CRITICAL REASONING

CONTENTS

1. Critical Reasoning Overview

2. Critical Reasoning Question
Analysis
3. Critical Reasoning Patterns
4. Critical Reasoning Question Types
1. CRITICAL REASONING OVERVIEW

• Critical Reasoning questions comprise just over a half of the

GMAT’s Verbal section. Each question consists of a short

reading passage, followed by a single question and 5 multiple

choice answers.
• Critical Reasoning passages are based on a short argument, a
set of statements, or a plan of action. For each question,
select the best answer from among the choices provided.
2. CRITICAL REASONING
QUESTION ANALYSIS

a. Components of a Critical Reasoning

Question

b. How Arguments are Constructed

a. Components of a Critical Reasoning
Question
•The passage/ stimulus- a short narrative presenting an
argument or scenario. Parts of a stimulus (Conclusion, premise
& assumptions)

•The question stem- there are eight types of Critical

Reasoning question, each of which involves a different task
with respect to the passage. Most questions test your ability to
evaluate the reasoning employed in an argument, but some
test your ability to reason on the basis of information.

•The answer choices- based on the question type. Use POE

(to be discussed).
b. How Arguments are Constructed

 Most Critical Reasoning passages take the form of arguments

in which the writer tries to convince the reader of something.

 GMAT arguments consist of three connected parts:

• Conclusion—what the author tries to persuade the reader to

accept

• Premise—evidence provided in support of a conclusion.

• Assumption—unstated ideas upon which an argument’s

validity rests
Conclusions

 A conclusion is the primary claim made in an argument. The

easiest way to identify the conclusion is to ask yourself what
its author wants you to believe.
 Indicator words include:
Therefore Clearly conclude
Thus Hence as a result
Consequently So
Premises

 The premises of an argument include any reasons,

statistics, or other evidence provided in support of the
conclusion. You must accept the truth of the premises,
whether you agree with them or not.
 Indicator words include:
Because Given that Evidence
As a result of In view of on the basis
of
Since Supposing that
Assumptions

 Assumptions are unstated premises on which the author

relies to
prove his or her conclusion.

 The easiest way to identify an assumption is to distinguish an

argument’s conclusion from its premises. Then, ask what
additional information is required to link the conclusion to the
premises.
Example
During the past 10 years, advertising revenues for the magazine True
Investor have fallen by 30 percent. The magazine has failed to attract
new subscribers, and news stand sales are at an all-time low. Thus,
sweeping changes to the editorial board will be necessary for the
magazine to survive.
Conclusion- in red Indicator word: Thus
Premise – in blue

Assumption- The argument above assumes that the editorial board

caused the problems now attributed to the magazine. If something
other than the editorial board were responsible, then sweeping
changes to the board might do little to improve the magazine’s
financial situation.
3. CRITICAL REASONING
PATTERNS

a. Causal Patterns (Cause and Effect)

b. Planning Patterns

c. Sampling Patterns

d. Interpretation of Evidence Patterns

e. Analogy patterns
a. Causal
Patterns
 In a causal argument, the premises usually state that two things
happened, from which the author concludes that one thing caused
the other.

 Every causal argument involves these standard assumptions

(STs):
• There’s no other cause.
• It’s not a coincidence.
• Causation is not reversed
Causality in the Premise Vs. Causality
in the Conclusion
 Causal statements can be found in the premise
or conclusion of an argument.
 If the causal statement is the conclusion, then
the reasoning IS flawed.
 If the causal statement is the premise, then the
argument may be flawed, but not because of the
causal statement.
Causality in the premise example:

When news periodicals begin forecasting a recession, people tend to

spend less money on nonessential purchases. Therefore, the perceived
threat of a future recession decreases the willingness of people to
purchase products that they regard as optional or luxury goods.

 ST1: Decreased spending on nonessential goods does not prompt

news periodicals to forecast a recession
Causality in the conclusion example:

A study indicated that adults who listen to classical music

regularly are less likely to have anxiety disorders. Clearly,
classical music calms the nerves and reduces anxiety.

