Most often Scientific journals published in Commonwealth countries refer to articles written in English only. However, there are many interesting scientific developments reported in other languages. So because of a basic linguistic ignorance on the part of scientists in these countries, articles written in other languages do not get referred. This inevitably results in a failure to benefit from scientific progress made in other non-english speaking areas.

Which of the following, if true, tends to confirm the conclusion given above?

‘When women stop reading, the novel will be dead,’ declared Ian McEwan in the Guardian last year. He reached this rather dire conclusion after venturing into a nearby park in an attempt to give away free novels. The result? Only one ‘sensitive male soul’ took up his offer, while every woman he approached was ‘eager and grateful’ to do the same. Unscientific as McEwan’s experiment may be, its thesis is borne out by a number of surveys conducted in Britain, the United States and Canada, where men account for a paltry $20$ percent of the market for fiction. Unlike the gods of the literary establishment who remain predominantly male—both as writers and critics—their humble readers are overwhelmingly female.

Which of the following most weakens the argument made in this paragraph?

To anthropologists of the future, the gym boom of the past few decades may look more like a sinister cult than a fitness movement. Gym-going, after all, has all the basic lineaments of a religion. Its adherents are motivated by feelings of guilt, and the urge to atone for fleshly sins. Many visit their places of worship with a fanatical regularity: a third of LA Fitness members, for instance, go virtually every day. Once there, believers are led by sacerdotal instructors, who either goad them into mass ecstasy during aerobics classes, or preside over the confessional tête-à-tête of personal training. Each devotee has his own rituals, though most rely on the principles of self-mortification and delayed gratification.

Assuming the following are true, which of them casts most doubt on the argument in this paragraph?

Hosting a high-profile sporting event like the Olympic Games or the World Cup can generate significant intangible benefits for the host city or region, whose residents are likely to derive appreciable pride and sense of community from hosting the event. Their homes are the focus of the world’s attention for a brief but intense period. The planning and work required to host the event take significant time and effort—much of which is done by volunteers—and engender a considerable local and national sense of accomplishment. These factors are both important and valuable, even though researchers find it difficult to place a dollar value on them.

Which of the following, if true, does NOT weaken the argument made in this paragraph?

Evolutionary behaviourists are trying to understand why it is that the emotional connection between siblings can last a lifetime. The prevailing theory is that it all comes down to maths. With our nearest relatives—each parent, our full-siblings, and our children, we share $50$ percent of our novel genes. This overlap helps explain the continual cycle of family love. The shared $50$ percent is the basis for our instinctive willingness to make all sorts of investments and sacrifices—even perhaps the ultimate sacrifice—for those with whom we are closest. On the level of the gene, it’s a good idea to ensure those most like us will spread part of our uniqueness. It’s a banal truism that what we feel towards our closest relatives is generally different from our feelings for people with whom we don’t share this connection. But why? The researchers say that the emotions of love and fidelity are nature’s way of doing the maths on behalf of our genes.

Which of the following facts, if true, would strengthen the argument in this paragraph?

Ensuring equal opportunity has long been a prominent goal in many countries, particularly Western Europe and America. These countries have more equality of income - what a person gets for his efforts and the yield of his property after taxes are deducted. Many economists in India believe this concept of equality should be implemented in developing countries in order to speed up economic development.

Which of the following, if true, will bring out the flaw in the argument above?

A popular talk show host has been regularly making fun of a new movie on his programme for the past few days. The director of the movie attributes the poor performance of the movie to this fact.

Which of the following options most seriously weakens the above argument?

In a recently conducted survey on the quality of life among the citizens of a city, surveyors spoke to $980$ citizens, a majority of whom said that they were satisfied with their quality of life. Thus, it can be concluded that the citizens of this city are satisfied with their quality of life.

Which of the following options most seriously weakens the above argument?

There are two ways of successfully completing a marathon—practise running for $4$hours every day or make changes to your diet so that you are consuming more high energy foods. Research has clearly proved that practising running is far more effective than making changes to your diet, as far as competing in a marathon is concerned. Thus, if a person consistently runs for at least $4$hours every day, he is doing the most that can be done to perform well in the marathon.

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