Mystery stories often feature a brilliant detective and the detective

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The correct answer choice is (C).

The last sentence contains a conclusion, and this conclusion is the primary evidence that supports answer choice (C).

Answer choice (A): The word “often” in the first sentence is the key to this answer choice. “Often” means frequently, but frequently is not the same as “most.” Had the stimulus said “more often than not,” that would mean “most” and this answer choice would be correct.

Answer choice (B): We cannot determine if readers of mystery stories solve the mystery simply by spotting the errors of the dull companion.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer. The second sentence indicates that “clues are presented in the story...the detective uses to deduce the correct solution.” Combined with the last sentence, which states “the author’s strategy...gives readers a chance to solve the mystery,” this answer choice is proven by facts.

Answer choice (D): Look for the facts in the stimulus—do they support this answer? Although the dull companion diverts readers from the correct solution, we do not know if actions of the brilliant detective rarely divert readers from the actions of the dull companion.

Answer choice (E): This is a tricky answer choice if you do not read closely. The stimulus states that the dull companion infers a wrong solution from clues that the brilliant detective ultimately uses to solve the mystery. Answer choice (E) states that the dull companion uncovers misleading clues. This is incorrect; the interpretation of the clues is misleading, not the clues themselves.

Hi,

several posters have already posted the OA: it's C.

Because the brilliant detective uses presented clues to solve the mystery, we can infer that some mystery stories give readers enough clues to solve the mystery (whether or not readers will actually use these clues is a different issue).

Choice A cannot be inferred because of "most". We can't infer from "often" in the passage to "most" in choice A.

We can't infer what fraction of readers actually solve the mystery (or indeed if any of them actually do). Thus, choice B cannot be inferred.

Similarly, we can't infer what effect the story has on the readers' interpretation, or on what the reader chooses to attend to (or not attend to). Thus, choices D and E cannot be inferred.

Thanks, Sara!

Focusing on the main point (or conclusion) is indeed a GREAT way of approaching inference questions. In particular, if you see an answer choice that states the main point, which itself wasn't stated in the passage but was clearly implied by the passage, then that is the correct answer. Here, the test-maker is testing whether the student can judge what conclusion the passage was intended or designed to support. That's why focusing on the conclusion is a good strategy.

I would, however, add that the right answer to an inference question may simply be necessarily true based on any one (or more) statements in the passage. That is, it doesn't necessarily have to relate to the conclusion.

In fact, in some inference questions (such as this one for example!), there won't even be a conclusion; instead, there may just be a collection of facts, and we have to arrive at a deduction by combining two or more of those facts. In abstract:

If x, then y.
If y, then z.

Inference: If x, then z.

In this abstracted example, the passage was simply two facts (or two conditional statements to be accurate), and the correct answer is something that the combination of those statements proves must be true.

Hi Testluv,

Although I agree with your explanation of a tricky problem, I think it is important to differentiate between inference and conclusion questions.

When given a list of facts (and no conclusion), as in the hypothetical example you have offered, the question will be, "what conclusion can be drawn?" The test taker's job is, then, to synthesize the facts (premises) given.

An inference, however, is something that must be true if what is written is true. But premises are always true, so an inference is never based on a premise. If the question asks for an inference, the inference really is always based on the conclusion, which will indeed appear in the argument. Again, if there is no conclusion in the argument, the question will ask the test taker to provide a conclusion (not an inference).

GMAX Tip: Read the question before you read the argument! This way you will know ahead of time whether your job is to synthesize all the facts or repeat (more or less) the conclusion (or a part of the conclusion). In other words, reading the question first tells you where to focus.

More CR tips and tricks at gmaxonline!

Best,
Sarai

Hi Sarai,

thanks for your response. I completely agree that inference questions are not the same as main point questions. Also, I agree with the tip you mentioned: starting with the question stem is in fact step 1 of the Kaplan method for CR.

Not surprisingly though, I disagree with some of what you have said.

I would argue that in my example, the question stem could easily have been:

"which of the following can be properly inferred?"

or

"if the statements above are true, which of the following must be true?"



No, actually asking "what conclusion can be drawn?" is the exact same thing as asking "what can be properly inferred?". If mere factual statements strictly imply a new idea, then that new idea IS (by definition) a proper inference.

There are several examples of official GMAT inference questions in which the question stem reads "which of the following is most supported by the information above?" or "which of the follwing can be properly inferred?", and in which the passage is nothing more than a collection of facts without a cleary conclusionary statement. Moreover, in ALL inference questions, we must treat every statement in the passage as necessarily true (whether you choose to call it conclusin or evidence).

Hi Testluv
I opened the Verbal Bible from Jeff Sackmann and I agree with your statement. Please can you shed some light on the following lines - I never really thought about scope when answering Inference questions.


