The term Critical Reasoning refers to one of three basic question formats on the GMAT Verbal Ability section. This page lists key features of GMAT Critical Reasoning questions as well as the test directions for the Critical Reasoning format. It also provides a sample question (and a detailed analysis).
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Critical Reasoning Format, Skills Tested, and Directions
Here are the key "specs" for GMAT Critical Reasoning questions:How many: 14-15 questionsWhere: In the 75-Minute Verbal Ability section, mixed with Reading Comprehension and Sentence Correction questions
Format: Multiple-choice (you select one of 5 choices by clicking on an oval). You'll be given a one-paragraph passage (an argument), along with a question relating to that passage.
Skills tested: Your ability to understand, criticize, and draw reasonable conclusions from arguments
Directions: There are no special directions for GMAT Critical Reasoning. Only the following brief directions will appear on your screen — just before your first Critical Reasoning question (and you can access them while tackling any Critical Reasoning question by clicking on the HELP button).
Directions: For each question, select the best of the answer choices given.
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To review these directions for subsequent questions of this type, click on HELP. |
Sample Critical Reasoning Question
Here's a typical GMAT-style Critical Reasoning question:
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Some of our federal legislators are opposed to government endowments or other financial support for photography as an art form on the basis that much of modern photography portrays nudity and is thus obscene. These legislators are mistaken, however, since even they would agree that Michelangelo's works of art, most of which depict nudity, are not obscene. Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument above? - The artistic level of the works of the vast majority of modern photographers does not approach that of Michelangelo's works.
- Many modern photographic works of art have been displayed in museums alongside Michelangelo's works.
- The majority of Michelangelo's work was not funded or otherwise supported by the government.
- What these legislators consider to be obscene does not coincide with what the general citizenry views as obscene.
- Due to their relatively high artistic value, works of Michelangelo that portray nudity are not considered obscene.
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Quick Tip for Sample Question
Arguments that can be weakened generally rely on poor assumptions — unstated premises that are unlikely to be true but which must be assumed true for the argument's conclusion to be strongly inferable.
Analysis of Sample Question
The author of the passage attempts to refute the legislators' argument by reasoning essentially as follows:Premise: Michelangelo's works portray nudity.Premise: Michelangelo's works are not considered obscene.
Intermediate Conclusion: A work of art that portrays nudity is not necessarily obscene.
Final Conclusion: The legislators are mistaken about why they should not provide funding for photographic art that portrays nudity.
However, the argument generalizes about whether portrayals of nudity are obscene by citing evidence about the works of only one particular artist. To generalize from this one particular case is to rely on certain unstated assumptions, one of which is that Michelangelo's portrayals of nudity are similar to modern photographic portrayals of nudity in all respects relevant to the argument. Thus, one way to effectively undermine the argument is to refute this unstated assumption.The first answer choice (we'll call it "A") is the second-best answer among the five choices. (A) suggests a possible explanation why modern photographers' works portraying nudity might be considered obscene while Michelangelo's works portraying nudity would not. But a better response would go further — to explain how artistic value affects whether an art work is considered obscene. Thus, while (A) tends to weaken the argument, you should look for another answer choice that refutes the argument's unstated assumption more directly.
The second answer choice (we'll call it "B") actually strengthens (supports) the argument, rather than weakening it. (B) provides some evidence, albeit weak, that Michelangelo's works are relevantly similar to those of modern photographers.
The third answer choice (we'll call it "C") is irrelevant to the argument, which relies on a logical connection between nudity and obscenity, not on any logical connection between federal funding and obscenity.
The fourth answer choice (we'll call it "D") fails to provide enough information to either weaken or support the argument. More specifically, (D) does not indicate how the general citizenry's view as to what is obscene compares with that of the legislators. Without this information, (D) accomplishes nothing toward either weakening or supporting the argument.
The fifth answer choice (we'll call it "E") is the best one. (E) directly refutes the unstated assumption that Michelangelo's works and those of modern photographers are similar in all respects relevant to the argument — by stating explicitly that because of their relatively high artistic value Michelangelo's works are not considered obscene.
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