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Aim
For example
You:
Me:
We cant go to a movie.
We dont!
Me:
You:
Me:
Critical Reasoning questions ask you to do several things, but central to them
all is having an understanding of the basic structure of an argument.
Key Terms
Argument
Key Terms
Assumption
The Approach
The Approach
Critical Reasoning questions test your ability to
use basic logic to analyze and critique arguments
made up of premises and conclusions. ETS testmakers write arguments that assume information
which doesnt exist!
A logical and consistent approach is the best way
to avoid formulaic traps.
Follow these steps each time you attack Critical
Reasoning questions.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Its natural to read the question after the argument because thats how
theyre presented on the page. This is done for a reason.
Reading the argument first is confusing.
Read the question and determine what to look for within the answer
choices.
In general, youll be looking for the answer choices that either
strengthen or weaken the argument.
Think of answer choices as additional premises. Adding any one
answer choice to the argument will do one of three things:
1.
2.
2.
3.
Note: This is the only step youre permitted to skip. While its necessary
to understand the meaning of each argument (and paraphrasing is a
good tool to help you do this), restating or paraphrasing an argument
brings you unavoidably further away from the actual text.
Strengthen
Weaken
Neutral
Out of scope
Use the Process of Error Identification to get rid of any choices that do
not affect the conclusion (neutral) or have nothing to do with the
argument whatsoever (out of scope).
Whether you eliminate strengthen or weaken answer choices depends
on the question related with that argument.
Try the following Critical Reasoning example, using five steps
Weakens
Weakens
Neutral
Whats wrong with answer choice (C) ? The trigger word most is
undefined. Most is a relative term, but we dont know what its
relative to.
Theres a fatal flaw to this logic. Look back and compare this
rephrasing with the actual argument itself.
Good job!
Theres a fatal flaw to this logic. Look back and compare this
rephrasing with the actual argument itself.
Good luck!
Fire!
Weigh each
choice
carefully
before
eliminating it.
Sorry, the correct answer is (A). Lets look at this problem using
the MBA Centers five steps.
Who said the
plants in
both groups
are the
same?
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Right again!
This ones harder still
Kobayashi coffee has more caffeine than Marlowe Select coffee. But
since Chula Vista coffee has more caffeine than Valentino coffee, it
follows that Kobayashi coffee has more caffeine than Valentino coffee.
Any of the following, if introduced into the argument as an
additional premise, makes the argument above logically correct
EXCEPT?
(A) Marlowe Street coffee has more caffeine than Valentino
coffee.
(B) Marlowe Street corree has more caffeine than Chula Vista
coffee.
(C) Marlowe Street and Chula Vista coffees have the same
amount of caffeine.
(D) Kobayashi and Chula Vista coffees have the same amount of
caffeine.
(E) Chula Vista coffee has more caffeine than Kobayashi coffee.
Sorry, the correct answer is (E). Lets look at this problem using
the MBA Centers five steps.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Critical Reasoning
Got you that time!
You did well, and you only had problems with the
final difficult problem.
Critical Reasoning
Good job! You got the second wrong, but the
other two were right.
Critical Reasoning
Inference is
once logical
step away
from the
conclusion.
Critical Reasoning
Good job!
You got the first one wrong, but you pulled it
back up with two and three.
Critical Reasoning
Sorry. You got the second problem right, but the
other two were wrong.
Critical Reasoning
What can I say?
Critical Reasoning
Sorry. You got the first question right, but you
answered the next two wrong.
Critical Reasoning
Got you that time!
Well done, though.
You got four out of five right. Keep it up and
youll be on your way to Harvard!
Summary
Summary