Death of a Salesman – Write a critical appreciation of the Requiem

In Death of a Salesman Miller fuses the realist and expressionist styles with an ultimately realist purpose. Throughout the course of the play, we see the scenes of Willy Loman's last two days of life intertwined and overlapped with those of his memories and fantasies. This use of â€Å"daydream† scenes is an expressionistic device. However, it is not only these memory scenes which can be said to be expressionistic, as some of the expressionistic scenes in the play take place in the present, when Willy is not even there, and therefore cannot be said to be a result of his troubled mind. One of these scenes is the Requiem, when the characters break the wall lines to come downstage, and the apron represents the graveyard. As Willy is already dead, this cannot be thought of as a â€Å"distortion of his mind. † This extension of expressionistic devices to non-memory scenes seems to suggest that we the audience see them through Willy's eyes. Brian Parker suggests that this technique â€Å"forces the audience to become Willy Loman's for the duration of the play. † We see in the requiem scene how Willy's dream of a large funeral, like Dave Singleman's, to prove to his boys how well-liked he was, proves to be just another false dream. Above all, Willy seems to prize the emotional appeal of being popular, like Singleman, and it seems to be social standing that really motivates him. His prediction that his funeral would be well attended by all those who liked and respected him was a false hope and the belief that he was respected is clearly unfounded. Both of the boys feel his death was unnecessary. Happy's feeling that he could have â€Å"helped† Willy is just another empty Loman speech, devoid of any real meaning. We see during the course of the play that Happy neglects to give Willy any help whatsoever, he abandons his father in the restaurant and as Linda points out in Act Two: – â€Å"Not one, not another living soul would have had the cruelty to walk out on that man in a restaurant. † Biff does not see his father as a failure, he realises that Willy â€Å"had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong. † While both boys have absorbed their father's ideas, Happy lives them and is determined to â€Å"beat that racket,† Biff has now realised that he doesn't have to conform to a society which measures people in terms of popularity and material wealth. Biff's declaration, â€Å"I know who I am,† proves to us that he has realised his father's limitations, while Happy seems to have inherited his father's trait of self-delusion. Miller's characters speak with realism, as American people of this era actually did, and do not have long articulate speeches about their innermost feelings. At such an emotional time Charley's remark that Willy was † a happy man with a batch of cement† may seem inappropriate but we have to take into account that ordinary people do not speak in poetic language. Charley's speech in this scene is one of the most memorable passages in the play. It serves as a kind of eulogy, which removes blame from Willy as an individual by explaining the gruelling demands and high expectations of his profession. Charley's admiration and respect for Willy is evident in the line â€Å"Nobody dast blame this man,† and his speech demands that we should admire Willy for his drive and dream. Charley observes that a salesman's life is a constant upward struggle to sell himself and he supports his dreams on the power of his own image â€Å"riding on a smile and a shoeshine. What started out as a tribute to Willy becomes a generalisation towards all salesmen, Miller points out that there are many â€Å"low-men. † Charley points out that when the salesman's advertising self-image fails to inspire smiles from customers, he is â€Å"finished† – in Willy's case this was psychologically, emotionally and physically as well as his career. According to Charley â€Å"a salesman is got to dream,† this substitution of â€Å"is† for â€Å"has† seems to indicate a necessity for a salesman. Miller suggests that the salesman is â€Å"literally begotten with the sole purpose of dreaming†. Many writers of this era were concerned at the increasing emphasis on materialism and consumerism, such as Steinbeck. In many ways Willy has done everything that the American Dream â€Å"of unrestrained individualism and assured material success† outlines as the path to success. He has a home and a range of modern appliances; he has raised a family and journeyed forth into the business world full of hope and ambition. In spite of all this Willy has failed to receive the gains that the American Dream promises. Miller's contempt for a society in which a man is worth more dead than alive is obvious. Death of a Salesman condemns the American Capitalist society, which throws people on the scrap heap as soon as they are unable to contribute to the financial gain of others. On the opening night of this play Miller recalls a woman angrily describing the play as a â€Å"time-bomb under American Capitalism. † We see how the Requiem does not allow this, that the Loman's are â€Å"free. † Miller rejects the view that this is a play designed to overthrow the social system of America. He claims that aims rather to destroy â€Å"this pseudo life that thought to touch the clouds by standing on top of a refrigerator. † The American Dream and the way in which capitalist society measures people in terms of material success is once again condemned in Charley's line â€Å"No man only needs a little salary,† suggesting that no man can live on money and materiality alone without an emotional or spiritual life to provide meaning. Linda's feeling that Willy is just â€Å"on another trip† suggests that Willy's hope for Biff to succeed with the insurance money will not be fulfilled. One could even wonder whether or not the family received the insurance money as no mention is made of it, although this could also be interpreted as the money is of no real importance to them. It is bitterly ironic that a man, who kills himself because he feels a failure, fails in death. Linda's comment also seems to strip Willy's death of any of it's imagined dignity; the â€Å"trip† Willy has now undertaken, will end just as fruitlessly as the â€Å"trip† from which he has just returned from as the play opens. Linda's statement â€Å"we're free† which is repeated three ways can be interpreted in three different ways, Willy is now free from earthly unhappiness. The couple are free from the need to earn money for the mortgage and, in another sense, the family is free to act without the pressure of Willy's dreams. In this scene we see no more of Willy's memories, there are no expressionistic devices such as Ben, who represents Willy's desire for success. Ben's absence suggests that Willy has finally achieved the success that he so desperately wanted in life but could never realize. The expressionistic device of the flute motif that opens the play also ends it; we see how Miller parallels the structure of the play throughout. The haunting flute music, which symbolises Willy's pursuit of the American Dream of freedom and success, and the visual imprint of the â€Å"solid vault of apartment house†, seem to suggest that nothing has really changed and Willy dies just as deluded as he lived.

Off Balance Sheet Financing Practices Essay

OBSF is most of the times used by business enterprises to maintain their leverage or gearing positions in such a way which would not have any negative implications on the company. In the business world of today, OBSF is recognized as an important means for raising finance by means of operating leases, joint venture and collaborations with respect to R&D. Following Off Balance Sheet Financing method results in significant variations in the overall financial reporting of an entity. Considering the changes in accounting and financial reporting requirements, it is generally expected that the companies using these technique will be more able to run their operations efficiently. However, keeping in view the case of off balance sheet financing and accounting in this respect, it is argued that while using OBSF companies are able to not disclose entirely the financing of their capital expenditures and thus the information required to be disclosed in this respect is not made available to the interested parties (Tyrrell 1986). This report discusses this area of accounting and explains how OBSF is actually promoted by the market economies and the expectations of increased profits from the companies. The usage of off balance sheet accounting and financing is not new. In the beginning of 20th century, this concept of managing a company’s balance sheet gained fame and the banking and other corporate sector applied this technique in their best possible interest with the main objective of keeping their balance sheets light weighted. Apart from a benefiting role played by the off balance sheet ccounting techniques, there are some serious consequences which are often associated with the application of this concept. As for instance, it is argued that among many other reasons, the practices of off balance financing and accounting also had a significant share in the recent financial downturn (Allen, et al. 2002). In this regard, Enron would be a good example to look upon. While striving for a healthy outlook o f Enron’s balance sheet, the management made use of special purpose entities with the objective of making large transactions which would not appear on the balance sheet of the company. This resulted in a healthy balance sheet outlook with huge of amounts of capital inflows but at the expense of nothing. However, this bubble of progress did not last long as the company’s stock prices started fluctuating sharply and consistently. These events created a sense of being not informed entirely about the company’s operations among the investors and after the Enron’s climax, the regulators jumped in with Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002. The Act was aimed at securing the investments of investors and introducing regulations with respect to corporate social responsibility. But these checks proved to be ineffective upon the emergence of the financial crisis in 2008 (Hall and Liedtka 2007). Increase in the global competition and more expectations from the investors and shareholders to maximize their value of investments are regarded as the driving forces in the market which influence management to improve the financial picture of a company. In addition, these expectations pose pressure on the management to find ways which may result in better presentation of the financial statements and improved earnings (Boot and Thakor 1991). The Banking sector in particular and other sectors in general are mostly seen following this approach. As for instance, there has been observed a trend of investing in such portfolios and instruments which are regarded as high risk investments. But the intention behind this is to improve or strictly stating ‘inflate’ the earnings of an enterprise without having regard to the riskiness of such investment decisions and the fact that the stakeholders of the business need justification of such improvements in the performance in the form of financial statements disclosures. For the purposes of obtaining security on the risky investments, corporations tend to enter into complex third party arrangements which cannot be disclosed in the financial statements. Apart from this, one other motivating factor which is regarded as the major reason behind this approach of management is that they have their own interests and objectives. As for instance, managers are better off in their performance appraisals when the company is showing profits consistently (Boone and Raman 2001). The practices of off balance sheet financing and accounting, as stated earlier, comprise of operating leases, joint venture and collaborations with respect to R&D. Among these options, operating lease holds special importance and is given more consideration by the management due to the fact that they require minimum disclosures in the financial statements and are usually for a long term. Lease accounting is covered by IAS 17, SSAP 21 (UK) and FAS 13 (USA) (McGerty 2004, Lim, Mann and Mihov 2005). Prior to the formulation of these accounting standards, there were no obligations on the companies to disclose in their financial statements the future payments related to lease and therefore leasing was recognized as an off balance sheet financing technique. Apart from leasing techniques, there are various other methods being employed by different companies to move certain items off the balance sheet of the company. The use of off balance sheet techniques has been used to manipulate things. The most commonly used techniques to manipulate the financial information presented in the balance sheet of a company include swaps, variable interest entities (VIEs) and Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) (Ketz 2003). Although these tools have been used by companies around the world for different purposes which are mostly disclosed and transparent but the misuse of these tools has been also observed frequently by way of not disclosing the true facts. This practice has caused major setbacks to the global economy and also shattered the confidence of shareholders and investors (Hall and Liedtka 2007). As for instance, the collapse of Lehman Brothers is argued to have resulted due to off balance sheet approach followed by the company. In order to narrow down its balance sheet, Lehman Brothers moved its assets worth US dollar 50 billion from its balance sheet with the objective of portraying less amount of debt in the balance sheet (Rezny 2010). Keeping in view the above discussion and the facts stated related to the real world cases, it can be said that it is high time for the respective authorities to take measures in relation to this area of financial reporting. It is recommended that the governmental authorities and other financial reporting standards issuing bodies shall intervene appropriately through the right channels to ensure transparency in the financial reporting. Apart from this, the board of directors of corporations shall standardize the decision making processes and perform an effective oversight duty. In addition, it shall be made obligatory for business enterprises notwithstanding the sectors into which they fall, that every transaction shall be disclosed appropriately in the financial statements. Furthermore, the managers shall be motivated not pressurized to perform in the best interest of the organizations (Adams 1998). While concluding this report, it can be said that applying off balance sheet accounting and financing, whether for a good or evil purpose, has become necessary due to the increased expectations of the investors and shareholders related to the profitability of a business concern and also for the purposes of improving the financial statements overlook. Moreover, the lack of regulatory measures in this respect also has its share in promoting the adoption of this approach. Apart from this, it can also be stated that the benefits resulting from off balance sheet accounting are also considered as a means of attaining hidden objectives by managers which in turn motivates them to misuse the concept and benefit from the regulatory loopholes. For the purposes of addressing these issues, it is pertinent that the regulatory authorities who are responsible shall make such arrangements which may promote such financial reporting practices which are more representative of the facts. In addition to this, the disclosure requirements related to off balance sheet accounting and financing activities are required to be revisited.

