How to approach different types of critical reasoning questions

How to approach different types of critical reasoning questions



Critical Reasoning   Question Types, Methods to Solve


A Critical Reasoning question is generally of the form of a paragraph or a case, followed by one or two questions. The short paragraph is an argument which comprises of:

The premise – the evidence

The conclusion – the main point of the argument

An assumption – the unstated or missing premises without which the argument would be untenable.

 In some cases, the conclusion may not be given and the question may require that you supply the conclusion. The premises are pieces of evidence that the author uses (as a basis) to arrive at the conclusion. The conclusion is valid depending on the strength of the premises and assumptions.


Locating the conclusion

Certain keywords can help you isolate the conclusion and the evidence in a stimulus; clues that signal evidence include – since, because, as, due to, etc. Clues that signal conclusion include – so, therefore, thus, consequently, hence, as a result, etc.



 

Approach Methodology to Different Types of Critical Reasoning Questions


Look at the question first before looking at the answer choices. The basic question types include

 

Find the conclusion


In this question type, the test-taker is expected to choose the statement that is already given in the passage as the conclusion of the argument from the answer choices. Look out for keywords like hence, so, thus, therefore, etc. However, a conclusion may also begin without these keywords.


Supply the conclusion


In this question type, the argument consists of merely a set of evidence. The test-taker is expected to supply the conclusion. This implies that the answer is not a sentence given in the passage but must include and rest on all the given evidence.

 

Find the assumption


To answer this question, the test-taker is expected to identify the conclusion that is already given in the paragraph. An assumption is a statement that is not given as the premise but is required if the conclusion has to be valid. Without an assumption, the conclusion cannot be arrived at. As the assumption is an unstated premise, the answer is not a statement given in the paragraph. There could be several assumptions and hence the test-taker is required to find the assumption on which the conclusion depends.

 

Strengthen Argument


In strengthen-the-argument questions, the type of premises given should be examined. The premises could be presented in the form of

  • Statistical Data – numbers, percentages, ratios, etc
  • Causal Data – the data may be in the form of a cause – effect relationship
  • Analogy – arriving at a conclusion through likening it to a similar situation


Here the conclusion is already given in the argument. One of the choices if true further supports or reinforces the conclusion. This means that the conclusion is further strengthened if a choice is true. The question is phrased in one of the following ways.

  1. Which of the following, if true, strengthens the argument?
  2. Which of the following, if true, least weakens the argument?
  3. Which of the following, if true, adds credence to the argument?
  4. Which of the following, if true, reinforces the argument?

 

Weaken the Argument

In this question type, the conclusion is already in the argument but with a questionable assumption. One of the choices if true weakens the conclusion. The question is phrased in one of the following ways.

  1. Which of the following, if true, weakens the conclusion?
  2. Which of the following, if true, least strengthens the argument?
  3. Which of the following, if true, jeopardizes the argument?
  4. Which of the following, if true, questions the validity of the argument?
  5. Which of the following, if true, damages the argument?

 

Find the inference


In this question type, the conclusion is already given. If the statements in the argument are true, one of the choices also must be true. If there are two premises, it is possible to make two inferences. The questions appear as follows:

  1. If the statements in the arguments are true, which of the following must also be true?
  2. Which of the following statement can be inferred from the passage?
  3. Which of the following is implied in the passage?


Inferences often have very little to do with the conclusion and for each premise, you can have an inference. So, the inferences made from the premises need to be mapped with the given options to deduce the right answer option.

 

Mimic the argument


Here one of the choices is similar/parallel to the given argument in logic and structure. The test-taker is expected to determine the option which best matches the given argument. The similarity can be in the form of a premise or conclusion or inference.

 

Solved Examples

Q.1. For years, a considerable number of students on West County High School’s track team complained about shin splints (medial tibial syndrome). However, during the most recent season, the number of students who complained about shin splints dropped significantly. School officials assert that this reduction in complaints occurred entirely as a result of the school’s decision to build a new running track that provided a softer running surface, which absorbed much of the shock on the knees and shins that occur when running and causes shin splints. Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens the school officials’ explanation for the decrease in complaints about shin splints?

