GMAT Verbal: Critical Reasoning Evaluate the Argument 1 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Argument: 'Our city should invest in building more bicycle lanes. Studies show that cities with extensive bicycle infrastructure have lower rates of traffic congestion, and reducing congestion will shorten commute times for all residents.' Which of the following would be most useful to know in order to evaluate this argument?

Whether the studies were conducted in cities with climates similar to ours (Correct answer)
The total cost of constructing new bicycle lanes in comparable cities
Whether reducing bicycle lane construction would free funds for public transit
The political popularity of bicycle infrastructure among city council members

Correct answer: Whether the studies were conducted in cities with climates similar to ours

The argument assumes our city would experience similar congestion reductions as cities in those studies. If those cities had different climates, cycling adoption rates might differ, making the comparison invalid.

A is critical because the argument relies on extrapolating findings from other cities to ours. If those cities had very different climates (making cycling impractical here), the evidence may not transfer. B is about cost, not about whether the argument's logic holds. C introduces a different policy alternative, not directly relevant to evaluating this argument's validity. D is about political feasibility, not logical soundness.

Question 2: Argument: 'Employees who participate in the company's voluntary wellness program have 30% fewer sick days than those who do not participate. Therefore, expanding participation in the wellness program will reduce overall sick day usage across the company.' Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines this argument?

The wellness program includes both mental health resources and physical fitness components
Employees who participate in wellness programs tend to be healthier to begin with than those who do not (Correct answer)
The company spends approximately $500 per participating employee per year on the wellness program
Managers who encourage wellness program participation receive higher performance ratings

Correct answer: Employees who participate in wellness programs tend to be healthier to begin with than those who do not

If participants are already healthier, the 30% difference reflects selection bias, not the program's effect. Expanding the program to less healthy employees may not produce the same reduction.

B introduces selection bias — the program may attract people who are already health-conscious and less prone to illness. This means the causal claim (program reduces sick days) is questionable. A describes program content but doesn't undermine the causal logic. C is about cost, not causal validity. D is about managerial behavior, irrelevant to whether the program causes health improvements.

Question 3: Argument: 'A survey found that students who read for pleasure at least 30 minutes per day score 20 points higher on standardized verbal tests than those who do not. Schools should therefore require 30 minutes of daily pleasure reading to improve test scores.' To evaluate this argument, it would be most important to determine:

Whether standardized verbal tests are the best measure of reading comprehension
Whether students who enjoy reading would have scored higher regardless of how much they read (Correct answer)
Whether the students surveyed attended public or private schools
Whether teachers are qualified to monitor daily pleasure reading sessions

Correct answer: Whether students who enjoy reading would have scored higher regardless of how much they read

The argument assumes pleasure reading causes higher scores. But it's possible that students with strong verbal aptitude naturally read more. Knowing if high-scorers would still outperform regardless of reading time is essential.

B targets the reverse causation problem — verbal aptitude may drive both more pleasure reading and higher test scores, making the reading incidental rather than causal. A questions the measurement tool but doesn't address the causal logic. C is about school type, not causation. D addresses implementation, not the argument's validity.

Question 4: Argument: 'Countries with higher rates of home ownership tend to have lower rates of violent crime. Therefore, policies that increase home ownership will reduce violent crime.' Which of the following pieces of information would be most useful in evaluating the causal claim in this argument?

Whether home ownership rates have changed in the past decade in high-crime countries
Whether a third factor, such as economic stability, independently causes both higher home ownership and lower crime rates (Correct answer)
The specific policies that governments have used to increase home ownership rates
Whether property crime rates also correlate with home ownership levels

Correct answer: Whether a third factor, such as economic stability, independently causes both higher home ownership and lower crime rates

If economic stability independently drives both home ownership and low crime, then the correlation between ownership and crime is spurious — and increasing ownership alone wouldn't reduce crime.

