Logical Reasoning Questions for CLAT 2026 | QB Set 3

1. In the United States, about $5,200 per person per year is spent on health care, while in Britain the amount is about half that. A recent study indicated that middle-aged white Americans have a significantly higher rate of diabetes and heart disease than do middle-aged white Britons. Even after eliminating from the study the lifestyle differences of diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking, the data showed that the Americans have poorer health than their British counterparts. The statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions?

(a) Health care spending in the United States should be reduced by 50%.

(b) More expensive health care causes a higher incidence of certain diseases.

(c) The money spent on health care in the United States is not being used effectively.

(d) The average health care spending for middle-aged white Americans is probably less than the average health care spending for Americans in general.

(e) Something other than diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking must account for the difference in health for the two groups in the study.

(e) CORRECT. The study revealed some differences in the health of middle-aged white Americans and middleaged white Britons. The study did not indicate the reason for the difference. However, the researchers did eliminate the lifestyle differences of diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking as causes of the health difference. Thus, it can be conclusively asserted that something else (other than diet, exercise, smoking and drinking) must account
for the difference in health for the two groups in the study.

2. Spokesperson: In the 2006 election of the city mayor, 55% of the voters were female. All the voters were between ages 18 and 70 and 2/3 of them supported the incumbent mayor. The incumbent mayor won the election with a substantially greater number of votes than any other candidate. If the statements made by the Spokesperson are true, then which of the following must be true?

(a) At least 1/2 of the female voters supported the incumbent mayor.

(b) The incumbent mayor received stronger support from the female voters than from the male voters.

(c) There were no other candidates in the election who received more than 30% of all the votes.

(d) 45% of the voters in the election were male and none of them were 75 years old.

(e) If the proportion of male and female voters in the city remains the same, the incumbent mayor is also likely to win the next election.

(d) CORRECT. Since 55% of the voters were female, the remaining 45% were male; also, since all the voters were between ages 18 and 70, no voters, either male or female, could have been 75 years old. This answer choice does not require any additional assumptions and therefore must be true

3. In 2003, the Making Hits Record Company spent 40% of its total budget on the production of ten albums, 30% of its budget on the marketing of these albums, and the remainder of its budget on overhead costs. In the same year, the Song Factory Record Company spent 20% of its total budget on the production of 10 albums and 60% of its budget on the marketing of these albums. Making Hits sold a total of 800,000 copies of the ten records it produced in 2003, while the Song Factory sold a total of 1,600,000 copies of the ten records it produced in 2003. Assuming each company met its budget, which of the following conclusions is best supported by the information given above?

(a) The amount of money spent on marketing is directly related to the number of copies sold.

(b) Making Hits spent more money on the production of its albums in 2003 than did the Song Factory.

(c) Song Factory’s total revenue from the sale of albums produced in 2003 was higher than that of Making Hits.

(d) In 2003, Making Hits spent a larger percentage of its budget on overhead costs than did the Song Factory.

(e) The Song Factory sold more copies of its 2003 albums than Making Hits did because the Song Factory spent a higher percentage of its budget on the marketing of its albums.

(d) CORRECT. Since Making Hits spent 40% of its budget on production, 30% on marketing, and the rest on overhead, we can conclude that Making Hits spent 30% of its budget on overhead. Since the Song Factory spent 20% of its budget on production and 60% on marketing, and met its budget, it could not have spent more than 20% on overhead. Therefore, Making Hits spent a higher percentage of its budget on overhead than did the Song Factory

4. Due to high jet fuel costs, airline carriers are looking for new ways to increase revenues and thereby counteract declining profits. Airline A has proposed increasing the number of passengers that can fit on its airplanes by creating several standing room only “seats” in which passengers would be propped against a padded backboard and held in place with a harness. This proposal, since it relates to passenger safety, cannot be implemented without prior approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. The above statements, if true, indicate that Airline A has made which of the following conclusions?

(a) The addition of standing room only “seats” will generate more revenue than the cost of ensuring that these seats meet safety standards.

(b) The Federal Aviation Administration will approve Airline A’s specific proposal.

