TSA 2009 S1

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

The passage explores arguments to abolish compulsory retirements ages, giving examples as to why it is beneficial to both the individual, and the country, as well as giving the example of the USA who banned this long ago. The argument also discredits employers arguments that older employees are inefficient, as if they are incompetent at their job, they can be dismissed on these grounds alone, not age. Looking at the answer options, while answer A is valid, it is not supported by the information in the passage. While options B, C, and E demonstrate points raised in the text, none of these are valid conclusions, as they are all supporting evidentiary factors to support answer option D, that the UK should abolish compulsory retirement ages.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

Folding up the sides takes 2 lots of 5cm off each side and gives the box a height of 5cm, making the dimensions in cm: 50-(5×2) by 50-(5×2) by 5 = 40 by 40 by 5. So the colume would be 40x40x5=8000cm cubed.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

The argument is that differences in educational performance between boys and girls cannot be the fault of teachers. The support given for the argument in the passage relates to biological influences on educational performance differing between males and females. However, no evidence is given which can exclude the idea that poor teaching could contribute to the differences in male and female educational performance, so this theory cannot be disregarded. Answer D highlights that biological causes may not be the only driving factors for the observed differences and hence highlights the flaw.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

The passage is arguing that shortening degree courses from 3 years to 2 years is going to cause a lowering in the quality of graduates produced, for various reasons outlined in the text. Ultimately saying that this should be resisted by the universities. Looking at the answer option A, it is a point raised in the text. C, is an irrelevant point, not raised in the text. D, again, is not raised in the text, and would be more of an inference than a valid conclusion. While option E isn’t too much of a stretch to conclude, it is still not highlighting the main objective of the passage. Answer B does this, and can be concluded as a therefore point following all the points raised in the passage.

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

The argument is that depressed individuals who do not want their brain chemistry to be altered should choose psychotherapy as their treatment option because drugs used to treat depression alter brain chemistry. For this argument to be valid, it must be that psychotherapy does not affect brain chemistry, as this is the reasoning the argument gives for choosing it over drugs. This assumption is highlighted by E.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

She last put fuel in just as the light came on, so when there was 5L left in the tank. She spent $6 on 60c per litre, which would have given her: 6/0.60=10L more of petrol, so at this point there would be 15L in her tank. Next she drove 50km which would have used 4L of petrol (as the car travels 100km on 8L), so her tank would then contain 15-4=11L. She then filled the tank, which means 50-11=39L, at 50c per litre, which would have cost: 0.50×39=$19.50.

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

Work through the possible answers A-E, eliminating until you get to the answer. Half of the period 1 level for France would be 5.4/2=2.7, which is higher than the 2.6 in period 3, so eliminate France. For the UK, half of the P1 level is 3.6/2=1.8, which is greater than the 1.5 in P2, eliminate the UK. For Germany, half P1 level is 4.5/2=2.25, which is higher than the 1.6 is P3, so eliminate Germany. For Denmark, half the P1 level is 4.3/2=2.15, which is greater than the 1.7 in P3, so eliminate Denmark. Therefore the answer must be Belgium: half the P1 level would be 3.3/2=1.65, which is less than the values in both P2 and P3.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

A can easily be made by moving the inferior points of the two side tables towards the centre until they touch. B can be made by rotating the left side table so that its largest side is against the largest side of the table in the middle and rotating the table on the right side so that its most superior (diagonal) side is against the right side of the middle table. C can be made by rotating the table on the left side 180 degrees clockwise and rotating the table on the right side 180 degrees anticlockwise. E can be made by rotating the table on the right side so that its largest side is against the largest side of the middle table and rotating the left table 45 degrees anticlockwise. Therefore the only shape that cannot be made must be D.

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

Passage talks about how Zoos do not show animals with normal behaviour so it’s favourable to ditch them and fund to protect natural habitats.