B identifies the confounding variable problem: if economic stability (or similar factors) drives both outcomes, the home ownership → crime causation is illusory. A is about trends over time, less directly relevant. C is about policy details, not the logical validity of the causal claim. D about property crime is tangential to violent crime causation.

Question 5: Argument: 'Hospital patients who have a window view of nature during recovery leave the hospital on average 1.2 days sooner than those with views of a brick wall. Hospitals should therefore redesign patient rooms to maximize natural views in order to reduce costs and length of stay.' Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken this argument?

The cost of renovating hospital rooms to provide natural views exceeds the savings from shorter stays
Patients with nature views receive the same amount of medical attention as those with wall views
The original study was conducted in a single hospital in a rural setting with unusually large window dimensions (Correct answer)
Some patients prefer privacy and deliberately choose rooms without outdoor views

Correct answer: The original study was conducted in a single hospital in a rural setting with unusually large window dimensions

If the study was conducted in a highly specific context (single hospital, rural, unusually large windows), its findings may not generalize to typical hospitals, undermining the recommendation to redesign all hospital rooms.

C questions the external validity of the study — results from one atypical hospital may not apply broadly. A addresses cost-benefit, which could weaken the policy recommendation but doesn't undermine the causal claim as directly as C. B actually supports the study's design quality. D is a minor preference issue unrelated to the argument's core logic.

Question 6: Argument: 'Online retailers that offer free returns have significantly higher customer retention rates than those that charge for returns. Our company should implement a free returns policy to improve retention.' To properly evaluate this recommendation, it would be most useful to know:

Whether our current customers are aware that we charge for returns
Whether free returns policies cause higher retention, or whether retailers with free returns differ in other ways that attract loyal customers (Correct answer)
The industry average return rate for our product category
Whether our competitors currently offer free return policies

Correct answer: Whether free returns policies cause higher retention, or whether retailers with free returns differ in other ways that attract loyal customers

The argument assumes free returns cause higher retention. But retailers offering free returns may also invest more in quality, service, or selection — the free returns may be a marker of overall quality, not the cause of retention.

B directly asks whether the causal assumption holds or whether a confounding factor (e.g., overall service quality) explains both free returns and retention. A is about customer awareness, not causal validity. C is about industry norms, useful but secondary. D is about competitive benchmarking, not the causal logic of the argument.

Question 7: Argument: 'A nutritional study found that people who eat breakfast every day have lower rates of obesity than those who skip breakfast. Public health campaigns should therefore encourage daily breakfast consumption to combat obesity.' Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen this argument?

Breakfast skippers tend to eat larger meals later in the day, consuming more total calories (Correct answer)
People who eat breakfast also tend to exercise more and have generally healthier lifestyles
Nutritionists have disagreed for decades about the ideal composition of a healthy breakfast
Obese individuals often skip breakfast due to lack of time caused by work demands

Correct answer: Breakfast skippers tend to eat larger meals later in the day, consuming more total calories

A provides a plausible mechanism: breakfast prevents overeating later, establishing a causal link between breakfast consumption and lower caloric intake that could reduce obesity.

A provides a causal mechanism — breakfast eaters consume fewer total calories because they don't overcompensate later. This strengthens the causal claim. B actually weakens by suggesting confounding (healthier lifestyle explains both). C introduces disagreement that is irrelevant to whether breakfast reduces obesity. D introduces reverse causation (obesity → skipping breakfast), which could weaken the argument.

Question 8: Argument: 'Teenagers who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media report higher rates of anxiety and depression. Therefore, limiting social media use among teenagers to under 3 hours per day will improve their mental health.' Which of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the reasoning above?

The argument fails to specify which social media platforms cause the most harm
The argument assumes that heavy social media use causes poor mental health rather than the reverse (Correct answer)
The argument does not account for the positive social connections teenagers form through social media
The argument uses self-reported data, which is inherently unreliable in all psychological research

Correct answer: The argument assumes that heavy social media use causes poor mental health rather than the reverse

Teenagers experiencing anxiety or depression may turn to social media more as a coping mechanism (reverse causation) — the mental health issues may be causing the heavy usage rather than the usage causing the mental health issues.

