Precision vs generalisation in GMAT inference/conclusion questions

Question

While solving CR questions for GMAT I had a doubt regarding find the conclusion/inference type questions.

For the passage containing premises relating to one topic in particular, can the conclusion/inference be a more general statement? The general statement follows the premises exactly but does not discuss the topic mentioned in the passage.

bb · Answer

Hi. You’re asking the right questions and I think what you’re asking about is really scope.

Scope is one way that GMAT makes some questions incorrect. Something may be too narrow of a scope and something else may be too general.

You should anticipate scope traps in critical reasoning. Watch out for things that are too narrow and also for things that are way too general. This also refers to reading comprehension inference and scope questions.

You can usually spot scope problems by comparing answer choices. If you have any specific questions or examples, happy to go deeper.

PS. I think the two broad of a scope is pretty rare on the GMAT. Usually I see generalizations that are incorrect rather than too broad of a scope but they do happen.

Posted from my mobile device

Rahul2407 · Answer

Hi bb,

Thanks for your reply.

I was solving this question (https://gmatclub.com/forum/a-nutritiona ... 15474.html) and the official answer by bunuel made me think that for option 5, the explanation given is that the article was referring to red wine in a positive sense whereas the option had a negative connotation. The passage says that the article portraying red wine positively led to an increase in sales.

If option 5 would've generalised that in a positive sense, how would that have fit in with respect to this question in particular and for these types of questions in general?

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi Rahul2407,

Generally speaking, I would advise you to avoid most nonofficial verbal questions. Unfortunately, that could also be why there are no expert replies on that thread even though it's been up for ~1 year.

Personally, I think that the question you linked to is flawed. However, you could also tag other experts to get a better idea about whether you can trust that source.

bb · Answer

Hi. The question was not great but it has some educational value.

Option E is not the right one because it talks about medical publications. However nutrition and medical fields are not the same. nutritional supplements which are not medical.

The question also talks about red wine and hugely generalizes it. Seems the writer was not familiar with the “beverage” as they refer to it.

The correct answer was logical but phrased poorly. It was almost opposite in the meaning but B was really the only option to pick.

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi  Rahul2407 , if you chose option E as the answer, I am afraid you have a  long  way to go, in CR. E is not even close.

In conclusion questions, correct answer choice is the one that  must  be true ( 100%  true), based on the information provided in the argument.

Let's take an example:

Argument: Mike worked hard, but did not score well in the exam.

Which of the following conclusions can be inferred by the argument.

All of the following would be  incorrect  conclusions:
- The examination paper was difficult
- Mike ran out of time in the examination paper
- Mike reached the examination center late
- A candidate can score low, if the candidate does not carefully read the question paper

One option that would be a correct conclusion in this case is:  At least some students who work hard, are not able to score well in the exam .

Now coming back to few reasons why option E is incorrect:

- "Medical publications" is not even remotely mentioned/implied in the argument

-  Sales of the  beverage  obviously increased (as per the argument). So, what  industries  is option E talking about being wiped out?

- The presence of a conditional statement ( if  they are not carefully phrased) in an option on Conclusions, generally rings alarm bells. This is because this option introduces a completely  new  condition (in this case, careless phrasing of publications), which is not mentioned/implied anywhere in the argument.

Rahul2407 · Answer

Hi Ashish,

I did not say that I marked option E, I also think that option E does not fit the bill for that question at all. I did in fact mark the right answer. 
I merely referred to it as a hypothesis of answer choice that came to my mind for these types of questions, hence the doubt.

EducationAisle · Answer

Sure Rahul, I understand. Thanks for clarifying.

Precision vs generalisation in GMAT inference/conclusion questions

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