PI Cognitive Verbal Reasoning Assessment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the statement: 'All employees who completed training received a certificate. John did not receive a certificate.' What can be concluded about John?
- John completed training
- John did not complete training (Correct answer)
- John is not an employee
- Nothing can be concluded
Correct answer: John did not complete training
By modus tollens: if completing training → certificate, and John has no certificate, then John did not complete training.
This is modus tollens applied to a verbal reasoning context. The rule states: completed training → received certificate. The contrapositive (logically equivalent) is: no certificate → did not complete training. Since John did not receive a certificate, he did not complete training. Note: we cannot conclude he's not an employee — he might be an employee who simply hasn't done the training yet.
Question 2: The passage states: 'Research shows that moderate exercise improves cardiovascular health. However, excessive exercise can lead to joint problems.' Which conclusion is best supported?
- All exercise is harmful
- Exercise has no benefits
- The optimal amount of exercise is somewhere between none and excessive (Correct answer)
- Joint problems are unavoidable
Correct answer: The optimal amount of exercise is somewhere between none and excessive
Moderate exercise is beneficial but excessive is harmful, implying there's an optimal balance point between too little and too much.
The passage presents two facts: moderate exercise has cardiovascular benefits, and excessive exercise causes joint problems. Together, these suggest a dose-response relationship where some exercise is good but too much is bad. The logical conclusion is that optimal health outcomes come from an amount between none (missing cardiovascular benefits) and excessive (risking joint problems). This is the only conclusion supported by both pieces of information.
Question 3: 'No one who was late to the meeting was given the project update. Maria was given the project update.' What must be true?
- Maria was late
- Maria was not late (Correct answer)
- Maria organized the meeting
- Maria already knew the update
Correct answer: Maria was not late
No late person got the update. Maria got the update. Therefore, Maria was not late (contrapositive reasoning).
The statement 'No one who was late was given the update' means: being late → not receiving the update. Equivalently (contrapositive): receiving the update → not being late. Maria received the update, so Maria was not late. This is another application of contrapositive reasoning in a verbal context. We cannot conclude anything about her organizing the meeting or prior knowledge.
Question 4: A company memo reads: 'Due to budget constraints, either the marketing department or the IT department will face a 10% budget reduction, but not both.' If the IT department's budget is reduced, which is true?
- Marketing's budget is also reduced
- Marketing's budget is unchanged (Correct answer)
- Both departments are reduced
- Neither department is reduced
Correct answer: Marketing's budget is unchanged
The memo states exactly one department will be cut. If IT is cut, then marketing is not cut (exclusive or).
The memo establishes an exclusive disjunction (XOR): exactly one of the two departments will face reduction. 'Either A or B, but not both' means if one is true, the other must be false. If IT's budget is reduced (IT = true), then marketing's budget is NOT reduced (marketing = false). Marketing's budget remains unchanged. This tests understanding of logical connectives in workplace communication.
Question 5: Statement: 'The new policy will be implemented only if all department heads approve it.' Three out of four department heads approved. What is the status of the policy?
- The policy is implemented
- The policy is not implemented (Correct answer)
- The policy is partially implemented
- Cannot be determined
Correct answer: The policy is not implemented
'Only if ALL approve' means unanimous approval is required. With only 3 of 4 approving, the condition is not met, so the policy is not implemented.
The trigger phrase 'only if all department heads approve' establishes a necessary condition: implementation requires 100% approval. With 3 out of 4 approvals (75%), the condition of ALL approving is not satisfied. Therefore, the policy cannot be implemented. 'Only if' establishes a necessary condition — without it being met, the outcome cannot occur. Partial implementation is not mentioned as an option in the policy.
Question 6: Passage: 'Students who study more than 20 hours per week tend to achieve higher grades. However, students who study more than 40 hours per week show increased stress levels without proportional grade improvement.' Based on this, studying 25 hours per week likely results in:
- Maximum possible grades
- Higher grades with manageable stress (Correct answer)
- Severe stress and burnout
- No improvement in grades
Correct answer: Higher grades with manageable stress
25 hours falls in the 20-40 range: above the threshold for improved grades but below the level causing excessive stress.
The passage identifies two thresholds: >20 hours correlates with higher grades, and >40 hours correlates with increased stress without proportional benefit. At 25 hours per week, a student exceeds the beneficial threshold (20 hours) but remains well below the diminishing-returns threshold (40 hours). This sweet spot likely yields higher grades (benefit zone) with manageable stress (below the stress zone). It's not maximum grades (we can't determine the exact peak) and not severe stress (well under 40 hours).
PI Cognitive Verbal Reasoning Assessment 2
Read the statement: 'All employees who completed training received a certificate.
John did not receive a certificate.' What can be concluded about John?