B identifies the reverse causation flaw — the data shows correlation between high usage and poor mental health, but teenagers may increase social media use because they are already anxious or depressed. A is about platform specificity, not the argument's fundamental flaw. C raises benefits not mentioned, which is a consideration but not the core logical flaw. D overstates — self-reporting limitations don't make all such data 'inherently unreliable.'

Question 9: Argument: 'The unemployment rate in City X fell from 8% to 5% in the two years following the construction of a new sports stadium. The stadium project clearly stimulated the local economy and created jobs.' Which of the following would be most useful in evaluating whether the stadium caused the employment improvement?

The number of permanent versus temporary jobs created during stadium construction
Whether unemployment rates in comparable cities without stadium construction also declined during the same period (Correct answer)
The total public investment required to build and operate the stadium
Whether the stadium attracts tourists whose spending benefits local businesses

Correct answer: Whether unemployment rates in comparable cities without stadium construction also declined during the same period

If cities without stadiums also saw unemployment fall by similar amounts during the same period, the decline in City X may be due to broader economic trends rather than the stadium.

B is the critical control: if the broader economy was improving everywhere, the stadium may deserve no credit. A provides detail about job quality but not causal attribution. C is about cost, not about whether the stadium caused the outcome. D is about a mechanism, which could strengthen but doesn't directly address whether the stadium was the actual cause versus broader economic forces.

Question 10: Argument: 'Increasing the minimum wage in our state will harm small businesses. A study of 50 small restaurants found that after a minimum wage increase, 12 of them closed within a year.' Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this argument?

The average minimum wage increase studied was only $1.50 per hour
Restaurant closures occur at similar rates even in years without minimum wage increases (Correct answer)
Some of the 50 restaurants were located in economically distressed neighborhoods
The study examined only restaurants rather than all types of small businesses

Correct answer: Restaurant closures occur at similar rates even in years without minimum wage increases

If similar restaurant closure rates occur in years without wage increases, then the 12 closures after the wage hike may not be attributable to the wage increase — the closures could be a normal business failure rate.

B provides a baseline — if 24% of restaurants close annually regardless of wage changes, the 24% closure rate here is unexceptional. A actually might suggest the studied increase was too small to cause closures, potentially weakening the evidence base. C raises context but doesn't directly undermine the causal claim as powerfully as B. D limits generalizability but doesn't directly address the causal logic.

Question 11: Argument: 'The crime rate in neighborhoods where community policing programs were implemented dropped by 15% over three years. We should expand community policing city-wide to reduce crime.' To evaluate whether community policing caused the crime reduction, it would be most important to know:

Whether community policing programs are more expensive than traditional policing methods
Whether neighborhoods that received community policing differed systematically from those that did not before implementation (Correct answer)
The specific types of crimes that declined most in community policing neighborhoods
Whether police officers in community policing programs received additional training

Correct answer: Whether neighborhoods that received community policing differed systematically from those that did not before implementation

If neighborhoods selected for community policing already had characteristics that would lead to lower crime (e.g., more engaged residents, lower poverty), the decline may reflect those pre-existing differences rather than the program itself.

B addresses selection bias — if neighborhoods were chosen for community policing because they already had favorable conditions, the 15% drop may not be attributable to the program. A is about cost, not causal validity. C provides detail about crime types but doesn't address whether community policing caused the decline. D addresses officer preparation, which is related but secondary to the selection bias concern.

Question 12: Argument: 'A pharmaceutical company's internal study showed that patients taking Drug X experienced a 40% reduction in symptom severity compared to a control group. The company recommends that doctors prescribe Drug X as a first-line treatment.' Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious concern about the reliability of this evidence?

