Method of Negation in CR

Question

Hi,

I am trying to prepare for GMAT and stuck badly with Critical Reasoning. I am doing practice on Assumption questions in Critical Reasoning. I am facing three major issues with CR questions :

i) Can someone in detail explain me Theory of Negation? With examples and tips, though I have read it in Kaplan & OG, but still require real time tips

ii) I am able to narrow down two main answer choices for Assumption corrections but end up in picking the wrong one? Are there any tips to answer the right question?

iii) I did questions from Kaplan and OG and I did OK in my first attemp, but when I tried doing CR- Assumption questions from

https://gmat-cr.blogspot.com/search/lab ... Assumption

Most of them turned to be incorrect? Quite frustrating

Can anybody help me out in preparing me for CR.

My plan is to give GMAT by mid of September.

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KapTeacherEli · Answer

Hi vikky,

The theory of negation (or, as we call it, the negation test), hinges on the role of assumptions. Assumptions are the information that is  necessary  for an argument to hold. That means, if you negate the correct assumption, the argument must  not  hold!

So, here is a simple "Chemical X should be restricted because all poisons should be restricted" is a simple example. Suppose we are wondering if an answer choice, "Chemical X is a poison," is the correct assumption. Well, what if it's false? What if Chemical X is  not  a poison? Well, the argument falls apart! That means we have the right answer.

The thing about the Negation test is, it's not very efficient. If you find that you're consistently down to two answer choices, it can be a great tie breaker. But if you're practicing with Kaplan strategies, you shouldn't need it! Focus on predicting what the answer should be, and looking for the best match!

MarkSullivan · Answer

Hey Vikky, I actually wrote a whole article addressing these very questions. Check it out! critical-reasoning-the-best-wrong-answer-136608.html Cheers, Mark

PUNEETSCHDV · Answer

well negation technique simply says that when having doubt over two choices, negate them and check which will weaken argument . the one which weakens most is correct answer. do take care to logically negate answer opposite of good is not good and it is not bad. . opposite of some is not some (or many ) it is none and opposite of all is not all

Tibby · Answer

I use the following logic. Assumptions are additional premises. If premises go awry, your conclusion will be flawed. Hence, we test this by assuming that our additional premise (the assumption), is wrong & whether that has any effect on our conclusion.

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Method of Negation in CR

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