Business Process Outsourcing, WIPRO.....India's largest BPO provider Essay

Business Process Outsourcing, WIPRO.....India's largest BPO provider - Essay Example Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the delegation of IT related services to an external service provide. It is totally dependent on human interface. At the same time it is capital intensive. Thirdly, it involves the data of the client who is usually from a different country hence, privacy and security too become obligatory. The report covers diverse incidents and opinions from the industry experts. India has provided enough evidence of its capability to handle big and small projects. It receives 80% of its work from US and now other countries are looking at this option. India now needs to improve upon its data protection and HR issues. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is globally now a mainstream business activity. A rapid growth in outsourcing in India has resulted in service providers mushrooming all over. Most lack in the resources, specially trained work force and finances. Except for a few large houses the rest do not have the necessary infrastructure. Brian Glick (2003)1 reports some critics see offshore outsourcing as little more than UK jobs being lost to India and some other developing countries. Nevertheless, it remains the fastest growing sector in the services market. More and more companies in the US and UK are moving their back-end offices to India for business processing to reduce operating costs. The concept of the offshore software development centre was born in India in 1990s when IBM and General Electric returned to India. Today India is a powerhouse of Information technology. The three main reasons according to Ramesh Emani2 why R & D has moved to India are – firstly, the product life cycles are shrinking and the companies are under pressure to launch products faster. The second is cost and the third is availability of talent with competence. IT and language skills in India bring business to India. The growth rate in the Indian BPO industry is 40% against 30% in the software industry. India has set for

U.S. Army Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

U.S. Army - Essay Example Following Black (2004, 206) it was World War I that set the pattern for the most important future operations of the United States Army. The Superior Board consequently advocated retaining the four-regiment division and urged that it be reinforced with a large assortment of heavy supporting units in artillery and the division train. The relative immobility of the big square division, the board reasoned, accorded with certain intractable facts of modern war: that the division always attacks frontally, that it attacks in a severely constricted zone of action, and that accordingly it has little occasion for maneuver. The Superior Board insisted that with the First World War setting the pattern for the army's major future combats, the essential principle shaping the army ought to be power, not mobility. The Congresses and chief executives in the 1920s and 1930s prevented the design of the National Defense Act from attaining fruition. The statute authorized a regular army of 280,000 officers and men. Congressional appropriations failed to maintain any such level. The actual strength of the army was by 1922, 147,335; by 1932, 134,024. By 1939 there had been a gradual increase to 188,565. As a result of fiscal trimming, regular army formations became largely skeletonized after all (Black 234). Yet the few formations that were kept at an approximation of full strength and readiness remained those most likely to be involved in small wars reminiscent of the old Indian campaigns--particularly the troops along the Mexican border. MacArthur's thinking not only limited the size of tanks, but also did much to kill one of the army's few promising ventures toward preparing for a possible return from small-scale colonial wars to European war. (Sweeney 145). The choice of the small wars army, akin to the American army of the Indian-fighting past, as the basis upon which to build the post-1919 force was a choice for mobility rather than power as the central principle of the army (Sweeney 148). Late in the First World War, however, there had emerged a new potential for combining mobility and power, for designing military formations that would emphasize neither principle to the debilitation of the other, but would harmonize both (Sweeney 148). The weakness of the Army and military strategy was lack of training and 'old fashioned design' of the army. The most vigorous army chief of staff in the years following World War General Douglas MacArthur, reinforced this emphasis on a mobile army preparing for small colonial and border wars. When he began his tour as chief of staff in 1930, MacArthur found that despite the absence of prospects for another war of mass armies, his planners were busily at work on mobilization schedules for the mustering in of citizen-soldiers to wage a hypothetical grand-scale war (Sweeney 151). He turned the mobilization planners instead to designing an Immediate Readiness Force, to be drawn from the regular army for dispatch to colonial or Western Hemisphere trouble zones (Sweeney154). The concept of a light, fast-moving army tailored to wage war not against European mass armies but against elusive, highly mobile opponents emerged also, with a particularly conspicuous effect upon the subsequent comba t capacities of the army in World War II, in the restriction of the weight of American tanks to 15

The meaning and influence of leadership to SAMSUNG Essay

The meaning and influence of leadership to SAMSUNG - Essay Example This document focuses on the different leadership theories and tools. It further illustrates the implementation of these leadership theories in Samsung to understand the importance of leadership management. 2- Background of Samsung Samsung Group is a multinational conglomerate organization having numerous of business subsidiaries and affiliation (Samsung, 2013). Samsung is one of the prominent information technology leaders globally. The organization operates and manages more than 200 hundred subsidiaries (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2012). The organization has successfully sustains it market positioning in the global IT market and economy. Samsung is reported to have the largest annual growth and profits (Samsung, 2013). The prominent Samsung industrial subsidiaries includes, Samsung Electronics (ranks fourth largest information Technology Organization), Samsung Engineering and Samsung C & T (13th and 36th largest construction companies in the world), Samsung Life Insurance (14th largest insurance organization of the world), Cheil Worldwide (15th largest advertising agency) and Samsung Everland (the oldest theme park and Everland in South Korea). The success of the organization lies in its strong leadership and strategic management. 3- Literature review Trait Theory of Leadership Trait theory primarily focuses on the heritable attributes, behavior patterns and personal characteristics of the leader (Northouse, 2010). The theory defines that the different personal characteristics and patterns fosters the leader effectiveness in the different groups and organizational situations (Northouse, 2010). Some of the scholars argue that the leadership traits are not acquired; perhaps individuals possess leadership traits that cannot be developed whereas this perspective has been criticized over the period as some of the scholars believe that the leadership traits can be acquired. Leadership behavior Ethical Leadership is the approach of the leaders to develop awareness about the right and wrong. It develops code of conduct for the leaders to make decisions and embed ethical attitudes and behavior (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2007). Ethical leadership allows to influences the attitudes and values, foster leader’s behavior and the empowerment of employee. Contingency theory believes that the leadership style shall be appropriate with the dynamic conditions. Fielder’s Contingency theory states that the effective leadership is dependent on the leadership style that is changed with the changing conditions. (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2012) The theory assumes that either the leaders are task oriented or relationship oriented; the style leadership adopts shall be according to the preferences of its orientation. It suggests that the task oriented leaders are more focused on the accomplishment of the tasks, whereas the relationship oriented leader’s aims to develop effective communication and interpersonal relationship with its employee (Lunenburg & Orn stein, 2012). Therefore, the leader’s favorability in every situation is the major concerns to develop effective leadership (Daft & Lane, 2008). Fielder’s contingency theory primary focuses on the leader’s personality and the psychological disposition. It further suggests that it is necessary to focus on at least one element of the leader-led situations, though it does not provide a complete description about the issues, but it allows

Achievement of Modern Bureaucracies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Achievement of Modern Bureaucracies - Essay Example In an extreme form bureaucratic organizations fail to do what they are supposed to because rules and regulations are applied so rigidly that employees lose sight of what their job is. Bureaucracy, as a sociological concept, was originally developed by Max Weber, one of the first sociologists to consider the role of individuals in relation to the structural determinants of social action. Much of his work was concerned with the notion of â€Å"rationality†, which he used to explain the development of Western society which was increasingly based on science and calculation. Bureaucracy, combined with the growth of large organizations throughout the nineteenth century, led Weber to conclude that the decisive reason for the advance of bureaucratic organization was its purely technical superiority over any other form of organization. In short, it was a description of an ideal type of organization. Not ideal in the sense that it was perfect or one that should be aimed for, rather that its structure contained specific elements that characterized it as a bureaucracy and which were necessary to manage the organizations of the day. This occurs in part because public bureaucracies sometimes perceive themselves as guardians of the national interest: there is the idea that they embody ideals that transcend the policies of particular government: they can develop a character of their own and become set in their ways and difficult to change. In these circumstances professionals can be more concerned with their own survival than with the broader aims of providing for needs of the consumers of their service. This can be observed in the barriers that can exist between the different wards and departments and the lack of co-operation that ensues. The study of spatial separation is called proxemics; it involves the exploration of different practices and feelings about interpersonal space within and across cultures. In the United States, general practice allows intimate communications between close friends to occur at very short range. Conversations with acquaintances are often held at a 3-4 feet personal distance. Work-related discussions between colleagues may occur at a social distance of 4 to 12 feet with more impersonal and formal conversations in public occurring at even greater distances. Not only it is important to know and observe common practice with regard to the nature of the underlying relationships (intimate, friendly, work-related or casual) between two parties; it is also imperative that these practices be adapted for cultural differences. In some societies, sharply different practices prevail. For example, Latin America and Asian cultures generally favor closer distances for personal conversations; and workers in Arab countries often maintain extremely close contact. Therefore, sender should be aware of cultural norms and the receiver's preferences, and make an effort to understand and adapt to them. Bureaucratic Power Political conflict does not end after a law has been passed by Congress and signed by the president. The arena of conflict merely shifts from Capitol Hill and the White House to the bureaucracy - to the myriad departments, agencies, and bureaus of the federal executive branch that implement the law. Despite the popular impression that policy is decided by the president and Congress and merely implemented by the federal bureaucracy, in fact policy is also made by the bureaucracy. Indeed, it is often remarked that "implementation is the continuation of policy making by other means." The Washington bureaucracy is a major base of power in the American system of government - independent of Congress, the president, the courts, and the people. Indeed, controlling the bureaucracy has become a major challenge of democratic

Making sure that your answers are concise yet complete Essay

Making sure that your answers are concise yet complete - Essay Example According to Daniel Bell, the postindustrial period heavily relies on the intellectual class that has the inclination in scientific, managerial, and administrative faculties to sustain the stable operation of the economy. He argued that knowledge was drastically included as a commodity (Bell as cited in Kivisto, 1999: p. 40-41). To augment Bell’s premise, C. Wright Mills formulated the class structure of advanced industrial societies which hosted the new middle-class or the white-collar professional; this latest social class does not execute manual labor unlike the blue-collar workers, instead they employ mental labor to a large extent (Mills as cited in Kivisto, 1999: p. 37-38). The outcome of this reallocation of consumer demands is the exclusion of the importance of high-paid manufacturing jobs such as Ford Company’s auto workers and others that rely on mechanized services. This recent economic trend elevated the significance of the service sector vis-Ã  -vis indust rial economies (Smart 28-29). Another concept, which is closely related to post-industrialization, is also discerned by some economists as the underlying factor behind the reductions of employment in manufacturing. Some analysts assume that deindustrialization is the end product of globalized capitalism and the increasing trade between the global North and South (Rowthorn para 5). The invention of the microchip increased the deep-seated automation of the global economy. As chips were produced on a dramatic scale which therefore boosts output, the importance of human labor decreased (Chomsky, 2008: para 13). Furthermore, free trade between the North (advanced societies) and the South (developing nations) displaced the workers of the North due to the rapid growth of painstaking labor in the manufacturing industries of the South (Rowthorn para 1). Playing between the boundaries of post-industrialism and

The Time Machine- H.G. Wells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Time Machine- H.G. Wells - Essay Example The writer may have used the word â€Å" time traveler† in order to increase the readers’ interest in the story. The readers must have developed an urge to know who this time traveler is. For that reason the readers must have read the story till the end. H.G.Wells himself considers it convenient to name the protagonist as time traveler. In the initial lines of the novel the writer declares, â€Å" The Time Traveller(for it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us† ( Wells 5). Another reason may be that the main priority of the writer may be the events of the story not the characters. Perhaps â€Å"Wells’ focus is on atmosphere and plot more than on character. Only three people in the book are given names (the narrator and the traveler not among them) and none are developed with any great psychological depth† ( Greenlee para 2). The writer has used generalized characters and has left the specific details omitted. He has used his characters as generalized symbols representing different aspects of his own

Public Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Public Health - Essay Example Its objective is to offer conditions in which citizens can be fit and its focal point is one the complete populations (Chin, 2000). Therefore, public wellbeing is concerned with the whole organization and not only the abolition of particular illnesses. Mission: the task of the public wellbeing scheme comprises its objective at every point in moments and how, at the theoretical stage, these goals are prepared. At the start of the 21st era, the duty of community wellbeing is to guarantee situations that populaces can be fit. This task is conceptualized as being approved via the recital of the core purposes of evaluation, policy growth, and the declaration (Rugglero, 2007). The functions have come to symbolize the universal conducts in which civic wellbeing difficulties are known and tackled via planned, communal labors. Structure: the structural ability of the public welfare organization is the increasing capital and relations essential to take the vital processes of community fitness. Structural capacity comprises of the following basics: organizational resources, information resources, fiscal, human and physical resources. Process: the practice of community fitness can be considered in terms of primary processes via which practitioners look for to identify, prioritize, and address society heath difficulties. Also, it seeks to recognize resources and productivity of the basic operations, policies, public health involvements, services, programs, and regulations. The means of general fitness are those that recognize and tackle health difficulties. In addition, the methods also identify and attend to agendas and services reliable to community priorities and mandates (Chin, 2000). Outcome: an organization’s outcomes are the immediate and lasting change knowledgeable by communities, families, providers, inhabitants and individuals. It is also the cumulative consequence of the contact of the communal wellbeing system’s process and structural capacity given

