ScoreChase - GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/ Practice the GMAT Verbal Critical Reasoning problems and strategies en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:26:36 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/images/misc/rss.png ScoreChase - GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/ CR toughie http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/10020-critical-reasoning-toughie.html Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:35:57 GMT Although Fullerenes - spherical molecules made entirely of carbon - were first found in the laboratory, they have since been found in nature, formed... Although Fullerenes - spherical molecules made entirely of carbon - were first found in the laboratory, they have since been found in nature, formed in fissures of the rare mineral shungite. Since laboratory synthesis of Fullernes require distinctive conditions of temperature and pressure, this discovery should give geologists a test care for evaluation hypotheses about the state of the Earth's crust at the time these naturally occurring Fullerenes were formed.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument?

1) Confirming that the Shungite is genuinely contained Fullerenes took careful experiment

2) Some Fullerenes have also been found on remains of a small Meterorite that collided with a spacecraft

3) The mineral Shungite itself contains large amounts of carbon, from which the Fullerenes apparently formed

4) The naturally occurring Fullerenes are arranged in a previously unknown crystalline structure

5) Shungite itself is formed only under distinctive conditions ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Sonu http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/10020-critical-reasoning-toughie.html Health Accounts http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/10007-health-accounts.html Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:36:08 GMT Advocates insist that health savings accounts are an efficient method to reduce medical expenses. However, widespread adoption of these accounts...
Advocates insist that health savings accounts are an efficient method to reduce medical expenses. However,
widespread adoption of these accounts will soon undermine the public’s health. One reason for this is that most
people will be reluctant to deplete their accounts to pay for regular preventive examinations, so that in many cases
a serious illness will go undetected until it is far advanced. Another reason is that poor people, who will not be able
to afford health savings accounts, will no longer receive vaccinations against infectious diseases.
The statements
above, if true, most support which of the following?

A)
Wealthy individuals will not be affected negatively by health savings accounts.

B)•
Private health insurance will no longer be available.

C)•
Most diseases are detected during regular preventive examinations.

D)•
Some people without health savings accounts are likely to contract infectious diseases.

E)•
The causal relationship between an individual’s health and that person’s medical care has been adequately documented.

 ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) ashish2104 http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/10007-health-accounts.html Spelling Bees http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/10006-spelling-bees.html Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:13:35 GMT Columnist: The winner of this year’s national spelling bee won by correctly spelling the spoken word Ursprache, which means “fame” in German....
Columnist: The winner of this year’s national spelling bee won by correctly spelling the spoken word
Ursprache,
which means “fame” in German. Given the richness of our language, why must we resort to words taken from
modern foreign languages to challenge our best spellers? Ursprache is listed in our dictionary, as are words from
many other foreign languages, but future spelling bees should limit themselves to words in our dictionary that have
been anglicized in all aspects because spelling English words, not knowledge of linguistics and international phonetics,
is the point of these contests.

Which of the following can most reasonably be inferred from the argument above?

A)•
The spelling contest winner knew how to spell most of the anglicized words in the dictionary.

B)•
Foreign words are more difficult than anglicized words for all contestants to spell.

C)
Spelling contestant winners should be determined by their facility with all aspects of language.
To spell foreign words, contestants must recognize the language and know its pronunciation.

E)• The English language contains more borrowed words than most other languages.
 ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) ashish2104 http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/10006-spelling-bees.html Any Guidance for CR Question http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9979-any-guidance-critical-reasoning-question.html Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:49:14 GMT Hi Guys,

On preparation for GMAT, I am finding Critical Reasoning a little out of my range. Although, I have read KAPLAN's methods I am not able to get the right answer on my own. I am always having to look at the answer section, and it embarrasses me each time I have to find out I get it wrong.

Can anyone, help me find my way on CR, cause I feel getting CR questions right will surely improve my confidence. But, at the moment it is all frustration on this section.