E – Money already spent on Zoos boosts populations of animals in natural habitats through re-introduction of animals bred in captivity. This weakens argument as there they shouldn’t be abandoned if they benefit the natural habitats

D is irrelevant whilst A strengthens the argument by reinforcing animals in cramped conditions become anxious

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

The argument is that people who want to improve their overall IQ should take a very large number of IQ tests, because the size and power of the brain increases with use. The support given for this is that .parts of the brain responsible for memory had increased in size after use in exam preparation. However, this example only suggests that the part of the brain responsible for memory increases in size with use, and this cannot be expanded to suggest the same happens with other parts of the brain involved in intelligence without evidence of this. This flaw is highlighted by C. A may be true, but the passage does not imply that taxi drivers are representative of the whole population, but only states what the results ‘suggest’. B is not assumed. D is irrelevant. E goes against the argument but is not an assumption.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

The passage covers thoughts on the concerns raised on the reliance on expert opinions in law court cases. The passage explores justified reasons as to how personal prejudices can have influence, as well as how someone being called on as an expert may be more persuasive and charismatic, making their opinion more influential on the outcome of the trial. The passage talks about the need to distinguish effectively between expert evidence and expert thoughts and interpretations. Answer option C covers this conclusion perfectly. While answer option A, D, and E are all points raised in the passage, and option B is spoken about but is irrelevant as a conclusion to this passage.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

Time=distance/speed. The total time is 4.5, which would be the sum of the times for going uphill and downhill, which would be equal to the distance/speed for each part of the journey. Since the distance travelled is the same uphill and downhill, we can represent the distance from home to the post office (or vice versa) as ‘y’. We can form an equation from Time=distance/speed: 4.5= y/2 + y/4 (where y/2 is the time taken uphill and y/4 is the time taken downhill). This can be simplified to 4.5=(2y+y)/4 and then to 4.5×4=3y, then 18=3y, so y=6, which is the distance from his house to the post office.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

Using ‘s’ to represent small chickens and ‘l’ to represent large chickens, you can form a pair of simultaneous equations: 100=1l+2s and 175=2l+3s. Solving these, you could double the first equation and then subtract the second equation from the doubled first equation: (100=1l+2s)x2=(200+2l+4s), (200=2l+4s)-(175=2l+3s), which gives 25=s. Substituting this value of s into the first original equation: 100=1l+2(25) –> 100=1l+50–> l=50. Therefore 25 pellets feed one small chicken for a day and 50 pellets feed one large chicken for a day. The only statement which contradicts these is E, because 3l+10s would be 3(50)+10(25)=150+250=400, so 350 pellets would nopt be enough to feed three large and ten small chickens for a day.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

The passage explores the reasons behind why individuals may be dishonest in situations where they may steal or cheat. It simply states a range of reasons, from trivial, to good intentions, or hatred. Looking at the answer options, B is irrelevant to the information provided. Whereas answer options C, D and E all illustrate points raised in the passage as to why children steal. Although they are points, neither is an accurate conclusion that can be drawn. Therefore leaving you with the only possible answer option of A, which follows the themes outlined in the text.

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

The argument states that hard shoulders should not be used to relieve congestion. The penultimate sentence of the passage suggests that the removal of hard shoulders would make Britain’s motorways left safe. For this to be the case, we must assume that hard shoulders in Britain contribute somewhat to road safety, which is highlighted by E.A, B, C and D are not assumptions as if they were not true, the validity of the argument would not be affected.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

Passage talks about speed-reading it says that it has limited use for students as it doesn’t allow deep understanding of texts.

