EPSO Verbal Reasoning Practice

This week’s five questions, with the answers

Real questions from the bank, free and with no account. The set is the same for everyone all week and rotates every Monday.

1. Question 1 of 5Difficulty 4/5

   The frequency of news coverage doesn’t reflect what’s happening across millions or billions of people, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking it does. People are often far more anxious about flying than driving, even though commercial airline crashes are incredibly rare. But there’s one final reason why this bias matters. It makes it hard for us to understand how causes of death are changing over time. If we’re constantly bombarded with stories of the latest murders and crimes, we might easily think that these are happening more and more. That is a widespread sentiment. In 23 of the 27 Gallup surveys conducted since 1993, most Americans said there was more crime than the year before. In reality, rates of crime — including homicides and other violent crime — have fallen a lot. And if we don’t hear about what’s happening to heart disease rates, treatments, or the odds of surviving cancer, we might wrongly imagine that no progress has been made. Yet childhood cancer deaths have plummeted over the last 50 years. Even among adults, death rates from cancer have fallen dramatically since the 1990s.

   Adapted from Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0).

   Which of the following statements is correct?

   • AGallup surveys show that constant stories of murders and crimes lead most Americans to say there is more crime than the year before.
   • BIn most Gallup polls since 1993, the majority’s view of crime ran against the fall in crime rates.
   • CCancer death rates have plummeted over the last 50 years among children and adults alike, although news coverage rarely mentions it.
   • DHeart disease rates have declined just as cancer death rates have, though scarce news coverage leads us to imagine no progress.
   Show the answer and the reasoning

   Correct answer: B — In most Gallup polls since 1993, the majority’s view of crime ran against the fall in crime rates.

   Why

   In 23 of 27 surveys, most Americans said that crime was rising from one year to the next. The following sentence says crime rates have in fact fallen a lot, so in most of those polls the majority view ran against the real trend. Source: Hannah Ritchie, “Does the news reflect what we die from?”, Our World in Data, 2025-10-06. https://ourworldindata.org/does-the-news-reflect-what-we-die-from Licence: CC BY 4.0. The text was cut and adapted for this exercise.

   Option by option

   • AThe murder stories and the survey sit side by side, so the survey seems to prove the point. But the surveys only record that “most Americans said there was more crime”, and the link to news is the author’s suggestion, “we might easily think”, so “show” claims too much.
   • BThe first sentence gives “23 of the 27 Gallup surveys” in which most people reported more crime, and the next says that rates “have fallen a lot”. Set together, these mean that in most polls the majority’s view “ran against the fall in crime rates”.
   • CBoth cancer trends are good news and come one after the other, so they blur. But “the last 50 years” belongs to “childhood cancer deaths”, while for adults the passage says “since the 1990s”, so “children and adults alike” attaches the longer period to the wrong group.
   • DThis matches what many readers know, and heart disease is named right before cancer. But the passage mentions “heart disease rates” only as something we may not hear about; it reports falls only for cancer, so “have declined” adds a fact from outside the text.
2. Question 2 of 5Difficulty 4/5

   Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the nervous system that causes uncontrollable shaking and difficulties with balance and coordination. While Parkinson’s is regarded as a brain disorder, there can be early signs in the gut that something is wrong, according to microbial ecology professor Paul Wilmes. ‘The molecular hallmarks of the disease appear early on in gut nerve cells, well before the classical symptoms involving movement problems appear,’ he said. Wilmes said it’s possible molecules made by gut bacteria kick off a cascade that eventually spreads to the brain or exacerbate the disease, perhaps by increasing inflammation. However, changes to the microbiome could be a consequence of Parkinson’s disease rather than the cause. In either case, the research being carried out could allow doctors to diagnose the disease earlier in some patients or intervene before symptoms become more severe. Wilmes is also studying the impact of the gut on rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks a patient’s joints. Exactly how these microorganisms play a role in the disease is a mystery that he is keen to solve.

   Adapted from Anthony King, Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine (CC BY 4.0).

   Which of the following statements is correct?

   • AWilmes has shown that molecules made by gut bacteria kick off a cascade that eventually leads to more severe symptoms of Parkinson’s.
   • BAlthough regarded as a brain disorder, Parkinson’s begins in the gut, where its molecular hallmarks appear well before movement problems.
   • CWilmes suspects that gut bacteria may worsen both Parkinson’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis by increasing inflammation in patients.
   • DWhether microbiome changes cause Parkinson’s or follow from it need not limit the research’s diagnostic value.
   Show the answer and the reasoning

   Correct answer: D — Whether microbiome changes cause Parkinson’s or follow from it need not limit the research’s diagnostic value.

   Why

   The passage leaves open whether microbiome changes are a cause or a consequence of Parkinson’s. It then says that “In either case” the research could help doctors diagnose earlier, so its diagnostic use does not depend on answering that question. Source: Anthony King, “New clues to age-old illnesses emerge in the gut”, Horizon, 2023-07-24. https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-magazine/new-clues-age-old-illnesses-emerge-gut Licence: CC BY 4.0. The text was cut and adapted for this exercise.

