Quiz: Clarify your thinking and use your intuition

Sentence: "Franck is a policeman. He is 1.80 m tall and weighs 80 kilos. The minimum height required to be a policeman is 1.68 m."

Possible deductions:

1. Police officers are taller than average.
2. Franck is above average
3. Some police officers are over 1.75 m tall.
4. All things considered, police officers don't weigh much.
5. The taller you are, the faster you can become a policeman.

These are five deductions that could be made from the above text. But only one of the five is correct.

What conclusion can we draw from the original text without any further information?

The text says nothing about the qualities of the policemen. It gives no indication of their weight or height: whether they are short, medium or taller than average.
Sentence three is the only one that doesn't include any information other than that already given in the original text. It is therefore the only one to be correct.

In the absence of any information other than that provided by the text, which of the five proposed conclusions do you think is correct ?

A) "Most crooks can be exposed."

1. Most crooks are punished.
2. Crooks deserve to be punished.
3. The police act effectively against crooks.
4. Crooks are always caught.
5. Some crooks are not caught.

B) "As a general rule, a car costs more these days than it did ten years ago."

1. Cars today use more expensive materials.
2. Today's cars are more comfortable.
3. Production costs have risen over the last ten years.
4. Most cars built today are bigger than they were ten years ago.
5. The cost of living has risen in ten years.

C) "Today's man is, on average, better educated than in the last century."

1. In this day and age, a child probably knows more than his grandfather.
2. Today's teaching methods are better.
3. A lot of idiots have died in the last ten years.
4. Intelligent parents have intelligent children.
5. Intelligent men marry intelligent women.

D) "In our cities, muggings are more frequent at night than during the day."

1. It's common, in the dark, for an unsuspecting passer-by to be mugged.
2. There are more muggings after dark, because it's darker.
3. The likelihood of being mugged is higher in the city at night than during the day.
4. Darkness is conducive to muggings.
5. The fact that the streets are less busy means more muggings.

E) "In one fiscal year, a company manager made a profit of $240 million."

1. The company in question is extremely productive.
2. The entrepreneur made a profit with his company.
3. The economic climate this year was not favorable to profits.
4. 240 million dollars is a good profit.
5. The company would earn more with another product.

F) "While the earth's water reserves stagnate, industrialization and the need for water continue to grow."

1. It will be necessary in the future not to waste water.
2. People should pay more attention to the water problem and find ways of increasing water reserves.
3. In the future, industry will be short of water.
4. Living conditions will be more difficult.
5. The world will become increasingly industrialized.

G) "The drug problem reveals that our society is decadent."

1. Drug addicts have no influence on our society.
2. Our society does not question its future.
3. The drug problem is a reliable benchmark for measuring our society's decline.
4. The problems of our time reveal some aspects of our society's development.
5. Visible problems are those that best represent our society.

H) "The police noticed that one of the ways of enforcing the speed limit on motorists was to place radar controls in the right places."

1. When motorists notice radar controls, they obey the speed limit.
2. One of the ways of enforcing speed limits is through radar controls.
3. The problem of speed limit enforcement can be solved by installing sufficient radar controls.
4. Motorists are becoming increasingly reckless and don't respect speed limits.
5. The best way to get motorists to change their driving behavior is to subject them to radar checks.

I) "Jet aircraft move by propulsion."

1. Most jets are easy-to-handle, sleek aircraft.
2. The jet flies against the wind.
3. The propelled gases cause a reaction that allows the plane to move forward.
4. Most jet aircraft have four engines.
5. Jet propulsion enables jet planes to fly faster than others.

Answers: (in order) : |
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A : 5
B : 3
C : 1
D : 3
E : 2
F : 5
G : 4
H : 2
I : 3