Regards, ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) owais.aziz http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9979-any-guidance-critical-reasoning-question.html Default on goverment -guaranteed loan http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9976-default-goverment-guaranteed-loan.html Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:08:04 GMT Graduate schools have begun to check whether applicants for admission are in default on government-guaranteed student loans. Any application... Graduate schools have begun to check whether applicants for admission are in default on government-guaranteed student loans. Any application submitted by an applicant who fails this test is not processed. Though all applications are tested, it is thought that the 3 percent of the applications that fail represent only three-quarters of the incoming applications from individuals in default. Consequently, approximately 1 percent of the applications that are processed are those of applicants in default who remain undetected.

Which of the following is an assumption in the argument above?

Before being processed, the applications from individuals in default on their government-guaranteed student loans are not rejected for other reasons.

Applicants in default on their government-guaranteed student loans will not make any loan payments in the future.

In all likelihood, more than 3 percent of the applications actually fail the default test.

Only a small fraction of the individuals in default on their government-guaranteed student loans apply to graduate school.

Individuals in default on their government-guaranteed student loans apply to graduate school in the same numbers in which they do not apply to graduate school.

]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) raveena http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9976-default-goverment-guaranteed-loan.html Big Books publisher http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9975-big-books-publisher.html Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:39:12 GMT Publisher Big Books’ proposal to encourage new authors by founding an imprint, or brand name, exclusively for first novels is doomed to artistic... Publisher Big Books’ proposal to encourage new authors by founding an imprint, or brand name, exclusively for first novels is doomed to artistic failure. New authors have not had the experience necessary to refine their writing styles, and a wistful desire to publish hoards of new authors will only lower quality standards and flood the market with mediocre prose.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument against the publisher’s proposed imprint?

A. Authors hoping to be published will share the cost of publication.
B. First novels will be marketed only by in-store displays, not with posters, which are more expensive.
C. All books published under the new imprint are held to rigorous, pre-determined standards of quality.
D. Many novels that are now considered classics were the first novels published by their authors.
E. Manuscripts will be solicited from authors who have already proven successful at writing short stories.
]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) raveena http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9975-big-books-publisher.html layoffs and economists predictions http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9974-layoffs-economists-predictions.html Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:24:56 GMT The downturn in the economy last year has prompted many companies to make widely publicized layoffs, resulting in thousands of lost jobs. Economists... The downturn in the economy last year has prompted many companies to make widely publicized layoffs, resulting in thousands of lost jobs. Economists predicted that these layoffs would cause people generally to cut back on their discretionary spending even if their jobs were secure, in anticipation of coming hard times. However, this prediction has not come to pass, since there has been no increase in the amount of money set aside by the general public in savings accounts.

The answer to which of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating the significance of the savings patterns described above?

What business sectors were most affected by the layoffs?
How much of their savings, on average, do laid-off employees deplete before finding new employment?
What has been the percent increase in the cost of necessities such as food, housing, and utilities during the period since the layoffs?
What percentage of people laid off have savings accounts?
What has been the average salary during the period since the layoffs?
]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) raveena http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9974-layoffs-economists-predictions.html Rats and fatty food http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9972-rats-fatty-food.html Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:19:28 GMT Galanin is a protein found in the brain. In an experiment, rats that consistently chose to eat fatty foods when offered a choice between lean and... Galanin is a protein found in the brain. In an experiment, rats that consistently chose to eat fatty foods when offered a choice between lean and fatty foods were found to have significantly higher concentrations of galanin in their brains than did rats that consistently chose lean over fatty foods. These facts strongly support the conclusion that galanin causes rats to crave fatty foods.

Which one of the following, if true, most supports the argument?

a) The craving for fatty foods does not invariably rsult in a rats chosing those foods over lean foods.
b) The brains of the rats that consistently chose to eat fatty foods did not contain significantly more fat than did thebrains of rats that consustently choos elean foods.
c) The chemical components are present in both fatty and lean foods
d) The rats that preferred fatty foods had the higher concentrations of galanin in their brains before they were offered fatty foods.
e) rats that metabolize fat less efficiently than do other rats develop high concentrations of galanin in their brains.

