Help in identifying CR question types

Question

I'm doing the last 50 CR questions from OG. Most of the question stems are obviously not straightforward, but 90% of the time I'm not able to identify if the question stem is asking to 'weaken the argument' or 'Flaw in reasoning'?
E.g, - "The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which of the following grounds?" or "Which of the following calls into question the explanation given above?" or "Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on viability of the plan discussed above?"
Differentiating the question stem, especially which has some ' negatives ' in it has really become a challenge for me.
Verbal Gurus and fellow test takers, guide me please. Thanks in advance!

P.S- Posting a query for the first time. Not sure if this is the right forum. Moderators please move the thread to right forum. And BTW, Infinite Kudos to GMAT club team for their work. You are giving better managers to the world! :wink:

paidlukkha · Answer

Happy to answer

Try & understand the bold part
The argument is  most vulnerable to criticism  on which of the following grounds - FLAW
Which of the following  calls into question  the explanation given above - WEAKEN
Which of the following, if true, would cast the  most doubt on viability  of the plan discussed above - WEAKEN

hsambiguity · Answer

Hi Paidlukkha

Thanks for your answer. After reading your suggestion, I wrote only the confusing Question stems from OG on a separate paper and tried to identify/analyze what the stem is asking. Well I improved in my second round of identification!

Sent from my iPhone using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

The simple difference between a Flaw and a Weaken question is that a Flaw is asking you to identify something that is inherently wrong with the argument, while a Weaken question is asking you to introduce new information that would make the argument less convincing. If the question isn't completely clear, take a look at the answers. Are they talking about what the argument does (Flaw) or adding information to the situation (Weaken).

It's also worth noting that Flaw questions are very rare on the GMAT. They're quite common on the LSAT, but it has all sorts of categories we don't get into on the GMAT.

It's also worth noting that Flaw questions are very rare on the GMAT. They're quite common on the LSAT, but it has all sorts of categories we don't get into on the GMAT.

hsambiguity · Answer

Hi Dmitry Farber,

Thanks for your reply. Helped a lot.

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot: 

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

 This post was generated automatically.

Help in identifying CR question types

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