 ST 1: only classical music caused participants in the

study to experience fewer anxiety disorders.
 ST 2: the correlation between classical music and
anxiety is not a coincidence.
b. Planning Patterns
 Are designed to solve problems.
 The premises of planning arguments describe what the plan is
supposed to accomplish and how it is supposed to work.
 Standard assumption: there’s no problem with the plan.
Example:  Possible
During the past 5 years,
Meridian Township has seen Counterarguments:
a dramatic rise in crime. As a
• crime is not limited to major
result, Meridian’s police force
plans to install video intersections.
surveillance cameras at
• Cameras could malfunction.
major intersections in
neighborhoods that suffer • Crime spots could shift.
the worst crime rates.  These counterarguments
Clearly, the crime rate in
Meridian Township will drop weaken conclusion.
c. Sampling Patterns
 Assume that a smaller group is typical of a larger group and accurately
reflects the relevant characteristics or feelings of the larger group.
 Standard assumption: The sample is representative.

Example
Contrary to popular belief,  Possible
football fans overwhelmingly
counterarguments
approve of the
• What if the opinion of the
decisions made by the
administrative staffs of their local
sample is not representative.

teams. We know this to be true • Perhaps their team had won

because a large group of fans the game or was on a
leaving a stadium expressed winning streak
admiration for their teams’
coaches and coordinators in an
d. Interpretation of Evidence Patterns
 Information in the premises is interpreted to mean information in
the conclusion.
 Standard assumption: There is no other way to interpret the
evidence  Possible counterarguments
Example
• If 100 customers visited the
Local grocer: Ninety percent
grocer last winter, and ninety
of customers bought store
percent bought soup, then 90
brand soup last winter, but
bought soup last winter. But if
only eighty percent bought
200 customers visited the grocer
store brand soup this winter.
this winter, and eighty percent
Obviously, more customers
bought soup, then 160 bought
bought store brand soup last
soup this winter. Hence
winter.
argument is false
e. Analogy Patterns
 Assume that what is appropriate in one case is also appropriate in
another.
 Standard assumption: One thing is similar to another.

Example  Possible
Using this line of products has counterarguments
been shown to cause cancer • What if humans have
in laboratory animals. properties that prevent them
Therefore, you should stop from acquiring cancer from
using this line of products. the use of the product?
4. CRITICAL REASONING
QUESTION TYPES

i. Assumption
ii. Weaken
iii. Strengthen/Support
iv. Parallel Reasoning
v. Resolve the Paradox
vi. Method of Reasoning
vii.Flaw in the Reasoning
viii.Evaluate the Argument
i. Assumption Questions
Assumptions bridge gaps between the premises and conclusion
Typical phrasings:
• The argument above assumes which of the following?
• The author of the argument above presupposes which of the
following to be true?
• Which of the following is an assumption on which the truth of the
author’s conclusion depends?
Indicator words: presupposition, expectation, and assumption

 Negation Test. Negate your preferred  Answers to

answer, and if your belief in the eliminate
argument’s conclusion isn’t affected, the • are out of scope
answer is incorrect • use extreme language
When the value of the stock market is in a period of general decline,
people eat more of their meals at home. However, when the value of
the stock market is going up, people spend more money eating at
restaurants. Clearly the fear of an economic recession decreases
people’s willingness to spend money eating at restaurants.
The argument above assumes which of the following?
A. An economic recession is a slowdown of the economy while an economic
depression is a more severe collapse of the economy.
B. People’s perception of the likelihood of economic recession is dependent
on the performance of the stock market.
C. Restaurants offer more specials when the market does well.
D. Restaurants raise their prices when they fear an economic recession is
imminent.
E. Eating well-prepared meals is comforting to most people during times of
economic hardship.
The cost of renovating a house can be dramatically cut by
restructuring the interior with sturdy low-cost materials,
rather than by simply making cosmetic changes with more
expensive materials. Those contracting companies hired to
undertake renovations, therefore, would save money by
purchasing only sturdy, low-cost materials to use in their
work.

