
(E) Some snoogles that are not moozles are sneeds but are not woozles.
3. This new novel, Lost Memories, has drawn a huge amount of criticism for being too superficial and appealing to crude tastes. One critic lambasted it in a review as not even worthy of serious discussion. However, the novel has been a commercial success.
If the statements above are true, they provide the strongest support for which one of the following?
(A) Most commercially successful novels draw criticism for superficiality and crude appeal.
(B) If a novel draws criticism, it is more likely to be a commercial success.
(C) Lost Memories is more superficial and appealing to crude tastes than other commercially successful novels.
(D) The critic did not consider his or her own review of the novel to be serious discussion.
(E) The commercial success of a novel is completely unrelated to what critics think of it.
4. Advertisement: NoRust paint is the best paint to use to repaint tractors. In addition to lasting a long time and looking sharp, NoRust is available in ready-mixed colors that match every popular brand of tractor perfectly. In a recent study, observers could not distinguish the tractors repainted with NoRust from the tractors with their original paint.
If the statements in the advertisement are true, then which one of the following must be true on the basis of them?
(A) No other brand of paint is indistinguishable from the original paint when used to repaint tractors.
(B) NoRust paint lasts longer than any other paint available to repaint tractors.
(C) If NoRust paint is not available in the color of a given brand of tractor, then that brand of tractor is not popular.
(D) It is impossible for anyone to tell if a tractor has its original coat of paint, or was repainted with NoRust paint.
(E) NoRust paint is less expensive than comparable brands of paint.
5. All of the sailors who worked overtime got a bonus at the end of the voyage. Because overtime would’ve meant no extend shore leave, there are at least some sailors who did not spend the night in Dakar.
If the statements above are true, then which one of the following must be true?
(A) Sailors who did not spend the night in Dakar are not concerned with working hard on the voyage.
(B) No sailor who received a bonus at the end of the voyage did not work overtime.
(C) No sailor who spent the night in Dakar got a bonus at the end of the voyage.
(D) Not all of the sailors who spent the night in Dakar got a bonus at the end of the voyage.
(E) Some of the sailors who spent the night in Dakar got a bonus at the end of the voyage.
6. All bears like honey. Some bears are dangerous; however, many bears in Yellowstone National Park will merely run away from a human. Most bears, however, will become extremely aggressive when their young are threatened.
If the statements above are true, then which one of the following must be true?
(A) All bears in Yellowstone National Park will merely run away from humans.
(B) Yellowstone National Park is the only place where there are bears who merely run away from humans.
(C) The bears most likely to run away from humans are those that live in Yellowstone National Park.
(D) If a bear does not live in Yellowstone National Park, it will not run awway from humans unless its young are not threatened.
(E) Some bears that like honey will merely run away from humans.
7. To make a good locally themed mural, the artist must portray something connected to that particular area, which in turn requires familiarity by the artist with the area. A scene of what the area looked like in its early days is an example of a good locally themed mural.
If the statements above are true, then which one of the following must be true on the basis of them?
(A) If a mural is not portraying something connected to that particular area, it is not portraying a scene of what the town looked like in its early days.
(B) If a mural is not a good locally themed mural, it is because the artist was not familiar with the area.
(C) A mural is a good locally themed mural unless the artist was unfamiliar with the area.
(D) If the artist is familiar with the area, then any mural created will be a good locally themed mural.
(E) If a mural portrays something connected to that particular area, then it will necessarily portray a scene of what the area looked like in its early days.
8. Builder: Carports are open structures with a roof, whereas garages are enclosed. Most people in this part of the country prefer carports to garages because they are cheaper to build as well as cooler in the hot summer, while insulation for the car is not necessary in the mild winter. The only places around here where garages are more popular are larger cities where there is a high crime rate.
Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the builder’s statements?
(A) There is no good reason other than prevention of car theft to have a garage as opposed to a carport in this part of the country.
(B) Construction companies make significantly more money off building carports in this part of the country than building garages.
(C) Prevention of car theft is a motivation for preferring a garage to a carport.
