{"id":34333,"date":"2016-08-29T15:30:56","date_gmt":"2016-08-29T22:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/introduction-to-gmat-critical-reasoning-2\/"},"modified":"2016-08-29T15:30:56","modified_gmt":"2016-08-29T22:30:56","slug":"introduction-to-gmat-critical-reasoning-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/introduction-to-gmat-critical-reasoning-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to GMAT Critical Reasoning"},"content":{"rendered":"

One question on the GMAT Verbal Section<\/a> is Critical Reasoning.\u00a0 On this question, the prompt presents some sort of argument, and then asks you, in one way or another, to analyze the argument\u2014for example, by strengthening it, weakening it, finding its underlying assumption, etc.\u00a0\u00a0 The argument prompt is typically less than 100 words, much shorter than a Reading Comprehension passage, and there’s always only a single question on the Critical Reasoning argument.\u00a0 Critical Reasoning comprises roughly 1\/3 of the Verbal Section, about 13 Critical Reasoning questions of the total of 41 Verbal Questions.<\/p>\n

After some discussion, this post features GMAT Critical Reasoning practice questions below.<\/p>\n

\"critical<\/p>\n

Why does the GMAT ask Critical Reasoning?<\/h2>\n

You are preparing for the GMAT, which ostensibly means you are planning on attending business school, and this in turn suggests that you are anticipating a management career in some aspect of the business world.\u00a0 The entire business world runs on buying and selling: even if you are not a salesperson yourself, the success of your business, in a sense the\u00a0raison d’etre<\/em>\u00a0of the business, depends on the money it will make from sales.<\/p>\n

Well, in its essence, every sale is an argument.\u00a0 If I want to sell you sometime, I have to present a case in some form to convince you to buy it.\u00a0\u00a0 If I make a wonderfully cogent argument, I may well generate the sale.\u00a0 If my argument is faulty, and I repeat this pattern, that can only mean bad things for the long-term financial well-being of my business.<\/p>\n

Every sales is an argument, but that’s just where the arguments in the business world start.\u00a0 How does you company decide whether one strategy or policy is better than another? What motivates your company to buy from a supplier?\u00a0 What motivates your customers to remain buying from you? What concerns does your insurance company have about your company? What concerns do your company’s investors have?\u00a0 All of these important points, and many more, will be settled by arguments.<\/p>\n

A typical manager has to deal with arguments from all quarter all day.\u00a0 An effective manager has to be skilled at deciding: how would I strengthen or weaken this argument?\u00a0 what is the assumption of this argument?\u00a0 what further evidence would I need to evaluate this argument?\u00a0 In other words, a real-life manager needs to apply all the skills required for Critical Reasoning on the GMAT.\u00a0 Arguments are very important in business, and the skill of evaluating arguments is one that every manager should cultivate.\u00a0 That’s precisely why business schools want you to bone up on it, which is why the GMAT asks about it in Critical Reasoning questions.<\/p>\n

The 8 Types of CR Questions<\/h2>\n

Step one of the general strategy for GMAT Critical Reasoning is: read the question before reading the\u00a0argument<\/a>.\u00a0 Know which type of question you are going to have to answer, and read the argument with that question in mind.\u00a0 The eight broad categories of GMAT Critical Reasoning questions are<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0weaken the argument<\/a>\/find the flaw in the argument<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0strengthen the argument<\/a><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0find the assumption<\/a>\u00a0(know the\u00a0Negation Test<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0draw inference\/conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n

5) structure of the argument, including\u00a0boldface structure questions<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0dialogue structure questions<\/a><\/p>\n

6)\u00a0paradox<\/a><\/p>\n

7)\u00a0evaluate the conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n

8 )\u00a0complete the argument<\/a><\/p>\n

Types #1-4 account for approximately 75% of all GMAT CR questions.\u00a0 You can find out more about each one of these types at those linked blog articles and in the CR video series in the Magoosh product.\u00a0 The basic idea is: when you know what you need to do, you will be reading the argument with that in mind.<\/p>\n

Know What You’re Looking For<\/h2>\n

In all Critical Reasoning questions, the GMAT gives one correct answer and four tempting and potentially confusing statements for the other choices.\u00a0 Folks who read the argument & question, and then wander aimlessly into the answer choices without any further thought are asking to be perplexed, and chances are, they spend much longer than necessary on many Critical Reasoning questions.<\/p>\n