One defini…tion of inference is, "A position arrived at by reasoning from
premises." That's a reasonable summary of what you're doing on a CR in-
ference question. Unlike assumption-based questions, in which the passage
includes evidence and a conclusion, the passages of inference-based questions
may not have a conclusion. Instead, you should treat them as a block of evi-
dence or, in terms of that defi…nition, a series of premises. The correct answer
will be the most logical conclusion drawn from them.

The most important concept in inference questions is that of scope. In a
three-sentence passage, you get very little information. Some of the details
might …t together, and others might appear irrelevant. The correct answer
will follow from the limited information you're given, but it won't rely on any
other information. More wrong answer choices in inference questions are wrong
because they are off-topic than any other reason.




Thanks

Hi nusmavrik,

thanks for the question. First of all, I will point out that just because something is called a "bible" doesn't mean it's gospel truth.

However, the lines you've quoted from that book are certainly good advice.

The right answer to any inference question is something that the passage proved must be true. Therefore, the four wrong answers are things that could (or must) be false.

The farther from the scope of a passage an answer choice strays, the less likely it is that the passage will have proven that it is necessarily true, and the more likely it is something that coud be false.

For example, let's say a passage states:

"All televisions are blue."

and we have an answer choice that states:

a) All martians are green.

Because the passage never talked about choice A (ie, because choice A is outside the scope), choice A could easily be false, and is therefore incorrect.

In an inference question, you should treat the passage as your universe. Everything in that universe MUST BE TRUE. Everything outside of that universe could be true or could be false--you have no idea. Because the passage has to prove that the right answer must be true, the farther an answer choice strays from the scope of the passage, the less likely it is that the passage proved that that choice must be true--the more likely it is to be a choice that could be false--a wrong answer.

Hi nusmavrik,

in main point questions, we should be partial to contrast keywords ("but"; "yet"; "however"). Beware of conclusion keywords in these question types; they will often signal an intermediate conclusion not the main point (the test-maker, knowing that you will be naturally drawn to conclusion keywords, does this on purpose).

More tips for this question type:
--use the contrast keywords to think about the author's intent in arguing.
--look for a choice that sums up the gist of the passage; stay away from choices that are technical.

The first sentence of this passage begins with the word "although".

Thus, the author's main point is that exercise serves not just the body but also the mind; ie, exercise serves more than one purpose. Choice E matches this prediction, and is the correct answer.

On test-day, because choice E matches our analysis and prediction, we should select it without worrying about choice B (you dont' get rewarded for figuring out why wrong answers are wrong--you only get rewarded for announcing the correct answer--don't overuse POE).

For review purposes, however, let's consider choice B.

We know that he thinks that exercise serves a mental purpose (not just a physical one). Does this mean that he thinks that exercise is a mental activity?...nope. (And even if he did, a) we can't infer that from what he has written, and b) even if we could infer that from what he has written, it is not his main point).

Hi ruchikaarya41.

I'm glad to help. OA is C. The question is "inferred question". You must use information from the stimulus to infer a correct answer. So be aware that No new info accepted.

ANALYZE THE STIMULUS:

Fact 1: Mystery stories often feature a brilliant detective and the detective’s dull companion
Fact 2: Clues are presented in the story, and the companion wrongly infers an inaccurate solution to the mystery using the same clues that the detective uses to deduce the correct solution.
Conclusion: the author’s strategy of including the dull companion gives readers a chance to solve the mystery while also diverting them from the correct solution.

ANALYZE EACH ANSWER:

(A) Most mystery stories feature a brilliant detective who solves the mystery presented in the story.
Wrong.The stimulus does say “most”.

(B) Mystery readers often solve the mystery in a story simply by spotting the mistakes in the reasoning of the detective’s dull companion in that story.
Wrong. The stimulus does not say “readers often solve….”. The stimulus only says there is a chance for readers to solve the mystery.

(C) Some mystery stories give readers enough clues to infer the correct solution to the mystery.
Correct. The conclusion says: “the author’s strategy gives readers a chance to solve the mystery” ==> C is a paraphrase of the conclusion.

(D) The actions of the brilliant detective in a mystery story rarely divert readers from the actions of the detective’s dull companion.
Wrong. Nothing about “detective rarely divert readers from the action of the dull companion” ==> Wrong.

(E) The detective’s dull companion in a mystery story generally uncovers the misleading clues that divert readers from the mystery’s correct solution.
Wrong. SHELL GAME. This is a reverse answer. The stimulus says: the dull companion generally explores the clues that may help readers to get the correct solution. But E says: the dull companion generally explores the clues that divert readers from the correct solution ==> E means: the clues avoid readers from getting the correct solutions ==> Wrong.

Hope it helps.

