Types of Reasoning in CR

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qwerty12321: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 63; Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 9:01 amFollowed by: 1 member

by qwerty12321 » Wed Jun 25, 2014 4:13 am

What are the various types of reasoning in CR a per Powerscore CR Bible.....
for eg analogy, circular, conditional, causal......

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Verbal Reasoning | Wed Jun 25, 2014 4:13 am

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by [email protected] » Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:15 am

Hi qwerty1321,

Have you purchased this book? If you'd like to know what's in it, then buying a copy would seem like the most direct way to answer this question.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Fri Jun 27, 2014 1:20 am

While it's helpful to recognize certain patterns of arguments (causation/correlation, generalization, etc.), I think it's MUCH more helpful to recognize the different CR question types and anticipate what they require of you strategy-wise.

I tend to subdivide CR into:

- Weaken
- Strengthen (ex: https://gmatrockstar.com/2014/01/26/gmat ... the-day-4/)
- Assumption
- Conclusion
- Bold Face
- Inference
- Must Be True
- Cause and Effect
- Paradox/Resolve (ex: https://gmatrockstar.com/2014/01/25/gmat ... uestion-2/)
- Numbers/Percents
- Flaw
- Additional Evidence
- Similar Reasoning
- Complete the Passage
- Method of Reasoning
- Evaluate the Argument

For example, a "Generalization" argument could appear in many of these Q-types! So I'd subdivide based on this or a similar model, break down the argument accordingly, and write down a prediction before reading the answer choices.

Good luck!

Vivian Kerr
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qwerty12321: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 63; Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 9:01 amFollowed by: 1 member

by qwerty12321 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:14 am

Hi [email protected]

Yes, I have purchased this book. It is very informative.

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qwerty12321: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 63; Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 9:01 amFollowed by: 1 member

by qwerty12321 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:16 am

Hi VivianKerr
Thank you for your reply.

I wanted to know about these reasoning types so that i can better understand how to solve parallel reasoning questions.

Thanks

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by [email protected] » Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:27 am

Hi qwerty12321,

Parallel Reasoning questions are relatively rare on the GMAT (you might see 1). They're most similar to Inference questions. You can answer this question by understanding the reasoning/logic/format that is presented in the prompt, then finding an answer that follows that same reasoning/logic/format.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:33 pm

Here's how you can analyze a similar reading question and get this question type correct!

"¢ Count the Evidence. How many components are there to the premise? The correct answer will always have the same number of pieces of evidence as the original argument.

"¢ Look for Keywords. Words like "might," "could," "must," etc. in the argument set up a relationship between the evidence and conclusion that should be mirrored in the correct answer.

"¢ Identify the Conclusion. What type of conclusion is in the argument? Is the author recommending something, making a prediction, giving a counterargument, etc.? Just as with the evidence, the correct conclusion will mimic the logic of the argument in the paragraph.

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