Go into the question with an idea of what you seek.\u00a0 For types #1-3, the best thing to do is to find the assumption of the argument\u2014-reaffirming or undercutting the assumption of an argument is the most powerful way to strengthen or weaken it.\u00a0Finding the assumption may also be helpful in find the flaw of the argument (if the flaw is a faulty assumption).<\/p>\n

For the other question types, you will be less able to predict what the answer will be, but still formulating the task in your own words will help you.\u00a0 In your own words, what is the structure of the argument? What is the paradox that need to be resolved? What kind of information would be required to evaluate the conclusion? etc.\u00a0 The clearer you can be on what type of information or argument will satisfy the question, the quicker you will be in finding it.<\/p>\n

If you can simply integrate these strategies, you will find you are able to crack GMAT Critical Reasoning questions faster and more accurately.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GMAT Critical Reasoning Practice Questions<\/h2>\n

Here is a collection of ten Critical Reasoning practice questions.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1)<\/strong>\u00a0In order to combat Carville’s rampant homeless problem, Mayor Bloomfield recently proposed a ban on sleeping outdoors in the city’s many parks. He claims that such a measure will force the homeless to either leave Carville or to find means other than sleeping in public parks.<\/p>\n

Which of the following, if true, suggests that Mayor Bloomfield’s plan will be successful?<\/p>\n

(A) Until the ban, the city’s many homeless shelters were at less than fifty percent occupancy.<\/p>\n

(B) Many\u00a0homeless tend to congregate underneath Carville’s numerous overpasses.<\/p>\n

(C) Adjacent\u00a0cities have even tougher measures on the homeless sleeping outdoors.<\/p>\n

(D) The percent\u00a0of Carville’s population that has been homeless has been slowly decreasing in the last five years.<\/p>\n

(E) Mayor\u00a0Jonesmith, Mayor Bloomfield’s predecessor, had been far more tolerant towards the city’s homeless population.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong>\u00a0Megalimpet is a nationwide owner of office space. \u00a0They have major office buildings in the downtowns of several cities in the 48 lower states, and rent this space to individual companies. \u00a0Megalimpet office spaces vary from small office to large suites, and every space has custom-designed wall-to-wall carpeting. \u00a0The carpet in several Megalimpet facilities needed replacing. \u00a0The winning bid for the nationwide carpet replacement was submitted by Bathyderm Carpet Company (BCC). \u00a0The bid contract involves all delivery costs, all installation, and any ongoing maintenance and upkeep while the carpet is under the three-year warranty. \u00a0Both BCC executives and independent consultants they hired felt BCC would be able to perform all these services for far less than their bid price; these circumstances would allow BCC to reap a considerable profit.<\/p>\n

Which of the following, if true, most calls in question the argument that BCC will make a large profit from this contract with Megalimpet?<\/p>\n

(A) All the carpets will have to be transported by train from BCC factory in Louisville, KY, to Megalimpet’s locations from coast to coast.<\/p>\n

(B) BCC has already supplied carpets to a number of restaurant chains, and some of those spaces are as large as Megalimpet’s largest office spaces.<\/p>\n

(C) The carpet installation teams will have to cut different sizes of the carpets for the different size office suites in the Megalimpet buildings.<\/p>\n

(D) The material in BCC carpets degrades rapidly when it comes into contact with standard toner, found in most laser printers and photocopiers; the degraded sections are unsightly and smell bad, so they often need to be replaced.<\/p>\n

(E) The next competing bid after BCC’s was 50% higher than BCC’s bid<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3)<\/strong>\u00a0A minor league baseball franchise experienced a drop in attendance this week after they suffered three losses by margins of ten runs or more last week. \u00a0Many spectators of those games wrote letters to the editors of the local sporting news, complaining of the poor play of the team in those three losses. \u00a0Nevertheless, the front office of this baseball franchise maintains that the team’s poor play in those three losses has nothing to do with this week’s decline in attendance.<\/p>\n

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the position held by the front office of the baseball franchise?<\/p>\n

(A) The\u00a0spectators who wrote letters to the local sporting news were long-standing fans of this minor league baseball team.<\/p>\n

(B) Many\u00a0minor league baseball franchises attribute a drop in attendance to the quality of play of the team only after a string of losses.<\/p>\n

(C) Other\u00a0minor league teams in that region of the state reported a similar drop in attendance this week.<\/p>\n

