critical reading for GMAT RC section

To ace the reading comprehension section you need to be a critical reader. Easier said than done.

Test aspirants usually skim(passively glance at a passage picking up few points here and there)through a passage. Then they take a look at the question. All the options seems correct. You are back to square 1.

Critical reading involves 3 levels of understanding and evaluation
First:Grasp the overall idea or the main point of the passage along with the general organization
Second:subject the specific details to greater scrutiny and explain what something means and why it was introduced.
Third: Evaluate what the author has written, what further conclusions can be drawn and judge whether the argument is good or bad.
Let me take you through one passage and lets critically read that passage.

First go through the passage:
According to Shaw mere diversity and disagreement on what is considered morally right is not enough reason to claim that there is no objective truth, nor a standard by which we can try to arrive at it and so there is no reason to worry about the claims of the relativist. I do not fully agree with Shaw’s disputation against the diversity argument for meta-ethical relativism although I do agree that the diversity argument does not entirely rule out the possibility of objective morality. I simply do not feel that this is the argument’s whole intention in the first place. Rather it is claiming that we as a global nation will never grasp this objective truth which does raise the question of whether there can be such a thing, and with this I do agree. 

It is reasonable to see how moral truth can be considered different for different groups. Shaw outlines different theories which intend to weaken the relativist’s argument, including those of Naturalism, Intuitionism, and Emotivism, which I might add, are all themselves flawed in some way, but no real conclusion is reached as to how perfectly they prove to fault relativism. But then I ask why a rational person would spend any time defending or relying on something that he cannot fully understand, based on the fact that relativism cannot completely rule out the possibility of objectivity. Moral Relativism states that there are no objective truths or morals, but that these are conditional and dependent on a number of factors. It has two main claims: a) ‘there are no universally valid standards’ and b) ‘the validity of moral standards is dependent on cultural acceptance (Conventionalism) or personal choice or commitment (Subjectivism).’ Shaw is trying to undermine the meta-ethical diversity theory on the basis that just because we cannot see it does not mean that it’s not there. When we discuss diversity in ethics we do not only look at diversity at this present time, but also look back to the past and debate about how we should go about deciphering a new, universal moral system.

Now lets read critically
(According to Shaw mere diversity and disagreement on what is considered morally right is not enough reason to claim that there is no objective truth, nor a standard by which we can try to arrive at it and so there is no reason to worry about the claims of the relativist.) <---- shaws claim ( I do not fully)<-----author doesn’t agree agree with Shaw’s disputation against the diversity argument for meta-ethical relativism although( I do agree)<-----author agrees that the diversity argument does not entirely rule out the possibility of objective morality. I simply do not feel that this (is the argument’s)<-----attacking shaws argument whole intention in the first place. Rather it is claiming that we as a global nation will never grasp this objective truth which does raise the question of whether there can be such a thing, and with this I do agree. )<-----author doesn’t agree with whose claim: relativist’s or shaw’s

It is reasonable to see how moral truth can be considered different for different groups. Shaw outlines different theories which intend to weaken the relativist’s argument, including those of Naturalism, Intuitionism, and Emotivism,<-----why does the author introduce these things which I might add, are all themselves flawed in some way, but no real conclusion is reached as to how perfectly they prove to fault relativism. But then I ask why a rational person would spend any time defending or relying on something that he cannot fully understand, based on the fact that relativism cannot completely rule out the possibility of objectivity. <-----explains shaws argument Moral Relativism states that there are no objective truths or morals<----- relativists claim, but that these are conditional and dependent on a number of factors. It has two main claims: a) ‘there are no universally valid standards’ and b) ‘the validity of moral standards is dependent on cultural acceptance (Conventionalism) or personal choice or commitment (Subjectivism).’ Shaw is trying to undermine<-----explains shaws flaw the meta-ethical diversity theory on the basis that just because we cannot see it does not mean that it’s not there. When we discuss diversity in ethics we do not only look at diversity at this present time, but also look back to the past and debate about how we should go about deciphering a new, universal moral system. <-----attacks shaws claim with counter argument
----------------------------
My comments are marked in red.

Did you notice :There are 3 perspectives being put forth in the passage: relativists, shaw and author. Did you understand how the passage was constructed? What is the claim? What is the argument?What is the counter argument which is presented and so on...... This is a sneak peak into critical reading. To ace the exam read every passage critically and trust me if you don’t have it in you. You can be taught to read critically in under 15hrs.