The suggestion above rests on the assumption that

A. people who hire contracting companies may choose what types

of materials are used in their renovations
B. any house can be successfully renovated using only expensive
materials
C. the cost of materials is the primary financial burden of a
contracting company
D. any renovation of a house can be accomplished by
restructuring the interior with low-cost, sturdy materials
E. not all houses need major renovations
ii. Weaken the Argument Questions
 Ask to find a reason why the information in the passage could
be wrong, or is incomplete.
 Require you to undermine the conclusion by attacking one of
the argument’s assumptions.
Typical phrasings: Which of the following, if true, most seriously
weakens the argument above?; Which of the following casts the
most doubt on the author’s conclusion?; Which of the following
calls into question the reasoning above?
Indicator words: weaken, undermine, and cast doubt
 Answers to eliminate
;are out of scope ;use extreme language ;strengthen the argument
Nate: Recently a craze has developed for home juicers, $300
machines that separate the pulp of fruits and vegetables from the
juice they contain. Outrageous claims are being made about the
benefits of these devices: Drinking the juice they produce is said
to help one lose weight or acquire a clear complexion, to aid in
digestion, and even to prevent cancer. But there is no indication
that juice separated from the pulp of the fruit or vegetable has any
properties that it does not have when unseparated. Save your
money. If you want carrot juice, eat a carrot.
Which of the following, if true, most calls into question Nate’s argument?
A. Most people find it much easier to consume a given quantity of
nutrients in
liquid form than to eat solid foods containing the same quantity of the
same nutrients.
B. Drinking juice from home juicers is less healthy than is eating fruits and
vegetables because such juice does not contain the fiber that is eaten if
one consumes the entire fruit or vegetable.
C. To most people who would be tempted to buy a home juicer, $300
would not be a major expense.
D. Nate was a member of a panel that extensively evaluated early
prototypes of home juicers.
E. Vitamin pills that supposedly contain nutrients available elsewhere only
in fruits and vegetables often contain a form of those compounds that
cannot be as easily metabolized as the varieties found in fruits and
iii. Strengthen the Argument Questions
 Require you to reinforce an argument’s conclusion.
 This is usually accomplished by strengthening one of the argument’s
assumptions.
Typical phrasings:
• Which of the following provides the best support for the claims made
above?
• Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the
argument’s conclusion?
• Which of the following, if true, increases the likelihood that the author’s
Indicator words: strengthen, support, and justify
claim is also true?
Answers to eliminate
• are out of scope
• use extreme language
• weaken the argument
Although Ackerburg’s subway system is currently operating at a
deficit, the transit authority will lower subways fares next year. The
authority projects that the lower fares will result in a ten percent
increase in the number of subways riders. Since the additional
income from the larger ridership will more than offset the decrease
due to lower fares, the transit authority actually expects the fare
reduction to reduce or eliminate the subway system’s operating
deficit for the next year.

Which of the following if true, provide the most support for the transit
authority’s expectation of reducing the subway system’s operating deficit?

A. Throughout the years that the subway system has operated, fares have
never before been reduced
B. The planned fare reduction will not apply to students, who can already ride
the subway for a reduced fare.
C. Next year, the transit authority will have to undertake several large scale
track maintenance projects.
D. The subway system can accommodate a ten percent increase in ridership
without increasing the number of trains it runs each day.
E. The current subway fares in Ackerburg are higher than subway fares in
other cities than in other cities in the region.
iv. Inference Questions
 They are like strengthen questions. In a strengthen question, the
correct answer strengthens the passage, but in an inference question,
the passage strengthens the correct answer. (Do not resemble
arguments)
Typical phrasings:
• Which of the following can be inferred from the information above?
• On the basis of the statements above, which of the following must be
true?,
• With which of the following statements would the author of the passage
Indicator words: inference, support, and strengthen
most agree?
 Answers to Eliminate CORRECT ANSWER MUST
BE TRUE!!!!!!
• are out of scope
• use extreme language
XYZ Corporation has two divisions, both of which performed
consistently over the last five years. The Interment Services
Division accounted for approximately 30% of the
corporation’s transactions and 50% of the corporation’s
profits; the Toxic Household Products Division accounts for
the balance.

The statements above support which of the following inferences

about XYZ Corporation over the last five years?

A. Measured in dollars, the total profits for XYZ Corporation have

remained stable over the last five years.
B. Interment Services is an increasingly competitive field, while Toxic
Household Products are a largely untapped market.
C. The Toxic Household Products Division yields a lower average profit
per transaction than does the Interment Services Division.
D. XYZ Corporation’s Toxic Household Products line has remained
consistent over the past five years.
E. Most families will, over a given five-year period, spend more
money on Interment Services than on Toxic Household Products.
v. Resolve/Explain Questions
 Ask you to resolve an apparent discrepancy or explain a paradoxical
situation.
 Do not resemble arguments.
Typical phrasings:
• Which of the following, if true, resolves the paradox outlined above?
• Which of the following best explains the apparent contradiction?
• Which of the following statements goes farthest in explaining
the situation above?
Indicator words: paradox and discrepancy
Answers to eliminate
• are out of scope (HACK: LOOK FOR THE AHA!! ANSWER
CHOICE)
• make the conflict worse
• address only one side of the conflict
In 2008, the world’s airlines reported an increase in the
total number of passengers carried, but a decrease in
total revenues, even though prices for airline tickets on
all routes remained unchanged from the year before.