(D) This was\u00a0not the first time this team suffered multiple lopsided losses in a single week, prompting similar letters to the local sporting news.<\/p>\n

(E) This\u00a0minor league team is over four hours from the closest major league team, so many of the minor league team’s fans do not often attend major league games.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4)<\/strong>\u00a0In a few recent cases, some teenagers with advanced programming abilities used a new programming language, FANTOD, to hack into ETS and change their own SAT scores. \u00a0All of the teenagers convicted of this crime were highly skilled in programming FANTOD. \u00a0In light of these cases, some colleges have discounted the official SAT scores of applicants with a knowledge of FANTOD, and have required them to take special admission tests in supervised conditions on their own campuses.<\/p>\n

Which of following conclusions can most properly be drawn from the information above?<\/p>\n

(A) Most people who learn to program in FANTOD do so to commit some kind of hacking.<\/p>\n

(B) Colleges should rely on their own admissions tests instead of the SATs<\/p>\n

(C) The college admission process possibly places some students with knowledge of FANTOD at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n

(D) Students who learn FANTOD tend to have much lower SAT scores than do their peers.<\/p>\n

(E) Not all colleges requiring special admissions tests have administered these tests under supervised conditions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5)<\/strong>\u00a0In the twentieth century, the visual arts have embarked on major experimentation, from cubism to expressionism. \u00a0While tastes always vary, there are certainly some people who find beautiful objects of each of the art movements of the first half of the twentieth century. \u00a0In the latter half of the twentieth century, though, most works are so abstract or shocking that neither the critic nor the general public uses the word “beautiful” to describe them: indeed, sometimes late twentieth-century artists have, as one of their expressed goals, the creation of a work that no one could find beautiful. \u00a0Whatever these artists are creating may be intellectually engaging at some level, but it is no longer art.<\/p>\n

Which of the following is an assumption that supports drawing the conclusion above from the reasons given for that conclusion?<\/p>\n

(A) Art critics generally have a different appraisal of a work of art than does the general public.<\/p>\n

(B) The meaning of any work of art is defined entirely by the ideas of the artist who created it.<\/p>\n

(C) Beauty is a defining quality of art.<\/p>\n

(D) All art movements of the latter half of the twentieth century are responses to the movements of the first half of the century.<\/p>\n

(E) It is not possible for any work to be simultaneously beautiful and intellectually engaging.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6)<\/strong>\u00a0The National Farm Administration (NFA) has been concerned over the last decade with the struggles of barley growers.<\/p>\n

Plan<\/u>: In an effort to support these barley growers, two years ago, the NFA began a program of sending them, each autumn, a free special mix of fertilizer and enzymes designed to multiply barley yield, to be applied the following spring during first growth. \u00a0This mix had been stunningly successful in multiplying the yield of barley in laboratory conditions.<\/p>\n

Results<\/u>: Most barley growers reported little change in their economic status over this two year period.<\/p>\n

Further information<\/u>: All barley growers received the shipments, and all used them. \u00a0Weather conditions have been fair to optimal for barley growth over the past two years.<\/p>\n

In light of the further information, which of the following, if true, does most to explain the result that followed the implementation of the plan?<\/p>\n

(A) During these two years, most of the barley growers reported using no other fertilizer besides the special mix sent by the government.<\/p>\n

(B) The trucks that drove the special mix from the depot in Wisconsin to the individual farms sometime took as much as 4 or 5 days.<\/p>\n

(C) Some of the enzymes in the special mix multiply the growth of a bacteria that feeds on the young barley plants.<\/p>\n

(D) This program was implemented at a time when more than half of barley growers nationwide were reported barely breaking even in their yearly expenses.<\/p>\n

(E) This was the second such NFA program to aid barley growers; the first one, 14 years ago, was started with high hopes, but did little to change their situation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7)<\/strong> When, on a particular shopping trip, a consumer purchases an item which he previously had no intention of purchasing, this sale is called an “impulse purchase.”\u00a0 The objects of impulse purchases are occasionally essential items (i.e. items that satisfy basic subsistence needs), but much more frequently are luxury or non-essential items.\u00a0 Researchers have determined that, at the end of a shopping trip, a consumer is much more excited if she has bought a luxury item on an impulse purchase, than if she had made no impulse purchases.<\/p>\n

If the information above is true, and if the researchers’ investigation was properly conducted, then which of the following must also be true?<\/p>\n