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Reasoning & Its types

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Excerpts from the it works* module

Argument analysis

In the last academic year Pearl City College had poor results. This year fewer parents are admitting their children to the college. Therefore, the principal should be replaced.

Analyse every argument into its components

In the above argument there are two premises and a conclusion.

Premise 1 : In the last academic year the college had poor results.

Premise 2 : Fewer parents are admitting their children to the college this year.

Conclusion : The principal should be replaced.

Assumption : (what is not stated) – The principal was solely responsible for the poor results (This assumption is made, otherwise why is this solution suggested, why not any other solution?)

Five Common forms of inductive reasoning

(i) Exemplar argument or inductive generalization- is an argument in which a generalization is claimed to be likely on the basis of information about some members of a particular class.

(ii) A causal argument asserts or denies that something is the cause of something else.

(iii) A statistical argument rests on statistical evidence i.e., conclusion derived from evidence that some percentage of some group has some particular characteristic.

(iv) In an argument from analogy, the conclusion is claimed to depend on a similarity between two or more things.

(v) A predictive argument is about what may happen in the future defended with past or present experiences.

Question types

Line of Reasoning

A type of CR question in the GMAT requires you to identify the line of reasoning used in the argument.

line of reasoning is not the evidence, but what sort of evidence.

This question type requires you to analyze an argument and identify the logic used. In other words, HOW the conclusion is derived

eHere’s the all-important list of logic used in presenting arguments:

1. Appealing to reason / emotion

2. Offering a counter example

3. Presenting cause-effect relationship

4. Presenting quantified data

5. Drawing analogy

6. Presenting contrasting ideas

7. Providing examples

Common errors

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Common Errors in GMAT sentence correction

4.1 Subject verb disagreement

In a given sentence the subject and verb should agree in number.

Illustration 1

Incorrect: When temperature increases, the ice caps melt and presumably, causes flood in summer.

Correct: When temperature increases, the ice caps melt and presumably, cause flood in summer.

Both melt and causes are verbs of the subject ice caps but causes a singular verb doesn’t agree with the plural noun ice caps.

4.2. Parallelism

In writing, parallelism means ‘similar, having close resemblance’. When two or more ideas in a sentence are alike in purpose, they should be expressed in the same grammatical form.

Parallel structure of a sentence means balancing

(1) a word with a word

(2) balancing of a phrase with a phrase

(3) balancing a clause with a clause

(4) balancing a sentence with a sentence

(5) balancing a noun with a noun, verb with a verb

Incorrect: Nick is young, clever and has talent.

Correct: Nick is young, clever and talented.

Incorrect: Nick likes reading and to write.

Correct: Nick likes reading and writing.

4.3 Idiomatic constructions

Every language has a set of idioms. Idioms convey appropriate meaning.

Illustration 1

Incorrect: Some of’ the biographers of Leonardo have actually expressed regret that such a man, endowed by divine artistic genius would waste precious years of his life on such a lowly pursuit like engineering.

Correct: Some of the biographers of Leonardo have actually expressed regret that such a man, endowed with divine artistic genius would waste precious years of his life on such a lowly pursuit as engineering.

Noun – pronoun agreement

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Excerpts from the usage 25* module

Noun – pronoun agreement

U Rule 1: Do not use forms of the same pronoun to refer to different antecedents.

Incorrect: The teacher told John that he thought his work was improving.

(Does the teacher think that his own work is improving, or that John's work is improving?)

Correct: John was told by his teacher that his work was improving.

U Rule 2: Place the pronoun as closely as possible to its antecedent, to avoid ambiguity or confusion.

Ambiguous: When Mark spoke to his boss, he was very polite.

Clear: Mark was very polite when he spoke to his boss.

2.1 Rules for subject verb use

Now familiarise yourself with these rules

U Rule 1: Collective nouns, mostly singular in forms, can sometimes be plural requiring plural verb.

The council has unanimously passed the ordinance.

The team have won the match.

Common collective nouns are:

Assembly, board, team, cabinet, class, couple, firm, family, minority, majority, press, public, staff, association

U Rule 2: All, most, none, some can be singular plural depending on the nouns following

They are singular when followed by non-countable nouns and are plural when followed by countable nouns.

Some of my allowance has been spent.

Some of our athletes have been awarded letters.

Half of this report is to be completed by Saturday.

eRemember this while studying tenses

1. Use simple present in conditional clause

You will recover soon if you take your medicines on time.

I shall meet him in his office if he reaches early.