]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) raveena http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9972-rats-fatty-food.html zapata and Mexican agrarian revolution http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9967-zapata-mexican-agrarian-revolution.html Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:28:16 GMT At the time of the Mexican agrarian revolution, the most radical faction, that of Zapata and his followers, proposed a return to communal ownership... At the time of the Mexican agrarian revolution, the most radical faction, that of Zapata and his followers, proposed a return to communal ownership of land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards.
(A) land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards
(B) land, a form of ownership of the pre-Columbians and respected by the Spaniards
(C) land, respected by the Spaniards and a pre-Columbian form of ownership
(D) land in which a pre-Columbian form of ownership was respected by the Spaniards
(E) land that had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) raveena http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9967-zapata-mexican-agrarian-revolution.html Illegal lobster harvesting http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9960-illegal-lobster-harvesting.html Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:44:50 GMT In 1992 Outlaw fishing boats began illegally harvesting lobsters from the territorial waters of the country of Belukia. Soon after, the annual... In 1992 Outlaw fishing boats began illegally harvesting lobsters from the territorial waters of the country of Belukia. Soon after, the annual tonnage of lobster legally harvested in Belukian waters began declining; in 1996, despite there beging no reduction in the level of legal lobster fishing activity, the local catch was 9,000tons below pre-1992 levels. It is therefore highly likely that the outlaw fishing boats harvested about 9,000tons of lobster illegally that year.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A. THe illegal lobster harvesting was not so extensive that the poplulation of catchable lobsters in Belukia's territorial waters had sharply delined by 1996.
B. The average annual lobster catch, in tons, of an outlaw fishing boat has increased lobster-fishing boats.
C.Outlaw fishing boats do not , as a group, harvest more lobsters than do licensed 9,000 tons.
D. The annual lobster harvest in Belukia in 1996 was not significantly less than 9,000tons.
E. A significant proportion of Belukia's operators of licensded lobster-fishing boats went out of business between 1992 and 1996.

No clue at all.. Plz help ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) raveena http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9960-illegal-lobster-harvesting.html Company -Change policy http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9959-company-change-policy.html Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:41:12 GMT A company is considering changing its policy concerning daily working hours. Currently, this company requires all employees to arrive at work at 8am.... A company is considering changing its policy concerning daily working hours. Currently, this company requires all employees to arrive at work at 8am. The proposed policy would permit each employee to decide when to arrive - from as early as 6am to as late as 10am.

The adoption of this policy would be most likely to decrease employees' productivity if the employees' job functions required them to

a) work without interruption from other employees.
b) consult at least once a day with employees from other companies.
c) submit their work for a supervisor's eventual approval.
d) interact with each other throughout the entire workday
e) undertake projects that take several days to complete.

Confuse between C and D.. Plz help ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) raveena http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9959-company-change-policy.html Need Clarification http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9903-need-clarification.html Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:13:51 GMT 163. Because Halley’s comet changes orbit slightly during the seventy-six-year interval between passing close to Earth, it may veer onto a collision... 163. Because Halley’s comet changes orbit slightly during the seventy-six-year interval between passing close to Earth, it may veer onto a collision course with a planet sometime in the distant future.
(A) between passing
(B) of passing
(C) between its passes
(D) of its passes
(E) as it passes

Please explain how C is the answer. ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) adutta http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9903-need-clarification.html Need Clarification http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9900-need-clarification.html Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:09:31 GMT 1. With the emergence of biotechnology companies, it was feared that they would impose silence about proprietary results on their in-house... 1. With the emergence of biotechnology companies, it was feared that they would impose silence about proprietary results on their in-house researchers and their academic consultants. This constraint, in turn, would slow the development of biological science and engineering.
Which of the following, if true, would tend to weaken most seriously the prediction of scientific secrecy described above?
(A) Biotechnological research funded by industry has reached some conclusions that are of major scientific importance.
(B) When the results of scientific research are kept secret, independent researchers are unable to build on those results.
(C) Since the research priorities of biotechnology companies are not the same as those of academic institutions, the financial support of research by such companies distorts the research agenda.
(D) To enhance the companies’ standing in the scientific community, the biotechnology companies encourage employees to publish their results, especially results that are important.
(E) Biotechnology companies devote some of their research resources to problems that are of fundamental scientific importance and that are not expected to produce immediate practical applications.