(c) The revenue generated by the addition of standing room only “seats” is greater than the current cost of jet fuel.

(d) There are no safer ways in which Airline A can increase revenues.

(e) Passenger safety is less important than increasing revenue.

a) CORRECT. Since Airline A knows that its proposal would have to comply with safety standards, it must have concluded that the cost of compliance is worth it. In other words, the only way for Airline A to achieve its goal of increasing profit is to implement ideas that will generate more revenue than they cost. Airline A must therefore have concluded that the standing room only “seats” meet this criteria.

5. A recent research study of undergraduate students analyzed the effects of music on human emotions. Each of the 200 participants attended at least 1 two-hour concert of classical music per week over the course of 12 weeks of their spring semester. At the end of the experiment, all of the students filled out a questionnaire assessing their emotional state. Based on the results of the questionnaires, all of the 10 students who attended the greatest number of concerts reported lower stress levels and higher satisfaction with their lives. Also, most of the 20 students who attended the fewest number of concerts reported below-average levels of emotional comfort.

Which of the following must be true based on the evidence presented above?

(a) Most of the 200 participants improved their emotional state and lowered their stress levels.

(b) During each week of the experiment, the participants spent at least 2 hours less on their academic work as a result of concert attendance.

(c) Listening to classical music for at least 2 hours per week improves the emotional well-being of the majority of young adults.

(d) More than 6 participants attended at least 14 concerts during the course of the experiment.

(e) At least some of the students participated in the study in order to gain free access to classical concerts.

(d) CORRECT. We know that 20 students attended the fewest number of concerts, 10 students attended the greatest number of concerts, and the remaining 170 students attended some other number of concerts in between. The term ‘greatest’ indicates that there are at least 3 different numbers of concerts attended by the students (as opposed to ‘greater’ to distinguish between 2 different numbers). Since each of the participants
attended at least one concert per week during the 12 weeks of the experiment, all of the study participants must have attended at least 12 concerts. Even if the 20 bottom students attended the smallest possible number of concerts (i.e. 12), it must be the case that the next 170 students in the middle attended at least one more (i.e. at least 13 concerts) and the 10 most active participants must have attended at least one more than the middle group, i.e at least 14 concerts. Thus, it must be true that the 10 most active participants (i.e. more than 6
participants) attended at least 14 concerts, as stated in this answer choice. Note that if the students attended more concerts than the minimum requirement, the number of students with at least 14 concerts attended will be even greater, still validating the accuracy of this statement.

6. Columnist: The winner of this year’s national spelling bee won by correctly spelling the spoken word Ursprache, which means “fame” in German. Given the richness of our language, why must we resort to words taken from modern foreign languages to challenge our best spellers? Ursprache is listed in our dictionary, as are words from many other foreign languages, but future spelling bees should limit themselves to words in our dictionary that have been anglicized in all aspects because spelling English words, not knowledge of linguistics and international phonetics, is the point of these contests. Which of the following can most reasonably be inferred from the argument above?

(a) The spelling contest winner knew how to spell most of the anglicized words in the dictionary.

(b) Foreign words are more difficult than anglicized words for all contestants to spell.

(c) Spelling contestant winners should be determined by their facility with all aspects of language.

(d) To spell foreign words, contestants must recognize the language and know its pronunciation.

(e) The English language contains more borrowed words than most other languages.

(d) CORRECT. The author wants to exclude foreign words because spelling bees should be based only on spelling ability, not on “knowledge of linguistics and international phonetics.” Thus, the author must believe that spelling foreign words correctly when they are spoken requires knowledge of the phonetics of the foreign language in question.

7. In Eastland, from 2000 to 2005, the total consumption of fish increased by 4.5 percent, and the total consumption of poultry products increased by 9.0 percent. During this time, the population of Eastland increased by 6 percent, in part due to new arrivals from surrounding areas. Which of the following can one infer based on the statements above?

(a) For new arrivals to Eastland between 2000 and 2005, fish was less likely to be a major part of families’ diet than was poultry.

(b) In 2005, the residents of Eastland consumed twice as much poultry as fish.

