Critical Reasoning

The five senses have traditionally been viewed as distinct yet complementary. Each sense is thought to have its own range of stimuli that are incapable of stimulating the other senses. However, recent research has discovered that some people taste a banana and claim that they are tasting blue, or see a
color and say that it has a specific smell. This shows that such people, called synesthesiacs, have senses that do not respect the usual boundaries between the five recognized senses.


Which one of the following statements, if true, most
seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Synesthesiacs demonstrate a general,
systematic impairment in their ability to use
and understand words.

(B) Recent evidence strongly suggests that there
are other senses besides sight, touch, smell,
hearing, and taste.

(C) The particular ways in which sensory
experiences overlap in synesthesiacs follow a
definite pattern.

(D) The synesthetic phenomenon has been
described in the legends of various cultures.

(E) Synesthesiacs can be temporarily rid of their
synesthetic experiences by the use of drugs.


Confused between A and B.

I thought B states that there is some other sense that is responsible for the synesthetic experiences.


Can you please explain.

Source : POWERSCORE GMAT CR

OA: A

vishalwin wrote:Confused between A and B.

(A) Synesthesiacs demonstrate a general,
systematic impairment in their ability to use
and understand words.

This clearly undermines the argument that what synesthesiacs are saying about sensory experiences indicates that they have overlapping senses, because it provides evidence that there is actually a completely different reason for what is going on. So called synesthesiacs are merely using the wrong words.

(B) Recent evidence strongly suggests that there
are other senses besides sight, touch, smell,
hearing, and taste.

This could mean a variety of things, some of which would weaken the argument and some of which would strengthen it. To weaken the argument using this answer choice you need to create a convoluted story. The right CR answer choice will not be right because of a convoluted story. Rather it will be clearly and directly related to the prompt and question.

Alternatively this answer choice could be seen as strengthening the argument, because it tends to support the conclusion that synesthesiacs have senses other than the five recognized senses.

Hi Marty,

I selected the right choice here A and eliminated B as completely OFS.

However, on reading your explanation I was intrigued by this line.

Alternatively this answer choice could be seen as strengthening the argument, because it tends to support the conclusion that synesthesiacs have senses other than the five recognized senses.

I want to understand how does this strengthen the argument. Because the only thing that the conclusion says is that there is an overlap between the 5 senses. In my opinion, By saying that there are more than 5 recognized senses has no effect on the conclusion at all.

Please clarify this doubt?

[email protected] wrote:Hi Marty,

I selected the right choice here A and eliminated B as completely OFS.

However, on reading your explanation I was intrigued by this line.

Alternatively this answer choice could be seen as strengthening the argument, because it tends to support the conclusion that synesthesiacs have senses other than the five recognized senses.

I want to understand how does this strengthen the argument. Because the only thing that the conclusion says is that there is an overlap between the 5 senses. In my opinion, By saying that there are more than 5 recognized senses has no effect on the conclusion at all.

Please clarify this doubt?

I see what you are saying, and while the conclusion could clearer by being a little differently worded, I guess you nailed it.

I had gotten the impression that synesthesiacs potentially have "other" senses, but I guess actually the point is that synesthesiacs have basically the same senses that everyone else has, but in synesthesiacs those senses overlap.