Friday, September 2, 2011

how to tackle the Bold face GMAT Critical reasoning question


Bold face GMAT CR......not a sweat....read further

Study the example below.

Museums that house renaissance oil paintings typically store them in environments that are carefully kept within narrow margins of temperature and humidity to inhibit any deterioration. Laboratory tests have shown that the kind of oil paint use in these paintings actually adjusts to climatic changes quite well. If, as some museum directors believe, paint is the most sensitive substance in these works, then by relaxing the standards for temperature and humidity control, museums can reduce energy costs without risking damage to these paintings. Museums would be rash to relax those standards, however, since results of
preliminary tests indicate that gesso, a compound routinely used by renaissance artists to help paint adhere to the canvas, is unable to withstand significant variations in humidity.

In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. the first is an objection that has been raised against the position taken by the argument, the second is the position by the argument.
B. the first is the position taken by the argument the second is the position that the argument calls into question.
C. the first is a judgement that has been offered in support of the position that the argument calls into question; the second is a circumstance on which the judgement is in part, based.
D. the first is a judgment that has been offered in support of the position that the argument calls into question; the second is that position.
E. the first is a claim that the argument calls into question; the second is the position taken by the argument.

Strategy:
1. Read the overall para closely.
2. Take one bold statement at a time, analyse how this statement impacts the entire argument, including the other statement in bold.
3. Take the other statement in bold; analyse the impact of this statement in the argument in general.
4. You are not merely to establish relationship between the two statements in bold.
We can see in the above para that the first bold statement supports the second bold statement. The second statement is opposed later ( museums would be rash…) the supporting statement comes in the form of a judgment. ‘Paint is the most sensitive substance’ is a judgment, which serves as the evidence on which the claim is made.
We eliminate options B and D because the first is not the claim ( conclusion); the first is not an objection. C and D both correctly refer to the first as a judgment, but in C the second is considered a situation on which the first is based, which is an incorrect relationship. So the answer is D.

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