GMAC GMAC Critical Reasoning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A GMAT boldface Critical Reasoning question labels one sentence as the 'main conclusion.' Which role does the boldface sentence play if it begins with 'Therefore'?
- It is the main conclusion (Correct answer)
- It is a supporting premise
- It is background information
- It is a counterargument
Correct answer: It is the main conclusion
'Therefore' is a conclusion indicator word, signaling that the sentence is the main conclusion drawn from preceding premises.
Question 2: 'City X banned plastic bags, and plastic bag litter in City X decreased by 40%. Other cities should ban plastic bags too.' Which of the following, if true, most strengthens this argument?
- Similar bans in other cities produced comparable litter reductions (Correct answer)
- Plastic bags are cheap to produce
- City X also increased fines for littering
- Residents found paper bags inconvenient
Correct answer: Similar bans in other cities produced comparable litter reductions
Evidence that similar interventions produced similar results in other cities strengthens the generalization.
Question 3: An argument states: 'No evidence of fraud was found during the audit; therefore, no fraud occurred.' This argument assumes:
- The audit was thorough enough to detect any fraud if it existed (Correct answer)
- Auditors are always honest
- The company has a history of good practices
- Fraud is rare in this industry
Correct answer: The audit was thorough enough to detect any fraud if it existed
The argument assumes absence of evidence equals evidence of absence, which requires the audit to be comprehensive.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of an 'appeal to authority' fallacy in a GMAT argument?
- A celebrity endorses a financial product as safe without financial expertise (Correct answer)
- A study with 10,000 participants shows the drug is effective
- An economist predicts a recession based on GDP data
- A survey of 500 customers shows high satisfaction
Correct answer: A celebrity endorses a financial product as safe without financial expertise
Citing a celebrity—who lacks financial expertise—as evidence of safety is an appeal to irrelevant authority.
Question 5: 'Surveys show that employees are happiest at Company Z. Therefore, Company Z must have the best management practices.' The argument is weakest because:
- Employee happiness may result from factors unrelated to management (Correct answer)
- Surveys are always biased
- Company Z is a small company
- Other companies were not surveyed
Correct answer: Employee happiness may result from factors unrelated to management
Happiness could stem from pay, culture, location, or other factors, so attributing it solely to management is unwarranted.
Question 6: In a GMAT inference question, which answer choice is most directly supported by the following: 'All GMAT test-takers who score above 700 are admitted to at least one top-10 MBA program'?
- A test-taker admitted to a top-10 program scored above 700
- A test-taker who scored 710 was admitted to at least one top-10 program (Correct answer)
- Scoring above 700 is the only admission requirement
- Top-10 programs only accept GMAT scores above 700
Correct answer: A test-taker who scored 710 was admitted to at least one top-10 program
The statement guarantees that any score above 700 leads to admission; 710 > 700, so that person was admitted.
GMAC GMAC Critical Reasoning 2
A GMAT boldface Critical Reasoning question labels one sentence as the 'main conclusion.' Which role does the boldface sentence play if it begins with 'Therefore'?