The CSI Effect Essay Example for Free

The CSI Effect Essay Many T. V shows come on and influence the public that the things that take place on these shows are real. There is Law in Order SVU, 24, Bones and our favorite CSI that make people think that countless cases are open and close do to outrageous finding of DA traces. The CSI Effect is a theory that criminals are getting smarter. These shows give out numerous tactics on how many cases are cracked and suspects are arrested. The CSI Effect also results in various hang juries and miss trials due to lack of evidence. The jury is starting to need more evidence, because the influence they have from watching these television shows. I have seen a show on television called CSI Miami. On this particular show, there was a murder-taking place with no clue at all, on who committed the crime. They had recovered some DA, but there were no past data to make a match on a suspect. The detectives had someone in question on who it might be but no evidence to hold him to the crime. Out of nowhere, one of the detectives on the case was talking to the man in question and somehow saw up his nose a dot of blood no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. He then grabbed a q-tip and told the man to stand steal while he dug up his nose to retrieve the DA. The DA sample was too small to test, so they sent it out to the FBI who has a glucose blood enhancer to stretch the DA enough to run the match. Of course, the DA was a match. The show then goes off and another bad person offs the street. This story is what is changing the minds of criminals and way of thinking. Criminals are starting to clean their tracks. Detectives are closing in on criminal and finding that they are cleaning the whole crime scene. Once entering a house the place is washed down in bleach to cover all traces of DA. Some rapist are wearing condoms and making their victims take baths to clean off all traces of the criminal’s DA. Criminals are also taking extra measures to wear gloves and masks so they cannot be seen or leave any fingerprints. They are taking more precaution on having an alibi stating they were never around when the crime took place. The theory is that criminals are watching these shows and learning on how to maintain a criminal life style without being locked up. These shows are making the police jobs much harder to apprehend suspects. Another default with this CSI Effect is that it is making the courts harder the sentence criminals. Juries are starting to want more evidence from prosecutors and DA matches to prove the defendant’s guilt. There was a case with two detectives shot and killed in an undercover gun deal. On the evening of March 10, 2003, two New York Police Department detectives, James V.  Nemorin and Rodney J. Andrews, were shot and killed in an unmarked police car while attempting an undercover purchase of a Tec-9 assault pistol on Staten Island. The case was significant not just because two officers had died but because the man who was eventually charged with the murders, Ronell Wilson, faced the possibility of becoming the first person in more than fifty years to be executed for a crime in New York State. The government’s theory was that Wilson, who was with an accomplice in the back seat of the car, shot the detectives during a robbery attempt. Among the evidence retrieved from the crime scene were hundreds of hairs and fibres, and prosecutors enlisted Lisa Faber, a criminalist and the supervisor of the N. Y. P. D. crime lab’s hair-and-fibre unit, to testify at Wilson’s trial, last winter. Under questioning in Brooklyn federal court, Faber said that she had compared samples of fabric from the detectives’ car with fibres found on gloves, jeans, and a baseball cap that Wilson had allegedly been wearing on the night of the crime. The prosecutor asked Faber to describe the methods and equipment she had used to make her analysis. Then she asked Faber what she had found. â€Å"My conclusion is that all of those questioned fibres could have originated from the interior of the Nissan Maxima, from the seats, and/or the backrests,† Faber said. She added that in her field â€Å"the strongest association you can say is that ‘it could have come from’ † the source in question. Faber’s testimony was careful and responsible—and not very significant. She could not say how common the automobile fabric that she had examined is, or how many models and brands use it. Nor could she say how likely it was that the fabric from the car would show up on Wilson’s clothes. Faber used no statistics, because there was no way to establish with any precision the probability that the fibres came from the detectives’ car. DNA tests had proved that blood from one of the detectives was on Wilson’s clothes, and based on this fact, as well as on testimony from his accomplice and from Faber, Wilson was convicted and sentenced to death. â€Å"Given how much evidence they had in the case, I wasn’t crucial,† Faber told me. The prosecutors liked the idea of fibre evidence in addition to everything else. Maybe they thought the jury would like it because it was more ‘CSI’-esque. †(thecsieffect) The fibres could have come from a different car and was not enough proof to prove the case, but due to the television show like CSI and others. The jury thought of the evidence as an open and shut case. Later on there was a sur vey taking asking were the decision that the jury gave influence by CSI and most of the jury said yes. This was a case were the prosecutors took a gamble and won. Most cases do not end like this. Most case there is not enough evidence to back up the case. The CSI Effect is only a theory, which means there are not enough facts to back up this case but enough intelligence for some facts to stand. For every sentence that is handed out because of evidence pointing in the direction of guilty, another case is a not guilty verdict due to lack of evidence. Some may say that television hit show CSI is the cause, but some may say that it is not the case. I say, with great detective work and as much evidence that one can gather, this CSI theory would not even be up for debate.

Tobacco industry

Tobacco industry Tobacco industry Tobacco industry plays as a pioneer in the modern marketing. Tara Parker-Popes ‘Cigarettes: anatomy of an industry from seed to smoke acknowledge that the tobacco industry represents promotion and marketing itself. It is the industrys marketing ability which made tobacco a high necessity good for billions of people around the world, despite the products nature of harmfulness. The world tobacco industry has been recently hit by the criticism on major companies social responsibility as the awareness of the products harmfulness increases. This is followed by anti smoking campaigns and various regulations in the global market. Despite the adverse environment, the industry is still growing and its influence on the world economy has not weakened. A question then arise, what type of marketing strategy the industry has been applying in order to form a huge global market and what would be effective strategy to adopt in changing environment. The question can be tackled by analysing an individual company which has been adopting its strategy successfully to changing environment. BAT (British American Tobacco) The worlds biggest market is China where 35per cent of the global total output is consumed and industry is state owned monopoly. Outside China there are four major companies which account nearly half of the global market, which PMI (Philip Morris International), with a global market share of 15.6per cent, BAT (British American Tobacco) with 12per cent, JTI (Japan Tobacco International) with 10.6per cent, Imperial Tobacco with 3.5per cent. (Yuk. Pan Kwan, 2008, p18) BAT was founded in 1902 and has sustained a significant industrial presence for over 100 years. They produce 684 billion cigarettes a year through 47 factories in 40 countries with 53,000 employees worldwide. Their continuous growths can be identified from their financial performances, where the figures for growth turn over, revenue and profit is in increase. BAT is the most multinational cooperation among the international tobacco companies operating in five regions around the globe. They are America Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Middle East and Asia Pacific where Its brands hold robust market positions and have leadership in more than 50 markets. While their competitors focusing on the large and base markets (Philip Morris- US, Japan Tobacco- Japan), BAT successfully adopted marketing strategies to the new environments and developed new markets. BATs success in the South Korean tobacco market is the typical example where its effective marketing strategy adopted to fast changing environment. By looking at the market closely, the factors which led to the success will be identified. BAT in South Korean Tobacco Market BAT has entered South Korean tobacco market in 1988 when state monopoly company KTG (Korean Tobacco and Ginseng)s exclusive monopoly on tobacco sale has abolished. Until 1990s its forefront brands KENT and KOOL has failed to adopt the Korean market and experienced market divest for twice. However by re-positioning its brand to DUNHILL in 1993, the sail started rise and in 1996 BAT successfully occupied the competitive position in Marketing Environment The analysis will start with looking at strengths and weakness the BAT obtained internally over the competitors. The opportunities and threats will then be verified to investigate the external environment the BAT is facing in the Korean tobacco market. This will help understanding BATs strategies and will provide solutions to current environment changes. Strength BAT had effective quality control process which ensures customer satisfaction. Over 300 quality tests exist through the manufacturing process from purchasing raw materials to finished products. The products produced in Korea are regularly sent to the BATs lab in London to ensure its quality is maintained. This helps to deliver the BATs image of high premium tobacco producer, which also aid by its 100 years of history. BATs localisation strategy enforces its competitive position in the market. By having a local production facility, its products are made by locals which dilute possible variance the foreign imported goods obtain. With over 500 salespersons operating through 19 regional offices, BAT is able to gather effective information on sales. Salesperson visits 7,200 retailers across the country twice a week, and conducts monthly marketing surveys which not only improve marketing decisions, but improve company reputation. Weakness Local consumer can be hostile to BAT as there is ambiguos impression of greedy foreign multinationals. Also the products nature of being harmful to health multiplies the issue; a good example would be a campaign held in November 2002 by the Korean Writers Association opposing governments grant on BATs manufacturing plant. The hostility to foreign company can be expressed through various way especially in the tobacco market where many governmental restrictions exist. Opportunity Increasing awareness of tobacco products harmfulness, led to demand rise in high quality and low tar tobacco products. This matches with the image of BATs forefront brand DUNHILL-light and the companys reputation of quality tobacco producer. Threat Privatisation of KTG triggered the competition war between global rivals in the Korean tobacco market. This year JTI (Japan Tobacco International) revealed its plan on construction of new manufacturing plant in Korea where as PMI (Philip Morris International) announced the  £65m expansion on its manufacturing facility by 2009. While the competition between incumbent companies grew stronger, Altadis Group which occupies 27per cent of the world cigar market entered Korean filtered tobacco market with its high premium brand at forefront. Korean tobacco market also suffers from increasing awareness on tobacco products harmfulness over the world. The prohibition campaigns led by social groups effected government legislations to restrict the products promotion, sale and consumption. While looking at BATs opportunity and threat, the external environment factors are identified which had big influences on both company and the industry. In order to look into the strategies, needs arise for more thorough investigation on its current market environment. PEST analysis will be conducted to divide the environment into political, economical and social terms which will be defined in more depth. Political Recently governments around the world have applied added restrictions on the tobacco markets Korean market is no different. Restrictions are mainly set in two different ways; restrictions on the manufacturer and restrictions on the consumer. In Korea the direct promotion of tobacco products are only allowed on the printed publications which its reader groups are verified as male adults, excluding daily publications such as newspapers. However even this way has limit on number of appearance, which is set not to exceed more than 60 times a year per brand. On daily publications, only indirect promotions are allowed where only promotions on the company image can be advertised not the product. In July 2002 BAT was prosecuted by Ministry of health and welfare for directly promoting tobacco products on daily publication which cost company with fine. The international organisations pressure on tobacco market is also growing. In last 30th May, WHO (World Health Organisation) said ‘Governments need to ban all tobacco advertising and promotions to deter adolescents from smoking announcing international agreement on prohibiting tobacco companies product promotion through sponsorship on sports, music, etc. If the government sta rt to force this by legislations, BATs current marketing strategy would be affected strongly as most of its promotions are done through sponsorship. Economical Current recession in world economy spreads negative effects throughout the industries, although its results come out to vary between industries. In 2003 Korean economy experienced a recession caused by what is known as ‘Card-crisis, when major finance companies collapsed. The recession spread across the industries except for alcoholic drink and tobacco market. Through the period, the survey reports that sales for alcoholic drink rose by 3.1per cent and sales for tobacco rose by 8.9per cent. (cho-sun il bo) These results put forward the issue on growing tobacco industry in recent hit by health warning and economic recession. Figure1 and Figure2 also support the argument on increasing demand for tobacco in recession period. KTB Investment Company forecasted as ‘considering the current economic recession, the tobacco sales in Korea will increase in next year. The economic recession also affect the trend of the tobacco market. The recent trend in the Korean tobacco market was on low tar high quality brand and this was the reason BATs DUNHILL-light was successful. However analysts argue that the trend is shifting from low tar cigarette to high tar cigarette due to long recession over economy. If this turns out in true, BATs low tar brands will face decline where as PMIs high tar product; Marlboro will be gained. Social Social concern on the tobacco users health is not a very new issue. However increasing concern on the health-right of the passive smoker brought active antismoking campaigns across the world. by nearly 30% from 67.6% in 2000 to 40.4% in 2008. The figure is still declining and the Ministry of national statistic forecasts that the rate will fall to 30% by 2010. The environmental factor of BAT in Korean tobacco market is now defined. The analysis will be used to identify the BATs current marketing strategies and possible changes to be made in adopting with changing environment. Marketing Strategy Marketing strategy is defined through two main processes. Positioning strategy by correct target segmentation and marketing mix strategy by defining four Ps (Product, Place, Promotion and Price). Positioning strategy can be identified through three processes; defining market segments, targeting selected segments and positioning of products on customers perception. Segmentation Korean tobacco market can be divides into demographic region and psychographic region. With nature of tobacco companies being large co-operations, segmenting geographic region is not necessary especially defining a relatively small Korean market. Also Behavioural segmentations is not effective since all tobacco products are consumed regular basis. Demographic region include segment of different ages and social class. Psychographic region include segment on life style and taste. Age group of 19 to 25 and 25 to 30 have characteristics of putting brand image more important than practical use of the products. Many of these groups admire western culture. Group of age between 30 to 50 and 50 onwards share opposite characteristics from younger group. They are royal to the brand based on their personal favour of the taste of the cigarette. Social classes are divided into upper class, middle class, working class and low class. Upper and middle classes are followers of trend and obtain constant income whereas middle and working classes often influenced by environments such as decreased income, economic recession. Life style groups in Korean tobacco market are divided into patriotic personal group, trend setter group and low price follower group. Patriotic group would prohibit foreign products. They tends limit their choices only to KTG products whereas trend setter group has no limit on the choices. As its name represent low price follower group limit their choices to low price cigarette. Characteristics of both life style group and age group are interlinked. The types of tobacco tastes are mild taste, strong taste and special taste. Mild taste group favours low tar cigarette products and strong taste group favours high tar products. Special taste usually refers to group favouring menthol flavour products and rarely strawberry, banana and other fruit flavour also exist. Targeting BATs marketing strategy in Korean tobacco market starts with targeting correct segments. BAT has been operated globally as a high quality premium cigarette producer and premium brand market is their expertise. They will gain advantages by selecting target market where the premium brands work effectively. BAT has a phrase representing their target segment of ‘ASU30 which stands for adult smoker under 30 and age group of 19 to 25 and 25 to 30 suits into this category. Their characteristics of following brand image and admiring western culture comply with BATs product image. In order to comply with their premium brand the social class need to be focused to upper and middle class. The nature of the cigarette product contains consumption behaviour of continuance purchase and this requires constant income to maintain the behaviour. For segments in taste of the cigarette, BATs DUNHILL-light brand complies with those who favour mild taste. With the increasing health concern, smokers are switching from strong taste cigarette to mild cigarette which contains lower tar rate. While the international rival PMI focuses on strong taste high tar market (Marlboro), BAT can also be benefited by weak competition. Positioning In Korean tobacco market, BAT has targeted ‘age group of under 30s, ‘upper and middle social classes, ‘trend setter group and ‘mild low tar favourers. The positioning strategy which would successfully comply with the targeted groups would be implanting the image of ‘BAT produces high quality premium tobacco. This is achieved through prestige pricing, package design, promotion on company reputations and strict quality measures. Defining 4Ps (Product, Promotion, Price and Place) identifies the products position on the marketing mix. Product BATs forefront brand DUNHILL-light has 84mm length and charcoal filter blended. The design of its package is a key driver to image of the premium brand which consist with unique bevel edged style and octagonal shape. As mentioned in the strengths section, BAT conducts over 300 quality checks during production process insuring customer satisfaction. Promotion BAT often uses promotion method of image positioning than product positioning. Rather than appealing with product itself, image positioning focuses on implanting ambiguous image of product. BATs promotion of DUNHILL-light delivers image of luxurious and conservative. However as BAT targets young consumers under 30s, image re-positioning is vital. The rival companies promotion strategy aiming for young consumers threatens DUNHILL-lights market position. PMIs Marlboro-light obtains active image and JTIs Mild Seven has liberal images. Price BATs current pricing strategy contains prestige pricing which ensures its premium brand image. However as identified in threats part, current economic recession decreases the consumer loyalty to its brand. Correct pricing strategy is required which will satisfy both side of the issues. Place BAT has its unique distribution structure over competitors in the market. They are only tobacco manufacturer which runs own sale system of dealing directly with their retailers. Also by conducting monthly survey on retailer BAT can get to its customers more closely. Chain of 500 salespersons and 7,200 retailers are key success to BAT. Analysing marketing strategies of BAT in Korean tobacco market has helped understanding of how strategies adopt to different marketing environments. BATs current strategies are not only identified but evaluated with suggestion of possible improvements to be made. On the whole through the analysis work, strategy which led industrys continuous growth is identified. Finally applying the BCG (Boston Consulting Growth) model, BAT is a Star company in Korean tobacco market which currently enjoying high market share with high industrial growth. In order to become a Cash Cow, BAT should apply passive marketing strategies increase investments to secure its market share.