C – contradicts this so weakens the argument as it says it leads to deeper understanding

A and D both reinforce the idea that it doesn’t lead to deeper understanding so strengthens argument

B and E are irrelevant as they do not refer to how speed-reading can affect understanding

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

To find the lowest and highest possible numbers of bubble gum pieces he can buy, we need to calculate the lowest and highest possible amounts of money (respectively) that he could have spend on them. He has to spend at least one tenth of his money on bubble gum, which would be:1/10=$0.10=10c, so this is the lowest possible amount he can spend on bubblegum. Therefore the lowest number of bubble gum pieces he can buy at a cost of 2c each is: 10/2=5 pieces. Eliminate answers C, D and E because their lower bound is not 5. To calculate the maximum number of bubble gum pieces he can buy, we need to spend the lowest possible amounts on gobstoppers and fruit chews, leaving us with the maximum amount of money possible to spend on bubble gum. The minimum amount he can spend on gobstoppers is half of his money (50c, which would buy 10 gobstoppers) and that for fruit chews is a quarter of his money (25c). But since each fruit chew costs 3c, he would have to spend at least 27c on fruit chews in order to spend at least a quarter of his money on them. This would leave him with: 100-(50+27)=100-77=23c left to spend on bubble gum. As each piece costs 2c, he could buy: 23/2=11.5 pieces, but since he cannot buy half of a piece, he can buy a maximum of 11 pieces of bubble gum.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

In the April column, we can see 5 consecutive numbers 9-13, which could correspond to the 5 days she was away. This is the largest number of consecutive days which are all holidays (regardless of the country) and hence is the answer.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

The conclusion given is that English schools are deficient in the teaching of languages. The reasoning given for this argument is that’s the fact that English is so widely spoken cannot explain why English are still out-performed by their overseas counterparts in foreign language acquisition. For this argument to be valid, it must follow that there are no alternative explanations for English people’s poor performance in languages other than inadequate teaching in English schools. But answer D highlights that this may not necessarily be the case and hence shows the flaw.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

If X (I do more work tonight), then Y(I will earn more money). If P(I go for a bike ride), then Q(I will get fitter). I need Q more than Y, so P. D parallels this when X=I do the housework, Y=the house will be clean, P=I go to the pub, Q=I will be relaxed.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

Because neither Roger nor the goalkeeper will leave the pitch, there are 16-2=14 player remaining who need to be rotated and 11-2=9 available spaces for the remaining players on the pitch. As the duration of the match is 70 minutes, the calculation to obtain the number of minutes each of the remaining players should spend on the pitch would be: 9/14×70=45 minutes.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

April lives in New York which is 5 hours behind London and June lives in Tokyo which is 9 hours ahead of London. Therefore June’s time zone is 5+9=14hrs ahead of April’s. Therefore April would call May 14hrs later than June would, and since the message was intended for June, may would receive the call 14hrs late.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

Nickel is 28km from Gold, so Nickel must be at a dot which has a line representing 28km attached to it. This could be P, Q, W, V, S or T, but since P and V are not given as answer options these can be eliminated, so Nickel could be Q, W, S or T. The next closest town to Nickel is lead, and since there are no lines representing 40km, this must be made up of 2 or more lines. We need to find which of Q, W, S and T are joined to 2 or more lines which add up to 40km. Q is not, W is (W to S=28+12=40), S is (S to W=12+28=40), T is (T to V=28+12=40), so eliminate Q. The next closest town to Nickel is Tin 63km away, using a similar method as we did for 40km: W is not joined to any number of lines equating to 63km, nor is S, but T is (S to T to V to U =28+12+23=63). Therefore Nickel must be T

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

The passage explores why over-qualification is often used as the reason for rejection. Then it argues that there are no circumstances in which someone is actually over-qualified. So this means it shouldn’t be used as a reason for rejection on a job application. A and E are both valid in terms of this. if A is true it supports the statement so is an intermediate conclusion. However E is the main conclusion. B and C are both reasons given but not conclusions. They both support A and E. D is required for E to be valid

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

The passage talks about the differences between the diet and how the baby-boomer generation have a good chance of reaching old age, due to a healthy diet. Whereas, the Big-Mac generation going into detail about how the lifestyle factors are likely to cause serious health problems as they engage in health-threatening activities. Looking at the answer options, B and C are points that have been made in the text. Options A and E are although plausible, not covering all points raised in the text and therefore cannot be the conclusion as they can be followed by the therefore test and answer D, which can be shown as the main conclusion from the text.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

The argument is that the law in the UK that prevents people selling one of their kidneys should be abolished, because this would result in a greater number of successful kidney transplants. For this argument to be valid, it must follow that the abolishment of the law would increase the number of available kidneys for transplantation due to and increased number of people selling their kidneys. For this to be the case, it must be that people would automatically begin selling their kidneys once it has be legalised, hence the argument assumes that some people are willing to do this, which is highlighted by B. A,C D and E are not assumptions because if they were not true the validity of the argument would not be affected.