- The answer is D, not sure why B can't be the answer. Can someone help me in understanding?




2. Some people have questioned the judge’s objectivity in cases of sex discrimination against women. But the record shows that in sixty percent of such cases, the judge has decided in favor of the women. This record demonstrates that the judge has not discriminated against women in cases of sex discrimination against women.
The argument above is flawed in that it ignores the possibility that
(A) a large number of the judge’s cases arose out of allegations of sex discrimination against women
(B) many judges find it difficult to be objective in cases of sex discrimination against women
(C) the judge is biased against women defendants or plaintiffs in cases that do not involve sex discrimination
(D) the majority of the cases of sex discrimination against women that have reached the judge’s court have been appealed from a lower court
(E) the evidence shows that the women should have won in more than sixty percent of the judge’s cases involving sex discrimination against women

- The correct answer is E....I chose D...can anyone explain?

Regards
Aditya ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) adutta http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9900-need-clarification.html jail and courses http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9895-jail-courses.html Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:58:11 GMT Newspaper editorial: In an attempt to reduce the crime rate, the governor is getting tough on criminals and making prison conditions harsher.... Newspaper editorial:

In an attempt to reduce the crime rate, the governor is getting tough on criminals and making prison conditions harsher. Part of this effort has been to deny inmates the access they formerly had to college-level courses. However, this action is clearly counter to the governor’s ultimate goal, since after being released form prison, inmates who had taken such courses committed far fewer crimes overall than other inmates.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

  • Not being able to take college-level courses while in prison is unlikely to deter anyone from a crime that he or she might otherwise have committed.
  • Former inmates are no more likely to commit crimes than are members of the general population.
  • The group of inmates who chose to take college-level courses were not already less likely than other inmates to commit crimes after being released.
  • Taking high school level courses in prison has less effect on an inmate’s subsequent behavior than taking college-level courses does.
The governor’s ultimate goal actually is to gain popularity by convincing people that something effective is being done about crime.

I selected C, but this is not the OA. please explain the right answer.
]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Sonu http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9895-jail-courses.html Tricky - survey of magazine subscribers http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9852-tricky-survey-magazine-subscribers.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:35:18 GMT Finding of a survey of Systems magazine subscribers: Thirty percent of all merchandise orders placed by subscribers in response to advertisements in... Finding of a survey of Systems magazine subscribers: Thirty percent of all merchandise
orders placed by subscribers in response to advertisements in the magazine last year were
placed by subscribers under age thirty-five.
Finding of a survey of advertisers in Systems magazine: Most of the merchandise orders
placed in response to advertisements in Systems last year were placed by people under
age thirty-five.
For both of the findings to be accurate, which of the following must be true?
A. More subscribers to Systems who have never ordered merchandise in response to
advertisements in the magazine are age thirty-five or over than are under age
thirty-five.
B. Among subscribers to Systems, the proportion who are under age thirty-five was
considerably lower last year than it is now.
C. Most merchandise orders placed in response to advertisements in Systems last
year were placed by Systems subscribers over age thirty-five.
D. Last year, the average dollar amount of merchandise orders placed was less for
subscribers under age thirty-five than for those age thirty-five or over.
E. Last year many people who placed orders for merchandise in response to
advertisements in Systems were not subscribers to the magazine. ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) sampad http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9852-tricky-survey-magazine-subscribers.html More CR questions http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9765-more-critical-reasoning-questions.html Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:58:27 GMT 1)At an enormous research cost, a leading chemical company has developed a manufacturing process for converting wood fibers into a plastic. According... 1)At an enormous research cost, a leading chemical company has developed a manufacturing process for converting wood fibers into a plastic. According to the company, this new plastic can be used for, among other things, the hulls of small sailboats. But what does the company think sailboat hulls used to be made of? Surely the mania for high technology can scarcely go further than this.
The author’s opinion of the manufacturing process described in the passage is based primarily on the fact that
(A) plastic is unlikely to be durable enough for high-quality sailboat hulls
(B) the research costs of developing the process outweigh any savings possible from the use of the plastic
(C) a small sailboat is not normally regarded as a high-tech product
(D) hulls for small sailboats can be made from wood without converting it into plastic
(E) many other spheres of human activity are in far greater need of technological research




