Practice Verbal Reasoning 08.docx

Practice Verbal Reasoning 8 Questions _______________________________________________________________________ Number of Items: 40 Time Allowed: 60 minutes DIRECTIONS: There are seven passages in the Verbal Reasoning test. Each passage is followed by several questions. After reading a passage, select the one best answer to each question. If you are not certain of an answer, eliminate the alternatives that you know to be incorrect then select an answer from the remaining alternatives. Indicate your selection by clicking on the answer bubble next to it. Passage I Each year, thousands of representation elections are conducted all over the nation by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). An entire area of very specialized law has developed regarding the conduct of campaigns in NLRB elections. No labor attorney, no matter how extensive his experience and expertise, can come up with a campaign program during an NLRB election which will guarantee the employer a victory. The final decision on the question of unionization rests in the subjective minds of the employees, each with varying backgrounds, moods, desires, and motivations. No matter the confidence that the employer has in his employees not to let him down, he must recognize the possibility that he will lose the election, and should make plans in that event. When faced with an election loss, the employer has two options. His first one is to accept the results of the election and to sit down with the union and attempt to negotiate a contract. The law requires him to bargain in good faith with the union over wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. He could get off fairly easily, negotiating with the union a contract he can live with. However, he might not be so lucky. The union might present him with demands which he feels are excessive, and upon his refusal to agree to these, might lead his employees out on strike, with all of the consequences. The other alternative available to an employer faced with a loss in an NLRB election is to file objections to the election and to pursue these objections administratively through the NLRB and finally to the courts. By filing objections to the election and pursuing his appeal to the courts, such right as is given to him by law, the employer can delay the day when he must bargain with the union, sometimes by as much as two to three years, given current circuit court backlogs. Given the short time in which an employer has to prepare his objections after an election, he should be familiar with all of the possible types of election objections at the beginning of the campaign. Then, during the course of the election campaign, he can observe with a heightened alertness. If the election is lost, he is able to move quickly and accurately. It is nearly impossible to get the Board to take notice of election objectives which are submitted or allegedly discovered after the five-day period. Later objections convey the impression of being fabricated, whereas objections filed right on the heels of the election do not. Several cases have held that elections should be set aside which were won by the unions on the basis of last minute misrepresentation by the unions about wage rates and fringe benefits in unionized plants. In one case, a bargaining order was denied enforcement on the grounds that during the election campaign, the union sent out letters misinforming employees of the employer’s profits. It has also been held that the use of campaign literature which conceals the true identity of the sponsor may be grounds for setting an election aside. Another ground for setting aside an election is undue supervisory influence upon employees in favor of the union. The theory behind this objection is that supervisors normally have great control over the lives of employees who work under them. They can assign daily tasks to employees and can make, or choose not to make, recommendations and reports which lead to employee advancement. If the supervisor is pressuring the employees to vote for the union, then a certain type of coercion is present, and it cannot be said that the employees, in voting for the union, have truly expressed their feelings. After the votes are counted, and the employer has lost an NLRB election, he has a very limited time in which to act if he intends to file objections to the election and ultimately refuse to bargain and take the matter to the Court of Appeals. It is therefore important that the employer first, be aware of the type of conduct on the part of unions and the NLRB itself which has in the past led to elections being set aside and second, be alert for any evidence during the course of the election campaign and the voting process of such conduct. Then, in the unfortunate event that the employer loses his NLRB election, he will be in a position to move quickly and accurately. The use of words and phrases like, “let him down,” “fairly easily,” and “lucky” reveal the misguided confidence of employers. untrustworthiness of employees. antiunion bias of the author. bias of the author against employers. The author regards the employer’s straightforward acceptance of an NLRB election and bargaining with the union as the only possible response. an option the author highly recommends. an option about which the author has reservations. the only way to avoid a strike. The passage suggests that even an unsuccessful objection to an NLRB election can be used to reverse an election result. delay bargaining with a union. eliminate bargaining with a union altogether. require a new election. An employer who has not appealed an NLRB election and refuses to bargain in good faith with a union that has won the election is breaking the law. entitled to take his or her case to the circuit court. entitled to delay bargaining for up to three years. establishing grounds for a union The passage cites all of the following as grounds for an election challenge EXCEPT undue supervisorial influences. misinformation about employer finances. extensive use of campaign literature. misrepresentation of fringe benefits. Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage? Both unions and employers should study the NLRB election procedures before an election to avoid irregularities. An employer should challenge an NLRB election if the employer wishes to delay bargaining. Employers should hire a well-trained labor lawyer before any NLRB election takes place. An employer should know about and watch for established grounds for appealing the outcome of an NLRB election. Passage II The Bureau of Mines’ electrooxidation process for recovering gold from the carbonaceous gold ores of Nevada was extended to mercury recovery from ores containing as little as 0.6 pound of mercury per ton of ore. The new mercury process eliminated the roasting step in conventional mercury ore processing by electrolytically oxidizing the insoluble mercury sulfides to the soluble oxide form from which elemental mercury is precipitated with zinc. The electrooxidation step permitted mercury recoveries of greater than 90% from ores previously too lean for economic processing. Not only did the new process appear to be more economical and efficient than the older roasting technique, but it also greatly reduced the dangers of salivation of workers in the mercury industry and eliminated the production of sulfur dioxide, an atmospheric contaminant. Preliminary work on low-grade silver ores indicated that electrooxidation may also permit much higher silver recoveries from these ores than conventional processing. An important new antipollution process for removing and recovering sulfur from dilute copper smelter stack gases was developed and is currently undergoing pilot plant testing at a large Arizona smelter. In the initial part of the process, particulate matter and sulfur trioxide were cleaned from the stack gas. The sulfur dioxide in the gas was then absorbed in sodium acid citrate solution. The clean gas discharged from the absorption tower met even the most demanding of air quality standards. As part of the Bureau’s continuing research on developing new electrolytic reduction techniques for preparing high-purity rare earth metals and alloys, a samarium-cobalt intermetallic compound was prepared. The compound was suitable for use in permanent magnets and had a magnetic strength at least five times that of conventional Ainico magnets of similar size and geometry. Replacement of Ainico magnets with much smaller rare-earth magnets of equal magnetic strength could, in the near future, lead to the production of electric motors that are one-quarter their present size. Research was undertaken to develop a continuous process for making steel in electric furnaces to replace the present batch process. Both power and heat losses were minimized by the development of a heat exchanger using only the heat from furnace off-gases to preheat the scrap charge. Preheating also decreased the tap-to -tap time of the furnace, thus permitting increased steel output and lower costs per ton of metal produced. For direct steelmaking re-reduced iron ore pellets must have less than 3% silica, which is much lower than the silica levels resulting from the pre-reduction of normal oxide pellets. Using conventional beneficiation techniques, the Bureau developed a method for producing iron concentrates with 2% silica from the magnetic iron concentrates generated during conventional taconite processing. Use of these low-silica concentrates in direct steelmaking, such as in the basic oxygen furnace or electric furnace, represents a potential savings of 5-10% in operating costs, and an estimated one-third reduction in capital costs for most steelmakers. The value of the new mercury recovery process consists in acquiring gold as well as mercury. reducing water pollution. lowering costs of processing low grade mercury ores. its possible application to silver ore. The direct making of steel has been made more efficient by the use of heat exchangers. pre-heating the scrap charge. the production of normal oxide pellets. the production of iron pellets with 2% silica. Rare earth metals and alloys prepared in purer forms are used in making larger magnets. in making smaller magnets. in making larger electric motors. in building better and smaller conventional magnets. The means by which a new antipollution device recovers sulfur from copper smelter stacks includes going underground. the use of sulfur dioxide in the stack gas. using a sodium acid citrate solution in the stack gas. cleaning the particulate matter from the gas. The metallurgical research of the Bureau of Mines recounted in this report aimed at which of the following results salvaging scrap gold and silver. improving methods of refining rich ores. removing air