Critical Reasoning

CR in GMAT
• Critical Reasoning questions are designed to test the reasoning skills
involved in making arguments, evaluating arguments, and formulating
or evaluating a plan of action.
• These questions seek to test the abilities of the test taker on the
following:
• Argument construction. Questions of this type may ask you to
recognize the basic structure of an argument, properly drawn
conclusions, underlying assumptions, well-supported explanatory
hypotheses, or parallels between structurally similar arguments.
CR in GMAT
• Argument evaluation. Questions of this type may ask you to analyze
a given argument, recognize factors that would strengthen or weaken
an argument, reasoning errors committed in making an argument, or
aspects of the methods by which an argument proceeds.

• Formulating and evaluating a plan of action. Questions of this type

may ask you to recognize the relative appropriateness, effectiveness,
or efficiency of different plans of action; factors that would strengthen
or weaken a proposed plan of action; or assumptions underlying a
proposed plan of action.
What is Critical Reasoning
• Critical reasoning is known as critical thinking.

• It is the process of analysing, evaluating, and making reasoned

judgments or decisions about information, ideas, arguments, or
situations.

• It involves the ability to objectively and logically assess the validity,

relevance, and credibility of information and arguments, as well as
the capacity to identify flaws, biases, or inconsistencies in reasoning.
What is Critical Reasoning
• Reasoning is a process of ..
• The frameworks used in reasoning are the syllogisms presents in the
argument
• There are basically three types of reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Deductive Reasoning, and
• Abductive Reasoning
The Elements Reasoning
• A logical argument consists of premises and a conclusion, and when
you’re analyzing arguments, identifying what parts are premises and
what makes up the conclusion can help.
• Conclusion, Premise and Assumptions
• Conclusion
• The conclusion is the main point or assertion that the argument aims
to establish or prove. It is the ultimate claim the argument is making.
• You can usually find the conclusion in the argument because it’s the
statement that you can preface with therefore
The Elements Reasoning
Premise
• A premise is a statement or piece of evidence that is provided to support
or justify the conclusion. Premises are the building blocks of an
argument. This could be done inductively or deductively
• The premises give the supporting evidence that you can draw a
conclusion from
Assumptions
• Assumptions are underlying beliefs or presuppositions that are not
explicitly stated in the argument but are necessary for the argument to
hold. They are often taken for granted and need to be examined critically.
Types of Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
• In this kind of reasoning, there is a progressive move from the specific to
the general.
• For instance
• Premise one: Molly has four legs
• Premise two: Molly is an animal
• Conclusion: All animals have four legs
NB:
The conclusion in an inductive reasoning can be false even if all premises are
true
Inductive Reasoning in GMAT
• Inductive reasoning arguments come in all sorts of flavors, but the folks who create the
GMAT tend to favor three types: analogy, cause and effect, and statistical.
• Analogy arguments: this argument tries to show that two or more concepts are similar.
• Therefore, what holds true for one is true for the other.
• The strength of the argument depends on the degree of similarity between the persons,
objects, or ideas being compared.
• For example, in drawing a conclusion about Beth’s likes, you may compare her to Alex:
“Alex is a student, and he likes rap music. Beth is also a student, so she probably likes rap
music, too.”
• Your argument would be stronger if you could show that Alex and Beth have other similar
interests that apply to rap music, like hip-hop dancing or wearing bling. If, on the other
hand, you show that Alex likes to go to dance clubs while Beth prefers practicing her violin
at home, your original conclusion may be less likely.
Inductive Reasoning in GMAT
Cause-and-effect arguments
• A cause-and-effect argument concludes that one event is the result of
another.
• These types of arguments are strongest when the premises prove that
the alleged cause of an event is the most likely one and that no other
probable causes exist.
• For example, after years of football watching, you may conclude the
following: “Every time I wear my lucky shirt, my favorite team wins;
therefore, wearing my lucky shirt causes the team to win.” The above
example is weak because it doesn’t take into consideration other, more
probable reasons (like the team’s talent) for the wins.
Inductive Reasoning in GMAT
Statistical arguments
• Arguments based on statistical evidence rely on numbers to reach a conclusion.
• These types of arguments claim that what’s true for the statistical majority is also true for the
individual. But because these are inductive-reasoning arguments, you can’t prove that the
conclusions are absolutely true.
• When you analyze statistical arguments on the GMAT, focus on how well the given statistics
apply to the circumstances of the conclusion.
• For example, if you wanted people to buy clothing through your website, you might make this
argument: “In a recent study of the preferences of consumers, 80 percent of shoppers
surveyed spent more than six hours a day on the Internet; therefore, you’ll probably prefer to
buy clothes online.” You’d support your conclusion if you could show that a positive correlation
occurs between the amount of time people spend on the Internet and a preference for buying
clothing online. If you can’t demonstrate that correlation, the statistics regarding time spent on
the Internet have little to do with predicting one’s preference for online shopping.
Types of Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
• In this kind of reasoning, there is a progressive move from the general to the
specific.
• For instance
• Premise one: All animals have four legs
• Premise two: Molly has four legs
• Conclusion: Molly is an animal
NB:
In deductive reasoning, you come up with a specific conclusion from more general
premises. The great thing about deductive reasoning is that if the premises are
true, the conclusion must be true!
Types of Questions in CR
Most of the critical-reasoning questions you’ll encounter on the GMAT
fit into one of the following five categories:

• Strengthening or weakening arguments: The argument presents

premises and a conclusion and asks you to evaluate the answer
choices to determine which one would best strengthen or weaken the
author’s conclusion.

• Drawing conclusions from premises: The argument paragraph

consists of a bunch of premises but doesn’t provide a conclusion. Your
job is to choose the best conclusion for the argument.
Types of Questions in CR
• Seeking assumptions: This more-subtle type of question requires you
to discover an essential premise of the argument that the author
doesn’t state directly.

• Making inferences: For these less-common question types, you have

to surmise information that isn’t directly stated, usually about one of
the premises rather than the conclusion.

• Finding the method of reasoning: In these questions, you’ll be asked

to find an argument in the answer choices that uses the same method
of reasoning as the original given argument.
Strengthening or weakening arguments
• Critical-reasoning questions that ask you how to best support or
damage an argument are some of the easiest to answer, which is a
good thing because they appear the most frequently.

• This question category has two subtypes: One asks you to strengthen
an argument, and the other asks you to weaken it. You’ll recognize
these questions because they include words that mean to strengthen
or weaken (like support, bolster, or impair), and they almost always
contain an “if true” qualifier.
Strengthening or weakening arguments
• Critical-reasoning questions that ask you how to best support or
damage an argument are some of the easiest to answer, which is a
good thing because they appear the most frequently.
• This question category has two subtypes: One asks you to strengthen
an argument, and the other asks you to weaken it. You’ll recognize
these questions because they include words that mean to strengthen
or weaken (like support, bolster, or impair), and they almost always
contain an “if true” qualifier. E.g.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken
the conclusion reached by the business owners?
Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the
conclusion?
Strengthening or weakening arguments
Sample Question 1 (Analogy – Inductive Reasoning)
Hundo is a Japanese car company, and Hundos run for many miles on a
gallon of gas. Toyo is also a Japanese car company; therefore, Toyos
should get good gas mileage, too. The author’s conclusion would be best
supported by which of the following?
(A) All Japanese car manufacturers use the same types of engines in their
cars.
(B) British cars run for as many miles on a tank of gas as Hundos do.
(C) The Toyo manufacturer focuses on producing large utility vehicles.
(D) Toyo has been manufacturing cars for more than 20 years.
(E) All Japanese cars have excellent service records.
Strengthening or weakening arguments
Sample Question 1 (Analogy – Inductive Reasoning)
Analysis
You can generally eliminate answer choices that introduce irrelevant information, such as
Choices (B), (D), and (E). The author compares Japanese cars, so what British cars do has
nothing to do with the argument. The length of time that Toyo has been in business tells
you nothing about how similar its cars are to Hundo’s. And the question is talking about
gas mileage, not service records, so don’t spend too much time considering Choice (E).

