Gmat Cr

Front 1

What does

"Presupposes what it sets out prove" mean?

Back 1

It Means that the argument is not circular-- that is, the evidence and conclusion are identical.

Ex: Circular reasoning is an attempt to support a statement by simply repeating the statement in different or stronger terms. In this fallacy, the reason given is nothing more than a restatement of the conclusion that poses as the reason for the conclusion. To say, “You should exercise because it’s good for you” is really saying, “You should exercise because you should exercise.”

Front 2

What is adhominem?

Back 2

An ad hominem argument, also known as argumentum ad hominem (Latin: "argument to the man", "argument against the man") consists of replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking or appealing to a characteristic or belief of the person making the argument or claim, rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or producing evidence against the claim.

Ex: # You can't believe Jack when he says there is a God because he doesn't even have a job."
# "Charles Manson wrote this song, so it must be unlistenable".
# "Candidate Jane Jones's proposal X is ridiculous. She was caught cheating on her taxes in 2003."

Front 3

Strategy for : Conclusion/Inference Question

Back 3

1. Focus only on the matter given
2. Remove Out Of Scope
3. Select the one which Narrowly satisfies everything In Passage

Front 4

Statergy Assumption

Back 4

1. Remove Out of Context
2. Negate Carefully,Make sure it completes breaks the argument

Front 5

Negate:

"Some of the Social ills That currently affect the nation do not pose a threat to the nations existence"

Back 5

All Social ills That currently affect the nation pose a threat to the nations existence

Front 6

How should a GMAT CR be read

Back 6

1. Read main question and paraphrase what do you want to do. Think what strategy you need to apply
2.Read the argument Slowly first time. Incise all parts carefully.
3. If you understand it, paraphrase in your mind
4. Go to answers and uncheck on paper the wrong ones.

5. If you find clustered with the amount of information given,note down on paper
6. If you still dont understand the argument, try reading 1more time before going to choices. If you still dont make an idea of the argument, remove the bad ones and select a choice out of remaining.

Front 7

Solve the Reasoning:
Every adult Male wooly monkey is larger than even the largest female wooly monkey. In colonies of wooly monkeys, an adult male will dominate any female.

Back 7

The key here is the word “adult”: All adult male woolly monkeys are larger than all
females, and any one will dominate any female. Therefore, if a female dominates any male,
then that male cannot be an adult. Note that that’s just the contrapositive of the stimulus
claim that “if a male is an adult, then he won’t be dominated by a female.”

Front 8

if x then y?

Mention the converse, inverse and contrapositive

Back 8

1. Converse: Reverse the pattern
if y then x (Not True Logically)

2. Inverse: Multiply with "Not"

If not x then not y
(Logically not true)

3.Contrapositive: inverse of(converse)

if not y then not x
(Logically True with the original statement)

Ref: http://www.regentsprep.org/Regents/Math/math-topic.cfm?TopicCode=relcond

Front 9

Wwhat does Harvesting trees from old-growth forests mean?

Back 9

Harvesting tress is an engineering process where trees are cut and sent to mills for processing. Old growth trees are very old trees which might have absorbed lots of carbon dioxide.

Front 10

Against Harvesting Logic[1084]

Back 10

Since trees release carbon dioxide when they decompose, the official suggests that
harvesting old trees before they die will help reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. The assumption being made is that old trees that are harvested for
manufacture won’t decompose after being harvested. Choice (B) directly contradicts this
assumption, seriously weakening the argument.

Front 11

Correlation vs Causation

Ex: Question:1085 A survey of a group of people between the ages of 75 and 80 found that those who regularly played the card game bridge tended to have better short-term memory than those who did not play bridge. It was originally concluded from this that playing bridge can help older people to retain and develop their memory. However, it may well be that bridge is simply a more enjoyable game for people who already have good short-term memory and who are thus more inclined to play. In countering the original conclusion the reasoning above uses which one of the following techniques?

Back 11

Know the difference between “correlation” and “causation.” The survey found a
correlation between playing bridge and having a good short-term memory, but that’s
not enough to conclude that playing bridge causes one to have a good short-term
memory.

Front 12

What you should look in this sentence?

