GMAT Verbal: Boldface and Method of Reasoning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a boldface question, the first boldface states 'Sales rose after the ad campaign,' and the second states 'The campaign was the cause of the rise.' What roles do they play?
- The first is evidence; the second is the conclusion drawn from it (Correct answer)
- Both are conclusions
- The first is the conclusion; the second is evidence
- Both are objections to the argument
Correct answer: The first is evidence; the second is the conclusion drawn from it
An observed fact serving as support is evidence, and the causal claim built on it is the conclusion.
Question 2: An argument's author boldfaces a claim that the argument as a whole is structured to oppose. That boldface functions as:
- The main conclusion
- A position the argument argues against (Correct answer)
- Supporting evidence for the conclusion
- A restatement of the premise
Correct answer: A position the argument argues against
A statement the argument seeks to refute is an opposing position, not the author's conclusion.
Question 3: Which phrasing in a passage most reliably signals that a boldface portion is the main conclusion?
- 'Because of this evidence...'
- 'Therefore, the company should...' (Correct answer)
- 'Some critics contend that...'
- 'For example, last year...'
Correct answer: 'Therefore, the company should...'
'Therefore' introduces the claim the rest of the argument supports.
Question 4: A method-of-reasoning question asks how an argument proceeds. The argument cites a single past case to predict a future outcome. This method is best described as:
- Reasoning by analogy from a prior instance (Correct answer)
- Appealing to expert authority
- Defining a key term
- Presenting statistical surveys
Correct answer: Reasoning by analogy from a prior instance
Generalizing from one comparable case to a new situation is reasoning by analogy.
Question 5: In a two-boldface argument, the second boldface offers a consideration that weakens the first boldface claim. The second boldface is:
- A premise supporting the first
- A counterconsideration to the first (Correct answer)
- The author's final conclusion
- An illustrative example
Correct answer: A counterconsideration to the first
A point that undermines an earlier claim functions as a counterconsideration.
Question 6: An author concludes a policy is flawed by showing it leads to an absurd consequence. This method of reasoning is:
- Reductio ad absurdum (Correct answer)
- Appeal to popularity
- Circular reasoning
- Ad hominem attack
Correct answer: Reductio ad absurdum
Discrediting a claim by tracing it to an absurd result is reductio ad absurdum.
Question 7: When identifying boldface roles, why is it useful to locate the conclusion first?
- Conclusions are always boldfaced
- Other statements can then be classified by how they relate to the conclusion (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is always the first sentence
- It eliminates the need to read the passage
Correct answer: Other statements can then be classified by how they relate to the conclusion
Once the conclusion is fixed, each boldface can be tested as support for or opposition to it.
GMAT Verbal: Boldface and Method of Reasoning 2
In a boldface question, the first boldface states 'Sales rose after the ad campaign,' and the second states 'The campaign was the cause of the rise.' What roles do they play?