(A) The impulse purchase of a luxury or non-essential item is more exciting than the impulse purchase of an essential need.
\n(B) A consumer who, for whatever reason, is not able to purchase an item she had planned to buy is necessarily disappointed.
\n(C) Consumers seeking a high level of excitement often make impulse purchases.
\n(D) The researcher had a reliable way to determine whether the consumer had planned to buy the luxury or non-essential item he purchased on that trip.
\n(E) The probability that a consumer makes an impulse purchase of an item decreases the price of the item increases.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8)<\/strong> Over the past ten years, the population of Dismaston has grown five times as large as it was.\u00a0 During this time, the average income in the city has risen substantially, and a tremendous amount of capital has flowed into city.\u00a0 An independent audit found that, somewhat surprisingly, the number of violent felonies reported per year is now lower than it was ten years ago.<\/p>\n

Each of the following statements below, if true, would explain the somewhat surprising finding EXCEPT:<\/p>\n

(A) White collar crimes, which are almost always non-violent, tend to replace street-crimes during times of prosperity.
\n(B) The police now have a computerized filing system, so that it is almost impossible for a violent crime to be unrecorded.
\n(C) During this time, the state considerably lengthened felony convicts’ waiting period for parole.
\n(D) The police force has expanded in number and is equipped with the latest crime detection technology.
\n(E) The city is now much better lit at night, and security cameras protect a large number of public venues.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

9)<\/strong>\u00a0 Archeologists have discovered three sites showing conclusive evidence for the mastery of fire in Tanzania, from a period slightly after the time that\u00a0Homo habilis <\/em>was present in Africa.\u00a0 These sites clearly were founded by\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>, the descendent species of\u00a0Homo habilis<\/em>\u00a0that migrated north, out of Africa and into Asia.\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0was known to have mastered fire, from ample evidence at sites in Asia.\u00a0 There is no reason to attribute mastery of fire to\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>, the descendent species of\u00a0Homo habilis<\/em>\u00a0that remained in Africa.<\/p>\n

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?<\/p>\n

(A) Before their migration,\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0occupied African territory as far south as Tanzania.
\n(B) The strain of migration provided the selective pressure motivating\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>‘ mastery\u00a0 of fire.
\n(C)\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0would not have derived as much benefit from the mastery of fire as did\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>.
\n(D)\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0inherited all cultural knowledge from\u00a0Homo habilis<\/em>, a species that did not have mastery of fire.
\n(E)\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0did not occupy regions as far south as Tanzania until well after the time of these three sites.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10)<\/strong> Five years ago, the town of Bayside, in the Katonic River Valley, had catastrophic flooding one spring, and consequently, most insurers now refuse to write flood insurance for houses in Bayside. \u00a0The town of Dryadia, in the Phemptic River Valley, is much like Bayside in its proximity to a similar river at an almost identical point in the river valley. \u00a0\u00a0We can conclude that the only reason the same insurers do not write flood insurance for houses in Dryadia either is its similarity to Bayside in terms of where it is situated in the river valley.<\/p>\n

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the argument?<\/p>\n

(A) A small number of independent insurers will write flood insurance for at least some houses in each of the two towns.
\n(B) It is hard for an homeowner to buy flood insurance if a large proportion of other houses in the same town have been flooded in recent years.
\n(C) In many other towns in the Katonic River Valley, it is hard for home-owners to buy flood insurance.
\n(D) The town of Dryadia has some flooding most springs.
\n(E) Flooding from spring surges in rivers is only one of the ways in which a home can become flooded.<\/p>\n

\"fractal<\/p>\n

\"fractal<\/p>\n

Practice Question Explanations<\/h2>\n

For the first six GMAT Critical Reasoning practice question, follow the link.\u00a0 Re-enter your answer and submit it, and the subsequent page will have a full video explanation.<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0https:\/\/gmat.magoosh.com\/questions\/3413<\/a><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0https:\/\/gmat.magoosh.com\/questions\/3118<\/a><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0https:\/\/gmat.magoosh.com\/questions\/3110<\/a><\/p>\n

