Critical Reasoning

As advertised on the main page of Beat the GMAT, Ashley, Brian, and I will be posting some original questions today and tomorrow with prizes for the first five students to respond with correct answers that show your work!


"The new Your Fitness active video game system is designed to help users become more active, however, not as many calories are burned using Your Fitness active video games when compared to other activities such as swimming, running, and cycling. Therefore the Your Fitness system does not accomplish the goal for which it was designed.

Which of the following questions would be LEAST useful in evaluating the argument above?

A) Does Your Fitness help people achieve a level of fitness that allows them to participate in other activities such as swimming, running, and biking?

B) Would users of Your Fitness be watching television and playing sedentary video games if not using Your Fitness?

C) How many people that use Your Fitness also play traditional sit-down video games?

D) Are most users of Your Fitness able to participate in more strenuous activities such as swimming, running, and cycling?

E) Are frequent users of Your Fitness more active than were prior to using the active gaming system?

"The new Your Fitness active video game system is designed to help users become more active, however, not as many calories are burned using Your Fitness active video games when compared to other activities such as swimming, running, and cycling. Therefore the Your Fitness system does not accomplish the goal for which it was designed.

Which of the following questions would be LEAST useful in evaluating the argument above?

A) Does Your Fitness help people achieve a level of fitness that allows them to participate in other activities such as swimming, running, and biking? This helps in determining if Your Fitness active video game system is helping users be more active

B) Would users of Your Fitness be watching television and playing sedentary video games if not using Your Fitness? This helps in determining if Your Fitness active video game system is helping users be more active

C) How many people that use Your Fitness also play traditional sit-down video games? This is not useful information - Whether people who use Your Fitness also play traditional sit down video games is of no relevance to the argument

D) Are most users of Your Fitness able to participate in more strenuous activities such as swimming, running, and cycling? The answer to this question will help determine if Your Fitness helps people be more active

E) Are frequent users of Your Fitness more active than were prior to using the active gaming system? The answer to this question will help determine if Your Fitness helps people be more active

Answer is C

imo, the crt answer is C

A- Very relevant bcos it tries to find out if frequent users can be active in sports activities
B-It tries to find out if they will be less active if not using your fitness
C- Least relevant since people may still play traditional sit-down video games despitr using your fitness
D-Tries to find out their capacity for active levels
E-Very relevant bcos it tries to find out exact changes in active levels

Ans is C
C) How many people that use Your Fitness also play traditional sit-down video games? - People who play sit-down video games do not gain any fitness unlike other activities like swimming.It has the least relation to the context mentioned in the statement.

A)Statement 1- This is not useful information as well as it is not relevant because This helps in determining if Your Fitness active video game system is helping users be more active

B) Statement 2- It tries to find out if they will be less active if not using your fitness

C)Statement 3- It is Least relevant since people may still play traditional sit-down video games despitr using your fitness

D) Statement 4 - The answer to this question will help determine if Your Fitness helps people be more active

E) Statement 5- The answer to this question will help determine if Your Fitness helps people be more active. This is also very relevant

Hence the Answer is C

The conclusion of the argument is "Therefore the Your Fitness system does not accomplish the goal for which it was designed."
The main motive of the new video game system is to make its users more active (more active after using the system). So any argument which provides information that people using new video game system will be doing something which makes them less active will be helpful.


A) Does Your Fitness help people achieve a level of fitness that allows them to participate in other activities such as swimming, running, and biking?
Your Fitness -> Achieve Fitness (it means people were not fit before using it)
Achieve fitness -> Workout-> More activeness
So this argument is helpful is evaluating the argument.


B) Would users of Your Fitness be watching television and playing sedentary video games if not using Your Fitness?
If this argument is true , we can say that the argument is flawed , The game system do accomplish its goal.

C) How many people that use Your Fitness also play traditional sit-down video games?
This figure will contribute LEAST toward evaluation of the argument.

D) Are most users of Your Fitness able to participate in more strenuous activities such as swimming, running, and cycling?
This statement also not help much in Evaluation of the argument , but its not the least helpful , It has to be assumed that being fit is directly proportional to be active.
(Being fit doesn't imply that you are active , As a kid I Used to play video games all the time and still was fit enough to win in annual swimming event.)

E) Are frequent users of Your Fitness more active than were prior to using the active gaming system?

