1. Until 1984 only aspirin and acetaminophen shared the lucrative nonprescription pain-reliever 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 ibuprofen.
(E) The introduction of ibuprofen would not increase total sales of nonprescription pain reliever.
2. New regulations in Mullentown require manufacturers there to develop five-year pollution-reduction plans. The regulations require that each manufacturer develop a detailed plan for reducing its released pollutants by at least 50 percent. Clearly， the regulations will not result in significant pollution reduction， how- ever， since the regulations do not force manufacturers to implement their plans.
Which of the following， if true， most weakens the argument?
(A) Mullentown's manufacturing plants are not the only source of pollution there.
(B) Detailed plans would reveal that measures to reduce released pollutants would also reduce manufacturers' costs for materials， waste disposal， and legal services
(C) Pollutants that manufacturing processes create but that are not released directly into the environment must nonetheless be collected and prepared for disposal
(D) Any reductions in pollutants released from Mullentown's manufacturing plants would not be noticeable for at least five years.
(E) Each manufacturer will be required to submit its plan to a committee appointed by Mullentown's officials.
1. To produce seeds， plants must first produce flowers.Two kinds of tarragon plants， Russian tarragon and French tarragon， look very similar except that Russian tarragon produces flowers and French tarragon does not. The leaves of Russian tarragon，however， lack the distinctive flavor that makes
French tarragon a desirable culinary herb If the information presented is true， which of the following can most reliably be concluded on the basis of it?
(A) As a decorative plant， French tarragon is more desirable than Russian tarragon.
(B) The flowers of Russian tarragon plants are probably not flavorful.
(C) Plants that grow from seeds sold in a packet labeled "tarragon" are not French tarragon.
(D) There are no other kinds of tarragon besides Russian tarragon and French tarragon
(E) Garden plants that have flavorful leaves generally do not produce flowers.
2. In the United States， the financing of industrial research by private industrial firms remained steady as a percentage of sales during the period between 1968 and 1978 (after correcting for inflation)。 But slowdowns in the growth of industrial productivity also occurred during that period， a fact that refutes the notion that the growth of industrial productivity is directly proportional to the amount invested in industrial research.
Which of the following， if true for the United States，most weakens the argument above?
(A) Federal funds， which constituted a significant portion of the support for industrial research from 1968 to 1978， fell annually and substantially during that period.
(B) The inflation that occurred between 1968 and 1978 was more severe than leading economists had expected.
(C) Industrial executives generally favor investing an appreciably larger portion of corporate funds in short-term product development than in basic research.
(D) The scientists and engineers who worked in industry from 1968 to 1978 were， as a group， more experienced in their jobs than were those who worked in industry during the previous ten-year period.
(E) Corporate financing of industrial research increased in several of the years immediately following 1978 (after correcting for inflation)