"some well-managed farms are able to reduce the amounts of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide and also of antibiotics they use without necessarily decreasing yield"

Back 12

The word "some"..the qualifiers

Front 13

How do you distinguish an argument which compares past to present

Back 13

An argument that justifies a present decision based on a past decision necessarily
assumes that the conditions then were more or less equivalent to the conditions now.
To strengthen the argument, show the similarity between past and present. To
weaken it, show the difference.

Front 14

What should you notice in this sentence

Science Academy study: It has been demonstrated that with natural methods, some well-managed farms are able to reduce the amounts of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide and also of antibiotics they use without necessarily decreasing yields; in some cases yields can be increased. Critics: Not so. The farms the academy selected to study were the ones that seemed most likely to be successful in using natural methods. What about the farmers who have tried such methods and failed? Which one of the following is the most adequate evaluation of the logical force of the critics response?

Success and failure in farming are rarely due only to luck, because farming is the management of chance occurrences.
The critics show that the result of the study would have been different if twice as many farms had been studied.
The critics assume without justification that the failures were not due to soil quality.
The critics demonstrate that natural methods are not suitable for the majority of framers.
The issue is only to show that something is possible, so it is not relevant whether the instances studied were representative.

Back 14

The key is: "some well-managed farms". Choice E is correct,.

Front 15

Whats wrong with the below CR

Any college courses that the graduates take will improve their career prospects

Back 15

"Any" . Make sure the sentence speaks about every college course.

Front 16

Whats wrong with the below answer choice?

Argument: the percentage of last years high school graduates who went on to college was 15 percent greater than the percentage of those who graduated 10 years ago and did so

Answer Choice: There has been a decrease in the number of graduates who go on to college without career plans.

Back 16

The argument talks about percentage, while answer choice talks about numbers.

Be on the lookout for answer choices that confuse percents and numbers; this
confusion is one of the testmakers’ favorite types of wrong answers.

Front 17

Catch the keyword:

Insectivorous plants thrive only in soils that are too poor in minerals to support noninsectivorous plants.

Back 17

only

Front 18

An argument that justifies a present decision based on a past decision necessarily
assumes that the conditions then were more or less equivalent to the conditions now.
To strengthen the argument, show the similarity between past and present. To
weaken it, show the difference.

Back 18

An argument that justifies a present decision based on a past decision necessarily
assumes that the conditions then were more or less equivalent to the conditions now.
To strengthen the argument, show the similarity between past and present. To
weaken it, show the difference.

Front 19

the specific antiviral effects of this drug are unknown, it has lessened the severity of all of the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Thus there is evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome is, in fact, caused by one virus. The argument assumes which one of following?

An antiviral medication that eliminates the most severe symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome thereby cures chronic fatigue syndrome

Back 19

Question mentions about lessened the severity of the syndrome, while answer mentions the cure to it. So wrong choice.

Front 20

What do you mean by:

presupposes what it sets out to demonstrate

Back 20

describes circular reasoning, in which an argument’s evidence is the same as its conclusion.

Example: “Richardson is the most successful mayor the town has ever had because he's the best mayor of our history.”

The second part of this sentence offers no evidence — it simply repeats the claim that was already presented. Don’t be fooled into believing that using the word “because” in an argument automatically provides a valid reason. Be sure to provide clear evidence to support your claims, not a version of the premise (the initial statement in an argument).
http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~shagin/logfal-pbc-circular.htm

Front 21

Whats the problem with the below sentence

The increase in the number of passengers will increase revenue sufficiently to offset the subsidy reductions

Back 21

will increase >> future tense. DOes the passage talks about any future prediction, if not, this is a potential wrong answer and is for Questoin 19, LSAT 14, SECTION 1.

Front 22

Comparing X with Y doesnt make X better at something. Why?

Back 22

Ex: surgeries are generally less risky overall than emergency
surgeries doesn’t show that the risks were necessary. You need to clearly establish with a valid reason and comparison of why the reason is such than comparing with something else.

Front 23

To weaken a conclusion, a choice must counter what the conclusion is
asserting, not some extraneous issue or fact.

Back 23

To weaken a conclusion, a choice must counter what the conclusion is
asserting, not some extraneous issue or fact.