This statement is useful in evaluating the argument .


So I will go with C (although i feel a bit unsatisfied with the answer)


Can we discuss this question here ?

Sure we can discuss this and you make a good point. If you cut through the part about burning calories, the conclusion is - as you say - that the system fails to get people active.

D is not as helpful as A, B, and E. As you point out, active does not necessarily = fit. Age, genetics, diet etc. work in as well. If we were looking for the MOST useful it would never be D since this is marginal and requires some assumptions to get to where we want to go. We have to assume that the system helps them to be more active which allows them to do these other things.

But as you mention D has more potential to have some use and C does not. If we were to use this question again in another format we would edit choice D...

Thanks for the editing help!

When is the RC challenge coming up .

"The new Your Fitness active video game system is designed to help users become more active, however, not as many calories are burned using Your Fitness active video games when compared to other activities such as swimming, running, and cycling. Therefore the Your Fitness system does not accomplish the goal for which it was designed.

Which of the following questions would be LEAST useful in evaluating the argument above?
To help evaluate the conclusion , we must consider a question the answer to which shows either the requirements of the users have been considered , the use of games is justified or the use of video games is unnecessary

A) Does Your Fitness help people achieve a level of fitness that allows them to participate in other activities such as swimming, running, and biking?
If the answer is yes then the use of these games is justified

B) Would users of Your Fitness be watching television and playing sedentary video games if not using Your Fitness?
If the answer is yes then the use of these games is justified
C) How many people that use Your Fitness also play traditional sit-down video games?
The answer to this question doesnt help evaluate the conclusion whether the Fitness video games will help improve fitness

D) Are most users of Your Fitness able to participate in more strenuous activities such as swimming, running, and cycling?

E) Are frequent users of Your Fitness more active than were prior to using the active gaming system?

"The new Your Fitness active video game system is designed to help users become more active, however, not as many calories are burned using Your Fitness active video games when compared to other activities such as swimming, running, and cycling. Therefore the Your Fitness system does not accomplish the goal for which it was designed.

Which of the following questions would be LEAST useful in evaluating the argument above?

A) Does Your Fitness help people achieve a level of fitness that allows them to participate in other activities such as swimming, running, and biking?

This question allows us to compare fitness video results with results of comparable activities and helps us in evaluating the argument

B) Would users of Your Fitness be watching television and playing sedentary video games if not using Your Fitness?

This question helps us compare the exercise levels with and without usage of Your Fitness game and hence helps us in evaluating the argument

C) How many people that use Your Fitness also play traditional sit-down video games?

This information is not helpful as playing traditional sit-down video games has no bearing on the exercise levels or otherwise of the participant and knowing this information doesnt help us in any way on evaluating the argument.

D) Are most users of Your Fitness able to participate in more strenuous activities such as swimming, running, and cycling?

This information allows us to make a more accurate comparison of your fitness with other strenuous activities and hence useful in evaluating the argument

E) Are frequent users of Your Fitness more active than were prior to using the active gaming system?
This question helps us understand the effectiveness of Your Fitness and helps us evaluate the argument

Hence, answer is C

D) Are most users of Your Fitness able to participate in more strenuous activities such as swimming, running, and cycling?
This statement also not help much in Evaluation of the argument , but its not the least helpful , It has to be assumed that being fit is directly proportional to be active.
(Being fit doesn't imply that you are active , As a kid I Used to play video games all the time and still was fit enough to win in annual swimming event.)

Can you explain why you think D has problem. Actually even i concluded the same thing but my reasoning is that it does not help to know whether users of Your Fitness able to participate in more strenuous activities and this is subtle difference b/w A & D. A says Your Fitness helps people then it is good option for evaluation. But in D both activities are independent, so not a good option for evaluation.

May i will get to learn 1 more aspect how D is not that helpful.
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Can you explain why you think D has problem

You have already quoted my reason , also David has explained it more precisely

active does not necessarily = fit. Age, genetics, diet etc. work in as well. If we were looking for the MOST useful it would never be D since this is marginal and requires some assumptions to get to where we want to go. We have to assume that the system helps them to be more active which allows them to do these other things.

well A and D are essentially the same.Hence POE.
E is useful too. Hence POE.

choice between B and C.
B assuming that doing the other activities mentioned is causing people not to lose the calories that ought to be burnt.Hence POE.

C is clear.