The study enrolled patients from 15 different countries with varying baseline health conditions
The study was conducted and funded by the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Drug X (Correct answer)
The drug was tested on adults but the recommendation covers adolescent patients as well
The 40% reduction was measured after 12 weeks, but the drug is intended for long-term use

Correct answer: The study was conducted and funded by the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Drug X

Funding bias is a well-documented phenomenon — studies funded by manufacturers of a drug are more likely to find favorable results. The company has a financial interest in a positive outcome, compromising the study's objectivity.

B raises the conflict of interest that undermines confidence in the study's objectivity. A is about sample diversity, which could strengthen or weaken depending on context. C raises a generalizability concern but is a secondary issue. D raises durability concerns but doesn't challenge the 40% finding's reliability as fundamentally as B does.

Question 13: Argument: 'Mandatory physical education classes in schools have been shown to reduce childhood obesity rates. Our school district should therefore make physical education mandatory for all grades to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.' Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens this argument?

Physical education classes in our district are currently optional for students in grades 9-12
Studies showing obesity reduction from mandatory PE were conducted in districts with concurrent nutrition education programs (Correct answer)
Some students with physical disabilities have difficulty participating in standard PE classes
Mandatory PE would require hiring additional physical education teachers in understaffed schools

Correct answer: Studies showing obesity reduction from mandatory PE were conducted in districts with concurrent nutrition education programs

If the obesity-reducing studies combined PE with nutrition education, then PE alone may be insufficient — implementing only mandatory PE without the nutrition component might not replicate those results.

B identifies that the studies' results may have depended on a combined intervention (PE + nutrition education), meaning PE alone cannot be assumed to produce the same outcome. A is about current policy, not the argument's validity. C raises a logistics concern but doesn't challenge the core causal claim. D addresses staffing logistics, not the argument's reasoning.

Question 14: Argument: 'In countries where motorcycle helmet laws were enacted, motorcycle fatality rates declined by an average of 25%. Countries without helmet laws should therefore adopt them to save lives.' Which of the following would be most important to evaluate in assessing this recommendation?

Whether helmet laws are difficult to enforce in countries with large rural areas
Whether motorcycle fatality rates also declined in countries without helmet laws during the same period (Correct answer)
The specific design standards required for helmets to provide meaningful protection
Whether helmet laws also affect rates of motorcycle accidents, not just fatalities

Correct answer: Whether motorcycle fatality rates also declined in countries without helmet laws during the same period

If motorcycle fatality rates also declined in countries without helmet laws during the same period, general factors (improved road safety, better medical care, changes in traffic) may explain the decline — not the law itself.

B checks for a control comparison — if fatalities fell everywhere regardless of helmet laws, the law's causal effect is uncertain. A addresses enforcement practicality, important but secondary to establishing causation. C is about product standards, not the policy's causal effect. D raises a separate mechanism but doesn't directly address whether the law caused the fatality reduction.

Question 15: Argument: 'Employee turnover at companies that offer remote work options is 20% lower than at companies that do not. Our company should implement a remote work policy to reduce turnover and save on recruitment costs.' Which of the following, if true, would most undermine this argument?

Remote work reduces office real estate costs, providing additional financial benefits beyond turnover savings
Companies that offer remote work also tend to offer higher salaries, better benefits, and more flexible management cultures (Correct answer)
The 20% figure includes both voluntary and involuntary turnover, which have different causes
Employees who work remotely report higher job satisfaction scores than in-office employees

Correct answer: Companies that offer remote work also tend to offer higher salaries, better benefits, and more flexible management cultures

If remote-work companies also pay more and have better cultures, the lower turnover may be due to those factors, not remote work itself — implementing remote work without those other characteristics may not reduce turnover.

B introduces the confounding variable problem — remote-work companies may be systematically different (higher pay, better culture), and those differences rather than remote work itself explain the lower turnover. A strengthens the case for remote work rather than weakening it. C raises a definitional issue that complicates interpretation but is less fundamental than B. D actually strengthens the argument.