Choice (C) tells you the focus of Toyo producers, but it doesn’t give you any information
about how that compares to Hundo, so the best answer is Choice (A). If all Japanese
manufacturers supply their cars with the same engines and Hundo and Toyo are both
Japanese manufacturers, it’s more likely that Toyos will achieve a gas mileage similar to
that experienced by Hundos
(Reference: GMAT for Dummies, p. 86)
Strengthening or weakening arguments
Sample Question 2 (Inductive Reasoning)
Average hours of television viewing per American have rapidly increased for more than
three decades. To fight the rise in obesity, Americans must limit their hours of television
viewing. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author’s conclusion?
(A) A person burns more calories while watching television than while sleeping.
(B) Over the last 30 years, the number of fast-food restaurants in America has increased.
(C) Americans spend most of their television time watching sporting events rather than
cooking shows.
(D) Television viewing in Japan has also increased over the past three decades.
(E) Studies show that the number of television commercials that promote junk food has
risen over the past ten years
(Reference: GMAT for Dummies, p. 86)
Strengthening or weakening arguments
Sample Question 1 (Inductive Reasoning)
Analysis
Premise 1: the number of television viewing hours has increased over
the last 30 years.
Premise 2: According to the author, the number of obese Americans
has also increased.
Conclusion: The author implies that television viewing causes obesity.
(Reference: GMAT for Dummies, p. 86)
Strengthening or weakening arguments
Analysis – Cont’d
You may have been tempted to select Choice (A) because it shows that television watching may be
less fat-producing than another activity, sleeping. But it doesn’t give you another reason for the rise
in obesity. Choice (A) could be correct only if it showed that Americans were sleeping more than
they were 30 years ago. It doesn’t, so move on.
On the other hand, stating that during the same time period, the number of fast-food restaurants
also increased introduces another possible cause of obesity and weakens the conclusion that
Americans have to stop watching so much TV to get slimmer. Maybe it’s the popularity of fast food
that’s the culprit! Choice (B) is a better answer than Choice (A), but read through all the possibilities
before you commit. Choice (C) is wrong because there’s nothing in the argument that suggests that
the type of television Americans watch affects their obesity; nor does Choice (C) show that viewing
patterns have changed over the last three decades. Choice (D) is also out because it doesn’t
correlate what’s happening in Japan with what’s happening in America. You don’t know whether
Japanese citizens weigh more now than they did 30 years ago, so the information in Choice (D) is
useless.
If the question had asked you to strengthen the conclusion, Choice (E) would be a good option. It
shows a reason that increased television watching could cause obesity. But the question asks you to
weaken the conclusion, so Choice (B) is the best answer. It’s the only one that shows that another
cause could be to blame for the rise in obesity.
(Reference: GMAT for Dummies, p. 86)
Strengthening or weakening arguments
Sample Question 3 (statistical arguments – Inductive Reasoning )
In a survey of 100 pet owners, 80 percent said that they would buy a more
expensive pet food if it contained vitamin supplements. Consequently, CatCo’s new
premium cat food should be a top-seller. Which of the following best demonstrates
a weakness in the author’s conclusion?
(A) Some brands of cat food contain more vitamin supplements than CatCo’s does.
(B) CatCo sells more cat food than any of its competitors.
(C) Some of the cat owners surveyed stated that they never buy expensive brands
of cat food.
(D) Ninety-five of those pet owners surveyed did not own cats.
(E) Many veterinarians have stated that vitamin supplements in cat food do not
greatly increase health benefits.
Strengthening or weakening arguments
Sample Question 4
Most New Year’s resolutions are quickly forgotten. Americans commonly make resolutions to
exercise, lose weight, quit smoking, or spend less money. In January, many people take some action,
such as joining a gym, but by February, they are back to their old habits again. Which of the
following, if true, most strengthens the preceding argument?
(A) Some Americans do not make New Year’s resolutions.
(B) Americans who do not keep their resolutions feel guilty the rest of the year.
(C) Attempts to quit smoking begun at times other than the first of the year are less successful
than those begun in January.
(D) Increased sports programming in January motivates people to exercise more.
(E) People who are serious about lifestyle changes usually make those changes immediately and do
not wait for New Year’s Day
Drawing conclusions from premises
• Another common critical-reasoning question type tests your ability to
draw logical conclusions (or hypotheses). The GMAT gives you a series
of premises (the evidence), and you choose an answer that best
concludes the information.
Questions that ask you to draw conclusions from premises may be
worded like this:
• Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the preceding
information?
• Assuming the preceding statements are true, which of the following
must also be true?
• The experimental results support which of the following hypotheses?
Drawing conclusions from premises
Sample Question 1
Over the last eight years, the Federal Reserve Bank has raised the prime interest rate by a
quarter-point more than ten times. The Bank raises rates when its Board of Governors fears
inflation and lowers rates when the economy is slowing down. Which of the following is the
most logical conclusion for the preceding paragraph?