pollution. lowering the costs of scrap production. Passage III The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek word meaning a “good, or peaceful, death.” Like abortion, euthanasia has received ever-increasing support, particularly during the last few decades, and its proponents demand profound changes in our individual, social, and moral attitudes toward death. As a framework for the discussion of euthanasia in social education, it should be emphasized that two contemporary developments have resulted in forcing the subject of euthanasia to the forefront of social morality and ethics in modern societies. First, advanced technology has reached the level whereby the medical profession possesses a much wider range of choices between life and death. Second is the ever-increasing demands of the individual to maintain and exercise his rights over matters affecting his mental health, physical health, and his right to live or die. With regard to the former, in technologically advanced societies, mere biological existence can be prolonged indefinitely by new drugs, and by artificial life support mechanisms. Sophisticated apparatus, new drugs, and the artificial transplantation of vital organs can give a new lease on life to persons who, in many instances, would rather die. From the standpoint of human rights, the depressing evidence concerning needless human suffering continues to prompt the idea that people, like animals, have the legal and moral right to a merciful death, or euthanasia. Like abortion, the concept of legalizing the right to a merciful death has raised many significant moral, social, legal, and medical questions. The proposals to legalize voluntary euthanasia, under stringent conditions, have resulted in considerable criticism from organized Christianity. This is not surprising, since the sacredness of human life and personality is a fundamental tenet of the Christian faith. A basic concept for student awareness is that much of the criticism of euthanasia from organized religion, as well as other segments of the society, involves both the relativity of the term and the negative precedent that legalized euthanasia could set for humanity. Euthanasia, or mercy killing, is an idea that conjures up nearly as much fear as death itself among many. Indeed, it is one thing to translate the Greek word into “the good death”; it is another to be specific about such a benign term. Such questions arise as: Is it something you do to yourself: suicide? Is it something that others do to you: murder? Could it be used as an excuse for genocide: the mass killing of the innocent, young or old, who happen to be a “political,” “economic,” or “racial” burden on a particular society? The racial theories and mass extermination practices of the Nazi period in Germany continue to haunt the Western world and reinforce the fear of any legislation that could result in a repetition of this tragic era in contemporary history. In its literal connotation, euthanasia, in the voluntary sense, reflects none of these social tragedies. Its legal and moral interpretation means that any individual who is incurably sick or miserably senile, whose condition is hopeless, and who desires to die, should be enabled to do so; and that he should be enabled to do so without his incurring, or his family incurring, or those who provide or administer the means of death incurring, any legal penalty or moral stigma whatsoever. The author implies that this essay’s audience comprises which of the following groups? Students Physicians Proponents of euthanasia Critics of euthanasia According to the passage, the translation of euthanasia into “the good death” is inadequate because death is never good. of the Greek tendency to oversimplify. that translation does not indicate many possible connotations of the term. it is implicitly associated with abortion. According to the passage, one of the factors that has established euthanasia as an important social issue is a change in American lifestyles. its recognized relationship to capital punishment. a militant Christian movement against it. the number of individuals who insist upon making their own health decisions. Which of the following can be most directly inferred from the author’s attitude expressed in the passage? Euthanasia should be legalized. Suicide can be considered a type of euthanasia. The relationship between suicide and euthanasia remains ambiguous. Moral and legal issues clearly define the difference between suicide and euthanasia. The primary purpose of this passage is to argue for the social acceptance of euthanasia. argue against the social acceptance of euthanasia. summarize attitudes, questions, and definitions related to euthanasia. summarize the moral arguments for and against euthanasia. It can be inferred from the passage that euthanasia is a less important social issue in which of the following contexts? A society that is not technologically advanced A society that respects the rights of the individual A society whose hospitals contain artificial life life-supporting mechanisms A Christian society Passage IV Masses of newcomers convert to new religions. The upsurge of nontraditional religious sects may actually be a comment on the current social climate. Few would doubt the lost prominence of traditional religious values. Sex is more acceptable, drugs are more understandable, and greed is a part of life. In contrast, many