Front 24

Wwhat is the stratergy for the below question?

All of the following choices Weaken Except?

Back 24

Look for a choice that either

1. Doesnt Weaken
2. Strengthens
3. No Effect

In a “weaken EXCEPT” question, don’t expect the answer choice to necessarily be a
strengthener, although it could be—chances are it will be a statement that simply has
no effect on the argument.

Front 25

What is the logic of the sentence?

Question:1232 Interviewer: You have shown that biofeedback, dietary changes, and adoption of proper sleep habits all succeed in curing insomnia. You go so far as to claim that, with rigorous adherence to the proper treatment, any case of insomnia is curable. Yet in fact some patients suffering from insomnia do not respond to treatment. Therapist: If patients do not respond to treatment, this just shows that they are not rigorous in adhering to their treatment. The therapists reply to the interviewer is most vulnerable to which one of the following criticisms?

Back 25

The therapist will always answer that the patients didnt follow the procedure so is the reason for not cure, whatever evidence you keep. So the answer to the logic is
“precludes the possibility of disconfirming
evidence" It means prevent the possibility of an evidence that can disconfirm it.

Front 26

What does it mean "The challenge Rests on a Contradiction?" or to depend on a contradiction!!

Back 26

To “rest on a contradiction” means to base your argument on two premises that cannot
both be true.

Front 27

How can you strengthen a cause and effect?
Ex: Bacteria Strain leads to Ulcers

Back 27

The contrapositive can strengthen an answer choice.
If you have strain you have bacteria. Thats what the original cause and effect meant. The contrapositive is
"If you donot have ulcer then you donot have the strain".
Also note that when the answer choice more people..it tries to strengthen the sample or study(ex: 2000 people)

Front 28

A question talks about "an ape" . Which answer do you think is Out Of Context for an Assumption Question

1. The ape whose jawbone was found is tasty!!
2. Modern apes tend to live only in forests
3. There were no apes living in the area 15 million years ago

Back 28

1 is correct.
When question talks about 1 ape, answer choices shdnt speak about more than 1 ape.

Front 29

What kind of structure you can see for a conclusion answer?

Would it be good to do X? Only If...However, bla bla bla. FurtherMore....,

Back 29

The question mainly asks about Yes or No? It gives an answer No, by using the keywords such as However,Furthermore.

KAPLAN Says: The techniques outlined in the explanation above are well worth your studying and
adopting for virtually every LR stimulus: (1) Put the key issue or conclusion into
your own words; (2) notice the Keywords that govern the structure; and (3) think
through what each Keyword portends. That’s critical reading! You’ve heard about
these techniques throughout your Kaplan course; perhaps seeing them worked out
here will prove helpful.

Front 30

What should you do when you cannot paraphrase your answer!!

Back 30

Speculating about what the right answer might look like, contain, or be is a good
habit, but don’t take it to extremes. If nothing comes to you right away, don’t stand
still. Move briskly to the choices and assess them in whatever order strikes you as
easiest.

Note: If you did paraphrase, dont blindly select it, make sure it fits and makes the logic.

Front 31

What pattern should you recollect when you see a "?" in the first couple of lines in an argument.
Ex: Should a Journalist begin a story with "In surprise Dev" ?

Back 31

You should recollect that this is a Yes/NO question. You should try to find answer int he stimulus itself using the main keywords, such as however etc.,,

Front 32

Weaken this argument
One argument mentions that ordinary people might not know what shakespeare wrote in his novels, because none had the money to afford such costly books.

Back 32

The author assumes that ordinary people donot have any other way to analyze the works of shakespeare except books, which is a potential flaw.

