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Critical Reasoning / Verbal Reasoning questions for IPMAT, with solutions

10 free Critical Reasoning / Verbal Reasoning practice questions for IPMAT Indore, Rohtak and JIPMAT, 2 from past papers, each with the answer and a full worked solution. No sign-in. Try each one first, then open the solution. The lessons for this chapter are in Critical Reasoning / Verbal Reasoning on Learn.

  1. Question 1Multiple choiceAsked in IPMAT Rohtak 2019Statement-conclusion (I/II follows)

    In the question below, a statement is followed by two conclusions, I and II. Assume everything in the statement to be true, even if it seems to be at variance with commonly known facts, and decide which of the conclusions logically follow(s) from the statement.

    Statement: In a one day cricket match, the total runs made by a team were 200. Out of these 160 runs were made by spinners.

    Conclusions: I. 80% of the team consists of spinners. II. The opening batsmen were spinners.

    1. A.Only conclusion I follows
    2. B.Only conclusion II follows
    3. C.Either I or II follows
    4. D.Neither I nor II follows
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: D. Neither I nor II follows

    Answer: (D) Neither I nor II follows

    Conclusion I does not follow. 160 of 200 runs is 80 per cent of the runs, not of the players. A few spinners could have scored most of the runs.

    Conclusion II does not follow. The statement says nothing about the batting order.

    Why the other options are wrong:

    • (A) Conclusion I does not follow: 160 of 200 runs is 80 per cent of the runs, not of the players. A few spinners could have scored most of the runs.
    • (B) Conclusion II does not follow: The statement says nothing about the batting order.
    • (C) "Either… or" fits only when I and II form a pair of which exactly one must hold; that is not the case here.

  2. Question 2Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayCourse of action (I/II)

    A course of action is a practicable and feasible step that follows from the statement and helps to solve, reduce or improve the problem. In the question below, a statement is followed by two suggested courses of action, I and II. Decide which of them logically follow(s).

    Statement: Many students in a school have failed in mathematics in the half-yearly examination.

    Courses of action: I. The school should arrange remedial classes in mathematics for these students. II. The school should drop mathematics from its syllabus.

    1. A.Only course of action I follows
    2. B.Only course of action II follows
    3. C.Both I and II follow
    4. D.Neither I nor II follows
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: A. Only course of action I follows

    Answer: (A) Only course of action I follows

    Course of action I follows. A practical step that helps the students who failed.

    Course of action II does not follow. Dropping the subject avoids the problem instead of solving it, and a school cannot drop a core subject.

    Why the other options are wrong:

    • (B) Course of action I follows: A practical step that helps the students who failed. Course of action II does not follow: Dropping the subject avoids the problem instead of solving it, and a school cannot drop a core subject.
    • (C) Course of action II does not follow: Dropping the subject avoids the problem instead of solving it, and a school cannot drop a core subject.
    • (D) Course of action I follows: A practical step that helps the students who failed.

  3. Question 3Multiple choiceAsked in IPMAT Rohtak 2019Statement-assumption (I/II implicit)

    An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. In the question below, a statement is followed by two assumptions, I and II. Decide which of the assumptions is (are) implicit in the statement.

    Statement: It is desirable to put the child in school at the age of 5 or so.

    Assumptions: I. At that age the child reaches appropriate level of development and is ready to learn. II. The schools do not admit children after six years of age.

    1. A.Only assumption I is implicit
    2. B.Only assumption II is implicit
    3. C.Either I or II is implicit
    4. D.Neither I nor II is implicit
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: A. Only assumption I is implicit

    Answer: (A) Only assumption I is implicit

    Assumption I is implicit. Calling age 5 "desirable" only makes sense if the speaker believes a child of about five is ready to learn.

    Assumption II is not implicit. The statement is about the best age, not about admission rules. Nothing suggests schools refuse older children.

    Why the other options are wrong:

    • (B) Assumption I is implicit: Calling age 5 "desirable" only makes sense if the speaker believes a child of about five is ready to learn. Assumption II is not implicit: The statement is about the best age, not about admission rules. Nothing suggests schools refuse older children.
    • (C) "Either… or" fits only when I and II form a pair of which exactly one must hold; that is not the case here.
    • (D) Assumption I is implicit: Calling age 5 "desirable" only makes sense if the speaker believes a child of about five is ready to learn.

  4. Question 4Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayFlaw in reasoning

    Cities with more hospitals record more deaths each year. So building hospitals increases deaths.

    Which of the following best describes the flaw in the reasoning?

    1. A.It assumes that all of the cities' hospitals are of the same size and quality.
    2. B.It relies on death figures that may not have been collected in the same way everywhere.
    3. C.It overlooks that bigger cities tend to have both more hospitals and more deaths, simply because more people live there.
    4. D.It does not say how many cities were compared, so its sample may be too small.
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: C. It overlooks that bigger cities tend to have both more hospitals and more deaths, simply because more people live there.

    Answer: (C) It overlooks that bigger cities tend to have both more hospitals and more deaths, simply because more people live there.

    Why (C) is right: A third factor (population size) drives both numbers; the link is not cause and effect.

    Why the others are wrong:

    • (A) Hospital size is not the problem with the reasoning.
    • (B) A possible worry, but even perfect figures would not show that hospitals cause deaths.
    • (D) Sample size is not the main problem: the link is explained by population.

  5. Question 5Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayInference: must be true / cannot be inferred

    Most of the mangoes in a basket are ripe. All the ripe mangoes in the basket are sweet.

    Which of the following must be true?

    1. A.All the sweet mangoes in the basket are ripe.
    2. B.No unripe mango in the basket is sweet.
    3. C.Most of the mangoes in the basket are sweet.
    4. D.Exactly half the mangoes in the basket are sweet.
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: C. Most of the mangoes in the basket are sweet.

