Travel agents are market intermediaries who make their living by gathering, organizing, and dispensing information about travel-related services that is not readily available to most consumers. Through new information technologies, such as the internet, much of this information can now be made directly available to consumers. Demand for the services of travel agents will be drastically reduced.

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

The Hyksos invaded the Nile Delta of Egypt and ruled it from 1650 B.C. Their origin is uncertain, but archaeologists hypothesize that they were Canaanites. In support of this hypothesis, the archaeologists point out that excavations of Avans, the Hyksos capital in Egypt, have uncovered large numbers of artifacts virtually identical to artifacts produced in Ashkelon, and Ashkelon was a major city of Canaan at the time of the Hyksos' invasion.

In order to evaluate the force of the archaeologists' evidence, it would be most useful to determine which of the following ?

A shortage of orders for Manto Aircraft's airliners has led analysts to predict that the manufacturer will have to lay workers ,the new order that consolidated airlines has just made for 20 of Manto's model TX jets does not provide a reason for the analysts to revise their predictions ,because simultaneously with its new order , consolidated canceled its existing order for an equal number of manto's larger, more expensive model Z jets

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

Rail Executive: Five years ago we discontinued train service between Lamberton and its suburbs because low ridership caused total fares collected to be substantially lower than the cost of operating the service it is true that recent population growth in the suburban communities suggests increased potential ridership, nevertheless since most of the newer residents own automobiles, restoring the train service this year would still result in serious deficits.

Which of the following ,if true casts the most serious doubt on the rail executive's argument?

It is crucially important to farmers that the herbicides they use to control weeds not damage their crops. One very effective herbicide is safe for corn, but soybeans are damaged even by the herbicide's residue, which remains in the soil more than a year after the herbicide is applied. Soybeans and corn are not sown together in the same field; nevertheless, most farmers are reluctant to use the herbicide on their corn.

Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest justification for the farmers' reluctance?

In recent years, networks of fiber-optic cable have been replacing electrical wire for transmitting telecommunications signals. Signals running through fiber-optic cables deteriorate, and so the signals must be run through a piece of equipment called a regenerator before being transmitted farther. Light-Line is the leading manufacturer of signal regenerators. Therefore, Light-Line is one of the companies that will most benefit if new long-distance fiber-optic telecommunications networks are constructed.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the prediction about Light-Line's prospects?

Secret passwords are often used to control access to computers. When employees are allowed to make up their own passwords, they are likely to setup as passwords their initials or birth dates. To improve security, employers should assign randomly generated passwords to employees rather than allowing employees to make up their own

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the conclusion drawn above?

Investment banks often have conflicting roles. They sometimes act for a client company by raising capital from other investment institutions as advantageously as possible, but their analysts also sometimes send unfavorable reports on the financial health of companies for whom they are raising capital to other clients who wish to make investments. Analyses of companies' financial health need to be unbiased if an investment bank is to achieve long-term success.

If the statements above are true, which of the following practices, if adopted by an investment bank, would hinder its long-term success?

The ancient Nubians inhabited an area in which typhus occurs, yet surprisingly few of their skeletons show the usual evidence of this disease. The skeletons do show deposits of tetracycline, an antibiotic produced by a bacterium common in Nubian soil. This bacterium can flourish on the dried grain used for making two staples of the Nubian diet, beer and bread. Thus, tetracycline in their food probably explains the low incidence of typhus among ancient Nubians.

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

A major chemical spill occurred five years ago at Baker's Beach, the world's sole nesting ground for Merrick sea turtles, and prevented nearly all the eggs laid that year from hatching. Yet the number of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Baker's Beach has actually increased somewhat since five years ago. Clearly, environmentalists' prediction that the world's Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument offered in refutation of the environmentalists' prediction?