(c) The per capita consumption of poultry in Eastland was higher in 2005 than it was in 2000.

(d) Between 2000 and 2005, both fish and poultry products were a regular part of the diet of a significant proportion of Eastland residents.

(e) Between 2000 and 2005, the profits of wholesale distributors of poultry products increased at a greater rate than did the profits of wholesale distributors of fish.

(c) CORRECT. As we are given that the population of Eastland increased by 6 percent, and the total consumption of poultry increased by 9 percent in the same period, then it must be the case that the per capita, or average, consumption of poultry rose from 2000 to 2005. For example, let’s say that the population of Eastland increased by 6 percent from 1000 to 1060 people, while the consumption of poultry increased by 9 percent from 100 to 109
units. The per capita consumption in 2000 would have been exactly 100/1000 while the per capita consumption in 2005 would have been 109/1060, a slightly greater value.

8. Everyone who has graduated from TopNotch High School has an intelligence quotient (IQ) of over 120. Most students with an IQ of over 120 and all students with an IQ of over 150 who apply to one or more Ivy League universities are accepted to at least one of them. The statements above, if true, best support which of the following conclusions?

(a) Every graduate of TopNotch High School with an IQ of 150 has been accepted to at least one Ivy-League school.

(b) If a person is a high-school graduate and has an IQ of less than 100, he or she could not have been a student at TopNotch High School.

(c) If a person has an IQ of 130 and is attending an Ivy-League school, it is possible for him or her to have graduated from TopNotch High School.

(d) At least one graduate from TopNotch high school who has applied to at least one Ivy-League university has been accepted to one of them.

(e) If a high-school graduate has an IQ of 150 and is not attending an Ivy-League school, then he or she did not apply to one of them.

(c) CORRECT. Nothing in the passage precludes a person who is a graduate of TopNotch High from having an IQ of 130 and from attending an Ivy League university. Neither does anything in the passage preclude a person who has an IQ of 130 and is attending an Ivy League school to have graduated from TopNotch High. Therefore, it is possible for both situations to exist simultaneously, so the conclusion is valid.

9. According to a recent study on financial roles, one-third of high school seniors say that they have “significant financial responsibilities.” These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, contributing to food, shelter, or clothing for themselves or their families. At the same time, a second study demonstrates that a crisis in money management exists for high school students. According to this study, 80% of high school seniors have never taken a personal finance class even though the same percentage of seniors has opened bank accounts and one-third of these account holders have bounced a check. Which of the following conclusions can be properly drawn from the statements above?

(a) High schools would be wise to incorporate personal finance classes into their core curricula.

(b) At least one-third of high school seniors work part-time jobs after school.

(c) The number of high school seniors with significant financial responsibilities is greater than the number of seniors who have bounced a check.

(d) Any high school seniors who contribute to food, shelter, or clothing for themselves or their families have significant financial responsibilities.

(e) The majority of high school students have no financial responsibilities to their families.

(c) CORRECT. The first study states that one-third of all high school seniors have significant financial responsibilities to their families. The second study states that 80% of seniors have opened a bank account, and of this 80%, one-third has bounced a check. The number of seniors that has bounced a check (one-third of 80%) is fewer than the number of seniors with significant financial responsibilities to their families (one-third of 100%)

10. Analyst: Creative professionals, such as clothing designers, graphic designers, and decorators, often have very poor managerial skills and do not succeed when they try to run their own businesses. In fact, most of these creative types are less skilled in business than is the average white-collar professional who does not work in a creative field. Generally, creative talent and business acumen rarely go hand in hand. If the analyst’s argument is taken as true, which of the following statements can properly be concluded?

(a) No successful businesspeople are creative.

(b) Some creative types are not less skilled at business than is the average white-collar worker who is not creative.

(c) Creativity precludes success in business.

(d) Any white-collar worker who is not creative is more successful in business than any creative professional.

(e) Business is not a creative endeavor

(b) CORRECT. The passage states that most creative types are less skilled in business than the average whitecollar worker who does not work in a creative field. This implies that some creative types are not less skilled than the average white-collar worker who is not creative.