Front 33

Sufficient vs Necessary Conditions

Make sure you fully understand the logic inherent in the word “unless.” In the
statement “Unless X (redistribute wealth), then Y (economic injustice)”, the X element
is necessary to avoid the Y element. That doesn’t mean that X is sufficient, by itself,
for Y to be avoided; once again, there may be other factors involved. Think of the
specifics in this example in common sense terms: If the nation doesn’t redistribute
the wealth, then there will definitely continue to be economic injustice. If the nation
does redistribute the wealth, then that requirement is satisfied, and it’s possible to
alleviate the economic injustice, but by no means is it a sure thing

Back 33

Make sure you fully understand the logic inherent in the word “unless.” In the
statement “Unless X (redistribute wealth), then Y (economic injustice)”, the X element
is necessary to avoid the Y element. That doesn’t mean that X is sufficient, by itself,
for Y to be avoided; once again, there may be other factors involved. Think of the
specifics in this example in common sense terms: If the nation doesn’t redistribute
the wealth, then there will definitely continue to be economic injustice. If the nation
does redistribute the wealth, then that requirement is satisfied, and it’s possible to
alleviate the economic injustice, but by no means is it a sure thingq

Front 34

Always take the positive and contrapositive of a statement while paraphrasing.

Ex: disturbing buried asbestos causes health risks

not disturbing buried asbestos doesnt cause health risks

Back 34

Always take the positive and contrapositive of a statement while paraphrasing.

Ex: disturbing buried asbestos causes health risks

not disturbing buried asbestos doesnt cause health risks

Front 35

When taking the contrapositive of a statement, be very careful when negating the
various terms in the statements. For instance, the opposite of “slower to adopt
technology” is not “faster to adopt technology;” the opposite is “NOT slower to
adopt technology.” Do you see the difference? This leaves open the possibility that
the two countries adopt technology at the same rate, or as stated in the correct
choice, “as rapidly as.” This may seem like a minor difference, but understanding
this will help you see eye to eye with the correct choice.

Back 35

When taking the contrapositive of a statement, be very careful when negating the
various terms in the statements. For instance, the opposite of “slower to adopt
technology” is not “faster to adopt technology;” the opposite is “NOT slower to
adopt technology.” Do you see the difference? This leaves open the possibility that
the two countries adopt technology at the same rate, or as stated in the correct
choice, “as rapidly as.” This may seem like a minor difference, but understanding
this will help you see eye to eye with the correct choice.

Front 36

A choice which is hlaf correct and half wrong is _________

Back 36

wrong

Front 37

Dont fall for choices that use the passage language but distort the ideas

Back 37

Dont fall!!..Be clear with analyzing

Front 38

A choice which is hlaf correct and half wrong is _________

Back 38

wrong

Front 39

Don t fall for choices that use the passage language but distort the ideas

Back 39

Don t fall!!..Be clear with analyzing

Front 40

A choice which is hlaf correct and half wrong is

Back 40

wrong

Front 41

Don t fall for choices that use the passage language but distort the ideas

Back 41

Don t fall!!..Be clear with analyzing

Front 42

How to select answer choices?

Back 42

If you find yourself having to work really hard to justify a choice, chances are you
should throw it out. Remember, you don’t have to present an airtight case as to why
each wrong choice is wrong; if you simply get a bad feeling from a choice, toss it and
move on.
• In Method of Argument questions, you can test a choice by asking yourself: “What
would this argument sound like if this choice were correct?” If the notion that comes
to mind isn’t anything like what’s written in the stimulus, then you should cross that
choice off.

If a choice sounds vague, nondescript, and
you find yourself bending over backwards to make it sound “right,” chances are you
should scrap it.

Front 43

Whats the rules for inference question

Back 43

Don’t forget that the Denial Test works for inference questions as well as for
assumption questions. If you deny the statement made in an answer choice and the
argument still holds water, then eliminate that choice. When you deny the right
answer, the argument will fall apart. Try this with correct choice (D). Denying (D), we
get: “An organism must belong to a class if that organism has one or more external
body features similar to those of members of that class.” This, of course, flies in the
face of the passage’s entire discussion of convergence and the illustrative example of
ichthyosaurs.

Front 44

Concentrate on Details in CR

Back 44

Once again, pay attention to details in LR stimuli! The GMAT is not a vocabulary
test—the tough words on the test aren’t the long polysyllabic ones, but rather the
little words or phrases that the testmakers try to sneak by you as unimportant (such
as IN PART). These little words and phrases that often appear so unassuming and
unimportant can actually play a huge role in conveying the author’s ideas. Miss or
misinterpret such words or phrases, and you’re likely to get into trouble.