(A) The Federal Reserve should be replaced with regional banks that can respond more
quickly to changing economic conditions.
(B) The Federal Reserve has raised the prime rate in recent years to try to control inflation.
(C) The economy has entered a prolonged recession caused by Federal Reserve policies.
(D) The monetary policy of the United States is no longer controlled by the Federal Reserve.
(E) The Federal Reserve has consistently raised the prime rate over the last several years.
Drawing conclusions from premises
Sample Question 1 Analysis
• You know from the language that this is a drawing-conclusions question, so you don’t have to
look for a conclusion in the argument. Just read through the premises and formulate a quick
conclusion, something like “Because the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates many times
over the last eight years, it must fear inflation.” Eliminate answer choices that aren’t relevant or
that contain information not presented by the premises.
• The argument says nothing about regional banks or the termination of the Federal Reserve’s
control over U.S. monetary policy, so you can disregard Choices (A) and (D). Then get rid of any
choices that don’t take all premises into consideration. Choice (E) just reiterates the first premise,
so it’s wrong. You’re left with Choices (B) and (C), but Choice (C) contradicts the information in the
premises. The problem says the Federal Reserve responds to the economy, not the other way
around, so it’d be wrong to say the Federal Reserve causes a recession. Choice (B) is clearly the
best answer. It takes into consideration the information that the Federal Reserve has raised rates
and that raising rates is its response to inflation. Be careful to avoid relying on outside knowledge
or opinions when answering drawing conclusions questions. You may have studied the Federal
Reserve Bank and have opinions about monetary policy. Choices (A), (C), and (D) reflect some
possible opinions about the Federal Reserve. Don’t get trapped into choosing an answer because
it supports your opinion.
Seeking Assumptions
• Some GMAT critical-reasoning questions ask you to identify a premise that isn’t there.
• For these types of questions, the author directly states a series of premises and provides a clear
conclusion, 90 PART 2 Vanquishing the Verbal Section but in getting to that conclusion, the author
assumes information.
• Your job is to figure out what the author assumes to be true but doesn’t state directly in drawing
the conclusion to the argument.
Seeking-assumptions questions may look like these:
• The argument in the preceding passage depends on which of the following assumptions?
• The conclusion reached by the author of the preceding passage is a questionable one. On which
of the following assumptions did the author rely?
• The preceding paragraph presupposes which of the following?
NB:
Common words used in these types of questions are assume, rely, presuppose, depend on, a
 Seeking Assumptions
Sample Question 1
Women receive fewer speeding tickets than men do. Women also have lower car insurance rates. It
is clear that women are better drivers than men. The preceding conclusion is based on which of the
following assumptions?
I. Men and women drive cars equal distances and with equal frequency.
II. Having lower car insurance rates indicates that one is a better driver than those who have
higher rates.
III. Speeding tickets are equally awarded for violations without any gender bias on the part of
police officers.
(A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
Seeking Assumptions
Sample Question 1 Analysis
Look at Statement I first. It fits with your second observation that men and women experience
equal driving situations, so eliminate any answer choices that don’t include Statement I. This means
that you can get rid of Choices (B) and (D), which leaves you with Choices (A), (C), and (E). Before
you continue reading through your options, examine the remaining answer choices. You’ll see that
it’s best to examine Statement II next, because if it’s true, you won’t even have to read Statement
III; you’ll know the answer is Choice (E). You have to read Statement III only if you determine that
Statement II isn’t an assumption. (For more about strategies for answering Roman numeral
questions, see Chapter 2.)
The information in Statement II links the author’s last premise, that women have lower insurance
rates, to the conclusion that women are better drivers. Thus, Statement II is also correct. You can
eliminate Choices (A) and (C), and by process of elimination, the answer must be Choice (E). If you
read through Statement III, you’ll confirm that it, too, is an assumption the author makes about
men and women having an equal playing field in the driving game.
Making inferences
Critical-reasoning inference questions ask you to make an inference (using inductive reasoning)
based on the argument in the passage.
Making-inferences questions are pretty easy to recognize because they usually include the word
infer, such as the following examples
• Which of the following statements can be correctly inferred from the preceding passage?
• Which of the following can be inferred from the preceding statements?
NB:
The key to answering these questions correctly is to know that they usually ask you to make an
