Difficulty in understanding the type of CR question

Question

Hi gurus

I am having trouble to identify the types of CR problem.How can one expect to solve it w/o understanding the question type.

Here are few stems that i am having trouble with:

1) Which of the following statements , if true, would best explain 1984 decrease in productivity

2) Most strongly supports the position above

3) Each of the following statements, if true, could help to explain why the unusually large purchases occured

4) Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support a prediction that acme corporation's plan will achieve its goal

5) hence have a better chance of evading flying predators, but they also have higher optimal body tempretures, which explains why____

6) Since___________

7) The information given most strongly supports which of the following general claims

Is there any quick way to identify the type of problem when the question stem is not simple and is convoluted?

regards

KarishmaB · Answer

Some of them are straight forward and you can easily identify the type of question. For others, you need to have the stimulus e.g. the first one sounds like explain the paradox (though one can't be sure whether the stimulus has a paradox)
2 is a strengthen question. Which of the following supports the position given in the stimulus i.e. the conclusion is given in the stimulus. You need to find the option which gives support to the conclusion i.e. strengthens the conclusion. Same is the case with 4. It's a type of strengthen question.
7, on the other hand is a conclusion question. You need to find the option that is best supported by the given stimulus i.e. the stimulus supports the option so the option must be the conclusion.

Check out Veritas CR books 1 and 2 for details on how to identify each type of question and how to proceed once you identify the question.

gmatsaga · Answer

I think one's success in critical reasoning is hinged not on one's familiarity with the question types but on one's ability to know determine the parts of the argument. In my opinion, if one knows the premises, assumptions (of course hidden), and the conclusion of the argument then he/she won't have a hard time dealing with the question.

Just my 0.02

anuragbytes · Answer

Thanks karishma
What about 3, is it also a paradox ques like 1 above?
I know i should have presented the stimuli.
I know "because_____" is an assumption question.What are those questions which end with a blank like since_____?

regards

KapTeacherEli · Answer

1) and 3) are both most likely Explain the Paradox questions, as indicated by the word "explain." They could end up being an inference question or something else in rare cases, but I'd say it's 95% certain you can approach them looking for a discrepancy or contradiction.

As for the ones with the ____________ in them are their own type of question, but Kaplan categorizes them with inference questions. The skills tested are slightly different, but the basic principle is the same: don't question the information in the stimulus, but rather accept it as fact, and find the answer choies that must be true/must fill in the blank on the basis of that information.

Hope this helps!

KarishmaB · Answer

Missed your question somehow. Anyway, as Eli has explained above, the 3rd one is also most probably explain the paradox (but one can be sure only after reading the stimulus). Probably, the question ends with an except:
3) Each of the following statements, if true, could help to explain why the unusually large purchases occured,  except

Four of the options will explain the paradox but one will not. That one will be your answer.

As for the questions which end with a blank, you need to look at the word that introduces the blank.
because ____________ or since ___________ etc indicate that the blank will be taken by a premise and the question type could be strengthen/weaken/explain the paradox.
hence ____________ or therefore ___________ or thus ___________- indicate that the blank will be taken by the conclusion and the question type will be inference.

For more on these, check CR2 of Veritas.

Difficulty in understanding the type of CR question

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