Gender, Power, and Isolation in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Essay

Gender, Power, and Isolation in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong  Ã‚   The cultural studies approach to an open text allows the reader to focus on the culture of a specified society. He/she can study the use of social effects and construction of reality on the people or land. "According to the Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature "cultural studies involve scrutinizing a cultural phenomenon and drawing conclusions about the changes in that phenomenon over a period of time" (Geurin 240)." When utilizing the cultural studies approach, the reader must search the whole text for an overall range of situations and reasons why culture would shape a society. This cultural evidence can be found in Tim O'Brien's "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" because of its wide use of gender construction, levels of power, and the theme of isolation.   One of the major concerns in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is gender construction--especially when it comes to females. How do we usually classify the differences between male and female? During the 1960's, great gender instability occurred. Men were viewed as the dominant, reliable, and powerful figure, while the women were more feminine, quaint, and soft-spoken. All of these characteristics are similarly traced in O'Brien's "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". Although it was very unlikely, one of the men's girlfriends comes to stay with them in their perimeter. Tim O'Brien describes the appearance of Mary Anne Bell when he writes, "She had long white legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream..." (93). Instantly, the reader takes note of the gender construction of females in the story and how they are supposed to be perceived. Mary Anne is a delicate figure who is caug... ...s would sometimes vanish for days at a time...moving like shadows through the moonlight," (92). The "Greenies" as the other men called them, became the major symbol of seclusion in the story. Although the soldiers were isolated from the reality of war, the physical and emotional affects of war were enough to disrupt the routine in their lives and create a new society in their surrounding environment.   The cultural studies approach is only one way of analyzing an open text such as the story "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", but it is one of the best ways to determine the social actions of a society and the reasons for their cultural beliefs. Having knowledge of tools such as gender construction, levels of power, and the theme of isolation, the reader becomes personally involved with the characters and the ways in which they are coerced to live their lives.   

A Critical Analysis Of Tensions In Memorial A. H. H. :: essays research papers fc

A Critical Analysis of Tension's In Memorial A. H. H.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Victorian Period, long held and comfortable religious beliefs fell under great scrutiny. An early blow to these beliefs came from the Utilitarian, followers of Jeremy Bantam, in the form of a test by reason of many of the long-standing institutions of England, including the church. When seen through the eyes of reason, religion became â€Å"merely an outmoded superstition† (Ford & Christ 896). If this were not enough for the faithful to contend with, the torch of doubt was soon passed to the scientists. Geologists were publishing the results of their studies which concluded that the Earth was far older than the biblical accounts would have it (Ford & Christ 897). Astronomers were extending humanity's knowledge of stellar distances, and Natural Historians such as Charles Darwin were swiftly building theories of evolution that defied the Old Testament version of creation (Ford & Christ 897). God seemed to be dissolving before a panicked England's very eyes, replaced by the vision of a cold, mechanistic universe that cared little for our existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alfred, Lord Tennyson was painfully aware of the implications of such a universe, and he struggled with his own doubts about the existence of God. We glimpse much of his struggles in the poem In Memorial A. H. H., written in memory of his deceased friend, Arthur Hallam. The poem seemed to be cathartic for Tennyson, for through its writing he not only found an outlet for his grief over Hallam's death, but also managed to regain the faith which seemed at times to have abandoned him. Tennyson regained and firmly reestablished his faith through the formation of the idea that God is reconciled with the mechanistic universe through a divine plan of evolution, with Hallam as the potential link to a greater race of humans yet to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first of many lyric units, Tennyson's faith in God and Jesus seems strong. He speaks of â€Å"Believing where we cannot prove† (l. 4), and is sure that God â€Å"wilt not leave us in the dust† (l. 9). The increasing threat posed to religion by science does not worry Tension here, as he believes that our increasing knowledge of the universe can be reconciled with faith, saying:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Let knowledge grow from more to more,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But more of reverence in us dwell;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That mind and soul, according well,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   May make one music as before† (1. 25-28). He does anticipate doubt, though, as he asks in advance for God's forgiveness for the â€Å"Confusions of a wasted youth† (l. 42).

A film adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude :: English Literature

A film adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude Intent We have reached an age, where most things are done through TV and cinema. It is unfortunate many people do not read many books anymore. People would rather sit for a few hours in a dark room eating popcorn and watching a screen. In my opinion it is necessary for more books to be adapted in films. Some people might argue whether a great book such as Madame Bovary and The Great Gatsby can shine in the same light with a film adaptation. With the film techniques available and the great talent this is very possible. I am a strong believer that watching an excellent movie on Pride and Prejudice or any other literary masterpiece is equal to reading the book. For this reason I have taken on the responsibility of adapting chapter 1 of One Hundred Years of Solitude. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a novel about a family, the Buendias living in a town called Macondo. The novel is postmodern. There are many instances where time jumps around. Along with the postmodernism feel there is also an element of magical realism. The magical realism is where characters can do things that are not possible in real life. In example of this is Remedios’s ability to fly in the air and go away. The elements of postmodern and magical realism make One Hundred Years of Solitude a difficult novel to adapt. For this particular paper I have chosen to adapt chapter 1. Chapter 1 includes flashbacks, magical realism, and the encounters with the gypsies. I have chosen chapter 1 because it includes the elements the novel is based on. The title of my film on One Hundred Years of Solitude is Opportunity. The main reason I have chosen this title because it is rooted in the last sentence of the novel, â€Å"†¦Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred year of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth (Gabriel Garcia Marquez 448). In this quote, Marquez discusses how civilization with cease to be if there continues to be the solitude that is outlined in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Because the Buendia was the first attempt at a ‘perfect’ world, I have called it Opportunity, since this family was the first opportunity at the ‘utopia’. By adapting chapter 1 of One Hundred Years of Solitude I hope to show that a film can be just as or better than the novel it is based on.

Literary elements in the bluest eye Essay

In 1970, Toni Morrison published an intense novel, The Bluest Eye, to show the world the effects that internal racism had on African American families during the 1940s. The novel begins during the month of autumn, a time of confusion, contempt, and corruption in the life of the young narrator, Claudia. In the course of this portion of the story, Morrison eloquently portrays the potential effectiveness of literature through her master use of literary elements. Setting, mood, tone, and imagery are among the most prominent elements used to convey the harshness of the character’s lives in this rather contentious plot. During the course of autumn, Morrison takes the reader through the numerous settings in the lives of the novel’s characters, including the McTeer home, the Breedlove Apartment, and the whorehouse directly above the apartment. All of which are located in Lorain, Ohio. The McTeer house, home to Mr. and Mrs. McTeer, Claudia, Frieda, and, for some time, Pecola, is conveyed to be a somewhat adequate living space for the family; however, it is by no means comfortable. Claudia describes the space as being old, cold, green, peopled by roaches and mice; yet, this dwelling was a white man’s mansion compared to the retched condition of the Breedlove apartment. Hidden in the frame of an abandoned store, resided the equally abandoned bodies of Pecola, Pauline, and Cholly Breedlove. The building was a mirror of the very lives of its occupants; both were virtually invisible to the outside world, bland in adornment, and scarred by the effects of their pasts. Seemingly out of place, directly above the Breedlove apartment lies the livelier home of the neighborhood whores, China, Poland, and Mrs. Marie. This location was Pecola’s escape, the one place she could forget her life in the apartment and enjoy the companionship of people who cared about her. The settings of the characters as described in the beginning of Morrison’s novel are essential to understanding their fundamental nature as human beings. In addition to the severe descriptions of her novel’s setting, Morrison reveals the character’s innermost beings with an evident mood of embitterment within the first portion of, The Bluest Eye. It is a mood most powerfully conveyed through Pecola’s utter contempt toward the white race. It first made apparent to the reader when Pecola arrives to the McTeer home and drinks milk from the Shirley Temple cup. Drinking all three quarts of the family’s supply of milk, Pecola cannot seem to get enough of to drink. Or, is it that she continues to drink the white goodness in hopes of changing her chocolate skin into the beautiful fair complexion of the young child star featured on the cup? Claudia reveals her resentment toward little Temple when she sneeringly drifts into jealous thoughts about the golden-locked girl dancing with her dearest Bojangles. The reader encounters this same attitude in Claudia as she dismembers a toy doll in an effort to figure out what the blue-eyed beauty attained that made it so loveable. During autumn, Morrison portrays a corrupting mood of pure bitterness toward the white population through the attitudes of the novel’s characters. Along with a revelation of the characters’ dispositions through the setting and mood of her novel, Toni Morrison enables the reader to gain a better grasp on the true meaning of her work by the colloquial and cynical tone of the plot. Morrison often uses vernacular that is common to the characters in the novel, so that the reader can relate to the novel’s situations on a more personal level, which gives the story an idiomatic tone. The novel reflects a cynical tone by the way that the characters, most especially the Breedloves, adopt the world’s opinion of their inherent ugliness onto themselves. When Pecola looks at herself in the mirror, she can see her dark deep-set eyes and bushy eyebrows; yet, she fails to notice her high cheekbones and voluptuous lips. Marked by this cynical assumption, the characters lives are eternally condemned to carry the burdens of a self-imposed conjecture. Morrison gives the plot a colloquial and cynical tone, with the intention of conveying the true essence of the novel. Imagery is another enlightening literary device implemented by Morrison. Claudia’s puking incident in the opening of the novel is the first crude picture the reader is given of the realities of the McTeer’s lives. Though it is quite the gruesome portrait, Morrison successfully gets the message of the family’s harsh situation across early in the novel. Imagery can also be found in the repetitive descriptions of the blonde haired, blue-eyed white population. Morrison’s exaggerated reflections of Pecola’s appearance shows the reader that the characters were so consumed with their lack of self-worth that they are blinded from the truth. The use of imagery in the novel shows the extent to which the African American race suffers with internal racism during the course of autumn. The Bluest Eye draws a horrific, yet realistic picture of the mark that internal racism left on America in the 1940s. Morrison effectively portrays this portrait by the use of various literary elements. The most frequently and prominently used in her novel are setting, mood, tone, and imagery.

Contexts of Behavior Essay

Insights are generally aplenty. These are my assessments so far. Work-life initiatives are strategies implemented by firms to reduce turnover and increase productivity and overall firm performance. Studies were made to examine the influence and effects of work-life initiatives on employees and the organization in general. Workplace diversity which incorporates the concepts of work-life initiatives does indicate that it is inevitable that when a company introduces work-life initiatives, there is a resulting increase in diversity. Substantial evidence point to the effectiveness of workplace diversity hence, many institutions encourage and promote this in their particular milieu (http://www. cmdronline. com/workshops. htm). It is inevitable that juggling work and family life will be one of a person’s demanding experiences. The rationale for having a job is not only to have a livelihood, achieve personal satisfaction in the expression of his abilities and trainings, and receive his remuneration and perks on the side. Preparation for family stability to be able to provide and thus create an atmosphere of care, for bachelors/maidens, is also the foremost and logical reason for having a job. However, the thin thread that separates between the two polarities becomes blurred, and there lies the tension that pulls a person in different directions. The Center for Mediation and Dispute Resolution opens its website with the following quote: â€Å"Our life is one giant balancing act (http://www. cmdronline. com/workshops. htm). † Perhaps, no person will ever disagree with that statement. The goal then is to know how to do the balancing act, to gain competencies in achieving a rewarding, flourishing kind of life that holds work in one hand, while maintaining a well-nurtured and healthy family on the other hand. Every home has its set of beliefs or tradition that they hold in high esteem. This is referred to as family values. Anything that the family believes is important comprises a family values system. Among the values an individual possesses, the most important I believe is that a person must regard most his/her values about family as the most significant. Many people don’t usually pause and contemplate what their values are. They may not know whether these values they already have are still practical or useful in a modern day world. Moreover, they do not think how their values fit in with their kind of milieu that they evolve in. There are families that take time out though to impart to their children what had been passed on to them when they too were yet very young. The values may not be as strong as when were yet children because the person may have adapted to his world and adjusted his values that others may be accommodated. Through the years, a family value system may be a combination of what had been passed on to an individual and the values system of one’s friends or colleagues at work (†Values: What are they? † 2007). Why are family values important? The primary reason is that what we hold as important affects how we use time, money and energy or how we interact with people. If a family believes the importance of education then parents try to save for the schooling of their children which includes books among others. Family values influence how we spend our resources and make decisions. Parents then need to communicate what their own family values are, why these are important and the specifics of what are most essential that the children must also adopt or follow. Children also need to respect others who have dissimilar value system as compared to their own. Most likely values will evolve but when parents lead the children and model these beliefs, their children will be able to learn and pass these on to the next generation (†Values: What are they? † 2007). In addition, insights on work efficiency greatly challenged me to perform well alongside preserving my values at home. I raise or contribute to my family livelihood and time comes when I will manage people, I generally know what I want to see in them. We consider one person more efficient than another if he accomplishes more in the same time, or with the same energy expenditure. Other factors that have an important bearing on efficiency are: (1) the adequacy of training for the job; (2) the characteristics of the machine and other devices; (3) the motivation and related conditions of work; and (4) the degree to which performance is free from fatigue. It is common in business to have employees whose performances are not satisfactory and who are sometimes an actual problem to management. But it will be difficult all the more when as a person – I am not able or find myself in incomplete control of things that are happening around me. Reference: Halonen, JS and JW Santrock, 1996. Psychology: Contexts of Behavior, Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark, p. 810. â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007. Family Works : University of Illinois extension. Accessed November 10. 2007. http://www. urbanext. uiuc. edu/familyworks/values-01. html

Motivation and Team Case Study Essay

The motivation theories that can be found in Two Mens and a lot of Trucks are the desire many people have to take the risk of trying to start and develop their own profitable business. The motivation Mary had to start her own business is followed up threw her franchising the company to other individuals with similar motivation. In Mary’s situation her motivation came after her children finished college and she decided to quit her career to pursue the success of the corporation. She then had given the ability to other individuals to fabricate their own motivation of success threw franchising the company. Mary’s approach to creating high-performance teams within the company started with the principles of the company. These principles are simple but vital to the company. It began with the uniforms and is followed by the attitude to treat customers how you would want your grandmother to be treated. The motivational theories in Siemens’s New Boss are proof of the need for evolving styles of leadership within corporations. Kleinfeld had new approaches to running business. He had foresight and the motivation to request things from employees (such as working weekends) to maintain the profitability of that portion of a much larger corporation. His motivation for success was shown in his dedication to raise a family while working and going to school full time. His approach to creating high-performance teams was in experience of many different areas of the corporation and his ability to be comfortable in any international situation. Kleinfeld had a canny ability to tell stories. Another large part of his success in creating high performance teams was his personal investment in One Siemens. He personally invested in a program thus showing his confidence in the program. This increases the others to put forth the extra effort when they see the boss taking such a personal financial interest.