4)\u00a0https:\/\/gmat.magoosh.com\/questions\/5405<\/a><\/p>\n

5)\u00a0https:\/\/gmat.magoosh.com\/questions\/3137<\/a><\/p>\n

6)\u00a0https:\/\/gmat.magoosh.com\/questions\/3128<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the last four practice questions, the explanations are given in the text here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7) The credited answer is choice\u00a0(D)<\/strong>.\u00a0 If the researcher was able to conclude anything about how an impulse purchase made someone feel, then the researcher first had to know that it\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0an impulse purchase, that is, that the purchase was not planned.\u00a0 If the researcher had no way to determine whether a purchase was planned or unplanned, then the researcher would have no way of determining which purchases were impulse purchases.<\/p>\n

We know the consumer find the impulse purchase of a luxury item more exciting than the planned purchases.\u00a0 We don’t necessarily know how exciting the impulse purchase of an essential need is\u2014maybe it’s less exciting than the impulse purchase of a luxury item, or maybe it’s just as exciting.\u00a0 We suspect from real life that this may be true, but we cannot determine this from information in the prompt, so it can’t be the answer to a “must be true question.” Thus, choice\u00a0(A)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

We only know about the excitement brought about by an impulse purchase of a luxury item, but we have no information about what happens if a purchase is planned but not made. Choice\u00a0(B)\u00a0inappropriate extends the pattern into situations the prompt doesn’t cover at all.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(B)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

We know that the impulse purchase of a luxury item is exciting, but we don’t know whether this is sufficient inducement for a person seeking excitement to make this kind of purchase frequently.\u00a0 The expense, for example, might be a mitigating factor.\u00a0 We can conclude nothing for certain about this, so choice\u00a0(C)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

This is a tempting one\u2014we certainly might suspect that the luxury items of higher price would be bought as impulse purchases less frequently.\u00a0 We might suspect this, but notice that the prompt says nothing about high price vs. low price items.\u00a0\u00a0 This answer choice invites us to bring in irrelevant outside knowledge, so, like (A), it can’t be the answer to a “must be true question.”\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(E)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8) This is an EXCEPT question.\u00a0 Four of the answer will be perfectly valid explanations, and these will be incorrect.\u00a0 One of the answers will\u00a0not<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0be good explanation\u2014either it will be irrelevant, or it may even suggest a rise instead of a decline; this oddball choice will be the correct answer.<\/p>\n

The credited answer is\u00a0(B)<\/strong>.\u00a0 The new filing system, in essence, never misses the report of a violent crime.\u00a0 This at least implies that perhaps the previous filing system missed some violent crimes on occasion\u2014for whatever reason, some violent crimes that took place slipped through the cracks and failed to be reported.\u00a0 Well, if we were not reporting everything before, and are reporting everything now, if anything this might suggest an increase in the number of reported violent crimes.\u00a0 It most certainly would not, by itself,\u00a0explain a decrease.\u00a0 This is not in any way a good explanation, so this the correct answer.<\/p>\n

We know, over the past decade, “the average income in the city has risen substantially<\/em>” and “a tremendous amount of capital has flowed into city<\/em>,” both of which indicate conditions of prosperity.\u00a0 Therefore, according to choice\u00a0(A), white-collar crimes would increase, and street-crimes would decrease, with a concomitant drop in violent crimes.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(A)\u00a0is a valid explanation, so it’s an incorrect answer.<\/p>\n

If the state kept convicts in jail longer, that would mean fewer of them would be back out on the streets committing felonies, most of which are violent.\u00a0 Therefore, it would lead to a drop in the number of violent crimes.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(C)\u00a0is a valid explanation, so it’s an incorrect answer.<\/p>\n

Better police and better crime detection means more arrests and fewer violent crimes.\u00a0 Therefore, it would lead to a drop in the number of violent crimes.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(D)\u00a0is a valid explanation, so it’s an incorrect answer.<\/p>\n

Better lighting at night and security cameras have some effect in reducing crime.\u00a0\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(E)\u00a0is a valid explanation, so it’s an incorrect answer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

9) Remains of\u00a0prehistoric fire<\/a>\u00a0were found in\u00a0Tanzania<\/a>.\u00a0 The author says that\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em><\/a>\u00a0made these fires, and that there’s no reason to assume\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em><\/a>\u00a0did.\u00a0 What is a necessary assumption?<\/p>\n

The credited answer is choice\u00a0(A)<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0had to be as far south as Tanzania\u2014if they were not, there would be no way they could have made those fires there, which would seem to indicate that\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0made them after all.\u00a0 Negating this statement devastates the argument, which is a confirmation that we have an assumption.<\/p>\n