  1.  (a) As a result of West County High School’s adoption of better medical staff and new medical scanning devices, many students whose complaints would have been diagnosed in years past as an instance of shin splints are now diagnosed with a different condition.
  2. (b) West County High School built its track after a number of neighboring schools with similar track teams built new tracks and each school saw the number of complaints about shin splints drop.
  3. (c) This past season, members of West County High School’s track team received and wore new and highly acclaimed shoes designed to soften the impact of running on the shin and knee.
  4. (d) This past season, the total number of students who complained of pain while running rose.

 

Solution: Option c

The school authorities assert that the new track was “entirely” responsible for the reduction in “complaints” about shin splints. The first choice speaks about the diagnosis of the students’ complaints. This cannot weaken the conclusion that the number of “complaints” decreased. The second choice strengthens the argument as it asserts what the school authorities already are claiming. The third choice directly questions the claims of the school authorities as it provides an alternative explanation for the reduction in the number of complaints. Hence, this choice tends to weaken the school officials’ explanation. The fourth choice provides non-relevant information as the matter in the discussion is about complaints about shin splints and not complaints about pain while running. Hence, the third choice most severely weakens the school officials’ explanation for the decrease in complaints about shin splints.

 

Q.2.”Some men are definitely intelligent, others are definitely not intelligent, but of intermediate men, we should say, ‘intelligent’? Yes, I think, so or no, I shouldn’t be inclined to call him intelligent.” Which of the following reflects the intention of the writer well?

  1. To call men intelligent who are not strikingly so must be to use the concept with undue imprecision
  2. Every empirical concept has a degree of vagueness   
  3. Calling someone intelligent or not depends upon one’s whim
  4. There is no need to be as indecisive as the writer of the above


Solution: Option 1

Explanation:- The Writer clearly states in the last part of his statement, that he should or should not be inclined to call him intelligent. The only option, which reflects that intention, is the first option and thus is the answer.

Option B is wrong because we cannot generalise all empirical concepts to be vague on basis of this and it is irrelevant also. Option C and D are also vague.


Q.3.Between 1960 and 1970, ivory poachers in the African nation of Zinbaku killed over 6,500 elephants. During that period, the total elephant population in Zinbaku fell from about 35,000 to just under 30,000. In 1970, new anti-poaching measures were implemented in Zinbaku, and between 1970 and 1980 over 800 poachers were arrested and expelled from the country. Nevertheless, by 1980, the elephant population in Zinbaku had fallen to about 21,000.

Which of the following, if true, would best help to explain the apparent paradox presented above?


  1. The poachers arrested in Zinbaku between 1970 and 1980 were rarely sentenced to long prison terms
  2. Because of highly publicized campaigns against the slaughter of elephants, demand for ivory fell between 1970 and 1980
  3. The elephant population in neighbouring Mombasa rose slightly between 1970 and 1980
  4. In Zinbaku, between 1970 and 1980, thousands of acres of forest, the elephant’s natural habitat, were cleared for farming


Solution: Option 4

The paradox can be explained if an option offers an alternate reason for the decrease of population. Option D does that.


Q.4.The conclusion drawn in the Iast sentence depends on which of the following assumptions?

  1. The roads outside highway would be as convenient as highway for most drivers of trucks..
  2. Most of the roads outside highways are not ready to handle truck traffic.
  3. Most trucks that are currently running in highway have a capacity of more than 8 tons.
  4. Cars are at greater risk of being involved in collisions than are trucks.


Solution: Option C

The first sentence concludes that prohibiting trucks with capacity of more than 8 tons from highway would force most trucks away from highways.

The conclusion cannot be true unless it is true that, as 3 says, most trucks that use highways have capacity of more than 8 tons. Therefore, the first sentence’s conclusion assumes this choice, which is thus the best answer.