Gmat Cr

 ® GMAT ® Critical Reasoning Practice Set – 1 2 Aristotle Prep  ® Also Check Out: – Aristotle Sentence Correction Grail – Aristotle RC Practice Sets 1 & 2 -Ultimate One minute Explanations to OG12SC -Aristotle New SC Question bank Available for FREE Download on our website 1) Aristotle CR Question Bank 2) US B-Schools Ranking 2012 3) Quant Concepts & Formulae 4) Global B-School Deadlines 2012 5) OG 11 & 12 Unique Questions’ list 6) GMAT Scoring Scale Conversion Matrix 7) International (non-US) B-Schools Ranking www. aristotleprep. com 3 IntroductionA lot of GMAT instructors recommend that to improve their score on the Critical Reasoning section of the GMAT, students should practice from LSAT Logical Reasoning questions. While overall this strategy is fine, one problem students face is that a lot of the questions on the LSAT are not representative of those on the GMAT; some have dubious answers while some are of a question type that is not tested on t he GMAT at all. To help students overcome this problem we, at Aristotle, have come out with compilation of 101 LSAT questions that are very similar to those that students are likely to see on the GMAT.All these questions have been compiled from past official LSAT tests (tests which are readily available in the public domain) and we haven? t made any changes to these. An answer key has been provided at the end of this booklet but explanations for each answer have not been provided. In case you want detailed explanation to a question(s) please post the question(s) on „Forums? section on our website – www. aristotleprep. com – and one of experts will revert within 24 hours of the same. Good luck! CR Practice Set – 1 www. aristotleprep. com the the the our 4 1.Ann: All the campers at Camp Winnehatchee go to Tri -Cities High School Bill: That? s not true. Some Tri-Cities students are campers at Camp Lakemont. Bill? s answer can be best explained on the assumpti on that he has interpreted Ann? s remark to mean that (A) most of the campers at Camp Lakemont come from high schools other than T riCities (B) most Tri-Cities High School students are campers at Camp Winnehatchee (C) some Tri-Cities High School students have withdrawn from Camp Lakemont (D) all Tri-Cities High School students have withdrawn from Camp Lakemont (E) only campers at Camp Winnehatchee are students at Tri -Cities High School . More than a year ago, the city announced that police would crack down on illegally parked cars and that resources would be diverted from writing speeding tickets to ticketing illegally parked cars. But no crackdown has taken place. The police chief claims that resources have had to be diverted from writing speeding tickets to combating the city? s staggering drug problem. Yet the police are still writing as many speeding tickets as ever. Therefore, the excuse about resources being tied up in fighting drug-related crime simply is not true.The conclu sion in the passage depends on the assumption that (A) every member of the police force is qualified to work on combating the city? s drug problem (B) drug-related crime is not as serious a problem for the city as the police chief claims it is (C) writing speeding tickets should be as important a priority for the city as combating drug-related crime (D) the police could be cracking down on illegally parked cars and combating the drug problem without having to reduce writing speeding tickets (E) the police cannot continue writing as many speeding tickets as ever while diverting resources to combating drug-related crime . Dried grass clippings mixed into garden soil gradually decompose, providing nutrients for beneficial soil bacteria. This results in better -than-average plant growth. Yet mixing fresh grass clippings into garden soil usually causes poorer than-average plant growth. Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the difference in plant growth described abo ve? (A) The number of beneficial soil bacteria increases whenever any kind of plant material is mixed into garden soil. (B) Nutrients released by dried grass clippings are immediately available to beneficial soil bacteria. ww. aristotleprep. com 5 (C) Some dried grass clippings retain nutrients originally derived from commercial lawn fertilizers, and thus provide additional enrichment to the soil. (D) Fresh grass clippings mixed into soil decompose rapidly, generating high levels of heat that kill beneficial soil bacteria. (E) When a mix of fresh and dried grass clippings is mixed into garden soil, plant growth often decreases. 4. A gas tax of one cent per gallon would raise one billion dollars per year at current consumption rates.Since a tax of fifty cents per gallon would therefore raise fifty billion dollars per year, it seems a perfect way to deal with the federal budget deficit. This tax would have the addi tional advantage that the resulting drop in the demand for gasoline wo uld be ecologically sound and would keep our country from being too dependent on foreign oil producers. Which one of the following most clearly identifies an error in the author? s reasoning? (A) The author cites irrelevant data. (B) The author relies on incorrect current consumption figures. C) The author makes incompatible assumptions. (D) The author mistakes an effect for a cause. (E) The author appeals to conscience rather than reason. 5. There is no reason why the work of scientists has to be officially confirmed before being published. There is a system in place for the confirmation or disconfirmation of scientific finding, namely, the replication of results by other scientists. Poor scientific work on the part of any one scientist, which can include anything from careless reporting practices to fraud, is not harmful. It will be exposed and rendered harmless hen other scientists conduct the experiments and obtain disconfirmatory results. Which one of the following, if true, wo uld weaken the argument? (A) Scientific experiments can go unchallenged for many years before they are replicated. (B) Most scientists work in universities, where their work is submitted to peer review before publication. (C) Most scientists are under pressure to make their work accessible to the scrutiny of replication. (D) In scientific experiments, careless reporting is more common than fraud. (E) Most scientists work as part of a team rather than alone. 6.Alice: Quotas on automobile imports to the United States should be eliminated. Then domestic producers would have to compete directly with Japanese manufacturers and would be forced to produce higher-quality cars. Such competition would be good for consumers. www. aristotleprep. com 6 David: You fail to realize, Alice, that quotas on automobile imports are pervasive worldwide. Since German, Britain, and France have quotas, so should the United States. Which one of the following most accurately characterizes David? s response to Alice? s statement? (A) David falsely accuses Alice of contradicting herself. B) David unfairly directs his argument against Alice personally. (C) David uncovers a hidden assumption underlying Alice? s position. (D) David takes a position that is similar to the one Alice has taken. (E) David fails to address the reasons Alice cites in favour of her conclusion. 7. Governments have only one response to public criticism of soci ally necessary services: regulation of the activity of providing those services. But governments inevitably make the activity more expensive by regulating it, and that is particularly troublesome in these times of strained financial resources.However, sin ce public criticism of child-care services has undermined all confidence in such services, and since such services are socially necessary, the government is certain to respond. Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the passage? (A) The quality of child care will improve. (B) The cost of pr oviding child-care services will increase. (C) The government will use funding to foster advances in child care. (D) If public criticism of policy is strongly voiced, the government is certain to respond. (E) If child-care services are not regulated, the cost of providing child care will not increase. . Advertisers are often criticized for their unscrupulous manipulation of people? s tastes and wants. There is evidence, however, that some advertisers are motivated by moral as well as financial considerations. A particular publication decided to change its image from being a family newspaper to concentrating on sex and violence, thus appealing to a different readership. Some advertisers withdrew their advertisements from the publication, and this must have been because they morally disapproved of publishing salacious material. Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument? A) The advertisers switched their advertisements to other family newspapers. (B) Some advertisers switched from family newspapers to advertise in the changed publication. (C) The advertisers expected their product sales to increase if they stayed with the changed publication, but to decrease if they withdrew. (D) People who generally read family newspapers are not likely to buy newspapers that concentrate on sex and violence. (E) It was expected that the changed publication would appeal principally to those in a different income group. www. aristotleprep. com 7 9.If retail stores experience a decrease in revenues during this holiday season, then either attitudes toward extravagant gift-giving have changed or prices have risen beyond the level most people can afford. If attitudes have changed, then we all have something to celebrate this season. If prices have risen beyond the level most people can afford, then it must be that salaries have not kept pace with rising prices during the past year. Assuming the premises above to be true, if salaries have kept pace with ri sing prices during the past year, which one of the following must be true? (A) Attitudes toward extravagant gift-giving have changed. B) Retail stores will not experience a decrease in retail sales during this holiday season. (C) Prices in retail stores have not risen beyond the level that most people can afford during this holiday season. (D) Attitudes toward extravagant gift-giving have not changed, and stores will not experience a decrease in revenues during this holiday season. (E) Either attitudes toward extravagant gift-giving have changed or prices have risen beyond the level that most people can afford during this holiday season. 10. The â€Å"suicide wave† that followed the United States stock market crash of October 1929 is more legend than fact.Careful examination of the monthly figures on the causes of death in 1929 shows that the number of suicides in October and in November was comparatively low. In only three other months were the monthly figures lower. During the summer months, when the stock market was flourishing, the number of suicides was substantially higher. Which one of the following, if true, would best challenge the conclusion of the passage? (A) The suicide rate is influenced by many psychological, interpersonal, and societal factors during any given historical period. B) October and November have almost always had relatively high suicide rates, even during the 1920s and 1930s. (C) The suicide rate in October and November of 1929 was considerably higher than the average for those months during several preceding and following years. (D) During the years surrounding the stock market crash, suicide rates were typically lower at the beginning of any calendar year than toward the end of that year. (E) Because of seasonal differences, the number of suicides in October and November of 1929 would not be expected to be the same as those for other months. 11.Learning how to build a nest plays an important part in the breeding success of birds. For example, Dr. Snow has recorded the success of a number of blackbirds in several successive years. He finds that birds nesting for the first time are less successful in breeding than are older birds, and also less successful than they themselves are a year later. This cannot be a mere matter of size and strength, since blackbirds, like the great majority of birds, are fully grown when they leave www. aristotleprep. com 8 the nest. Thus, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that they benefit by their nesting experience.Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument? (A) Blackbirds build better nests than other birds. (B) The capacity of blackbirds to lay viable eggs increases with each successive trial during the first few years of reproduction. (C) The breeding success of birds nesting for the second time is greater than that of birds nesting for the first time. (D) Smaller and weaker blackbirds breed just as successfully as bigger and stronger blac kbirds. (E) Up to 25 percent of all birds are killed by predators before they start to nest. 12.How do the airlines expect to prevent commercial plane crashes? Studies have shown that pilot error contributes to two-thirds of all such crashes. To address this problem, the airlines have upgraded their training programs by increasing the hours of classroom instruction and emphasizing communication skills in the cockpit. But it is unrealistic to expect such measures to compensate for pilots? lack of actual flying time. Therefore, the airlines should rethink their training approach to reducing commercial crashes. Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument depends? A) Training programs can eliminate pilot errors. (B) Commercial pilots routinely undergo additional training throughout their careers. (C) The number of airline crashes will decrease if pilot training programs focus on increasing actual flying time. (D) Lack of actual flying time is an important contrib utor to pilot error in commercial plane crashes. (E) Communication skills are not important to pilot training programs. Questions 13-14 are based on the following: Despite improvements in treatment for asthma, the death rate from this disease has doubled during the past decade from its previous rate.Two possible explanations for this increase have been offered. First, the recording of deaths due to asthma has become more widespread and accurate in the past decade than it had been previously. Second, there has been an increase in urban pollution. However, since the rate of deaths due to asthma has increased dramatically even in cities with long-standing, comprehensive medical records and with little or no urban pollution, one must instead conclude that the cause of increased deaths is the use of bronchial inhalers by asthma sufferers to relieve their symptoms. 13.Each of the following, if true, provides support to the argument EXCEPT: (A) Urban populations have doubled in the past de cade. (B) Records of asthma deaths are as accurate for the past twenty years as for the past ten years. (C) Evidence suggests that bronchial inhalers make the lungs more sensitive to irritation by airborne pollen. www. aristotleprep. com 9 (D) By temporarily relieving the symptoms of asthma, inhalers encourage sufferers to avoid more beneficial measures. (E) Ten years ago bronchial inhalers were not available as an asthma treatment. 14. Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? A) Urban pollution has not doubled in the past decade. (B) Doctors and patients generally ignore the role of allergies in asthma. (C) Bronchial inhalers are unsafe, even when used according to the recommended instructions. (D) The use of bronchial inhalers aggravates other diseases that frequently occur among asthma sufferers and that often lead to fatal outcomes even when the asthma itself does not. (E) Increased urban pollution, improved recording of asthma deaths, and the u se of bronchial inhalers are the only possible explanations of the increased death rate due to asthma. 15.There is little point in looking to artists for insights into political issues. Most of them hold political views that are less insightful than those of any reasonably well educated person who is not an artist. Indeed, when taken as a whole, the statements made by artists, including those considered great, indicate that artistic talent and political insight are rarely found together. Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage? (A) There are no artists who have insights into political issues. (B) A thorough education in art makers a person reasonably well educated. C) Every reasonably well-educated person who is not an artist has more insight into political issues than any artist. (D) Politicians rarely have any artistic talent. (E) Some artists are no less politically insightful than some reasonably well educated persons who are not artists. 16. Rita: The origin al purpose of government farm subsidy programs was to provide income stability for small family farmers. But most farm -subsidy money goes to a few farmers with large holdings. Payments to farmers whose income, before subsidies, is greater than $100,000 a year should be stopped.Thomas: It would be impossible to administer such a cut -off point. Subsidies are needed during the planting and growing season, but farmers do not know their income for given calendar year until tax returns are calculated and submitted the following April. Which one of the following, if true, is the strongest counter Rita can make to Thomas' objection? (A) It has become difficult for small farmers to obtain bank loans to be repaid later by money from subsidies. (B) Having such a cut-off point would cause some farmers whose income would otherwise exceed $100,000 to reduce their plantings. www. ristotleprep. com 10 (C) The income of a farmer varies because weather and market prices are not stable from year to year. (D) If subsidy payments to large farmers were eliminated the financial condition of the government would improve. (E) Subsidy cut-offs can be determined on the basis of income for the preceding year. 17. Modern physicians often employee laboratory tests, in addition to physical examinations, in order to diagnose diseases accurately. Insurance company regulations that deny coverage for certain laboratory tests therefore decrease the quality of medical care provided to patients.Which one of the following is an assumption that would serve to justify the conclusion above? (A) Physical examinations and the uncovered laboratory tests together provide a more accurate diagnosis of many diseases than do physical examinations alone. (B) Many physicians generally oppose insurance company regulations that, in order to reduce costs, limit the use of laboratory tests. (C) Many patients who might benefit from the uncovered laboratory tests do not have any form of health insurance. D) There a re some illnesses that experienced physicians can diagnose accurately from physicians examination alone. (E) Laboratory tests are more costly to perform than are physical examinations. 18. Oil analysts predict that if the price of oil falls by half, the consumer's purchase price for gasoline made from this oil will also fall by half. Which one of the following, if true, would cast the most serious doubt on the prediction made by the oil analysts? (A) Improved automobile technology and new kinds of fuel for cars have enabled some drivers to use less gasoline. B) Gasoline manufacturers will not expand their profit margins. (C) There are many different gasoline companies that compete with each othe r to provide the most attractive price to consumers. (D) Studies in several countries show that the amount of gasoline purchased by consumers initially rises after the price of gasoline has fallen. (E) Refining costs, distribution costs, and taxes, none of which varies significantly with oil prices, constitute a large portion of the prices of gasoline. 19. A survey was recently conducted among ferry passengers on the North Sea.Among the results was this: more of those who had taken anti -seasickness medication before their trip reported symptoms of seasickness than those who had not taken such medication. It is clear then, that despite claims by drug companies that clinical tests show the contrary, people would be better off not taking anti -seasickness medications. Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion above? www. aristotleprep. com 11 (A) Given rough enough weather, most ferry passengers will have some symptoms of seasickness. (B) The clinical tests reported by the drug companies were conducte d by the drug companies' staffs. C) People who do not take anti -seasickness medication are just as likely to respond to a survey on seasickness as people who do. (D) The seasickness symptoms of the people who took anti -seasickness medication wo uld have been more severe had they not taken the medication. (E) People who have spent money on anti -seasickness medication are less likely to admit symptoms of seasickness than those who have not. 20. Economic considerations colour every aspect of international dealings, and nations are just like individuals in that the lender sets the terms of its dealings with the borrower.That is why a nation that owes money to anoth er nation cannot be world leader. The reasoning in the passage assumes which one of the following? (A) A nation that does not lend to any other nation cannot be a world leader. (B) A nation that can set the terms of its dealings with other nations is certain to be a world leader. (C) A nation that has the terms of its dealings with another action set by that nation cannot be a world leader. (D) A nation that is a world leader can borrow from another nation as long as that other nation does not set the terms of the dealings between the two nations. E) A nation that has no dealings with any other nation cannot be world leader. 