of the new religious sects strictly regulate sex, alcohol, drugs, and money. For some, joining may be considered novel rebellion, for it acts as a nonsecular experience and isolates the member from a sinfully oriented society. Within this view, the newcomers are saved from degradation within the permissive, immoral environment. Another reason for the mass conversions lies in the need for community. Urban society consists of a pattern of temporary associations. Instead of homogeneous neighborhoods, communities are diverse and ever changing, and close interpersonal contact is missing. With the rising divorce rate, even the traditional family support structure is eroding, thereby reducing family cohesion. Many individual children sense an unfulfilled need for dependable relationships characterized by deep affection. It is understandable why a warm, communal, religious sect attracts converts. The sect acts as a surrogate family distinctively noting close bonds of companionship. With the strict rules on sex, alcohol, drugs, and money, the members know what to expect in this tightly knit group. The unstable characteristics of the larger society no longer exist, and instead, the members experience an assured community relationship. This stability gives certainty to life and fills the communal void. Still, another reason for the mass conversion is that some converts may be residual members of the 1960’s counter-culture. Out of the political ferment of the prior era, a new consciousness developed. Success was no longer defined to these counterculture members in monetary terms. Peace, harmony, and societal associations were key elements, and the members were content with their status. After the Vietnam War, the movement lost its momentum as the former flower children entered the social mainstream. For those remaining in the counterculture, anomie developed. The stability of their social environment was dying, and those who would not accept traditional norms sought refuge within religious sects. In these settings, no pressure existed to enter the greater society. The conversion process, although considered brainwashing by many, was a welcome relief to these members. For them, a lost counterculture was reborn in a new form, and once again, peace, harmony, and societal association existed in its purest state. One such religious association is the Unification Church. This church claims up to two million members worldwide, with its headquarters in Tarrytown, New York. Under the direction of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the church has attained remarkable growth in its relatively brief existence, but it has mainly been the center of controversy as many view the followers as merely brainwashed victims. The membership is predominantly white, young, and unmarried, with almost half attending school immediately prior to joining but few continuing thereafter. A sizeable proportion has a prior history of emotional problems and drug abuse. This obvious disequilibration in many members’ subjective state may make them less resistant to conversion. Nevertheless, research indicates a direct relationship between the religious experience and significant psychological improvement. A reported reduction in neurotic distress and in the overall suicide risks certainly suggests a stabilizing in psychological status. Logically, the conversion to strict religious rules reduces autonomy by lowering the decision-making process. For those with a prior history of anxiety, the acceptance of the church’s guidance diminishes frustrations as the church makes all significant decisions. The member loves the church. It can do no wrong, and as with medieval faith, a trust element reduces worry and makes the member thankful to be saved. By analogy, psychotherapy ameliorates the problem though the treatment may be difficult. Likewise, the conversion may be disruptive, but psychological improvements do occur as the member experiences greater satisfaction with life. Although the overall well-being may be significantly below the population as a whole, the church members have still made remarkable improvements by relieving prior internal turmoil. These results are difficult to accept. Parents, for example, are caught between their allegiance to society and their children’s repudiation of it. It is hard to believe church members voluntarily selected “deviant” lifestyles. Consequently, the conversion process is viewed by many in brainwashing terminology. According to the author, religious conversion may serve to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT reducing anxiety and worry. relieving internal turmoil. diminishing tendencies toward suicide. increasing personal autonomy. The author of the passage considers mass conversion to new religions in large part as a current but soon-to-be-reversed social trend. a response to deteriorating community values. a deprogramming of coercive ideology. an involuntary surrendering of intellectual freedom. The author of the passage makes which of the following assumptions? The divorce rate will likely continue to climb. The values of the 1960’s counterculture were doomed to fail. Consistent expectations are an important psychological requisite. Psychological equilibrium enhances an individual’s tendency to conversion. According to the passage, the author suggests that after the early 1970’s, former flower children more vociferously repudiated mainstream values. dissolved their associations with religious sects. questioned the brainwashing of religious sects. became more socially alienated. With which of the following statements about voluntary conversion would the author of the passage most probably agree? No one would ever voluntarily surrender intellectual freedom and flexibility to follow strict religious beliefs. Those who submit to religious regimentation must have been coercively persuaded to do so. People have been voluntarily joining totalistic movements for centuries. Nontraditional religions prey on unsuspecting individuals to maintain their memberships. