Baker-Perez Engineering specializes in microelectronics. The company has traditionally focused on printed circuit board designs, but is hoping to expand into sensor networks and embedded systems. Baker-Perez is cutting its staff of engineers by 10 percent. To ensure that the company’s ability to produce high-quality products is impacted as little as possible by the staff cuts, consultants recommend that Baker-Perez lay off the most recent hires, who are the least familiar with the company’s products.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt upon the consultants’ rationale for selecting staff to lay off?

Several groups of mammals, including echidnas, insectivorous hedgehogs, and some shrew-like Madagascan mammals, all share prickly protrusions of the skin. These animals live in sufficiently distant environments that their interbreeding is unlikely. Since their habitats share similar features, however, scientists conclude that these animals independently evolved prickly skin to serve similar functions.

Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the scientists’ hypothesis?

After several years of decreased sales for advertisements on its bus lines, the Arthursville Transportation System (ATS) reorganized its sales force. Before reorganization, its sales force was stratified, with the more experienced sales representatives targeting the most promising opportunities. The reorganization introduced a relationship-based approach by which sales representatives are assigned based on their social proximity to specific buyers. After the reorganization, revenue from advertising sales increased.

In evaluating whether the increase in advertising sales can reasonably be attributed to the reorganization, it would be most useful to determine which of the following?

Some people believe that the exhaustion of a long road trip poses the biggest threat to a driver’s safety. Other driving situations, however, are far more dangerous. The sense of relaxation evoked by familiar neighborhoods induces drivers to rely more on muscle memory and less on active input from their surroundings. Such major lapses in attention are the reason most car accidents occur near the home.

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

The percentage of homes with property values of $200,000 or more is higher in Salinger County than in any other county. However, the percentage of homes with property values of $400,000 or more is higher in Landers County.

If the above statements are true, which of the following must also be true?

Certain species of fish swim in large clusters called schools, whose function is not entirely understood. Experiments have shown that individual fish, when removed from a school, demonstrate higher heart rates than those found within the school. Fish may experience stress at being separated from fellow members of their species, but an alternative explanation is that, for hydrodynamic reasons, swimming alone requires more physical exertion.

Which of the following, if discovered in an experiment, would support one of the two hypotheses and undermine the other?

Edgarton has long been narrowly self-sufficient in both coal and steel. However, as more and more people have moved to Edgarton, more coal needs to be burned to heat their homes. Because coal is an important component of steel, if the influx of new residents continues, Edgarton will soon have to import either coal or steel.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

Research has shown that protein should comprise about 18 percent of a dog’s diet. The best sources of protein are animal meat and fish. At the Calliston Pound in Centerville, dogs are fed a primarily grain-based diet. Clearly, this selection of food explains why many dogs at the Calliston Pound were found to be underweight or malnourished.

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

Antonia made tomato sauce and put it in small and large jars. Each small jar holds 3 cups of sauce. Each large jar holds 4 cups of sauce. She made a total of 15 jars of sauce. How many large jars of sauce did Antonia make?

(1) Antonia made more small jars of sauce than large jars.

(2) Antonia put a total of 51 cups of sauce into jars.

Bill went shopping for fruits and vegetables. He purchased a number of potatoes, onions, and lemons in a ratio of , respectively. How many potatoes did Bill buy?

(1) Bill bought a total of potatoes, onions, and lemons.

(2) Bill bought onions.

What is the volume of the cube above?

(1) The surface area of the cube is square inches.

(2) The length of diagonal is .

If and represent the length and width, respectively, of a rectangle, then what is the perimeter?

(1)

(2)

If and represent the length and width, respectively, of a rectangle, then what is the perimeter?

(1)

(2)

If 45 percent of customers at a certain restaurant one day ordered salad, what percent of the customers ordered just pizza?

(1) 30 percent of the customers ordered neither a salad nor pizza.

(2) 25 percent of the customers ordered both a salad and pizza.