ATSA - Air Traffic Skills Assessment Logical Reasoning Word Problems Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: At an air traffic control center, three tasks must be handled: Approach Control, Ground Control, and Tower Control. The following rules apply: 1) If Ben is assigned to Ground Control, then Carla must be assigned to Tower Control. 2) If David is assigned to Approach Control, Ben cannot be assigned to Ground Control. 3) David is assigned to Approach Control. Which of the following statements must be true?
- Carla is not assigned to Tower Control. (Correct answer)
- Ben is assigned to Ground Control.
- Carla is assigned to Ground Control.
- David is also assigned to Tower Control.
Correct answer: Carla is not assigned to Tower Control.
From rule 3, we know David is assigned to Approach Control. According to rule 2, if David is assigned to Approach Control, then Ben cannot be assigned to Ground Control. From rule 1, the only way Carla can be assigned to Tower Control is if Ben is assigned to Ground Control. Since we have established that Ben is NOT assigned to Ground Control, it follows logically that Carla cannot be assigned to Tower Control.
Question 2: Five aircraft (Flight 101, Flight 202, Flight 303, Flight 404, and Flight 505) are waiting for departure clearance. The departure sequence is governed by these conditions: Flight 202 must depart immediately before Flight 404. Flight 101 must depart sometime after Flight 303. Flight 505 must depart first. Which of the following is a possible departure sequence?
- 505, 303, 101, 202, 404
- 505, 202, 404, 101, 303
- 303, 101, 505, 202, 404
- 505, 303, 202, 404, 101 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 505, 303, 202, 404, 101
Let's check each option against the rules. Option A is invalid because 202 and 404 are not together. Option B is invalid because Flight 101 departs before Flight 303, violating a rule. Option C is invalid because Flight 505 does not depart first. Option D satisfies all conditions: Flight 505 is first, Flight 303 departs before Flight 101, and Flight 202 departs immediately before Flight 404.
Question 3: All aircraft certified for instrument flight rules (IFR) must have an onboard GPS. All aircraft with an onboard GPS must undergo an annual inspection. A specific Cessna 172 is certified for IFR. Based only on this information, what can be concluded?
- The Cessna 172 has not yet had its annual inspection.
- All Cessna 172s have an onboard GPS.
- The Cessna 172 must undergo an annual inspection. (Correct answer)
- The Cessna 172 is not certified for IFR.
Correct answer: The Cessna 172 must undergo an annual inspection.
This is a syllogism. The first premise is that being IFR-certified means having a GPS. The second premise is that having a GPS means requiring an annual inspection. Since the Cessna 172 is IFR-certified, it must have a GPS, and therefore it must undergo an annual inspection. The other options make assumptions or contradict the given information.
Question 4: A runway is available for landing if and only if there is no departing aircraft and the weather is above minimums. Currently, the weather is above minimums, but a Boeing 737 is positioned on the runway for takeoff. Which of the following is the correct status of the runway?
- The runway is available because the weather is good.
- The runway is available because the Boeing 737 will depart soon.
- The runway is not available. (Correct answer)
- The runway status cannot be determined.
Correct answer: The runway is not available.
The rule states that two conditions must be met for the runway to be available: no departing aircraft AND weather above minimums. While the weather condition is met, the condition of 'no departing aircraft' is not, as the Boeing 737 is on the runway for takeoff. Since both conditions are not met, the runway is not available.
Question 5: Four pilots—Anna, Brian, Chloe, and David—are discussing their flight hours. Anna has more hours than Brian. Chloe has fewer hours than Brian. David has more hours than Anna. Which of the following statements CANNOT be true?
- Brian has the second-most flight hours. (Correct answer)
- Anna has more flight hours than Chloe.
- David has the most flight hours.
- Chloe has the fewest flight hours.
Correct answer: Brian has the second-most flight hours.
From the premises, we can establish a clear order of flight hours. David has more than Anna (D > A). Anna has more than Brian (A > B). Brian has more than Chloe (B > C). Combining these gives a definitive ranking: David > Anna > Brian > Chloe. Therefore, David has the most hours, Anna has the second-most, Brian has the third-most, and Chloe has the fewest. The statement that Brian has the second-most flight hours directly contradicts this established order.
Question 6: An alert is triggered if either the aircraft's altitude is below 500 feet or its speed is above 250 knots. An alert is not triggered. Which of the following conclusions must be correct?
- The aircraft's altitude is above 500 feet and its speed is below 250 knots. (Correct answer)
- The aircraft's altitude is above 500 feet.
- The aircraft's speed is below 250 knots.
- The aircraft's altitude is below 500 feet and its speed is above 250 knots.
Correct answer: The aircraft's altitude is above 500 feet and its speed is below 250 knots.
The rule uses the word 'or', meaning the alert triggers if at least one of the conditions is met (altitude < 500 ft OR speed > 250 kts). If the alert is NOT triggered, it means that NEITHER of these conditions can be true. The logical opposite of 'altitude is below 500 feet' is 'altitude is at or above 500 feet'. The logical opposite of 'speed is above 250 knots' is 'speed is at or below 250 knots'. Therefore, both of these opposite conditions must be true.
ATSA - Air Traffic Skills Assessment Logical Reasoning Word Problems Questions and Answers
At an air traffic control center, three tasks must be handled: Approach Control, Ground Control, and Tower Control.
The following rules apply: 1) If Ben is assigned to Ground Control, then Carla must be assigned to Tower Control. 2) If David is assigned to Approach Control, Ben cannot be assigned to Ground Control. 3) David is assigned to Approach Control.
Which of the following statements must be true?