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for this passage? The Function of Conversion Brainwashing and Society Conversion: A Cause for Psychological Instability Involuntary Conversion Passage V Each method of counting bacteria has advantages and disadvantages; none is 100 percent accurate. Cell counts may be made with a counting chamber, a slide marked with a grid to facilitate counting of cells and to determine the volume of liquid in the area counted. Counts are made under a microscope and calculations made to determine the number of cells per mL of the original culture. Electronic cell counters can be used to count cells suspended in a liquid medium that passes through a hole small enough to allow the passage of only one bacterial cell at a time. The counter actually measures the rise in electric resistance of the liquid each time a cell passes through the hole. Smear counts are similar to cell counts: a known volume of culture is spread over a known area (1 cm2) of a slide and then stained. Counts are made from several microscope fields, and calculations are made. In membrane filter counts a known volume of a culture is passed through a filter, which is then examined microscopically for cells. The advantage of cell counts, smear counts, and membrane filter counts is that they are quickly accomplished with little complicated equipment; however, both living and dead cells are counted. The serial-dilution method involves the making of a series of dilutions, usually by a factor of 10, into a nutrient medium. The highest dilution producing growth gives a rough indication of the population of the original culture. Plate counts are made by making serial dilutions (usually in sterile tap water or an isotonic solution) of the original culture. Samples of known volume of the dilutions are transferred to petri dishes and mixed with nutrient agar. After a suitable incubation period, the colonies on the plates with between 30 and 300 colonies are counted. Because each colony is assumed to hive arisen from a single cell, calculations can be made to determine the original population size. Plate counts have the advantage of not including dead cells, and they can be used when the population is so low as to make other methods impractical, but they require more time than direct counts, and they detect only those organisms that can grow under the conditions of incubation; the development of one colony from more than one cell is also a source of error. A colorimeter or spectrophotometer is used in turbidimetric methods; the instrument measures the amount of light transmitted through test tubes with and without cultures; the difference represents the light absorbed or scattered by the bacterial cells and gives an indication of their concentration. The total cell volume in a sample can be determined by centrifuging the sample in a calibrated centrifuge tube. From the known volume of a single cell and the volume of the sample cells, the original population size can be calculated. The dry weight of the washed, dehydrated cells gives a reliable indication of population size. Chemical assays for the concentration of nitrogen or other cell constituents present in cells in fairly constant amounts are used to calculate population size. Because living cells produce chemical changes in their environments, these changes may reflect the number of cells present; changes in pH or in the concentration of a substrate or product may be measured. One method of counting bacteria that does NOT suffer from a major disadvantage of a “cell count” is a plate count. smear count. turbidimetric count. serial-dilution count. According to the passage, the typical result of incubation is impractical. the precise population of the original culture. 30 to 300 colonies. growth. Which of the following methods would a researcher whose primary concern is accuracy be most likely to employ? A smear or a membrane filter count A cell or a plate count A cell or a turbidimetric count A plate or a turbidimetric count The passage allows us to conclude that a biologist in a hurry to do a bacterial count may choose to seek out a spectrophotometer. estimate the total cell volume. perform a smear count. incubate. The purpose of this passage is to describe several methods of counting bacteria. demonstrate the disadvantages of the serial dilution count. recommend the use of the plate count method. justify the expense of bacterial cell counts. Passage VI Aesthetic needs and impulses are not the specialized interest of a small group. Everyone seems to be concerned with what is beautiful, pleasing, or appropriate in the visual world. That is, we are interested in beauty wherever it may be found—in people, in nature, and in objects of daily use. Some artists