Paradox Questions
Paradox questions give two contradictory facts and ask you to resolve the apparent paradox. There are usually two of these per section. Sometimes the question will just ask you to explain a set of facts, without any obvious paradox.
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1. A “depreciating asset” is one that is bound to continue losing value over time. Depreciating assets are never a good investment for the long-term because they are bound to be worth less than one paid for them. Given this reality, it is strange that G&R, Inc. in its acquisition of Casimir, Inc., wanted their severely depreciating real estate rental properties so badly.
Which one of the following, if true, most explains why G&R, Inc. would want to make sure it acquired the real estate rental properties in the acquisition?
(A) Acquired depreciated assets can be used to reduce tax liability of G&R, Inc.
(B) G&R acquired many appreciating assets in the deal as well.
(C) The depreciating assets had already lost most of their value.
(D) Some assets neither appreciate nor depreciate, but tend to hold their value.
(E) The gross national product in the rental sector hasincreased in recent years.
2. Past criminal behavior is one of the strongest predictors of future criminal behavior, and for this reason, ex-convicts are much more likely to commit crimes than the general population. Employers are thus reluctant to hire ex-convicts out of fear they will embezzle money, shoplift, or otherwise engage in behaviors detrimental to the company. These employers would be surprised to learn that, at least at this company, ex-convicts are less likely to embezzle or shoplift from employers than the average worker.
Which one of the following, if true, would most resolve the apparent paradox above?
(A) Embezzlement is punishable by a much more severe sentence than general theft.
(B) Employers such as this company rarely hire ex-convicts, only doing so when it is absolutely certain they will not steal or embezzle.
(C) Employers such as this company often use technology that monitors employees to prevent them from shoplifting.
(D) Ex-convicts tend to not work alongside employees who are not ex-convicts.
(E) Many ex-convicts learned skills at a prison jobwhich may be useful in the real world.
3. Thousands of castles were built across Europe during the Middle Ages to guard local strategic sites and often serve as the seat of power for a local monarch. The advent of gunpowder and cannons helped lead to a decline in the use and importance of castles in the 1500s, but curiously, they were used much later in Asia, where gunpowder first originated. Indeed, Japanese castles were important well into the 1600s.
Each of the following helps to resolve the apparent
paradox above EXCEPT:
(A) Japanese castles are very different in design from European castles, and were built by people familiar with the existence and implications of gunpowder and cannons.
(B) Castles also declined because of greater centralized authority in Europe, which did not exist in Japan in the 1600s.
(C) The Japanese did not know of the design of any European castles when they constructed castles in Japan in the 1600s.
(D) The siege cannons which led to the obsolescence of castles in Europe were never extensively developed or put to use in Japan.
(E) Castles were often built so that a small number of troops could guard against a much larger army, a need that dissipated in Europe but remained in Japan in the 1600s.
4. Most of the entertainment at this coffee house is coordinated by Marjorie, and since Marjorie likes avant-garde entertainment, most of the poetry is very avant-garde. However, much of the acoustic music played at this coffee house is quite mainstream and not avant-garde at all.
Which one of the following, if true, would help resolve the apparent discrepancy above?
(A) Marjorie has a lot more acoustic musical acts at the coffee house than she has poetry readings.
(B) The coffee house has many more poetry readings than acoustic musical acts, but the musical acts typically last many times longer.
(C) Marjorie typically relies on customer opinion when picking acoustic musical acts but on her own opinion when selecting poetry to be read.
(D) Very few people who read avante-garde poetry also perform avante-garde acoustic music.
(E) Marjorie does not prefer avant-garde visual art to be put on display in the coffee house.
5. New Ulm cheese is a well-known quality brand of cheese whose name is protected by trademark laws. However, many other cheeses are sold as New Ulm cheese despite the fact that their producers are not affiliated with the holders of this trademark. However, despite this clear infringement, the makers of New Ulm cheese insist on not bringing an action against the other cheese makers.
Which one of the following, if true, is most helpful in resolving the apparent paradox?
(A) Making New Ulm cheese correctly requires a great deal of skill on the part of the cheese maker.
(B) The makers of the trademarked New Ulm cheese are not familiar with all of the other cheese makers who are using the name.
(C) Many people find themselves enjoying the original form of a product after trying another producer’s version of it.
(D) The costs of bringing a lawsuit against the other cheese makers would need to be paid out of profits from the sale of New Ulm cheese.
(E) Other brands of cheese have names that are commonly used by multiple manufacturers.
6. Most farmers who switch to #42 seed observe a significant increase in corn yield in terms of bushels per acre. However, despite using #42 seed for this growing season, the Johannsens’ farm had an average yield virtually identical to that which they reported during the last few years.
Each one of the following, if true, would help resolve the apparent discrepancy above EXCEPT:
(A) The Johannsens began plowing and planting a less fertile, sandier area on their land which they had not planted in previously years.
(B) In the past few years, the Johannsens were notorious for exaggerating their crop yields in terms of bushels per acre.
(C) Pestilence was an especially large problem for many farmers this year, including the Johannsens.
(D) Farmers who benefited the most from #42 seed planted 120 day corn, while the Johannsens planted 90 day corn.
(E) The Johannsens’ crop yields this year changed substantially for most crops other than corn.
7. During the heyday of mining in the Western United States and Canada, “ghost towns” were common –settlements quickly and abruptly deserted after mineral resources dried up. It is puzzling that this particular ghost town in Utah, set up to mine copper, would have been abandoned so abruptly, given that the copper was still mineable and had not been depleted.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy above?
(A) The settlement was founded right before the nearby California Gold Rush, the primary mineral in which was much more valuable than copper.
(B) Other mining towns which were settled to mine copper were slowly abandoned even though some copper remained because this remaining copper was difficult to extract.
(C) Ghost towns were more common for settlements built to mine minerals other than copper.
(D) The price of copper has remained fairly steady throughout history.
(E) Necessary mining tools such as picks and shovels, as well as rations for the miners, would have been difficult to transport to the settlement when it was first built.