Question 16: Argument: 'The introduction of standardized testing in our school district three years ago has been followed by a notable improvement in student achievement scores. The tests must be motivating students and teachers to work harder.' Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines this argument?

Teachers have reported increased stress levels since standardized testing was introduced
The school district simultaneously reduced class sizes and increased teacher salaries three years ago (Correct answer)
Standardized tests measure a narrower range of skills than the district's previous assessments
Students in the district take an average of 8 standardized tests per year

Correct answer: The school district simultaneously reduced class sizes and increased teacher salaries three years ago

If class sizes fell and teacher salaries rose at the same time, those changes could explain the achievement improvement — the tests may not be the cause.

B introduces simultaneous interventions (class size reduction, salary increases) that are well-documented contributors to achievement improvement — making it impossible to credit the tests as the cause. A is about teacher stress, which could weaken or complicate but doesn't directly undermine the causal claim as strongly as B. C questions test scope but not the causal attribution. D is about frequency, not causation.

Question 17: Argument: 'Patients treated at hospitals with a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:4 or better have significantly lower mortality rates than those treated at hospitals with worse ratios. Policymakers should mandate minimum nurse-to-patient ratios to save lives.' To evaluate this argument, it would be most important to determine:

Whether hospitals with better ratios also differ in other quality dimensions such as technology, physician experience, or case mix (Correct answer)
The cost to hospitals of hiring sufficient nurses to meet a 1:4 ratio
Whether nurses' unions support or oppose mandatory ratio legislation
The typical nurse-to-patient ratio in different hospital departments such as intensive care versus general wards

Correct answer: Whether hospitals with better ratios also differ in other quality dimensions such as technology, physician experience, or case mix

Hospitals with better nurse ratios may also invest more in equipment, attract more experienced physicians, and treat less complex cases — those factors, not the ratio alone, may explain the lower mortality.

A identifies the confounding variable concern: better-staffed hospitals may systematically differ in quality across many dimensions, making it difficult to attribute lower mortality to the ratio specifically. B is about policy costs, not causal validity. C is about political dynamics, irrelevant to the evidence's validity. D is about within-hospital variation, useful context but secondary to the confounding concern.

Question 18: Argument: 'Violent video game sales have increased substantially over the past 20 years. During the same period, youth violence rates have declined. Therefore, playing violent video games does not cause youth violence.' Which of the following best identifies a flaw in this reasoning?

The argument relies on aggregate trends without examining whether individual heavy gamers are more violent than non-gamers (Correct answer)
The argument does not specify which types of violent video games were included in the sales data
The argument assumes that all young people who buy violent games actually play them extensively
The argument fails to account for the economic factors that influence video game purchasing patterns

Correct answer: The argument relies on aggregate trends without examining whether individual heavy gamers are more violent than non-gamers

Aggregate trends can mask individual-level relationships. Even if overall youth violence fell (due to other societal factors), individual heavy gamers might still be more violent than their non-gaming peers — the population-level correlation doesn't rule out individual causation.

A identifies the ecological fallacy — aggregate-level trends do not rule out individual-level effects. Youth violence may have fallen due to unrelated factors (economic improvement, policing changes), while gaming still increases violence risk for individual heavy users. B is a minor definitional point. C is about usage patterns, less fundamental. D is about economics, tangential to the logical flaw.

Question 19: Argument: 'Our new marketing campaign launched six months ago coincided with a 15% increase in sales. The campaign clearly drove the sales increase and should be expanded.' Which of the following, if true, would provide the strongest evidence that the marketing campaign caused the sales increase?