do specialize, however, in making things that are beautiful or aesthetically satisfying in themselves, apart from any utility they may have. Objects created to be beautiful or intrinsically pleasing are nevertheless useful because they help to satisfy the aesthetic interests and requirements of modern people. In his earliest days, man may have been concerned about colors or shapes only to the extent that they were signs of danger or of opportunity. But, since his life depended on how accurately and intelligently he could see, vision was a matter of supreme importance. We still possess remarkable visual equipment and outstanding capacity for interpreting our optical experience. However, the conditions of contemporary life do not seem to demand as much of our perceptual capacities as we are equipped to supply. Hence, some forms of visual art appear to have evolved in complex cultures as a means of engaging our unused perceptual capacity. Perhaps aesthetic pleasure is, in fact, the satisfaction experienced in employing to the full our innate capacities for perception. An elementary aesthetic pleasure might be called “the thrill of recognition.” Obviously, recognition has always played an important role in human survival. Its significant role in all human affairs accounts for the popularity of art that is easily recognized, that provides a multitude of cues to its origin in reality. When we recognize something in a work of art, we are in a sense rehearsing our survival technique, sharpening our capacity to distinguish between friend and foe. It is only a short step from the ability to perform such discriminations to the ability to enjoy perception itself, suspending all the while any impulse to fight or flee. Rather, we learn to linger over visual events and thus to maximize our delight in them. An artist whose lifelong effort was devoted to making the art of painting a source of pure visual delight was Georges Braque (1882-1963). An early associate of Pablo Picasso’s in the creation of the intellectual austerities of Analytic Cubism, Braque employed the principles of Cubism to paint surfaces of immense sensuous appeal and decorative ingenuity. Braque’s work The Round Table shows his mastery with shape and texture and his droll wit in exploiting optical and pictorial conventions for pleasure and humor rather than reliable cognitive cues. One recognizes the room and the table easily enough with the top tilted forward to reveal a multitude of ordinary objects: a mandolin, a knife, fruit, a magazine, a paper, a pipe, an open book, and so on. The objects in themselves are unimportant; they have shapes and colors and textures that Braque can rearrange. He can show the top and side views of an object at the same time; he can paint opaque objects as if they were transparent; he can reverse the expected convergence of lines in perspective; he can exaggerate ornament with white lines, arbitrarily exchange light areas with shadow areas, or paint shadows a lighter and brighter color than the objects that cast them. The purpose of these “violations” and surprises is not to create a painting of something; rather, the painting must be something, a kind of organism that lives according to its own law. And that law seems to state that any twisting, slicing, distortion, or reversal of shape, color, and texture is justified if it can increase our delight in looking. The logic of the painting is based on the obligation to surprise or please the eye rather than to reproduce a set of relatively innocuous objects. The focus of this selection is to explain why an artist paints. an effort to expand the knowledge about the painter George Braque. explaining what the painting The Round Table is all about. exploring the development of sight beyond that needed to exist safely. If the painting The Round Table is an example of Cubism, the reader might infer that Cubism is a style of painting that does not adhere to reality. the shape of the painting. the type of paint and canvas used for the work of art. an indicator of the time period in which the work was completed. As an artist appeals to the aesthetic senses, he addresses the viewer’s sense of the pleasing and sensible. reality and truth. what is sensible and gracious. beauty and pleasure. Art—man’s appeal to the aesthetic—may be beautiful, pleasant, and useful as evidenced by the various uses for art in the marketplace. their satisfaction of modern man. the growing popularity of art for the office. the efforts to appeal to both genders. A close reading of this selection reveals that man has a history of using his sight for protection and learning; however, that same sense of sight can be used for understanding one’s fellow man. perception of color. interpreting our optical experience. discerning shapes. According to the passage, the history of art reveals that ancient man used it to communicate meaning. primitive forms existed in prehistoric times. man’s unused perceptive ability is tapped. perception is unnecessary when confronted with aesthetics. Passage VII By now, the dangers to our lives and health because of exposure to radioactive elements are matter of common knowledge. The events at nuclear facilities around the country, especially Three Mile Island, have virtually destroyed the myth of the failsafe attributes of nuclear power plants that had been indoctrinated into trusting Americans