2)The earth’s resources are being depleted much too fast. To correct this, the United States must keep its resource consumption at present levels for many years to come.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?
(A) New resource deposits are constantly being discovered.
(B) The United States consumes one-third of all resources used in the world.
(C) Other countries need economic development more than the United States does.
(D) Other countries have agreed to hold their resource consumption at present levels.
(E) The United States has been conserving resources for several years.



Thank you ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) nadib002 http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9765-more-critical-reasoning-questions.html Some CR Questions http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9764-some-critical-reasoning-questions.html Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:06:25 GMT 1) Dear Applicant: Thank you for your application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you a position in our local government office for the... 1) Dear Applicant:
Thank you for your application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you a position in our local government office for the summer. As you know, funding for summer jobs is limited, and it is impossible for us to offer jobs to all those who want them. Consequently, we are forced to reject many highly qualified applicants.
Which of the following can be inferred from the letter?
(A) The number of applicants for summer jobs in the government office exceeded the number of summer jobs available.
(B) The applicant who received the letter was considered highly qualified.
(C) Very little funding was available for summer jobs in the government office.
(D) The application of the person who received the letter was considered carefully before being rejected.
(E) Most of those who applied for summer jobs were considered qualified for the available positions.



2)
Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the early editors of Dickinson’s poetry often distorted her intentions. Yet Johnson’s own, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms of distortion. To standardize Dickinson’s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinson chose the dash as her typical mark of punctuation when, in fact, she apparently never made any definitive choice at all.
Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main point?
(A) Although Johnson is right in criticizing Dickinson’s early editors for their distortion of her work, his own text is guilty of equally serious distortions.
(B) Johnson’s use of the dash in his text of Dickinson’s poetry misleads readers about the poet’s intentions.
(C) Because Dickinson never expected her poetry to be published, virtually any attempt at editing it must run counter to her intentions.
(D) Although Johnson’s attempt to produce a more faithful text of Dickinson’s poetry is well-meaning, his study of the material lacks sufficient thoroughness.
(E) Dickinson’s editors, including Johnson, have failed to deal adequately with the problem of deciphering Dickinson’s handwritten manuscripts.




3)Which of the following best completes the passage below?
One tax-reform proposal that has gained increasing support in recent years is the flat tax, which would impose a uniform tax rate on incomes at every level. Opponents of the flat tax say that a progressive tax system, which levies a higher rate of taxes on higher-income taxpayers, is fairer, placing the greater burden on those better able to bear it. However, the present crazy quilt of tax deductions, exemptions, credits, and loopholes benefits primarily the high-income taxpayer, who is consequently able to reduce his or her effective tax rate, often to a level below that paid by the lower-income taxpayer. Therefore, ______
(A) higher-income taxpayers are likely to lend their support to the flat-tax proposal now being considered by Congress
(B) a flat-tax system that allowed no deductions or exemptions would substantially increase actual government revenues
(C) the lower-income taxpayer might well be penalized by the institution of a flat-tax system in this country
(D) the progressive nature of our present tax system is more illusory than real
(E) the flat tax would actually be fairer to the lower-income taxpayer than any progressive tax system could be

As always, explanatory answer choices would be appreciated

Thank you ]]> GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) nadib002 http://www.scorechase.com/gmat/9764-some-critical-reasoning-questions.html