Q.5.There are numerous reasons why individuals want to run their own businesses. Some foresee more personal satisfaction if they succeed in launching their own business, while others are mainly interested in the prospect of larger financial rewards. Since 1980s and early 1990s, tax regulation and liberal policies have encouraged increasing number of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs to start new enterprises. Since 1990, one and a half million new ventures have been started. Not all have succeeded.

The above statement makes which of the following assumptions?

  1. Success in starting a new business largely depends on sound financial planning
  2. Venture capitalists are motivated by non-monetary gains   
  3. Social incentives motivate investors just as much as financial rewards
  4. None of these


Solution: Option D

Explanation:- None of the given option seems to be a valid assumption; hence the 4th option that is none of these is the answer. Option A is a general statement

Option B is a wrong assumption as it is mentioned in the passage that they are interested in financial rewards. Option C is irrelevant.


Q.6.Offshore oil-drilling operations involve an unavoidable risk of an oil spill, but importing oil on tankers presently involves an even greater such risk per barrel of oil. So, if we are to lessen the risk of an oil spill without reducing our oil usage, we must invest more in offshore operations and import less oil on tankers.

Which of the following, if true, seriously weakens the argument above?

  1. Importing oil on tankers is currently less expensive than drilling for it offshore.
  2. Tankers can easily be redesigned so that their use entails less risk of an oil spill.
  3. The impact of offshore operations on the environment can be reduced by careful management.
  4. Oil spills caused by tankers have generally been more serious than those caused by offshore operations.


Solution: Option B

Explanation:- Option 2. We have to go against investment in offshore drilling and support importing oil on tankers. In that case, the argument is weakened because the lowered risk of oil spills resulting from improved oil tanker design could actually make tankers less problematic than offshore operations.

This is present in choice 2.


Q.7.India’s baffling array of state and national labor laws date to the 1940s: one provides for the type and number of spittoons in a factory. Another says an enterprise with more than 100 workers needs government permission to scale back or close. Many Indian businesses stay small in order to remain beyond the reach of the laws. Big firms use temporary workers to avoid them. Less than 15% of Indian workers have legal job security. The new government can sidestep the difficult politics of curbing privileges by establishing a new, simpler labor contract that gives basic protection to workers but makes lay-offs less costly to firms. It would apply only to new hires; the small proportion of existing workers with gold-star protections would keep them.

Which of the following options best summarizes the main idea of the paragraph?

  1. More Indian workers can get permanent jobs and legal job security if existing labor laws are reformed.
  2. Effective labor law reform can encourage many Indian businesses to grow to more than 100 workers.
  3. Outdated Indian labor laws need to be simplified to provide basic protection to workers and curb privileges.
  4. The difficult politics of curbing privileges can be avoided if the changes in the labor law only apply to the new hires.




Solution: Option C

Option A- More Indian workers can get permanent jobs and legal job security if existing labor laws are reformed.

The paragraph states that big firms use temporary workers to avoid laws that are applicable for enterprises with over 100 workers. Thus, only a small percentage of Indian workers have legal job security.

From the above, we cannot however conclude that if labor laws are reformed, more workers can get permanent jobs. There could be other factors influencing whether workers are taken in as temporary or permanent.

Also, the above is not the main idea of the paragraph. Temporary workers are one aspect of the impact of outdated labor laws discussed by the paragraph; it does not summarize the paragraph.

Option B- Effective labor law reform can encourage many Indian businesses to grow to more than 100 workers.

The paragraph does argue that outdated labor laws mean that most businesses stay small to avoid them. So the above is a reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the paragraph. However, it is not the main idea of the paragraph, and does not summarize it.

Option D- The difficult politics of curbing privileges can be avoided if the changes in the labor law only apply to the new hires

Again, this is stated in the paragraph. However, does it summarize the paragraph? This option only touches upon one aspect of labor law reform suggested. Hence this is not the correct choice of answer.

Option C- Outdated Indian labor laws need to be simplified to provide basic protection to workers and curb privileges.

We can see that this option touches upon the main points of the paragraph- outdated labor laws, need for reform to simplify, basic protection for workers and curbing privileges.

This is hence the option that best summarizes the paragraph.


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Critical Reasoning   Question Types, Methods to Solve




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