21. Political theorist: The chief foundations of all governments are the legal system and the police force and as there cannot be a good legal system where the police are not well paid, it follows that where the police are well paid there will be good legal system. The reasoning in the argument is not sound because it fails to establish that: (A) many governments with bad legal systems have poorly paid police forces. B) bad governments with good legal systems must have poorly paid police forces. (C) a well-paid police force cannot be effective without a good legal system. (D) a well-paid police force is sufficient to guarantee a good legal system (E) some bad governments have good legal systems. 22. Court records from medieval France show that in the years 1300 to 1400 the number of people arrested in the French realm for â€Å"violent interpersonal crimes† (not committed in wars) increased by 30 percent over the n umber of people arrested for such crimes in the years 1200 to 1300.The increase was not the result of false arrests; therefore, medieval France had a higher level of documented interpersonal violence in the years 1300 to 1400 than in the years 1200 to 1300. Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? www. aristotleprep. com 12 (A) In the years 1300 to 1400 the French government's category of violent crimes included an increasing variety of interpersonal crimes that are actually nonviolent. (B) Historical accounts by monastic chroniclers in the years 1300 to 1400 are fill ed with descriptions of violent attacks committed by people living in the French realm C) The number of individual agreements between two people in which they swore oaths not to attack each other increased substantially after 1300. (D) When English armies tried to conquer parts of France in the mid – to late 1300s. violence in the northern province of Normandy and the south -western province of Gascony increased. (E) The population of medical France increased substantially during the first five decades of the 1300s until the deadly bubonic plague decimated the population of France after 1348. 23.Rhizobium bacteria living in the roots of bean plants or other le gumes produce fixed nitrogen which is one of the essential plant nutrients and which for non -legume crops, such as wheat normally must be supplied by applications of nitrogen -based fertilizer. So if biotechnology succeeds in producing wheat strains whose r oots will play host to Rhizobium bacteria, the need for artificial fertilizers will be reduced. The argument above makes which one of the following assumptions? (A) Biotechnology should be directed toward producing plants that do not require artificial fertilizer. B) Fixed nitrogen is currently the only soil nutrient that must be supplied by artificial fertilizer for growing wheat crops. (C) There are no naturally occurring strains of w heat or other grasses that have Rhizobium bacteria living in their roots. (D) Legumes are currently the only crops that produce their own supply of fixed nitrogen. (E) Rhizobium bacteria living in the roots of wheat would produce fixed nitrogen. 24. Current legislation that requires designated sections for smokers and non-smokers on the premises of privately owned businesses is an intrusion into the private sector that cannot be justified.The fact that studies indicate that non-smokers might be harmed by inhaling the smoke from others' cig arettes is not the main issue. Rather, the main issue concerns the government's violation of the right of private businesses to determine their own policies and rule. Which one of the following is principle that, if accepted, could enable the conclusion to be properly drawn? (A) Government intrusion into the policies and rules of private businesses is justified only when individuals might be harmed. (B) The right of individuals to breathe safe air supersedes the right of businesses to be free from government intrusion. C) The right of businesses to self-determination overrides whatever right or duty the government may have to protect the individual. (D) It is the duty of private businesses to protect employees from harm in the workplace. (E) Where the rights of businesses and the duty of government conflict, the main issue is finding a successful compromise. www. aristotleprep. com 13 25. Leachate is a solution, frequently highly contaminated, that develops when water permeates a landfill site. If and only if the landfill's capacity to hold liquids is exceeded does the leachate escape into the environment, genera lly in unpredictable quantities.A method must be found for disposing of leachate. Most landfill leachate is send directly to sewage treatment plants, but not all sewage plants are capable of handling the highly contaminated water. Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage? (A) The ability to predic t the volume of escaping landfill leachate would help solve the disposal problem. (B) If any water permeates a landfill, leachate will escape into the environment. (C) No sewage treatment plants are capable of handling leachate. (D) Some landfill leachate is send to sewage treatment plants that re incapable of handling it. (E) If leachate does not escape from a landfill into the environment, then the landfill's capacity to hold liquids has not been exceeded. 26. The soaring prices of scholarly and scientific journals have forced academic libraries used only by academic researchers to drastically reduce their list of subscriptions. Some have suggested that in each academic discipline subscription decisions should be determined solely by a journal's usefulness in that discipline, measured by the frequency with which it is cited in published writings by researchers in the discipline.Which one of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question the sugge stion described above? (A) The non-academic readership of a scholarly or scientific journal can be accurately gauged by the number of times articles appearing in it are cited in daily newspapers and popular magazines. (B) The average length of a journal article in some sciences, such as physics, is less than half the average length of a journal article in some other academic disciplines, such as history. (C) The increasingly expensive scholarly journals are less and less likely to be available to the general public from non-academic public libraries. D) Researchers often will not cite a journal article that has influenced their work if they think that the journal in which it appears is not highly regarded by the leading researchers in the mainstream of the discipline (E) In some academic disciplines, controversies which begin in the pages of one journal spill over into articles in other journals that are widely read by researchers in the discipline. 27. The average level of fat in the blood of peo ple su ffering from acute cases of disease W is lower than the average level for the population as a whole.Nevertheless, most doctors believe that reducing blood-fat levels is an effective way of preventing acute W. www. aristotleprep. com 14 Which one of the following, if true, does most to justify this apparently paradoxical belief? (A) The blood level of fat for patients who have been cured of W is on average the same as that for the population at large. (B) Several of the symptoms characteristic of acute W have been produced in laboratory animals fed large doses of a synthetic fat substitute, though acute W itself has not been produced in this way. C) The progression from latent to acute W can occur only when the agent that causes acute W absorbs large quantities of fat from the patient's blood. (D) The levels of fat in the blood of patients who have disease W respond abnormally slowly to changes in dietary intake of fat. (E) High levels of fat in the blood are indicative of several di seases that are just as serious as W. 28. Baking for winter holidays is tradition that may have a sound medical basis. In midwinter, when days are short, many people suffer from a specific type of seasonal depression caused by lack of sunlight.Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain's levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood. In this respect, carbon hydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants. Thus, eating holiday cookies may provide an effective form of self prescribed medication. Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage? (A) Seasonal depression is one of the most easily treated forms of depression. (B) Lack of sunlight lowers the level of serotonin in the brain. (C) People are more likely to be depressed in midwinter than at other times of the year. D) Some antidepressants act by changing the brain's level of serotonin. (E) Raising the level of neurotransmitters in the brain effectively relieve s depression. 29. The current proposal to give college students a broader choice in planning their own courses of study should be abandoned. The students who are supporting the proposal will never be satisfied, no matter what requirements are established. Some of these students have reached their third year without declaring a major. One first-year student has failed to complete four required courses. Several others have indicated a serious indifference to grades and intellectual achievement.A flaw in the argument is that it does which one of the following? (A) avoids the issue by focusing on supporters of the proposal (B) argues circularly by assuming the conclusion is true in stating the premises. (C) fails to define the critical term â€Å"satisfied† (D) distorts the proposal advocated by opponents (E) users the term â€Å"student† equivocally 30. The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is certainly imprecise because we are not sure ho w different from us something might be and still count as â€Å"intelligent life†. Yet we cannot just decide to define â€Å"intelligent life† in www. ristotleprep. com 15 some more precise way since it is likely that we will find and recognize intelligent life elsewhere in the universe only if we leave our definitions open to new, unimagined possibilities. The argument can most reasonably be interpreted as an objection to which one of the following claims? (A) The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is one that will never be correctly answered. (B) Whether or not there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, our understanding of intelligent life is limited. (C) The question about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the niverse must be made more precise if we hope to answer it correctly. (D) The question whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is so imprecise as to be meaningless. (E) The question whe ther there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is one we should not spend our time trying to answer. 31. Pedro: Unlike cloth diapers, disposable diapers are a threat to the environment. Sixteen billion disposable diapers are discarded annually, filling up landfills at an alarming rate. So people must stop buying disposable diapers and use cloth diapers.Maria: But you forget that cloth diapers must be washed in hot water, which requires energy. Moreover, the resulting wastewater pollutes our rivers. When families use diaper services, diapers must be delivered by fuel -burning trucks that pollute the air and add to traffic congestion. Maria objects to Pedro's argument by (A) claiming that Pedro overstates the negative evidence about disposable diapers in the course of his argument in favour of cloth diapers. (B) indicating that Pedro draws a hasty conclusion, based on inadequate evidence about cloth diapers. C) pointing out that there is an ambiguous use of the word â€Å"d isposable† in Pedro's argument (D) demonstrating that cloth diapers are a far more serious threat to the environment than disposable diapers are (E) suggesting that the economic advantages of cloth diapers outweigh whatever environmental damage they may cause 32. In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough together using rolling pins and other utensils. Each father-son pair used a rolling pin that was distinctively different from those used by the other, â€Å"father -son pairs, and each father repeated the phrase â€Å"rolling pin† each time his son used it.But when the children were asked to identify all of the rolling pins among a group of kitchen utensils that included several rolling pins, each child picked only the one that he had used. Which one of the following inferences is most supported by the information above? (A) The children did not grasp the function of rolling pin. www. aristotleprep. com 16 (B) No two children understood the n ame â€Å"rolling pin† to apply to the same object (C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape. (D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used. E) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins. 33. When 100 people who have not used cocaine are tested for cocaine use, on average only 5 will test positive. By contrast, of every 100 people who have used cocaine 99 will test positive. Thus, when a randomly chosen group of peopl e is tested for cocaine use, the vast majority of those who test positive will be people who have used cocaine. A reasoning error in the argument is that the argument (A) attempts to infer a value judgment from purely factual premises. B) attributes to every member of the population the properties of the average member of the population. (C) fails to take into account what proportion of the population have used cocaine. (D) ignores the fact th at some cocaine users do not test positive. (E) advocates testing people for cocaine use when there is no reason to suspect that they have used cocaine. 34. With the passage of the new tax reform law the annual tax burden on low -income taxpayers will be reduced, on average, by anywhere from $100 to $300. Clearly, tax reform is in the interest of low-income taxpayers.Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the conclusion above? (A) Tax reform, by simplifying the tax code will save many people the expense of having an accountant do their taxes. (B) Tax reform, by eliminating tax incentives to build rental housing, will push up rents an average of about $40 per month for low-income taxpayers. (C) Low-income taxpayers have consistently voted for those political candidates who are strong advocates of tax reform. (D) The new tax reform laws will permit low and middle-income taxpayers to deduct Child-care expenses from their taxes. E) Under the new tax reform laws, many low-i ncome taxpayers who now pay taxes will no Longer be required to do so. 35. If we are to expand the exploration of our solar system our next manned flight should be to Phobos, one of Mars? s moons, rather than to Mars itself. The fli ght times to each are the same but the Phobos expedition would require less than half the fuel load of a Mars expedition and would, therefore, be much less costly. So, it is clear that Phobos should be our next step in space exploration. Which one of the following, if true, would most help to explain the difference in fuel requirement? A) More equipment would be required to explore Phobos than to explore Mars. (B) Smaller spaceships require less fuel than larger spaceships. www. aristotleprep. com 17 (C) Information learned during the trip to Phobos can be used during a subsequent trip to Mars. (D) The shortest distance between Phobos and Mars is less than half the shortest distance Between Earth and Mars. (E) Lift-off for the return trip from Phobos req uires much less fuel than that from Mars because of Phobos weaker gravitational pull. 36.Scientific research that involves international collaboration has produ ced papers of greater influence, as measured by the number of times a paper is cited in subsequent papers, than has research without any collaboration. Papers that result from international collaboration are cited an average of seven times, whereas papers with single authors are cited only three times on average. This difference shows that research projects conducted by international research teams are of greater importance than those conducted by single researchers. Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? A) Prolific writers can inflate the number of citations they receive by citing themselves in subsequent papers. (B) It is possible to ascertain whether or not a paper is the product of international collaboration by determining the number of citations it has received (C) The number of cit ations a paper receives is a measure of the importance of the research it reports. (D) The collaborative efforts of scientists who are citizens of the same country do not produce papers that are as important as papers that are prod uced by international collaboration. E) International research teams tend to be more generously funded than are single researchers. 37. It is more desirable to have some form of socialized medicine than a system of medical care relying on the private sector. Socialized medicine is more broadly accessible than is private-sector system. In addition, since countries with socialized medicine have a lower infant mortality rate than do countries with a system relying entirely on the private sector, socialized medicine seems to be technologically superior.Which one of the following best indicates a flaw in the argument about the technological superiority of socialized medicine? (A) The lower infant mortality rate might be due to the systems allowing greater acce ss to Medical care (B) There is no necessary connection between the economic system of socialism and Technological achievement. (C) Infant mortality is a reliable indicator of the quality of medical care for children. (D) No list is presented of the countries whose infant mortality statistics are summarized under the two categories, â€Å"socialized† and â€Å"private-sector†. E) The argument presupposes the desirability of socialized medicine, which is what the Argument seeks to-establish. www. aristotleprep. com 18 38. Lourdes: Dietary fibre is an important part of a healthful diet. Experts recommend that adults consume 20 to 35 grams of fibre a day. Kyra: But a daily intake of fibre that is significantly above that recommended level interferes with mineral absorption, especially the absorption of calcium. The public should be told to cut act on fibre intake Which one of the following, if true, most undermines Kyra? s recommendation? A) Among adults, the average cons umption of dietary fibre is at present approximately 10 grams a day. (B) The more a food is processed, the more the fibre is broken down and the lower the fibre content. (C) Many foodstuffs that are excellent sources of fibre are economical and readily available (D) Adequate calcium intake helps prevent the decrease in bone mass known as osteoporosis. (E) Many foodstuffs that are excellent sources of fibre are popular with consumers. 39. Book Review: When I read a novel set in a city I know well, I must see that the writer knows the city as well as I do if I am to take that writer seriously.If the writer is faking I know immediately and do not trust the writer. When a novelist demonstrates the required knowledge, I trust the story teller, so I trust the tale. This trust increases my enjoyment of a good novel. Peter Lee's second novel is set in San Francisco, in this novel, as in his first, Lee passes my test with flying colours. Which one of the following can be properly inferred fr om the passage? (A) The book reviewer enjoys virtually any novel written by a novelist whom she trusts B) If the book reviewer trusts the novelist as a storyteller, the novel in question must be set in a city the book reviewer knows well (C) Peter Lee's first novel was set in San Francisco (D) The book reviewer does not trust any novel set in a city that she does not know well (E) The book reviewer does not believe that she knows San Francisco better than Peter Lee does 40. Prominent business executives often play active roles in United States presidential campaigns as fundraisers or backroom strategists but few actually seek to become president themselves.Throughout history the great majority of those who have sought to become president have been l awyers, military leaders, or full -time politicians. This is understandable, for the personality and skills that make for success in business do not make for success in politics. Business is largely hierarchical, whereas politics is coor dinative; as a result, business executives tend to be uncomfortable with compromises and power sharin g, which are inherent in politics. Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the proposed explanation of why business executives do not run for president? A) Many of the most active presidential fundraisers and backroom strategists are themselves politicians. www. aristotleprep. com 19 (B) Military leaders are generally no more comfortable with compromises and power sharing than are business executives. (C) Some of the skills needed to become a successful lawyer are different from some of those needed to become a successful military leader. (D) Some former presidents have engaged in business ventures after leaving office (E) Some hierarchically structured companies have been major financial supporters of candidates for president. 1. A scientific theory is a good theory i f it satisfies two requirements – it must accurately describe a large class of observati ons in terms of a model that is simple enough to contain only a few elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations. For example, Aristotle? s cosmological theory, which claimed that everything was made out of four elements – earth, air, fire, and water – satisfied the first requirement but it did not make any definite prediction. Thus, Aristotle? cosmological theory was not a good theory. If all the statements in the passage are true, each of the following must also be true EXCEPT: (A) Prediction about the results of future observations must be made by any good scientific theory. (B) Observation of physical phenomena was not a major concern in Aristotle? s cosmological Theory (C) Four elements can be the basis of a scientific model that is simp le enough to meet the Simplicity criterion of a good theory. (D) A scientific model that contains many elements is not a good theory (E) Aristotle? cosmological theory described a large class of observations in terms of only four elements. 42. Compared to non-profit hospitals of the same size, investor-owned hospitals require less public investment in the form of tax breaks, use fewer employees, and have higher occupancy levels. It can therefore be concluded that investor -owned hospitals are a better way of delivering medical care than are non-profit hospitals. Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the conclusion drawn above? (A) Non-profit hospitals charge more per bed than do investor-owned hospitals. B) Patients in non-profit hospitals recover more quickly than don patients with comparable Illnesses in investor-owned hospitals (C) Non-profit hospitals do more fundraising than do investor-owned hospitals. (D) Doctors at non-profit hospitals earn higher salaries than do similarly qualified doctors at investor-owned hospitals. (E) Non-profit hospitals receive more donations than do investor-owned hospitals. 43. The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten , who had a profound effect during his lifetime on Egyptian art and religi on, was well loved and highly respected by his subjects.We know this from the fierce loyalty show to him by his palace guards, as documented in reports written during Akhenaten? s reign. A questionable technique used in the argument is to: www. aristotleprep. com 20 (A) Introduce information that actually contradicts the conclusion (B) Rely on evidence that in principle would be impossible to challenge (C) Make a generalization based on a sample that is likely to be unrepresentative (D) Depend on the ambiguity of the term â€Å"ancient† (E) Apply present-day standards in an inappropriate way to ancient times 44.Zelda: Dr. Ladlow, a research psychologist, has convincingly demonstrated that his theory about the determinants of rat behaviour generates consistently accurate predictions about how rats will perform in a maze. On the basis of this evidence Dr. Ladlow has claimed that his theory is irrefutably correct. Anson: Then Dr. Ladlow is not responsible psychologist. Dr. Ladlow? s evidence does not conclusively prove that his theory is correct. Responsible psychologists always accept the possibility that new evidence will show that their theories are incorrect.Which one of the following can be properly inferred from Anson? s argument? (A) Dr. Ladlow? s evidence that his theory generates consistently accurate predictions about how rates will perform in a maze is inaccurate (B) Psychologists who can derive consistently accurate predictions about how rats will perform in a maze from their theories cannot responsibly co nclude that those theories cannot be disproved (C) No matter how responsible psychologists are, they can never develop correct theoretical explanations. (D) Responsible psychologists do not make predictions about how rats will perform in a maze E) Psychologists who accept the possibility that new evidence will show that their theories are incorrect are responsible psyc hologists. 45. Smith: Meat in the diet is healthy, despite what some people say. After all, most doctors do eat meat, and who knows more about health than doctors do? Which one of the following is a flaw in Smith? s reasoning? (A) Attacking the opponents? motives instead of their argument (B) Generalizing on the basis of a sample consisting of a typical cases (C) Assuming at the outset what the argument claims to establish through reasoning D) Appealing to authority, even when different authorities give conflicting advic e about an issue (E) Taking for granted that experts do not act counter to what, according to their expertise, in their best interest 46. The brains of identical twins are genetically identical. When only one of a pair of identical twins is a schizophrenic, certain areas of the affected twin? s brain are smaller than corresponding areas in the brain of the unaffected twin. No such differences are found when neither twin is schizophrenic. Therefore, this discovery ww w. aristotleprep. com 1 provides definitive evidence that schizophrenia is caused by damage to the physical structure of the brain. Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument? (A) The brain of person suffering from schizophrenia is smaller than the brain of anyone not suffering from schizophrenia (B) The relative smallness of certain parts of the brains of schizophrenics is not the result of schizophrenia or of medications used i n its treatment. (C) The brain of a person with an identical twin is no smaller, on average, than the brain of person who is not twines. D) When a pair of identical twins both suffer from schizophrenia, their brains are the same size (E) People who have an identical twin are no more likely to suffer from schizophrenia than those who do not. 47. Sixty adults were asked to keep a diary of their meals, including what they consumed, when, and in the company of how many people . It was found that at meals with which they drank alcoholic beverages, they consumed about 175 calories more from non-alcoholic source than they did at meals with which they did not drink alcoholic beverages.Each of the following, if true, contributes to an explanation of the difference in caloric intake EXCEPT: (A) Diners spent a much longer time at meals served with alcohol than they did at those serve without alcohol. (B) The meals eaten later in the day tended to be larger than those eaten earlier in the day, and later meals were more likely to include alcohol. (C) People eat more when there are more people present at the meal, and more people tended to be present at meal served with alcohol than at meal s served without alcohol. D) The meals that were most carefully prepared and most attractively served tended to be those at which alcoholic beverages were consumed (E) At meals that included alcohol, relatively more of the total calories consumed came from carbohydrates and relatively fewer of them came from fats and proteins. 48. Somet hing must be done to ease traffic congestion. In traditional small towns, people used to work and shop in the same town in which they lived, but now that stores and workplaces are located far away from residential areas, people cannot avoid travelling long distances each day.Traffic congestion is so heavy on all roads that, even on major highways, the maximum speed averages only 35 miles per hour. Which one of the following proposals is most supported by the statements above? (A) The maximum speed limit on major highways should be increased. (B) People who now travel on major highways should be encouraged to travel on secondary roads instead. (C) Residents of the remaining traditional small towns should be encouraged to move to the suburbs. www. aristotleprep. com 22 (D) Drivers who travel well below the maximum speed limit on major highways should be fined. E) New businesses should be encouraged to locate closer to w here their workers would live. 49. College professor: College stu dents do not write nearly as well as they used to. Almost all of the papers that my students have done for me this year have been poorly written and ungrammatical. Which one of the following is the most serious weakness in the argument made by the professor? (A) It requires confirmation that the change in the professor's students is representative of a change among college students in general. (B) It offers no proof to the effect that the professor is an accurate judge of writing ability. C) It does not take into account the possibility that the professor is a poor teacher. (D) It fails to present contrary evidence. (E) It fails to define its terms sufficiently. 50. Mayor of Plainsville: In order to help the economy of Plainsville, I am using some of our tax revenues to help bring a major highway through the town and thereby attract new business to Plainsville. Citizens' group: You must have interests other than our economy in mind. If you were really interested in helping our econo my, you would instead allocate the revenues to building a new business park since it would bring in twice the business that your highway would.The argument by the citizens group relies on which one of the following assumptions? (A) Plainsville presently has no major highways running through it. (B) The mayor accepts that a new business park would bring in more new business than would the new highway. (C) The new highway would have no benefits for Plainsville other than attracting new business. (D) The mayor is required to get approval for all tax revenue allocation plans from the city council. (E) Plainsville's economy will not be helped unless a new business park of the sort envisioned by the citizens' group is built. 51.Recently, highly skilled workers in Eastern Europe have left jobs in record numbers to emigrate to the West. It is therefore likely that skilled workers who remain in Eastern Europe are in high demand in their home countries. Which one of the following, if true, mo st seriously weakens the argument? (A) Eastern European factories prefer to hire workers from their home countries rather than to import workers from abroad. www. aristotleprep. com 23 (B) Major changes in Eastern European economic structures have led to the elimination of many positions previously held by the highly skilled emigrants. C) Many Eastern European emigrants need to acquire new skills after finding work in the West. (D) Eastern European countries plan to train many new workers to replace the highly skilled workers who have emigrated. (E) Because of the departure of skilled workers from Eastern European countries, many positions are now unfilled. 52. Two palaeontologists, Dr Tyson and Dr. Rees, disagree over the interpretation of certain footprints that were left among other footprints in hardened volcanic ash at site G. Dr.Tyson claims they are clearly early hominid footprints since they show human characteristics: a squarish heel and a big toe immediately adjacent to th e next toe. However, since the footprints indicate that if hominids made those prints they would have had to walk in an unexpected cross-stepping manner, by placing the left foot to the right of the right foot. Dr. Rees rejects Dr. Tyson's conclusion. Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines Dr. Tyson's conclusion? (A) The foot prints showing human characteristics were clearly those of at least two distinct individuals. B) Certain species of bears had feet very like human feet, except that the outside toe on each foot was the biggest toe and the innermost toe was the smallest toe. (C) Footprints shaped like a human's that do not show a cross -stepping pattern exist at site M, which is a mile away from site G, and the two sets of footprints are contemporaneous. (D) When the moist volcanic ash became sealed under additional layers of ash before hardening, some details of some of the footprints were erased. (E) Most of the other footprints at site G were of animal s with hooves. 53.It is not known whether bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a disease of cattle invariably deadly to them, can be transmitted directly from one infected animal to another at all stages of the infection. If it can be, there is now a reservoir of infected cattle incubating the disease. There are no diagnostic tests to identify infected animals before the animals show overt symptoms. Therefore, if such direct transmission occurs, the disease cannot be eradicated by ____ Which one of the following best completes the argument? (A) removing from the herd and destroying any diseased animal as soon as it shows the typical symptoms of advanced BSE B) developing a drug that kills the agent that cause BSE, and then treating with that drug all cattle that might have the disease (C) destroying all cattle in areas where BSE occurs and raising cattle only in areas to which BSE is known not to have spread (D) developing a vaccine that confers lifelong immunity against BSE and giving it to all cattle, destroying in due course all those animals for which the vaccine protection came too late www. aristotleprep. com 24 (E) developing a diagnostic test that does identify any infected animal and destroying all animals found to be infected 4. Auto industry executive: Statistics show that cars that were built smaller af ter 1977 to make them more fuel-efficient had a higher incidence of accident-related fatalities than did their earlier larger counterparts. For this reason we oppose recent guidelines that would require us to produce cars with higher fuel efficiency. Which of the following, if true, would constitute the strongest objection to the executive's argument? (A) Even after 1977, large automobiles were frequently involved in accidents that caused death or serious injury. B) Although fatalities in accidents involving small cars have increased since 1977, the number of accidents has decreased. (C) New computerized fuel systems can enable large cars to meet fuel efficiency standards established by the recent guidelines. (D) Modern technology can make small cars more fuel-efficient today than at any other time in their production history. (E) Fuel efficiency in models of large cars rose immediately after 1977 but has been declining ever since. 55. No one who lacks knowledge of a subject is competent to pass judgment on that subject.Since political know-how is a matter, not of adhering to technical rules, but of insight and style learned through apprenticeship and experience, only seasoned politicians are competent to judge whether a particular political policy is fair to all. A major weakness of the argument is that it (A) relies on a generalization about the characteristic that makes someone competent to pass judgment (B) fails to give specific examples to illustrate how political know-how can be acquired (C) uses the term â€Å"apprenticeship† to describe what is seldom a formalized relationship D) equates political know-how w ith understanding the social implications of political policies (E) assumes that when inexperienced politicians set policy they are guided by the advice of more experienced politicians 56. Impact craters caused by meteorites smashing into earth, have been found all around the globe but they have been found in the greatest density in geologically stable regions. This relatively greater abundance of securely identified crater s in geologically stable regions must be explained by the lower rates of d estructive geophysical processes in those regions.The conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed? (A) A meteorite that strikes exactly the same spot as an earlier meteorite will obliterate all traces of the earlier impact. www. aristotleprep. com 25 (B) Rates of destructive geophysical processes within any given region vary markedly throughout geological time. (C) The rate at which the Earth is struck by meteorites has greatly increased in geologically recent tim es. (D) Actual meteorite impacts have been scattered fairly evenly over the Earth's surface in the course of Earth's geological history. E) The Earth's geologically stable regions have been studied more intensively by geologists than have its less stable regions. 57. That the policy of nuclear deterrence has worked thus far is unquestionable. Since the end of the Second World War, the very fact that there were nuclear armaments in existence has kept major powers from using nuclear weapons, for fear of starting a worldwide nuclear exchange that would make the land of the power initiating it uninhabitable. The proof is that a third world war between superpowers has not happened. Which one of the following, if true, indicates a flaw in the argument? A) Maintaining a high level of nuclear armaments represents a significant drain on a country's economy. (B) From what has happened in the past, it is impossible to infer with certainty what will happen in the future, so an accident could st ill trigger a third world war between superpowers. (C) Continuing to produce nuclear weapons beyond the minimum needed for deterrence increases the likelihood of a nuclear accident. (D) The major powers have engaged in many smaller-scale military operations since the end of the Second World War, while refraining from a nuclear onfrontation. (E) It cannot be known whether it was nuclear deterrence that worked, or some other factor, such as a recognition of the economic value of remaining at peace. 58. A survey of alumni of the class of 1960 at Aurora University yielded puzzling results. When asked to indicate their academic rank, half of the respondents reported that they were in the top quarter of the graduating class in 1960. Which one of the following most helps account for the apparent contradict ion above? (A) A disproportionately large number of high -ranking alumni responded to the survey. B) Few, if any, respondents were mistaken about their class rank. (C) Not all the alumni who were actually in the top quarter responded to the survey. (D) Almost all of the alumni who graduated in 1960 responded to the survey. (E) Academic rank at Aurora University was based on a number of considerations in addition to average grades. 59. The seventeenth-century physicist Sir Isaac Newton is remembered chiefly for his treaties on motion and gravity. But Newton also conducted experiments secretly for www. aristotleprep. com 26 any years based on the arcane theories of alchemy, trying unsuccessfully to transmute common metals into gold and produce rejuvenating elixirs. If the alchemists of the seventeenth century had published the results of their experiments, chemistry in the eighteenth century would have been more advanced that it actually was. Which one of the following assumptions would allow the conclusion concerning eighteenth-century chemistry to be properly drawn? (A) Scientific progress is retarded by the reluctance of historians to acknowledge the failures of s ome of the great scientists. B) Advances in science are hastened when reports of experiments, whether successful or not, are available for review by other scientists. (C) Newton's work on motion and gravity would not have gained wide acceptance if the results of his work in alchemy had also been made public. (D) Increasing specialization within the sciences makes it difficult for scientists in one field to understand the principles of other fields. (E) The seventeenth-century alchemists could have achieved their goals only if their experiments had been subjected to public scrutiny. 0. Sedimentary rock hardens within the earth's crust as lavers of matter accumulate and the pressure of the layers above converts the layers below into rock. One particular layer of sedimentary rock that contains an unusual amount of the element iridium has been presented as support for a theory that a meteorite collided with the earth some sixty million years ago. Meteorites are rich in iridium compared to the earth's crust, and geologists theorize that a meteorite's collision with the earth raised a huge cloud of iridium-laden dust.The dust, they say, event