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Critical Reasoning

Terms in this set (14)

Critical Reasoning by Question Types.

1. Weaken
2. Strengthen
3. Bold
4. Inference
5. Evaluate
6. Assumption
7. Helps Explain
http://bit.ly/1SBgNGb

1. Weaken -20%
2. Strengthen -30%
3. Bold -10%
4. Inference -8%
5. Evaluate -10%
6. Assumption -10%
7. Helps Explain -12%
1. Weaken.

From OG13:
# 2, 4, 8, 20, 25, 32, 37, 43, 51, 58, 62, 71, 73, 79,
82, 87, 88, 90, 100, 107, 112, 115, 117, 119, 122
"Argument is flawed because..."
"...does not support..."
"...most seriously weakens..."
"...most vulnerable to criticism..."
"...basis for arguing against..."
"...would cast serious doubt..."
"...undermines the argument"
"...counters the objection..."
2. Strengthen.

From OG13:
#1, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14, 17 19, 23, 30, 31, 33, 35,
40, 45, 50, 52, 53, 55, 56, 59, 64, 65, 67, 69, 74,
80, 81, 95, 101, 102, 103, 108, 111, 118, 120, 121
"does most to justify the expectation that..."
"[argument], since _____"
"most strongly supports the argument..."
"most strongly supports the hypothesis that ..."
"provides the strongest grounds that..."
"...provides the best reason for the expectation that [argument]..."
"...would provide most support for the prediction that..."
"conclusion would be more reasonably drawn if which of the following were true"
3. Bold.

From OG13:
#18, 28, 34, 63, 76, 78, 84, 85, 89, 98, 116, 123
Something is bolded or question asks about structure
"...the [bolded portion plays / two-boldfaced portions play] which of the following roles..."
"...develops the argument by..."
"Person A responds to Person B by..."
"...describes the role played by the bolded portion..."
4. Inference.

From OG13:
#26, 29, 38, 54, 60, 66, 91, 97, 104, 105
"if ... then [inferred statement] must also be true"
"...can most properly be drawn from the information..."
"...can logically be expected to..."
"If the statements above are true, which of the following must be true"
"If the facts stated in the passage above are true, then..."
"Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the passage?"
"The statements, if true, best support which of the following as a conclusion?"
"which of the following, if it occurred, would constitute X described above?"
"...the statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions?"
"The considerations given best serve as part of an argument that ..."
5. Evaluate.

From OG13:
#10, 15, 27, 36, 42, 47, 68, 70, 72, 110, 114, 124
"The answer to which of the following would be most useful for evaluating the reasoning provided?"
"For which of the following would it be most useful to establish in evaluating the argument"
"...which of the following must be studied in order to evaluate the argument"
"For purposes of evaluating the argument, it would be most useful to establish which of the following?"
"...which would be most useful to know in determining whether..."
"...which would be most important to determine in order to evaluate the argument?"
6. Assumption.

From OG13:
#21, 39, 41, 46, 48, 75, 77, 83, 93, 96, 106, 109, 113
"[Assumption] on which argument depends"
"[conclusion] drawn is based on the [assumption] that..."
"..argument relies on which of the following assumptions.."
"which of the following is required for X to occur"
"...assumes that..."
"...an assumption that supports drawing the conclusion above"
"... depends on which one of the following assumptions..."
"assumption made in drawing the conclusion above"
"...based on the assumption that..."
"...argument must be true assuming that ____"
"conclusion is properly drawn if which of the following is assumed"
7. Helps Explain.

From OG13
#3, 6, 9, 13, 16, 22, 24, 44, 49, 57, 61, 86, 92, 94, 99
"...most helps explain..."
"... does most to help explain..."
"... best accounts for..."
"... is least helpful in explaining..."
The Big 3 Assumptions: 1. Relevance
: The group of evidence is relevant to the conclusion.

Example.
The Cumquat Cafe began advertising on our local radio station this year and was delighted to see its business increase by 10 percent over last year's totals. Their success shows you how you can use radio advertising to make your business more profitable.

Breakdown.
This argument assumes that what's true of Cumquat Cafe is true of radio advertising in general.
That is a HUGE assumption here. If it weren't true that what was the case for Cumquat Cafe is true of radio advertising in general, then this argument would collapse.
The Big 3 Assumptions: 2. Success
: The outcome is likely.

Example.
The Cumquat Cafe began advertising on our local radio station this year and was delighted to see its business increase by 10 percent over last year's totals. Their success shows you how you can use radio advertising to make your business more profitable.

Breakdown.
This argument also assumes higher profitability from radio advertising is likely.

Do you see any proof to be believe that's the case? No it's completely assumed.
The Big 3 Assumptions: 3. No other Factors
: There were no other factors that led to the result

Example.
The Cumquat Cafe began advertising on our local radio station this year and was delighted to see its business increase by 10 percent over last year's totals. Their success shows you how you can use radio advertising to make your business more profitable.

Breakdown.
Additionally, this argument assumes that radio advertising was the key cause of its increase in profit.
This reasoning makes the crazy assumption that there weren't other possible factors that could have caused the increase, such as better food, service, or even TV advertising for examaple. Maybe Cumquat Cafe got a feature write up in the local newspaper.
Inference Questions
:An inference is a deduction that MUST logically follow from the facts presented.

What does an Inference Question ask for?
An Inference Question will ask you to find the one and ONLY one answer that 100%, MUST BE TRUE on the basis of the information given in the prompt.


Absolute- Tend To Be Wrong
Will- Guaranteed
Would- Guaranteed
Is Going to- Guaranteed
All- 100%
Every- 100%
Always- 100%
Never- 0%
Impossible- 0%
No one- 0%

Soft- Tend To Be Right
Might- > 0%
Could- >0%
Possible- >0%
Most- >50%
Majority - > 50%
Many- A few
Some - > 1
Usually- >50%
Weaken Question (3-4qs)
: Find the answer that destroys the Missing Information.

How are arguments weakened?
the GMAT wants you to weaken by countering an assumption made in the reasoning: find an answer that rips apart the argument's underlying assumptions, rather than just directly contradicting what's given in the prompt.

The 3 Step CR Tactic
1. Recognize the Question Type
2. Read the prompt EXTREMELY carefully
3. Make your call, nitpick the answers, and select the correct answer.
Evaluate-A-Plan
: Will give you an proposal and ask you to find an answer that helps evaluate whether it's likely to work OR NOT.
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