Whatever might have caused\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0to master fire doesn’t clarify who made those fires in Tanzania:\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>?\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(B)\u00a0is not correct.<\/p>\n

Suppose\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0would have derived as much benefit from the master of fire as did the\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>, or even more benefit.\u00a0 That fact, by itself, would imply nothing about which one of these species created those fires in Tanzania. Denying this doesn’t change the validity of the argument.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(C)\u00a0is not correct.<\/p>\n

Choice\u00a0(D)\u00a0is intriguing, because it may be true.\u00a0 Both\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0evolved from\u00a0Homo habilis<\/em>, so it’s quite likely that the\u00a0Homo habilis<\/em>\u00a0was the sole source of cultural knowledge for either of these species.\u00a0 BUT, we know that\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>, presumably without the benefit of cultural knowledge about fire, was able to master fire.\u00a0 If\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0did that, why couldn’t\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>? In other words, the limits of the cultural knowledge inherited does not necessarily set limits on what these human species could achieve.\u00a0\u00a0 Therefore, we can draw no conclusion with respect to this argument.\u00a0\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(D)\u00a0is not correct.<\/p>\n

If Choice\u00a0(E)\u00a0were true, it would support the argument, but a supporting statement is not necessarily an assumption.\u00a0 We have to use the Negation Test<\/a>.\u00a0 Suppose\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0was all over in Tanzania, before & during & after the time that those fires were created.\u00a0\u00a0 Would that prove\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0started those fires?\u00a0 Not necessarily.\u00a0 It could still be true that both\u00a0Homo ergaster<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Homo erectus<\/em>\u00a0occupied that region, that only the latter had mastered fire, and therefore, that the later had to start those fires in Tanzania.\u00a0 Thus, we can deny choice and it doesn’t necessarily contradict the argument.\u00a0\u00a0 Therefore, it is not an assumption.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(E)\u00a0is not correct.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10) The credited answer is choice\u00a0(D)<\/strong>.\u00a0 If the town of Dryadia really does flood, then\u00a0that’s<\/u>\u00a0<\/em>the reason insurers won’t write flood insurance for it!\u00a0 Therefore, the “only<\/u> reason<\/em>” cannot be “its similarity to Bayside in terms of where it is situated in the river valley<\/em>.”\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(D)<\/strong>, if true, obliterates the argument, so this is the best answer.<\/p>\n

The argument say that “most insurers<\/em>” don’t write flood insurance in either town, but if\u00a0most don’t<\/u>, this implies that\u00a0some do<\/u>.\u00a0 Therefore, choice\u00a0(A)\u00a0is actually expected from the argument and does not challenge it at all.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(A)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

Choice\u00a0(B)\u00a0would not be surprising, and could be perfectly consistent with the argument.\u00a0 We know Bayside had “catastrophic flooding<\/em>“, but we don’t know for a fact that every single house was flooded\u2014maybe or maybe not.\u00a0 If some houses were not flooded, it sounds as if the insurers don’t write flood insurance for any house in Bayside, so even those houses that never flooded could not buy flood insurance.\u00a0 Therefore, this would validate\u00a0(B)\u00a0without threatening the argument in any way.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(B)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

Choice\u00a0(C)\u00a0is irrelevant.\u00a0 Even if no resident in absolutely any other town up and down the Katonic River Valley can buy flood insurance, that doesn’t necessarily shed light on why folks in a town in a completely different river valley can’t buy insurance.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(C)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

Choice\u00a0(E)\u00a0is too general and vague.\u00a0 Yes, perhaps there are many ways a house can be flooded, and correspondingly, perhaps there are many reasons why an insurer would deny any particular house flood insurance.\u00a0 Even if this is true, it doesn’t shed any light on exactly why the folks in Dryadia have trouble getting flood insurance.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(E)\u00a0is suggestive, but it doesn’t actually tell us anything.\u00a0 Choice\u00a0(E)\u00a0is incorrect.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: This post was originally published in April, 2012, and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The post Introduction to GMAT Critical Reasoning<\/a> appeared first on Magoosh GMAT Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One question on the GMAT Verbal Section is Critical Reasoning.\u00a0 On this question, the prompt presents some sort of argument, and then asks you, in one way or another, to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,783,243,940],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat","category-magoosh-blog","category-blog","category-gmat-prep-gmat","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34333\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}