Statement & Conclusion

Today's high school students spend too much time thinking about trivial and distracting matters such as fashion. Additionally, they often dress inappropriately on school grounds. Rather than spending time writing another detailed dress policy, we should make school uniforms mandatory. If students were required to wear uniforms, it would increase a sense of community and harmony in our schools and it would instill a sense of discipline in our students. Another positive effect would be that teachers and administrators would no longer have to act as clothing police, freeing them up to focus on more important issues.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

A:

inappropriate clothing leads to failing grades.

B:

students who wear school uniforms get into better colleges.

C:

teachers and administrators spend at least 25% of their time enforcing the dress code.

D:

students are not interested in being part of a community

Answer: E

The support for choice e is in the third sentence "we should make school uniforms mandatory". There is no evidence provided to support choices a, b, and d. And although we know that teachers and administrators are spending some of their time enforcing dress code, the paragraph does not quantify how much of their time is spent that way, so there is no support for choice c.

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In the past, consumers would rarely walk into an ice cream store and order low-fat ice cream. But that isn't the case today. An increasing health consciousness combined with a much bigger selection of tasty low-fat foods in all categories has made low-fat ice cream a very profitable item for ice cream store owners.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

A:

low-fat ice cream produces more revenue than other low-fat foods.

B:

ice cream store owners would be better off carrying only low-fat ice cream.

C:

ice cream store owners no longer think that low-fat ice cream is an unpopular item.

D:

low-fat ice cream is more popular than other kinds of ice cream.

Answer: C

This choice is supported as the best answer because the paragraph indicates that low-fat ice cream was once an unpopular item, but now, because consumers are more health conscious and because there is a wider array of tasty low-fat foods, low-fat ice cream is a profitable item for ice cream store owners. There is no indication that choices a, b, d,or e are true based on the information given.

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If you're a fitness walker, there is no need for a commute to a health club. Your neighborhood can be your health club. You don't need a lot of fancy equipment to get a good workout either. All you need is a well-designed pair of athletic shoes.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

A:

fitness walking is a better form of exercise than weight lifting.

B:

a membership in a health club is a poor investment.

C:

walking outdoors provides a better workout than walking indoors.

D:

fitness walking is a convenient and valuable form of exercise.

Answer: D

By stating that fitness walking does not require a commute to a health club, the author stresses the convenience of this form of exercise. The paragraph also states that fitness walking will result in a good workout. Choice a is incorrect because no comparison to weight lifting is made. Choice b may seem like a logical answer, but the paragraph only refers to people who are fitness walkers, so for others, a health club might be a good investment. Choice c is not in the passage. Although choice e seems logical, the paragraph does not indicate that the wrong shoes will produce major injuries.

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Generation Xers are those people born roughly between 1965 and 1981. As employees, Generation Xers tend to be more challenged when they can carry out tasks independently. This makes Generation Xers the most entrepreneurial generation in history.
This paragraph best supports the statement that Generation Xers

A:

work harder than people from other generations.

B:

have a tendency to be self-directed workers

C:

have an interest in making history

D:

tend to work in jobs that require risk-taking behavior.

Answer: B

The support for choice b is given in the second sentence of the paragraph. Generation Xers like to work independently, which means they are self-directed. No support is given for either choice a or choice c. Choice d is not related to the paragraph. Although the paragraph mentions that Generation Xers like to be challenged, it does not say they like to challenge their bosses attitudes; therefore, choice e can be ruled out.

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One of the warmest winters on record has put consumers in the mood to spend money. Spending is likely to be the strongest in thirteen years. During the month of February, sales of existing single-family homes hit an annual record rate of 4.75 million.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

A:

consumer spending will be higher thirteen years from now than it is today.

B:

more people buy houses in the month of February than in any other month.

C:

during the winter months, the prices of single-family homes are the lowest.

D:

there were about 4 million homes for sale during the month of February.

Answer: E

This is clearly the best answer because the paragraph directly states that warm weather affects consumers inclination to spend. It furthers states that the sales of single-family homes was at an all-time high. There is no support for choice a or c. Choice b is wrong because even though there were high sales for a particular February, this does not mean that sales are not higher in other months. Choice d presents a misleading figure of 4 million. The paragraph states that the record of 4.75 million was at an annual, not a monthly, rate.

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Questions for: Analyzing Arguments