by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The logical query becomes one of why the federal government insists on implementing this clear and present danger by allowing an ineffective federal agency to be the last word on the issue of maintenance and operation of nuclear generating plants. Further, why does the federal government refuse to allow a state to preserve and promote the welfare of the people of that state by virtue of reasonable and prudent legislation? In response to the first query, the federal government would probably state that the NRC is not ineffective. However, the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 has brought to the public forum information that shows federal standards of management, inspection, maintenance, and safety to be woefully inadequate. Indeed a recent report indicates that only 1-5% of safety related activities are inspected by the NRC and that inspectors can never be sure if and when an installation is safe. In fact, the NRC withdrew its support for its own sweeping study completed in 1975, which had indicated that plants were safe and that the chances of an accident were a million to one. In addition, the NRC had dismissed the possibility of an accident at a nuclear plant; therefore, they had no requirement for protection against the consequences of such an accident. Taking into consideration the lack of federal standards, the lack of protections against the possibility of a nuclear disaster, and the lack of a demonstrated technology for nuclear waste disposal, one may reasonably conclude that ineffective is a euphemism when describing the NRC. In response to the second query, it must be noted that the courts have held that the preemption in this area was not expressed in the Atomic Energy Act, but rather has been found by implication. Granted, preemption may rightfully be found by implication. The argument for not finding preemption, however, becomes more credible when the preemption is not found to have been expressed by Congress, ergo raising genuine triable issues. Clearly, we are faced with a dilemma, the states’ serious concern for human lives as opposed to the federal government’s dogmatic development of the nuclear industry. Perhaps a reasonable solution to this conundrum is for the courts in the future to keep in mind that the foremost issue is survival of the human species. Perhaps the courts should recall that the original drafters of the Constitution prefaced that document with a preamble, which articulates the concern for the general welfare of all the citizens, and that the Constitution was drafted to insure that the general welfare would be promoted and preserved, not to threaten life and health. The author’s argument in the passage reflects an enumeration of the dangers to life and health by the unsafe operation of nuclear generating plants. a balanced approach to the consideration of federal standards for nuclear generating plants. the idea that safety standards ought to be controlled by state rather than federal agencies. a strong criticism of the federal government in its efforts to maintain safe nuclear power plants. The author assumes all of the following about nuclear power plants EXCEPT At one time, they were considered by American citizens to be safe. They cannot be managed by government agencies so that the health and safety of citizens are protected. They are not as carefully inspected by federal agencies as they ought to be. Formerly there were no requirements for protection against an accident at nuclear power sites. With which of the following statements is the author of the passage most likely to agree? A major cause of the deterioration of our nation’s air and water is the negligence of the Environmental Protection Agency, a federal regulatory body. The space shuttle disaster could have been avoided by a more thorough investigation of the private agencies providing equipment and expertise. Annual deficits of the United States Postal Service are best attributed to the rising cost of transportation. Residents of Three Mile Island ought to petition the federal government for more federal safety regulations. The author suggests that when the federal government places a priority upon the development of nuclear industry, it fails to do which of the following? Preempt the rights of the states to protect their citizenry Determine whether nuclear power will in fact be an effective means of providing energy Solve the dilemma between states’ rights and federal power. Concern itself with an important goal addressed by the nation’s founding fathers The author argues that the federal government consistently required protection against a nuclear accident. failed to complete a study indicating that power plants are safe. neglected to provide a means for safe disposal of nuclear waste. effectively maintained and operated all nuclear plants. Which of the following can be inferred from the information about preemption and the courts? Any argument for preemption must be based upon implied, rather than stated, directives. Due to preemption issues, Congress will rescind the Atomic Energy Act. The courts may not hold preemption in the area of nuclear power. Preemption is not rightfully expressed by Congress, except in extraordinary circumstances. STOP. IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, CHECK YOUR WORK. YOU MAY GO BACK TO ANY QUESTION IN THE VERBAL REASONING TEST BOOKLET.