The marketing campaign won an industry award for creative excellence
Sales in regions where the campaign was not run remained flat during the same six months (Correct answer)
Customer surveys show that 60% of buyers were aware of the campaign before purchasing
The campaign's creative team has successfully launched similar campaigns for other companies

Correct answer: Sales in regions where the campaign was not run remained flat during the same six months

A natural experiment: if regions without the campaign saw no sales growth while campaign regions grew 15%, the difference is most plausibly attributable to the campaign.

B provides a control comparison — flat sales in non-campaign regions versus 15% growth in campaign regions is strong evidence of a causal effect. A is about awards, not causal evidence. C shows awareness but not that awareness caused purchases (versus other factors). D is about team track record, not evidence of causation in this specific case.

Question 20: Argument: 'Vegetarians have been found to have lower rates of heart disease than meat-eaters. Therefore, eliminating meat from one's diet will reduce heart disease risk.' To evaluate this argument, it would be most important to determine:

Whether vegetarians differ from meat-eaters in other lifestyle factors such as exercise, smoking, and alcohol use (Correct answer)
Whether the heart disease reduction applies equally to men and women of different ages
Whether fish consumption is included in the definition of meat in these studies
The proportion of the population that currently consumes a vegetarian diet

Correct answer: Whether vegetarians differ from meat-eaters in other lifestyle factors such as exercise, smoking, and alcohol use

Vegetarians may also exercise more, smoke less, and drink less alcohol — the lower heart disease rate may reflect their overall healthier lifestyle, not specifically their meat avoidance.

A identifies confounding lifestyle factors that may fully explain the heart disease difference, making the causal claim about meat unsubstantiated. B is about subgroup variation, useful but secondary to the fundamental confounding concern. C is about definitional scope, relevant but less central. D is about prevalence, not the causal argument.

Question 21: Argument: 'Our firm's most successful salespeople all share a tendency to be highly extroverted. We should therefore hire only extroverts for our sales team to maximize performance.' Which of the following most seriously challenges this argument?

The definition of 'extroversion' varies across different personality assessments used in hiring
The high performers may succeed due to years of experience, product knowledge, or territory advantages that also correlate with extroversion at our firm (Correct answer)
Some customers prefer working with introverted salespeople who listen more attentively to their needs
The cost of personality assessments during hiring may exceed the performance gains they enable

Correct answer: The high performers may succeed due to years of experience, product knowledge, or territory advantages that also correlate with extroversion at our firm

If extroversion correlates with tenure, experience, or favorable territories at this firm, those factors — not extroversion per se — may explain success. Hiring extroverted newcomers without those advantages may not replicate results.

B targets the confounding variable problem specifically: experience, product knowledge, and territory advantages could explain both the tendency toward extroversion in senior staff and their high performance. A is a measurement issue, secondary to the logical flaw. C presents a competing view about customer preferences but doesn't directly undermine the argument's logic. D is about cost, not the reasoning's validity.

Question 22: Argument: 'Countries with higher spending on education per student consistently rank higher on international academic assessments. Therefore, our country should increase per-student education spending to improve our international ranking.' Which of the following would be most helpful in evaluating this argument?

Whether countries with high education spending also have smaller class sizes, better-trained teachers, and greater family involvement in education (Correct answer)
The specific international assessments used to measure academic performance across countries
Whether education spending as a proportion of GDP differs from per-student spending
The income level of the student populations in the highest-ranked countries

Correct answer: Whether countries with high education spending also have smaller class sizes, better-trained teachers, and greater family involvement in education

High-spending countries may also have smaller classes, better teachers, and greater family engagement — the spending may be a proxy for overall investment in education quality, not the specific driver of outcomes.

A identifies that high-spending countries may be systematically different in multiple quality dimensions, making it unclear whether spending itself drives the rankings. B is about assessment methodology, less central to the causal claim. C is about how spending is measured, a useful clarification but not the core evaluative question. D addresses socioeconomic demographics, which is relevant but secondary to A.

Question 23: Argument: 'After the city banned plastic bags, the total amount of plastic waste collected in city waterways declined by 35%. The plastic bag ban clearly achieved its environmental goals.' Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this conclusion?

