The growth of coffee shops raises interesting questions about the desire to spend time with other people. Coffee shops are wildly popular but it is not clear why. Sure, people love coffee, but they don't need to sit in a coffee shop to drink it. Further, while coffee shops try to create pleasant study environments, it seems unlikely that people sit for hours for the music over the speakers and the pictures on the walls. Besides, as coffee shops have become more popular, public and school libraries have become less popular. Is it possible that the real coffee shop appeal is the opportunity to be around other people?

Which of the following most accurately states the primary point of the passage?

The school needs to find new ways to improve its test scores. Although the school used to have a large amount of highly-qualified teachers, many of them have left to pursue other careers. Their departure has harmed the quality of instruction students receive. The school is unlikely to attract talented teachers in the near future.

Which one of the following most accurately presents the main conclusion of the passage?

While factory unions provide accountability for employers and job security for employees, they also present some hazards.  First, unions always increase costs of production by adding bureaucracy.  Second, unions sometimes serve the elitist purpose of providing high pay and benefits for union members while non-members fail to find any employment.

Which of the following is the most logical conclusion to the passage?

The Salem witch trials are often cited as an example of mob mentality.  There are many lessons to learn from the events, but fear of mob mentality is not one of them.  First, the entire process took place over an extended period of time.  Second, the leaders and participants carefully considered actions before they were taken.  In contrast, mob mentality generally describes actions that are not carefully considered and that end quickly.

Which of the following most accurately describes the main point of the passage?

The political writer criticized the use of the term, "global warming," as he believes it can confuse the general public as to the reality of the climate change that the world is experiencing. The trends that we are seeing in climate change are not limited to increased temperatures in some areas, but also significantly decreased temperatures in others. The issue isn't the general "warming" of the globe, but its simultaneous warming and cooling. Based on these facts, the writer prefers the term "global weirding" to "global warming."

Which of the following most accurately describes the main point of the argument?

Sociologist: The results of recent studies show that population growth has actually slowed in Asia and Africa in the last five years, while it has accelerated in parts of North America and Europe. But we should not put too much stock in this trend, for growth rates are cyclical, and are thus likely to equalize within another ten years.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the sociologist's argument?

In driving from work to the supermarket, a man’s path of travel is publicly exposed to pedestrians and other drivers. Each trip that he makes is in public view. However, a single trip does not lend much insight into a person’s life. As a puzzle piece only reveals a small portion of the greater scheme, a single trip to the mall or a friend’s house reveals only a small amount about a person. However, by affixing a GPS tracking device to the undercarriage of a man’s car, it is possible to determine not only the locations he travels to over an extended period of time, but also the time of day and frequency that he visits them. Repeated visits to a female coworker’s home suggest one thing, while frequent stops at a liquor store reveal another. GPS technology can uncover the individual puzzle pieces of a person’s weekly routine, and expose intimate details once those pieces are fit together.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the excerpt?

Over the past four years, Ecuador has received on average more than twenty million dollars of assistance from USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development. However, USAID has the discretion to decrease aid to Ecuador if the human trafficking conditions there remain the same or worsen. The U.S. Department of State monitors conditions of human trafficking in countries around the world by compiling the Trafficking in Persons Report each year. Unfortunately, the conditions of human trafficking in Ecuador have worsened in recent years. As a result ___

Which one of the following most logically completes the argument?

Writer: There's often no way a good author can estimate how many pages he or she will write per day. I say this because some people think that once a writer reaches a certain level of proficiency, it's easy to crank out a consistent output. That is simply not true. The creative mind is a fickle thing. One day's inspiration is often followed by weeks of stagnation. A page-driven quota does not help matters. In fact, the quality of the overall work is likely to suffer as a result of such quotas.

Which of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the writer’s argument?

Smoking cigarettes continues to be a common practice despite countless studies demonstrating that the habit causes deadly diseases. The government has attempted to reduce the number of smokers with advertising campaigns that explain the consequences of smoking, but the campaigns have been ineffective because the habit continues to be as prevalent as it was previous to the campaigns. The government should try one or more of the many alternatives to advertising. For instance, the government could raise the tax on cigarettes to the extent that smoking is prohibitively expensive.

Which of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?