new information in CR answer choices - when

Question

Hi,

Iv'e recently noticed that I have same mistakes in CR questions, regarding the use of new information, that was not part of the argument, in the answer choices.

for example: questions 555 and 664 (OG 2017) are both  construction  type - however 555 uses new information in its answer, while 664 official explanation says that new information cannot be used for the right answer.

I'll be very thankful if someone can explain when the use of new information in the choices is "forbidden".

also, are there some question types that have to be based only on the information provided in the passage?

Thanks everyone

omavsp · Answer

for question 555 please search: "alligators prey heavily on gmat"
for question 664 please search: "pattern within a matrix gmat"
(i'm new here and therefore cannot post links - sorry)

mbaaspirant80 · Answer

Hi 
According to power score bible, out of the three families prove , help and hurt . 
You can not use new information in prove family while you can use new information in help and hurt family.

Hope this helps

omavsp · Answer

thank you for the answer.

Do you have any source I can use to try to learn how to identify these families?

Thanks again !

HKD1710 · Answer

Hi  omavsp ,

Refer to the following thread:
 https://gmatclub.com/forum/critical-reasoning-megathread-145178.html

you need to learn the DIFFERENT TYPE of CR questions. For the quick information about when you can use new info and when you cannot see below. this URL is mentioned in the above mega thread.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/cr-methods-an-approach-to-find-the-best-answers-93146.html

ccooley · Answer

New information - from outside of the argument - is  good  in Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Evaluate the Argument, and Explain the Discrepancy questions.  In these question types, you're basically adding new evidence to the argument that would make it better or worse. That evidence can come from anywhere, as long as it has an effect on the conclusion.

New information is  bad  in Find the Assumption and Draw a Conclusion questions.

In Find the Assumption, you're looking for something that already has to be true, before the conclusion can be drawn. When you pick an answer choice, you're saying that the answer choice is critically necessary to the argument - without it, the argument wouldn't make any sense. So it can't really be brand new information, because brand new, random information from outside of the argument is unlikely to be a critical component of the argument.

That said, sometimes Find the Assumption correct answers will  look  out of scope, usually when they're phrased as a negative. For example:

premise : The train left on time.
 conclusion : The train will arrive on time. 
 assumption : A meteor won't destroy the train tracks before the train arrives.

The meteor bit looks like new information, but it's actually okay, because it's phrased as a negative - some weird thing  won't  happen. If it said that a meteor  will  destroy the train tracks, that would be much less likely to be right.

In Draw a Conclusion, you can't use any new information at all, in any way. The only information you can use to pick your answer is the information that's written in the text of the argument itself. Many wrong answers come from adding in your own facts or reasoning instead of only using what the argument says.

new information in CR answer choices - when

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards