Conservationists have believed that by concentrating their preservation efforts on habitat

ectancies than do people who divorce and do not remarry. This fact indicates that the stress associated with divorce adversely affects health. Which of the following, if true, points to a weakness in the argument above?

A．Overall life expectancies differ among countries, even among countries with similar cultures.

B．People often show signs of stress when undergoing a divorce.

C．Life expectancy varies with age-group, even among married people.

D．Stress of many kinds has been shown to affect health adversely.

E．Adults who have never married have shorter life expectancies than do married people of the same age.

on such rock at greater risk of lung cancer the longer the inhabitants are exposed. Protective steps should be taken if radon measurements exceed 4 pic-ocuries per liter; this recommendation is based on 70 years of occupancy by any one person. If a 65-year-old homeowner concludes from the information above that radon testing for the new home she has purchased will not be necessary, then each of the following, if true, weakens the homeowners argument EXCEPT:

A．Houses in which the homeowner previously lived were in an area where elevated radon levels have been found.

B．Houses near the homeowner"s new home have radon levels much higher than the 4 picocuries per liter threshold, levels that require immediate action to reduce exposure to any occupants.

C．The homeowner"s granddaughter, who is eventually to inherit the new house, now lives there with her children.

D．The homeowner smokes cigarettes, and smoking increases the radon-exposure risks over those given in the information.

E．The strata underlying the homeowner"s new home are known to be of rock different from the kinds from which radon emanates.

er market. In 1984, however, ibuprofen was expected to account for fifteen percent of all nonprescription pain-reliever sales. On that basis business experts predicted for 1984 a corresponding fifteen percent decrease in the combined sales of aspirin and acetaminophen. The prediction mentioned in the last sentence above was based on which of the following assumptions?

A．Most consumers would prefer ibuprofen to both aspirin and acetaminophen.

B．Aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen all relieve headache pain and muscular aches, but aspirin and ibuprofen can also cause stomach irritation.

C．Before 1984 ibuprofen was available only as a prescription medicine.

D．The companies that manufacture and sell aspirin and acetaminophen would not also manufacture and sell ibupro-fen.

E．The introduction of ibuprofen would not increase total sales of nonprescription pain relievers.

nt of Homo erectus, an early human species. This discovery demonstrates that humans were making controlled use of fire to cook meat at a very early stage of their development. The argument above makes which of the following assumptions?

A．Every human species since Homo erectus has made controlled use of fire.

B．Homo erectus could not have eaten antelope meat unless the meat had been cooked.

C．Early human settlements can be identified by the presence of charred antelope bones.

D．The diet of Homo erectus consisted in large part of antelope meat.

E．The antelope bones were charred in a fire controlled by humans.

student loan funds. Another 350,000 collegians flocked to Floridas sun-drenched beaches during March for "spring break. " Since the Florida sun-seekers were more numerous, they were more representative of today s students than those who protested in Washington, and therefore Congress need not heed the appeals of the protesting students. The argument above makes which of the following assumptions?

A．The students who vacationed in Florida did not oppose the cutting of student loan funds by Congress.

B．The students who vacationed in Florida were not in agreement with the opinion of the majority of United States citizens about the proposed cut in loan funds.

C．The students who protested in Washington were more seriously concerned about their education than were the students who vacationed in Florida.

D．The students who neither protested in Washington in March nor vacationed in Florida in March are indifferent to governmental policies on education.

E．The best way to influence congressional opinion about a political issue is to communicate with one"s elected representative in Washington.

cent of the governments total budget for research funds in the United States. Thus, the particularly sharp reductions imposed on such programs this year seem dictated not by financial constraints but by social philosophy. Which of the following is an assumption on which the conclusion of the passage above is based?

A．The government funds allocated for research in the social and behavioral sciences are not sufficient for the work that needs to be done.

B．The social and behavioral sciences are as valuable as the physical and biological sciences.

C．The current reductions will stop research in the social and behavioral sciences.

D．Government funding is the primary source of research money in the United States.

E．Three percent is an insignificant portion of the government"s total budget for research funds.

d an all-time low in the early 1970s. The decline was attributed by scientists to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT in rural areas. Which of the following, if true, gives the strongest support to the scientists claim?

A．DDT was not generally in use in areas devoted to heavy industry.

B．In the time since the use of DDT was banned in 1972, the population of peregrine falcons has been steadily increasing.

C．Peregrine falcons, like other birds of prey, abandon eggs that have fallen out of the nest, even if the eggs remain intact.

D．Starlings, house sparrows, and blue jays-birds the peregrine falcon preys on were not adversely affected by DDT in their habitats.

E．Other birds of prey, such as the osprey, the bald eagle, and the brown pelican, are found in the same areas as is the peregrine falcon.

re must be useful, cabinetmakers must exercise their craft with an eye to the practical utility of their product. For this reason, cabinetmaking is not art. Which of the following is an assumption that supports drawing the conclusion above from the reason given for that conclusion?

A．Some furniture is made to be placed in museums, where it will not be used by anyone.

B．Some cabinetmakers are more concerned than others with the practical utility of the products they produce.

C．Cabinetmakers should be more concerned with the practical utility of their products than they currently are.

D．An object is not an art object if its maker pays attention to the object"s practical utility.

E．Artists are not concerned with the monetary value of their products.

rly people who suffer from diseases that afflict the elderly. Premiums for the policy must be low enough to attract customers. Therefore, Company X is concerned that the income from the policies would not be sufficient to pay for the claims that would be made. Which of the following strategies would be most likely to minimize Company X s losses on the policies?

A．Attracting middle-aged customers unlikely to submit claims for benefits for many years.

B．Insuring only those individuals who did not suffer any serious diseases as children.

C．Including a greater number of services in the policy than are included in other policies of lower cost.

D．Insuring only those individuals who were rejected by other companies for similar policies.

E．Insuring only those individuals who are wealthy enough to pay for the medical services.

re quite new to classical music and were drawn to it either by classical scores from television commercials or by theme tunes introducing major sports events on television. Audiences at classical concerts, however, are continually shrinking in Malsenia. It can be concluded from this that the new Malsenian Converts to classical music, having initially experienced this music as recorded music, are most comfortable with classical music as recorded music and really have no desire to hear live performances. The argument assumes which one of the following?

A．To sell well in Malsenia, a classical record must include at least one piece familiar from television.

B．At least some of the new Malsenian buyers of classical records have available to them the coupon of attending classical concerts.

C．The number of classical concerts performed in Malsenia has not decreased in response to smaller audiences.

D．The classical records available in Malsenia are for the most part not recordings of actual public concerts.

E．Classical concerts in Malsenia are not limited to music that is really available on recordings.