    Answer: (C) Most of the mangoes in the basket are sweet.

    Why (C) is right: The ripe mangoes are more than half, and every one of them is sweet, so sweet mangoes are more than half.

    Why the others are wrong:

    • (A) Reverses "ripe → sweet"; an unripe mango could also be sweet.
    • (B) Not stated: the statements say nothing about unripe mangoes.
    • (D) Contradicts "most".

  6. Question 6Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayStrengthen the argument

    Reading aloud to young children improves their vocabulary. In a study, children whose parents read to them daily knew more words at age five than other children.

    Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

    1. A.Some of the children who were read to every day said that they did not enjoy books much.
    2. B.Children who were read to every day also watched less television than the other children.
    3. C.Children's vocabulary keeps growing quickly between the ages of five and ten.
    4. D.The two groups of children came from families of similar income and education.
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: D. The two groups of children came from families of similar income and education.

    Answer: (D) The two groups of children came from families of similar income and education.

    Argument map: Evidence: read-to children knew more words. Conclusion: reading aloud causes it. Risk: those families differ in other ways.

    Why (D) is right: If the families were alike in income and education, those differences cannot explain the gap, which leaves reading aloud as the likely cause.

    Why the others are wrong:

    • (A) If anything, this slightly weakens the claim.
    • (B) Points to another difference between the groups, which weakens the claim.
    • (C) True of all children; it does not link reading aloud to the gap.

  7. Question 7Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayStrong and weak arguments (I/II)

    In the question below, a statement is followed by two arguments, I and II. A strong argument is both important and directly related to the question; a weak argument is minor, not directly related, or rests on a trivial or emotional point. Decide which of the arguments is (are) strong.

    Statement: Should a school ban students from bringing mobile phones to school?

    Arguments: I. Yes. Great scientists of the past studied without mobile phones. II. No. Many students travel to school on their own, and a ban would leave them unable to reach their parents in an emergency on the way.

    1. A.Only argument I is strong
    2. B.Only argument II is strong
    3. C.Both arguments I and II are strong
    4. D.Neither argument I nor II is strong
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: B. Only argument II is strong

    Answer: (B) Only argument II is strong

    Argument I is weak. What people did before phones existed tells us nothing about today's school.

    Argument II is strong. It points to a real safety cost of a complete ban.

    Why the other options are wrong:

    • (A) Argument I is weak: What people did before phones existed tells us nothing about today's school. Argument II is strong: It points to a real safety cost of a complete ban.
    • (C) Argument I is weak: What people did before phones existed tells us nothing about today's school.
    • (D) Argument II is strong: It points to a real safety cost of a complete ban.

  8. Question 8Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayWeaken the argument

    The government argues that printing health warnings on packets of chips will make people eat less salty food.

    Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

    1. A.Chips are especially popular with teenagers, who eat them almost every day.
    2. B.Salt has been used for centuries to preserve many kinds of food.
    3. C.Warnings have been printed on cigarette packets for many years.
    4. D.Most buyers never read the back of snack packets, where the warning will go.
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: D. Most buyers never read the back of snack packets, where the warning will go.

    Answer: (D) Most buyers never read the back of snack packets, where the warning will go.

    Why (D) is right: A warning that is not read cannot change behaviour.

    Why the others are wrong:

    • (A) Shows the problem matters, not that warnings will fail.
    • (B) Irrelevant to the effect of a warning.
    • (C) Says nothing about whether warnings change behaviour.

  9. Question 9Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayAssumption (four-option CR)

    To reduce the number of girls who leave school after Class 8, a state will give a bicycle to every girl who enrols in Class 9. Officials expect Class 9 enrolment to rise, since the nearest secondary school is often several kilometres from a girl's village.

    Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

    1. A.Every girl who receives a bicycle will go on to finish Class 12.
    2. B.Bicycles are cheaper than building new secondary schools in villages.
    3. C.For many girls who stop after Class 8, the difficulty of reaching a distant school is at least part of the reason.
    4. D.Boys do not need bicycles to reach their schools.
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: C. For many girls who stop after Class 8, the difficulty of reaching a distant school is at least part of the reason.

    Answer: (C) For many girls who stop after Class 8, the difficulty of reaching a distant school is at least part of the reason.

    Why (C) is right: The plan works only if travel to a distant school is one of the reasons girls drop out. If girls stopped for other reasons alone, such as household work or early marriage, bicycles would not raise enrolment.

    Why the others are wrong:

    • (A) Too strong: the plan only expects more girls to enrol in Class 9.
    • (B) The plan does not compare costs; it can work whatever schools cost.
    • (D) Boys are outside the plan and the conclusion.

  10. Question 10Multiple choiceWritten by IPMATwayAssumption (four-option CR)

    An ed-tech company says: "Our online maths course will succeed in rural areas, because a recent survey shows that 90 per cent of rural households now own a smartphone."

    Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

    1. A.Every rural household owns a smartphone.
    2. B.Rural students prefer online courses to classroom teaching.
    3. C.The survey was carried out mainly in towns.
    4. D.Students in households that own a smartphone will be able to use it regularly for the course.
    Show the answer and solution

    Answer: D. Students in households that own a smartphone will be able to use it regularly for the course.

    Answer: (D) Students in households that own a smartphone will be able to use it regularly for the course.

    Why (D) is right: The evidence is about phone ownership by households; the conclusion is about students taking a course. The gap is that students actually get regular use of the phone (it is not, say, carried to work by a parent all day).

    Why the others are wrong:

    • (A) Too strong: the claim rests on 90 per cent, not on every household.
    • (B) Not required: students can take the course without preferring it to classroom teaching.
    • (C) This would weaken the argument, not support it.