(D) The additional cost of building a garage as opposed to a carport is less than the cost of an anti-theft system on a car.
(E) Some people in this part of the country prefer street parking to either garages or carports.
9. Most great writers have tremendous imagination, and no one who has a tremendous imagination has any sense of punctuality. However, all good students have a sense of punctuality.
If the statements above are true, then each of the following could be true EXCEPT
(A) Anyone who is punctual does not have a tremendous imagination.
(B) Some writers who have tremendous imaginations are great writers.
(C) Some writers who are not punctual are good students.
(D) Some writers who are punctual are not good students.
(E) Some great writers do not have a tremendousimagination.
10. Air conditioners typically last longer and run more efficiently when their filters are changed regularly. About ten years ago, an HVAC professional installed new air conditioners of the same model in various apartment complexes. Recently, most of these apartment complexes have been discussing replacing their worn out air conditioners with the professional; however, Greenwood Apartments insists that its air conditioning is working fine.
Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?
(A) Most air conditioners do not run efficiently for longer than ten years.
(B) The apartment complexes in need of new air conditioners would not be so in need had they changed the filters on their air conditioners regularly.
(C) Greenwood Apartments is managed very differently than the other apartment buildings.
(D) The filters were regularly changed on the air conditioners at Greenwood Apartments.
(E) Some apartments other than Greenwood regularly changed their filters, and their air conditioners still work well.
11. A mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey, two other common beasts of burden. A small fraction of female mules are capable of having offspring, albeit with a horse or a donkey, since all male mules are sterile.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred from above?
(A) If a mule is not sterile, it is a female mule.
(B) The offspring of a fertile female mule are always sterile.
(C) Most common beasts of burden are not sterile.
(D) Mules have an advantage over either horses or donkeys to justify cross-breeding to create them
(E) The offspring of a male horse and female donkey is more likely to be a sterile mule than vice versa.
12. The phonograph was a device commonly used to play sound recordings from its invention in the late 1800s to the 1980s. A phonograph worked by either spinning a disc or cylinder beneath a needle and transmitting the sound, often through a horn-like device. While not inherently better, vinyl discs became the norm as opposed to cylinders until the phonograph fell out of use in favor of various players of digital recordings, which were invariably better in sound quality. However, many people today still prefer to buy vinyl records and play them on phonographs.
If the statements above are true, then each one of the following must be true EXCEPT:
(A) Sound quality is not the only consideration of consumers when buying recordings.
(B) All phonographs that did not spin a disc spun cylinders.
(C) A product does not always become the norm based on inherent superiority.
(D) Most phonographs had a horn-like device to transmit sound.
(E) There is more than one device that plays digital recordings.
13. All of Juliette’s cousins like to eat cottage cheese but not all of them like to eat eggplant. Some of her cousins enjoy eggplant casserole, but other cousins of hers do not.
If the statements above are true, each of the following could be true EXCEPT:
(A) Juliette’s cousin Maureen likes to eat both eggplant and cottage cheese.
(B) Juliette’s cousin Peggy does not like to eat either eggplant or cottage cheese.
(C) Juliette’s cousin Xiao does not like to eat eggplant casserole but likes to eat cottage cheese.
(D) Juliette’s cousin Pablo does not like to eat eggplant casserole, but likes to eat eggplant.
(E) Juliette’s cousin Loretta likes to eat eggplant casserole, but otherwise does not like to eat eggplant.
14. For a news show, a reporter posed as a naive citizen and asked various different history professors which nation was the first to attack another nation at the start of World War I. All 5 professors responded differently, and only one of the professors was right.
If the information above is correct, which one of the following conclusions can be properly drawn on the basis of it?
(A) Professors are not more likely to know the first aggressor in World War I than the general population.
(B) The fact that a professor believes a historical fact to be true does not necessarily make it correct.
(C) One must check with a large number of experts to ensure that a fact is accurate.
(D) All history professors lack knowledge on at least some basic facts in history.
(E) Only a minority of history professors know which country was the first aggressor in World War I.