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

In order for the month of January to contain five Fridays, it must be initiated on one of the following weekdays: Wednesday, Thursday or a Friday and finish on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. By listing out the possible combinations of the 31 consecutive days including all the Fridays goes as follows:

MTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTW

TWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWT

WTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTF

TFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFS

FSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSS

SSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSM

SMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMTWTFSSMT

From this we can conclude that A. is true, as Friday has to be either the first, second (if January starts on a Thursday) or third (if it starts on a Wednesday). If January starts on a Wednesday, that means there are five Fridays so B could also be true. C is also true since regardless whichever of the days: Wednesday, Thursday or Friday the month starts on, there will still be only four Tuesdays and D also shows that if the month started on a Friday, the 31st date of the month would have to be a Sunday. Meanwhile, E is not correct and therefore is the answer since there would only be 4 Fridays if Monday would be the 31st.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

The restaurant employs 6 people at total wages of £1200 per week for 45 weeks which would cost:1200×45=£54000. It is open for lunch on Monday to Friday (5 times a week fro lunch) and dinner on Tuesday to Saturday (5 times a week for dinner), so it is open 10 times a week in total. As on average 20 people eat at each opening and each meal would cost £5 to make, this would cost: 20(people)x10(opening per week)x45(weeks open)x5(cost per meal)=£45000. Additional costs are rental at £36000 per year and other expenses at £9000 per yr. Therefore the total cost for a year would be: 54000+45000+36000+9000=£144000. The number of meals sold per year would be: 20x10x45=9000, so the cost of each meal would need to be: 144000/9000=£16 to cover expenses.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

Each diagram has 4 dots connected to 3 other dots and has 2 dots connected to 2 other dots, except C, which has 5 dots connected to 3 other dots and only 1 dot connected to 2 other dots. Therefore the connections on C are different to on all the other diagrams, so C is the answer.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

The argument is that science can fail to explain things due to its own limits. The support given for this in the passage is that scientists say that less than half second is not enough time for the necessary thought processes and muscle responses to occur for a batsman to react to an incoming ball, but it happens despite this. A weakens the argument by giving an alternative scientific explanation for the speed of the batsman’s reaction the ball, contradicting what the argument has stated about science being unable to explain things. B does not affect the argument, C may actually strengthen the argument by giving another example that science may not be able to explain, D has no effect on the argument because it does not confirm nor contradict the fact that their are limits to scientific explanations, E does not weaken the argument because it does not exclude the fact that there are some cases in which batsman may react faster than can be explained by science.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

In this passage the author discusses the meaning of actions defined as morally wrong. They further talk about how some but not all moral questions are matter of opinion. Looking now at the answer options, A, D and E are points around individual issues raised in the text. Option C however does offer a more rounded option, it still does not express as much of the overall theme of the argument as answer option B.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

For the first session, they rowed 400m at a rate that would burn 50 calories per 500m, which means that they burnt 4/5 of 50 calories = 40 calories For the second session they rowed 600m at a rate that would burn 55 calories per 500m. That means that they burnt 55 calories (in the first 500m) + 1/5 of 55 (=11) calories in the remaining 100m. So overall 66 calories in the second session. In the final session, for the first 500m they burnt 60 calories and in the last 300m they would have burnt 3/5 of 40 calories = 24 calories. This adds up to 84 calories in the third session. Overall this adds up to 40+66+84=190 calories. Therefore the correct answer option is B.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

