GMAT (Subject) / Critical Reasoning (Lesson)
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- Boldface Type Questions In Boldface Type questions, two portions in the argument are in boldface type (i.e., thicker letters), and you are asked to identify their function in the argument.
- Redundancy/Redundant Redundancy means repetition of linguistic information, excessive wordiness, or repetition in expression. Example: An example of redundancy is using both and and also in the same sentence. Redundant means characterized by similarity or repetition. Example: Adding the word also after the word and is redundant as they both have the same meaning. These words are very important for Sentence Correction questions. The correct answer to a Sentence Correction question should be not only grammatically correct but also NOT redundant.
- Concise concise means expressing or covering much in few words. It is the opposite of redundant. Example: A concise sentence is a sentence that contains no unnecessary words and expresses the maximum meaning with the minimum number of words. The word concise is important for Sentence Correction questions. A correct answer to a Sentence Correction question should be not only grammatically correct but also concise.
- Ambiguous The word ambiguous means capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways. For example, the following sentence is ambiguous: John is playing with the boy because he wants to. It is unclear whether he refers to John or to the boy. Ambiguity is the noun, and it means uncertainty or lack of clarity of meaning. Example: The ambiguity of the above sentence means that different people might understand it differently: some will claim that the word he refers to John while others will claim that he refers to the boy. Knowing these words is very important for answering Sentence Correction questions correctly. The correct answer to a Sentence Correction question should be clear - not ambiguous. Ambiguity is one of the two stylistic GMAT mistakes (the other one is redundancy).
- Unequivocal Unequivocal means leaving no doubt, clear, unambiguous. Unequivocal is the opposite of the word ambiguous (zweideutig). Example: The language of the law should be plain and unequivocal. The word unequivocal is very important for Sentence Correction questions. The correct answer to a Sentence Correction question should be clear and unequivocal.
- Reconcile To reconcile means to resolve, to settle, to bring back to harmony.
- Discrepancy Discrepancy means inconsistency, contradiction or difference. As in many other words, in this case the prefix dis- has a negative context. A few well-known examples are appear-disappear, ability-disability, and connect-disconnect. Examples: 1. Leg length discrepancy (LLD) is a condition of unequal lengths of the legs. 2. A learning disability is often responsible for the discrepancy between a child's high intelligence and poor academic achievements. In the GMAT verbal section, you are likely to see the word discrepancy in Critical Reasoning questions, specifically in a Critical Reasoning question type called Paradox Questions.
- Paradox Questions Unlike most Critical Reasoning questions, which consist of both a premise and a conclusion, in Paradox questions the argument consists of premises only - there's NO conclusion. The premises seem to contradict each other, thus creating a paradox or a discrepancy. The question stem asks you to choose an answer choice that resolves this paradox. The correct answer is a new premise that resolves the paradox successfully and logically. Example: Company X made a very small profit last year. However, the company's CFO received a bonus as well as a raise. How can we resolve this paradox? A possible answer: Company X was predicted to lose a lot of money, and the CFO, through hard work, managed to change this. Had it not been for her, the company would have made no profit at all and would have lost money.
- Argument Flaw questions ask us to find a logical flaw in the argument. Since the premise cannot be flawed, the flaw will be either in the conclusion or in an assumption underlying the conclusion. We identify this question type through one of the following phrasings: 1. A major flaw in the argument above is that 2. The argument is flawed primarily because the author 3. Which of the following indicates a flaw in the reasoning above? 4. Which of the following points to the most serious logical flaw in the argument? 5. The argument is flawed because it fails to consider that...