Many retailers complied with the ban immediately without requiring consumer incentives
The city also launched a major waterway cleanup campaign and public littering campaign at the same time as the bag ban (Correct answer)
The 35% decline includes both plastic bags and other plastic debris
Consumers in neighboring cities without bag bans report purchasing more reusable bags voluntarily

Correct answer: The city also launched a major waterway cleanup campaign and public littering campaign at the same time as the bag ban

If a simultaneous cleanup campaign and littering awareness effort accompanied the bag ban, those parallel interventions could explain the plastic waste reduction — the ban may not deserve full credit.

B introduces confounding simultaneous interventions (cleanup + littering campaign) that independently could reduce waterway plastic, undermining the attribution of the decline to the bag ban. A suggests strong compliance, which if anything supports the argument. C raises a definitional scope issue but doesn't fundamentally challenge causation. D is about neighboring cities' voluntary behavior, tangential.

Question 24: Argument: 'Adults who regularly meditate report lower levels of stress than those who do not. Businesses should therefore offer meditation programs to employees to reduce workplace stress.' Which of the following is the most important consideration in evaluating whether meditation programs would actually reduce workplace stress?

Whether managers at the company support employee wellness initiatives
Whether people who choose to meditate are temperamentally less prone to stress than those who do not (Correct answer)
Whether the meditation sessions would be held during or outside of working hours
Whether the company's employees have previously expressed interest in meditation

Correct answer: Whether people who choose to meditate are temperamentally less prone to stress than those who do not

If people who self-select into meditation are naturally less stress-prone, the observed difference may reflect personality differences rather than the meditation itself — a program for all employees may not produce the same effect.

B identifies the self-selection problem — meditators may be calmer by disposition, making the correlation misleading. A is about management support, relevant to implementation but not to the causal logic. C is about logistics, not causation. D is about employee preferences, useful context but secondary to the fundamental selection bias concern.

Question 25: Argument: 'Sales of umbrellas in a coastal city spike every summer. Therefore, high summer temperatures must cause increased umbrella purchases.' Which of the following most clearly explains the flaw in this reasoning?

The argument confuses seasonal patterns with the specific cause of those patterns (Correct answer)
The argument relies on sales data rather than surveys of actual buyer motivations
The argument does not account for differences in consumer income between seasons
The argument assumes that all umbrellas are used for rain rather than sun protection

Correct answer: The argument confuses seasonal patterns with the specific cause of those patterns

Summer umbrella spikes in a coastal city are far more likely driven by summer rain patterns or beach sun protection than by temperature directly. Attributing the increase to 'high temperatures' assumes a specific cause when the seasonal correlation has multiple plausible explanations.

A identifies that the argument mistakes the timing of a pattern (summer spike) for proof of a specific cause (temperature). In coastal cities, summer often brings increased rainfall and beach tourism — both of which independently explain umbrella sales. B is about data source quality, secondary. C is about income seasonality, tangential. D raises sun protection, which is actually a plausible competing explanation rather than a flaw in reasoning.

Question 26: Argument: 'A leading chef argues that eating organic food improves mental clarity because ever since she switched to an all-organic diet, her cognitive performance has noticeably improved.' What is the primary weakness of this argument?

Organic food is more expensive than conventionally grown food, limiting its accessibility
One person's self-reported experience is insufficient to establish a general causal relationship between organic food and mental clarity (Correct answer)
The chef is not a scientist and therefore lacks the qualifications to make nutritional claims
Mental clarity is a subjective experience that cannot be measured reliably by any scientific method

Correct answer: One person's self-reported experience is insufficient to establish a general causal relationship between organic food and mental clarity

A single anecdote with self-reported improvement cannot establish causation — the chef may have made other lifestyle changes simultaneously, benefited from placebo effects, or simply experienced random variation.