inference about one of the premises in the argument rather than about the entire argument or the
conclusion.
Making inferences
Sample Question 1
The highest-rated television shows do not always command the most advertising dollars. Ads that
run during shows with lower overall ratings are often more expensive because the audience for
those shows includes a high proportion of males between the ages of 19 and 34. Therefore, ads that
run during sporting events are often more expensive than ads running during other types of
programs. Which of the following can properly be inferred from the preceding passage?
(A) Advertisers have done little research into the typical consumer and are not using their
advertising dollars wisely.
(B) Sports programs have higher overall ratings than prime-time network programs.
(C) Advertisers believe males between the ages of 19 and 34 are more likely to be influenced by
advertisers than are other categories of viewers.
(D) Advertising executives prefer sports programs and assume that other Americans do as well.
(E) Ads that run during the biggest sporting events are the most expensive of all ads.
Making inferences
Sample Question 1 Analysis
The argument says nothing about advertising research or whether the particular advertising practice is wise, so
you can eliminate Choice (A) immediately. You’re stretching beyond the scope of the information if you infer
that advertisers are unwise. Likewise, Choice (D) mentions the preferences and assumptions of advertisers, but
none of the premises discuss advertisers, so you can get rid of Choice (D). The inference in Choice (E) relates to
the conclusion rather than any of the premises, so you can probably eliminate it right away. Furthermore, just
because sporting events ads are “often more expensive” than other ads doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re
always the most expensive. This leaves you with Choices (B) and (C). Choice (B) contradicts information in the
argument.
The author implies that some sporting events have lower overall ratings even though they have higher
advertising rates. You’re left with Choice (C). You need an explanation for the information in the second
sentence that states that advertising is often more expensive for lower-rated shows viewed by males who are
between 19 and 34 years old. This practice would be logical only if males of these ages were more susceptible
to advertising than other groups. It makes sense that Choice (C) is the correct answer. Remember to check your
outside knowledge about the critical-reasoning subjects at the door! You may know that Super Bowl ads are
the most-expensive ads, which may tempt you to pick Choice (E). Using your own knowledge rather than what’s
expressly stated in the test questions will cause you to miss questions that someone with less knowledge may
answer correctly.
Finding the method of reasoning
Method-of-reasoning questions are the rarest form of GMAT critical-reasoning question types.
This type of question either directly asks you what type of reasoning the author uses to make an argument or,
more often, asks you to choose an answer that uses the same method of reasoning as the argument.
You may see method-of-reasoning questions phrased like these:
• Which of the following employs the same method of reasoning as the preceding argument?
• The author’s point is made by which method of reasoning?
• David’s argument is similar to Katy’s in which of the following ways?
NB:
It has already been established that the two kinds of reasoning used are:
Deductive and,
Inductive
-Analogy
-Cause and effect
-Statistics
Finding the method of reasoning
Sample Question 1
A teacher told the students in her class, “The information that you read in your history book is correct because
I chose the history book and I will be creating the test and assigning your grades.” The reasoning in which of
the following statements most closely resembles that of the preceding argument?
(A) The decisions made by the Supreme Court are just because the Court has the authority to administer
justice.
(B) The people who have fame are famous because they deserve to be famous.
(C) Those who play sports get better grades because of the link between the health of the body and the health
of the mind.
(D) Because my favorite teacher chooses to drive this kind of car, I should as well.
(E) Of 100 professors surveyed, 99 agree with the conclusions reached by the scientist in his paper on global
warming.
Tips
• To do well on the critical-reasoning questions, you need to recognize
premises and conclusions in arguments, determine whether the
argument applies deductive or inductive reasoning (most will be
inductive), and, if the argument is inductive, figure out the method
the author uses to reach the conclusion.
General Tips
• Emphasize the importance of reviewing questions first.
• Explain how to identify question types.
• Slide 16: Reading the Passage in Detail
•
• Discuss the significance of a detailed reading.
• Offer tips for retaining information.
• Slide 17: Identifying Outliers in Answer Choices
•
• Define outliers in the context of RC questions.
• Provide strategies for identifying them.
• Slide 18: Week 3 Recap and Homework
GMAT Test Resources
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