Which of the following resolves the paradox descibed above?

A. The airline industry was a victim of the recession in 2008.

B. Total passenger miles were up in 2008.
C. Fuel costs remianed constant from 2007 to 2008.
D. Passengers traveled shorter didtances on less expensive
flights in 2008.
E. No new aircraft were purchased by any carrier in 2008.
vi. Evaluate Questions
 Ask to spot a question (or test) that could be answered (or
performed) to evaluate or assess an argument.
Typical phrasings:
• The answer to which of the following questions would most likely
yield information that could be used to assess the author’s claim?
• Which of the following experiments would be most useful in
evaluating the argument above?
• Which of the following tests could be performed to determine the
truth of the argument’s conclusion?
Indicator words: evaluate and assess
 Answers to eliminate
• are out of scope
A grain-processing company is considering purchasing a
catfish farm in an attempt to reduce waste by using the by-
products of its grain processing as fish food. Catfish whose
diet includes grain by- products have been found to reach
marketable size in five months, and restaurants have
expressed interest in having a reliable source for catfish.

The answer to which of the following questions is LEAST directly

relevant to the grain-processing company’s consideration of
whether fish farming is a preferable alternative to discarding grain
by-products?
A. How does the cost of discarding grain by-products compare to
the operating costs of a fish farm?
B. How many pounds of catfish are served by restaurants locally
and nationally each year?
C. Are there government regulations that apply to the production
and transportation of fish?
D. Do catfish require nutrients not supplied by grain by- products?
E. In how many months do wild catfish reach marketable size?
vii. Identify the Reasoning Questions/
BoldFace Statements
 Ask you to identify the method, technique, or strategy used by the
author of an argument, or to describe the roles played by bolded
phrases in an
argument.
Typical phrasings:
• The author provides support for the argument above by…
• Which of the following methods of reasoning does the argument above
exhibit?
• The bolded phrases play which of the following roles in the
• Indicator
argument above? words: technique, strategy, method, and by
 Answers to eliminate
• do not match the structure of the argument
• only partially match the structure
Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this
year bring another record? Well, any new manufacturing job is created
either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new
company. Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well
below last year's record pace. At the same time, there is considerable
evidence that the number of new companies starting up will be no higher this
year than it was last year and there is no reason to think that the new
companies starting up this year will create more jobs per company than did
last year's start-ups. So clearly, the number of new jobs created this
year will fall short of last year's record.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the
following roles?

A. The first is presented as an obvious truth on which the argument is based;

the second is the main conclusion of the argument.
B. The first is presented as an obvious truth on which the argument is based;
the second is a conclusion drawn in order to support the main conclusion of
the argument.
C. The first and the second each provide evidence in support of the main
conclusion of the argument.
D. The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the
second is the main conclusion of the argument.
E. The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the
second is a conclusion that has been drawn in order to challenge that
viii. Flaw Questions
 Ask you to describe what went wrong in an argument.
 Typical phrasings:
• Which of the following statements describes a flaw in the
argument above?
• The argument above is vulnerable to criticism for which of the
following reasons?
 Indicator words: vulnerable, criticism, and flaw
Environmentalist: Bando Inc.’s manufacturing process
releases pollution into the atmosphere. In order to convince
the company to change processes, we will organize a
boycott of the product that represents its highest sales
volume, light bulbs. Because Bando sells more light bulbs
than any other product, a boycott of light bulbs will cause
the most damage to the company’s profits.
The environmentalist’s reasoning is flawed because it fails
to

A. allow for the possibility that Bando may not want to change its
manufacturing process
B. supply information about other possible ways for Bando to reduce
pollution
C. consider that the relative sales volumes of a company’s products
are not necessarily proportional to profits
D. identify any alternate methods by which to convince Bando to
change its manufacturing process
E. consider that a boycott may take too long to achieve its purpose
THE
END!!