   Option by option

   • AThe cascade is the most vivid idea in the text, so it stays in the mind. But Wilmes “said it’s possible” and the next sentence offers the opposite direction, so “has shown” presents one possibility as a result.
   • BEarly hallmarks in the gut make this sound like the natural conclusion. But “there can be early signs in the gut” concerns timing against movement problems, and microbiome changes “could be a consequence”, so “begins in the gut” claims an origin the passage leaves open.
   • CThe word inflammation appears for both diseases, which invites the link. But “perhaps by increasing inflammation” is said only of Parkinson’s, and for the arthritis work the passage says how the microorganisms act “is a mystery”, so it does not support “both”.
   • DFirst the passage sets “a consequence of Parkinson’s disease rather than the cause” against the earlier idea, leaving the direction open. Then “In either case” says the research could still help doctors diagnose earlier, so the answer to that question “need not limit” its value.
3. Question 3 of 5Difficulty 4/5

   Recent research has indicated that open-label placebo trials, where patients know that they are receiving a placebo, can still produce a positive effect. One of the early trials using “placebos without deception” was conducted by a team at Harvard led by Ted Kaptchuk. The study was for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients were randomly placed into one of two groups: a placebo group who were told to take a placebo pill twice daily, and a no-treatment group. The results were astonishing: 59 per cent of patients who knew they were taking the placebo reported an improvement in symptoms compared with 35 per cent in the no-treatment group. Since this study, reviews and further analyses have shown open-label placebo trials to be a promising new avenue of research, though much work is still needed with respect to the condition studied and the trial design. Although a placebo is a fake pill, it can trigger very real chemical pathways in the body that can be measured. Research into the biological basis of the placebo effect shows that many different conscious and unconscious processes could be involved, from Pavlovian classical conditioning to our expectations of a drug or treatment.

   Adapted from Anjuli Sharma, Wellcome Collection (CC BY 4.0).

   Which of the following statements is correct?

   • AReviews have shown that about 59 per cent of patients can improve on open-label placebos across the different medical conditions studied so far.
   • BResearch into the biological basis of the placebo effect has established that Pavlovian conditioning and our expectations drive the very real chemical pathways in the body.
   • CPart of the improvement reported by the placebo group may owe nothing to the pill, since untreated patients reported getting better too.
   • DTelling the irritable bowel patients that their pill was a placebo generally did not weaken its effect, compared with patients kept in the dark about it.
   Show the answer and the reasoning

   Correct answer: C — Part of the improvement reported by the placebo group may owe nothing to the pill, since untreated patients reported getting better too.

   Why

   The trial compared a placebo group with a group that received nothing, and 35 per cent of that second group still reported improvement. If people improve without any pill, then some of the 59 per cent in the placebo group might have improved anyway. That is why the comparison matters more than the headline figure. Source: Anjuli Sharma, “Rethinking the placebo effect”, Wellcome Collection, 2021-09-28. https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/rethinking-the-placebo-effect Licence: CC BY 4.0. The text was cut and adapted for this exercise.

   Option by option

   • AThe figure and the positive reviews are the things most readers remember, so they merge easily. But the 59 per cent comes from one early study of irritable bowel syndrome, and the writer says that "much work is still needed" on the condition studied, so "across the different medical conditions" goes much too far.
   • BThe real chemical pathways and the Pavlovian example give this a scientific ring. However, the passage says only that many processes "could be involved", so "has established" and "drive" turn a possibility into a proven mechanism.
   • CThe trial had a placebo group and a "no-treatment group", and 35 per cent of the latter still reported an improvement. Since people who took nothing also improved, part of the 59 per cent may not be due to the pill. The cautious wording "may owe nothing" is exactly what the figures allow.
   • DThe phrase about placebos without deception makes this sound like the point of the trial. Yet patients were placed into "one of two groups", a placebo group and a no-treatment group, so there were no "patients kept in the dark" to compare with.
4. Question 4 of 5Difficulty 4/5

   More than 2 500 years ago a Phoenician ship ran into trouble off the coast near Cartagena, Spain. Archaeologists have recovered ceramic and bronze artefacts, tin and copper ingots, nuggets of lead ore, amber and many elephant tusks. These tusks could help scientists unlock the secrets of an extinct elephant population. ‘If the ship was sailing from North Africa, the ivory could represent the North African elephant population, which went extinct at some point during Roman times,’ said Patrícia Pečnerová, a biologist at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. ‘We don’t really know anything at all about these elephants as there are few historical records.’ The famous war elephants that Carthaginian general Hannibal led across the Alps in 218 BC during the Second Punic War were most likely North African. They probably ranged across the region north of the Sahara Desert. ‘Some people think they might have been African savanna elephants, based on what is more plausible from the biological perspective,’ Pečnerová said. ‘But others say they were probably small so might have been African forest elephants.’ Still others say the creatures could even have been Asian elephants – or a separate species altogether.

