GMAT Verbal: Critical Reasoning Evaluate the Argument

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

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:

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

GMAT Practice Test

GMAT Practice Test

GMAT Verbal: Critical Reasoning Evaluate the Argument