brodidit for students
Home / Practice / MDCAT / Logical reasoning / Cause, effect and weak arguments
Cause, effect and weak arguments
6 MDCAT Logical reasoning questions with answers and explanations.
-
Ice cream sales and the number of drownings both rise in summer. A speaker says, "So ice cream causes drowning." What is wrong with this argument?
- 1 Nothing is wrong with it
- 2 It mixes up a link with a cause, because hot weather explains both
- 3 Ice cream sales never rise in summer
- 4 Drowning is not a real event
Show answer
Correct answer: It mixes up a link with a cause, because hot weather explains both
Two things rising together does not mean one causes the other. Hot weather leads to more ice cream sales and more swimming.
-
"A number divisible by 4 is even. The number 10 is even. So 10 is divisible by 4." What is wrong with this argument?
- 1 The first statement is false
- 2 Being even does not mean being divisible by 4
- 3 10 is not an even number
- 4 Nothing is wrong
Show answer
Correct answer: Being even does not mean being divisible by 4
The first statement goes one way only. Many even numbers, such as 10, are not divisible by 4.
-
"No one has proved that ghosts do not exist, so ghosts exist." What is wrong with this argument?
- 1 It treats a lack of proof against something as proof for it
- 2 It uses too many words
- 3 Ghosts have been proved to exist
- 4 It is a valid argument
Show answer
Correct answer: It treats a lack of proof against something as proof for it
Not having proof that something is false does not make it true.
-
Fuel prices rise sharply across the country. Which is the most likely effect?
- 1 Transport costs rise
- 2 Transport costs fall
- 3 Fewer people need food
- 4 Schools close permanently
Show answer
Correct answer: Transport costs rise
Fuel is a main cost of moving goods and people, so transport costs rise when fuel becomes dearer.
-
Most students who study for 3 hours a day pass the exam. Ayesha studies 3 hours a day. A friend says, "So she will certainly pass." What is wrong?
- 1 Studying never helps
- 2 It treats a likely result as a certain one
- 3 Ayesha does not study
- 4 Nothing is wrong
Show answer
Correct answer: It treats a likely result as a certain one
The first statement says most students pass, not all. So passing is likely, but not certain.
-
Many students became ill after eating at the school canteen. Which action is the most sensible first step?
- 1 Close all schools
- 2 Inspect the canteen food and kitchen
- 3 Ban all students from eating
- 4 Do nothing
Show answer
Correct answer: Inspect the canteen food and kitchen
The problem is linked to the canteen, so checking its food and kitchen is a direct and proportionate response.