We are looking for the inference from the argument.
The argument says: The author’s strategy of including the dull companion gives readers a chance to solve the mystery while also diverting them from the correct solution.
The author implies that including the dull companion helps readers follow the clues as followed by the companion and diverts them from the actual clues and hence from the correct solution. The implication is that diversion is needed from the correct solution. This means that at least some stories do provide enough clues to arrive at the correct solution. So (C) is correct.

Let's look at why (B) and (E) do not make sense.

(B) Mystery readers often solve the mystery in a story simply by spotting the mistakes in the reasoning of the detective’s dull companion in that story.

This is not implied by the argument. We are given that the dull companion diverts the reader from the correct solution. So it seems that the readers often arrive at the incorrect solution, as presented by the dull companion. The argument doesn't imply that the readers are able to spot the mistakes in the companion's reasoning. So this is not correct.

(E) The detective’s dull companion in a mystery story generally uncovers the misleading clues that divert readers from the mystery’s correct solution.

We know that clues are given. But we are given that the companion wrongly infers them. We are not given that the clues are misleading.

If something is true for many mystery stories, it is certainly true for "some". Also, "some" means "at least one".

It cannot be B because you cannot justify that from the passage; the passage states that '...the author's strategy of including the dull companion gives readers a chance to solve the mystery.." It doesn't say that most readers actually solve the mystery. Being given the chance to attend business school is not the same as actually attending business school.

The question stem "which of the following is most strongly supported by the information...;" this means that the correct answer should be a conclusion/main point of the passage. The last sentence contains the conclusion indicator, "Thus" and what follows is the conclusion. Hence, the correct answer is C.

C is correct because if there are clues given in the story and that is enough for the brilliant detective to arrive at the correct solution then it must be enough for the readers to arrive at the correct solution as well.

Does "often" differ from "most" in inference questions? If not, then why (A) is not correct?

often and most doesn't differ in meaning. But in this question, often and most are not in same position.

Meaning: Mystery stories have mostly a brilliant detective and the dull companion.
Re read: Mystery stories have 90% of the time brilliant detective and dull companion. The mystery stories have 10% someone else.
Example: I cover 90% of route by bus. 10% by train.


Meaning: Most mystery stories have a brilliant detective xx
Re-read: 90% Mystery stories have a brilliant detective xx ; 10% Other mystery stories have some one else.
Example: 90% of time, I use bus(100% bus route in these 90% of time). 10% of time I use car (100% route by car in these 10% of time).


I was lost in A and C, so I got hint that something maybe overlooked either in A or C. On reading A precisely, I could figure it out the key difference of what was written and what was my last understanding.
I think now you are clear. Are you?

Hello,

I am not able to convince myself of the explanation provided by imSKR about the meaning of the word 'often' in the argument. I think that both 1 and 2 (below) mean the same thing.
1. Mystery stories have 90% of the time brilliant detective and dull companion. The mystery stories have 10% someone else.
2. 90% Mystery stories have a brilliant detective xx ; 10% Other mystery stories have some one else.

When I say mystery stories 90% of the time have a brilliant detective, I automatically mean that out of the 100 detective stores, 90 have brilliant detective.

Going by this logic I am unable to understand why A is incorrect because often is equivalent to most. And thereby A should be correct.

Request your help in resolving this query please - VeritasKarishma souvik101990 GMATNinja egmat


Thanks for your time !

Mystery stories often feature a brilliant detective and the detective’s dull companion. Clues are presented in the story, and the companion wrongly infers an inaccurate solution to the mystery using the same clues that the detective uses to deduce the correct solution. Thus, the author’s strategy of including the dull companion gives readers a chance to solve the mystery while also diverting them from the correct solution.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?


(A) Most mystery stories feature a brilliant detective who solves the mystery presented in the story. X
The passage says that mystery stories OFTEN feature a brilliant detective (and their companion), but this does not imply that MOST mystery stories feature a brilliant detective

(B) Mystery readers often solve the mystery in a story simply by spotting the mistakes in the reasoning of the detective’s dull companion in that story. X

(C) Some mystery stories give readers enough clues to infer the correct solution to the mystery.
CORRECT. "Thus, the author’s strategy of including the dull companion GIVES READERS A CHANCE TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY..." implies that there is enough in there to allow readers to figure out the solution.

(D) The actions of the brilliant detective in a mystery story rarely divert readers from the actions of the detective’s dull companion. X
Contradicts the passage. "...while also diverting them from the correct solution."

(E) The detective’s dull companion in a mystery story generally uncovers the misleading clues that divert readers from the mystery’s correct solution. X
The main contender. The problem with this is the modifier 'misleading' clues. The clues in and of themselves are not misleading...they are actually the correct clues, but the sidekick's poor deductive abilities leads him to the wrong conclusion.

GMATNinja is my reasoning correct?