B identifies the fundamental problem: anecdotal evidence from one individual cannot support a general causal claim. A is about cost/accessibility, not the argument's logical validity. C is about credentials, which is a partial point but less fundamental than the sample size and methodology concern. D overstates — subjective experience can be measured, just imperfectly.

Question 27: Argument: 'Libraries in counties that received state digital infrastructure grants showed a 40% increase in library card registrations. The grants clearly increased public engagement with library services.' To evaluate whether the grants caused the registration increase, it would be most useful to determine:

Whether library card registration rates also increased in counties without digital infrastructure grants during the same period (Correct answer)
The total dollar value of the digital infrastructure grants awarded to each library
Whether libraries used the grants to improve internet access, digital collections, or physical technology
The demographic breakdown of new library card registrants by age and income level

Correct answer: Whether library card registration rates also increased in counties without digital infrastructure grants during the same period

If registration rates rose in non-grant counties too, the increase may reflect broader trends (population growth, increased library awareness campaigns) rather than the grants.

A provides the essential counterfactual control — if counties without grants also showed similar registration increases, the grants cannot be credited. B is about grant size, useful but doesn't establish causation. C is about how grants were used, which could help identify mechanisms but doesn't directly address the causal claim. D is about demographics, useful for equity analysis but secondary.

Question 28: Argument: 'Regions that adopt electric vehicle (EV) subsidies see faster growth in EV adoption than regions without subsidies. Therefore, subsidies are the most effective tool for accelerating EV adoption.' Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this conclusion?

The subsidies cost taxpayers more per vehicle than the environmental benefits they generate
Regions that adopt EV subsidies also tend to invest simultaneously in charging infrastructure and pro-EV marketing (Correct answer)
Electric vehicles are more popular in wealthier regions regardless of subsidy availability
The subsidy programs were designed by engineers rather than economists, limiting their efficiency

Correct answer: Regions that adopt EV subsidies also tend to invest simultaneously in charging infrastructure and pro-EV marketing

If subsidy regions also build charging infrastructure and run marketing campaigns simultaneously, those factors — not the subsidies alone — may be driving adoption, and the conclusion that subsidies are the most effective tool is unwarranted.

B introduces a confounding package of policies — subsidies rarely come alone, and if charging infrastructure and marketing accompany them, the independent effect of subsidies cannot be isolated. A is about cost-effectiveness, which is relevant to policy but doesn't undermine the causal claim about adoption. C is about wealth correlations, related but not directly targeting the subsidy-adoption link. D is about program design, tangential.

Question 29: Argument: 'Students who attend small schools (fewer than 500 students) graduate at higher rates than those who attend large schools (more than 2,000 students). Therefore, we should break large schools into smaller units to improve graduation rates.' Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines this argument?

Small schools are more likely to be located in rural areas with tighter-knit communities and more involved parents (Correct answer)
The cost of dividing large schools into smaller units may require significant capital investment
Large schools offer more extracurricular activities, which some research links to higher graduation rates
Small schools often have fewer resources per student than large schools due to economies of scale

Correct answer: Small schools are more likely to be located in rural areas with tighter-knit communities and more involved parents

If small schools disproportionately serve rural communities with high parental involvement, the higher graduation rates may be due to those community factors — not school size. Dividing large urban schools would not replicate those conditions.

A identifies the confounding variable: small schools are not just smaller — they typically serve different communities (rural, high parental engagement) that independently predict higher graduation. B is about cost, relevant to policy but not to the causal reasoning. C introduces a competing mechanism that would weaken the size argument. D raises a resource concern that actually cuts against the small-school advantage.

GMAT Verbal: Critical Reasoning Evaluate the Argument 1

Argument: 'Our city should invest in building more bicycle lanes.
Studies show that cities with extensive bicycle infrastructure have lower rates of traffic congestion, and reducing congestion will shorten commute times for all residents.'
Which of the following would be most useful to know in order to evaluate this argument?

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