What Kind of CR Question Is This? - Part 3
Weve been on a CR kick lately! In the first two parts of this series, we talked about how to tackle Fill in the Blank(or Complete the Passage) questions. This time, Ive got something different for you: a question that looks very familiar at first glance but turns a bit well, weird.
Lets try it before I say anything more. This GMATPrep problem is from the two free exams that come with the GMATPrep software. Give yourself about 2 minutes (though its okay to stretch to 2.5 minutes on a CR as long as you are making progress.)
On of the limiting factors in human physical performance is the amount of oxygen that is absorbed by muscles from the bloodstream. Accordingly, entrepreneurs have begun selling at gymnasiums and health clubs bottles of drinking water, labeled SuperOXY, that has extra oxygen dissolved in the water. Such water would be useless in improving physical performance, however, since the amount of oxygen in the blood of someone who is exercising is already more than the muscle cells can absorb.Which of the following, if true, would serve the same function in the argument as the statement in boldface?
(A) world-class athletes turn in record performances without such water
(B) frequent physical exercise increases the bodys ability to take in and use oxygen
(C) the only way to get oxygen into the bloodstream so that it can be absorbed by the muscles is through the lungs
(D) lack of oxygen is not the only factor limiting human physical performance
(E) the water lost in exercising can be replaced with ordinary tap water
Step 1: Identify the Question
The boldface font is immediately obvious, of course. Boldface denotes a Describe the Role question.
The question stem does have one little idiosyncrasy, though: it asks what answer would serve the same function. Normally, Role questions ask what function the boldface statement plays in the argument. The question stem also contains if true wording, which we normally see on Strengthen, Weaken, or Discrepancy (paradox) questions.
Glance at the answers. Notice anything? This is not what Role answers typically look like! Usually they say something such as The statement provides evidence supporting the authors claim or similar.
Whats going on here? Read the argument.
Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument
Heres what I thought and wrote while I did the problem. Your own thought process wont be exactly the same as mine and, of course, your notes will probably look quite different, since we all have our own ways of abbreviating things. (Note: R = role; note that I put a question mark next to it because I wasnt 100% sure what was actually going on)
So back to that weird question stem. If this were just a straight Role question, then what would the answer be? The boldface statement is support for the conclusion; its a premise.
But whats the goal for this question?
Step 3: State the Goal
The answers dont describe the existing boldface statement. Rather, they contain new facts that were supposed to accept as true. Further, the question asked us to find an answer that would serve the same function as the original statement.
What function did the original statement serve? Aha! The original statement served as a premise to support the conclusion. So we need to find another statement that serves that same purpose.
Will it support the conclusion in exactly the same way? Im really not sure. (Seriously! When I first saw this question, I didnt know!) So Im going to keep an open mind and look for anything that could support the conclusion in general.
Work from Wrong to Right
The correct answer is (C).
Interesting. We just learned something new. Most Describe the Role (or Boldface) questions ask us to describe the role of the given statement. We might be asked, though, to demonstrate our knowledge of the role by finding a different, completely new statement that serves the same role as the original statement in the argument.
What do we have to do? We have to decode the original statement (in the above case, we had a premise supporting the conclusion) and then we have to find another statement that could also serve as a premise.
That new premise might be really different fromthe original premise. In this problem, the original premise focused on the oxygen already in our blood. The new premise, answer (C), provided a different piece of the puzzle: we have to take oxygen in through our lungs in order to get that oxygen into the bloodstream. Either piece of information serves to support the idea that OXY is useless, but each does so in different ways.
Take-aways for Same Function As Role Questions:
(1) The standard task on role questions is to describe the role of the statement given in the argument.
(2) You might see a variation on this standard task: you may be asked to find a new statement that plays the same role as the original.
(3) This new statement may discuss a different aspect of the argument. Thats perfectly all right as long as the statement overall plays the same role as the original boldface statement.
* GMATPrep questions courtesy of the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Usage of this question does not imply endorsement by GMAC.