Unless we are given information regarding UK house prices, we cannot assume anything about the prices of Northern Irish houses from the graph because whether they are true or false does not depend on the ratio of Northern Irish to UK house prices but rather it depends on Northern Irish house prices, so we cannot presume that A., B., or E. are correct. Also, without understanding what happened to Northern Ireland house pricing, we cannot infer anything about UK house prices therefore C. cannot be correct. On the other hand, D. is true as the gradient of the graph has been positive for some years which suggests that as a percentage of the UK average in that year, Northern Irish house prices increased, therefore we can conclude the answer for this question as D.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

The passage talks about how severe penalties are given to high injury causing road offences. The text discusses how surveys have shown that although these act as deterrents, people perceive the chance of being caught to be small. Looking at the answers, B is irrelevant, C is incorrect, and options D and E have not been discussed in the text. This leaves the only plausible answer option as A.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

Part of the argument is that some money from top athletes’ pay to ensure money should be made available to help the up-and-coming participants, or else the burden will fall on the general taxpayer. For this argument to be valid, it must be that we do not want this burden to fall on the taxpayer, which is highlighted by C, which is therefore the required assumption. The remaining 4 answers are not assumptions because if they were not true the argument would still be valid.

Explanation

The correct answer is D.

Discusses whose parents act aggressively towards them as children, those children grow up to be violent and concludes if we stop this, we could eliminate a lot violence from society

A – incorrect as passage is talking about if stopping aggression to children would stop violence not making it difficult or impossible

B – does not weaken the argument as it has no reference to effects of aggression to children

D weakens the argument as it states there are other factors involved too

Explanation

The correct answer is E.

49/3=16.3, therefore there are 16 multiples of 3 out of the numbers 1-49. In each group of ten, there will be one each of 3, 6 and 9 as the final digit of the number (ie for 3 there is 3, 13, 23, 33 and 43). However, because 3, 6, 9, 33, 36 and 39 are also multiples of 3, we do not need to count these again, leaving us with 3×3=9 more numbers to chose from. Each number in the 30-39 also has at least one 3 in it, but since we have already counted 30, 33, 36 and 39, the 30s give us 6 additional numbers. Altogether we can choose from: 16+9+6=31 numbers.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

He has been working there for 10 years, so his holiday entitlement would fall into the sixth to tenth yr category, so he would be entitled to 25 days holiday. Since he has been granted 5 days so far, and this is the maximum possible number of holidays he could have carried over from the previous year, he is entitled to an additional 25 days holiday.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

We need to find the repeating unit that would make up this pattern with no overlap of tiles. Such repeating unit can be demarcated by counting 6 triangles down from the top left corner, 6 triangles along the top (diagonal) row, then the triangles on the left of the vertical line level with the right edge of the upper left hexagon above the northeast edge of the hexagon, then the remaining triangle above the line level with the northeast edge of the hexagon (against the hexagon’s northwest edge). This would give a total of 12 triangles for 1 hexagon.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

The passage discusses the use of wetlands for cattle farming, and how there is a dual interest in the land for both agricultural and conservation reasons. The argument then goes on to say that because of this the land is regulated by an independent body to enable a balance. Looking at the answer options, B and D cover points raised in the argument. Options and E are irrelevant to the argument, leaving you with the only viable option of answer A.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

Explanation

The correct answer is A.

Explanation

The correct answer is C.

Explanation

The correct answer is B.

We are told that during the gardening season 160 litres of rain fall on each square metre of the roof. Since half will evaporate, we can divide this by 2 to give 80 litres per square metre and multiply by 25 to get the total volume collected over the whole roof, giving us 2000 litres. Since the butt never overfills, we can be confident that Joan will be able to use the total 2000 litres. In addition, the butt was already full at the beginning of the season, giving us an additional 200 litres. So overall she is able to use 2200 litres from the rainwater butt. By contrast, she needs 100 litres every week for 25 weeks to top up the garden pond, so she requires 2500 litres over the season. This means that she needs to use 300 litres of mains water to complete her work, and therefore the correct answer option is B.

Explanation

The correct answer is E.