   Adapted from Michael Allen, Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine (CC BY 4.0).

   Which of the following statements is correct?

   • AWhat the tusks might reveal about Hannibal's elephants rests on uncertain links: the ship's starting port and a North African origin.
   • BPečnerová argues that Hannibal's elephants were probably small and might therefore have been African forest elephants rather than the larger African savanna kind.
   • CBecause the ship sailed from North Africa, its ivory offers a record of an elephant population that went extinct at some point during Roman times.
   • DThose who debate the identity of the war elephants Hannibal led across the Alps are split between African savanna elephants, based on biological plausibility, and small African forest elephants.
   Show the answer and the reasoning

   Correct answer: A — What the tusks might reveal about Hannibal's elephants rests on uncertain links: the ship's starting port and a North African origin.

   Why

   The ivory could represent the North African elephants only if the ship sailed from North Africa. Hannibal's elephants, in turn, were only most likely North African. So learning about his animals from these tusks depends on two things the passage leaves unconfirmed, and you need both sentences to see it. Source: Michael Allen, “Elephants that once threatened Rome could help save their descendants”, Horizon, 2023-06-28. https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-magazine/elephants-once-threatened-rome-could-help-save-their-descendants Licence: CC BY 4.0. The text was cut and adapted for this exercise.

   Option by option

   • AThe link from tusks to North African elephants starts with 'If the ship was sailing from North Africa'. The link from those elephants to Hannibal's is only 'most likely North African'. So what the tusks 'might reveal' 'rests on uncertain links' at both points.
   • BHer name appears next to this view, so it is easy to credit her with it. But she is reporting a debate: 'But others say they were probably small', and 'Pečnerová argues' turns what she attributes to others into her own position.
   • CThe extinct population is the exciting idea here, which makes this attractive. But Pečnerová begins with 'If the ship was sailing from', which leaves the origin open; 'Because the ship sailed from North Africa' treats that open condition as fact.
   • DSavanna and forest elephants are the two options that stick in the mind. But the passage goes further: 'Still others say the creatures could even have been Asian elephants', so 'are split between' those two is too narrow a description of the debate.
5. Question 5 of 5Difficulty 5/5

   GDP does not capture lots of types of worthwhile activity that are not paid for (caring for a relative, for example) but does capture activities that are not worthwhile (like trading in illicit drugs). Over 2024, we saw the maturing of several endeavours to address this issue. They fall into two camps. The first involves using the framework of GDP (or national accounts, to be more precise) to create a more comprehensive measure of growth and wealth. The second looks to develop adjacent measures that focus more directly on well-being and prosperity. One solution to this problem is to enrich the idea of GDP – to measure more things within the concept of the economy, like income, capital and growth. The second approach suggests that we should keep our focus on GDP more or less as it is (subject to the usual improvements and use of better data sources, as well as the communication of uncertainty). And instead of extending the framework, it proposes supplementing it with meaningful alternative measures, including personal well-being measures, which focus on the things that GDP does not capture well.

   Adapted from Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation (OGL v3.0).

   Which of the following statements is correct?

   • AThe second approach would leave GDP exactly as it is and add meaningful alternative measures, such as personal well-being, alongside it.
   • BSeveral endeavours to address the limits of GDP first emerged over 2024 and can be sorted into two camps, one extending the measure and one adding to it.
   • CBoth approaches would add personal well-being measures alongside the usual improvements and better data sources, so as to cover what GDP does not capture well.
   • DThe camps differ not so much over what GDP fails to capture as over whether the cure lies in widening the framework of national accounts.
   Show the answer and the reasoning

   Correct answer: D — The camps differ not so much over what GDP fails to capture as over whether the cure lies in widening the framework of national accounts.

   Why

   Both camps respond to the same issue, what GDP misses. The first works inside the framework of the national accounts, while the second chooses not to extend that framework and adds other measures. So the disagreement lies in the remedy, a conclusion you draw by comparing the two descriptions. Source: Ed Humpherson, “Beyond GDP: Redefining Economic Progress”, Office for Statistics Regulation, 2025-01-24. https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/blog/beyond-gdp-redefining-economic-progress/ Licence: OGL v3.0. The text was cut and adapted for this exercise.

   Option by option

   • AThis captures the spirit of the second approach, so it is easy to accept. But the passage says 'more or less as it is', and adds 'subject to the usual improvements', so 'exactly as it is' is stricter than what is proposed.
   • BThe year and the two camps are right, which makes the sentence feel safe. But the passage says we saw 'the maturing of several endeavours', so they already existed in 2024, whereas 'first emerged' places their start in that year.
   • CWell-being is central to the discussion, so it seems to belong to everyone. But well-being measures appear only in the second approach, 'instead of extending the framework', so 'Both approaches' gives them to the camp that works inside GDP as well.
   • DThe first camp uses 'the framework of GDP (or national accounts, to be more precise)'. The second acts 'instead of extending the framework', yet it too targets 'the things that GDP does not capture well'. So they share the diagnosis and split over 'widening the framework'.