(Conditional clauses begin with if, when, till, until or unless.)

2. Use past perfect in conditional clause, along with ‘would’

I would have spoken to him, if I had recognized him.

3. Along with while (which denotes an ongoing activity) use continuous tense

While I was walking on the road, I saw an accident.

4. Use past perfect to denote the first and completed activity in the past, when an activity that followed is mentioned

We had decorated the house before the guests arrived.
(Here the completed activity is decorated)

The second activity ‘arrived’ is in simple past.

In Standard English ‘like’ is used as a preposition with no following verb.

Incorrect: You must do like the manager tells you.

Correct: You must do as the manager tells you.

U 1. Use of ‘not only … but also’

Robinson is not only enterprising but also persevering.

Andre plays not only cricket but also soccer.

Angela not only sings but also writes.

Conjunctions – and, but, either...or, neither...nor, not...only...but also, though, although, either … or

The management has decided either to invite the union for negotiation or to close the factory for an indefinite period till the problems tide over.

The management has decided to solve the problem either through dialogue or through mediation.

U 2. Use of ‘for’ and ‘since’

For as a preposition: There are reasons for the present situation.

For to denote duration of time: I have been waiting for two hours.

For as a conjunction: We have decided to take Alex for the job, for he has prior experience.

Since as a conjunction I could not meet him since I was late to the airport.

Since to indicate duration of time: The Williams family has been living in California since 1985.

For indicates a definite period of time, whereas since expresses the time an action started.

Passage- Identify the tone

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Directions: read the passage and recognise the tone of the discussion.

Passage

One of the most important of the natural sponges that soak up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is working 30 percent less efficiently than a quarter of a century ago. The Southern Ocean is responsible for soaking up the annual CO2 contribution of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands combined, but the study shows that the ocean is absorbing the same quantity of the gas as it was 24 years ago. Scientists had expected that the amount of CO2 absorbed would increase in line with rising levels in the atmosphere. The change is due to increased winds over the ocean linked to climate change and the depleted ozone layer. This is serious. All climate models predict that this kind of ‘feedback’ will continue and intensify during this century. The so called carbon sinks such as the oceans, vegetation and soils soak up around half of the extra CO2 we are pumping into the atmosphere each year. The Southern Ocean alone is responsible for parcelling up to 0.7 billion tones a year and storing it in the deep.

Since the 1980s the Southern Ocean sink for carbon has not changed at all, although CO2 emissions over the same period has increased. It is expected that as the emissions and the CO2 in the atmosphere have increased, the Southern Ocean sink should also increase. The scientists believe the reason for the change is an increase in average wind speed across the ocean. More water circulation and mixing bring colder water up from the depths that is saturated with CO2, so that it cannot accept any more from the atmosphere. The increase in wind speed is partly a consequence of climate change itself. The world is warming unevenly and pressure differences between different regions are increasing wind speed in the Southern Ocean. The depletion of the ozone layer has also contributed to higher winds.

Which of the following most accurately summarises the tone of the passage?

A. Unbiased description

B. Guarded disapproval

C. Subtle criticism

D. Glaring pessimism

E. Authoritative exposition

Option analysis

The answer is A

The author is describing a natural phenomenon as it is. Though there is cause for concern, one cannot call it pessimism. Since the information is accompanied by empirical evidence it cannot be considered ‘reasoning by authority’, therefore not E.

Here’s a list of tone terms.

Objective assessment: (dispassionate / disinterested presentation)
The author reacts to a piece of work not influenced by personal feelings or prejudice. Assessing a piece of work based on its own inherent reality than by the evaluator’s whims and fancies; judgment done for the intrinsic criteria of the work itself

Biased interpretation: (subjective / prejudiced)
An author’s opinion or feeling that strongly favours one side of an argument, sometimes unfairly

Skepticism: This would imply criticism, doubt or questioning the logic of an argument. This expresses the author’s disagreement with a hypothesis, idea, proposition, finding of a study and the like

Pointed disagreement: Sharp criticism / unrelenting criticism; the author disagrees with an idea completely. There will be explicit statements in the passage denoting this

Qualified admiration: (Limited / restricted endorsement)
Here the author is quite specific in his approval; he admires the person / idea discussed for certain qualities and may be critical of certain other aspects

Grudging respect / approval: This is characterized by unwillingness from the part of the author to concede completely to the idea; he expresses his opinion reluctantly

Optimism / hope: The author would express hope and expectation in say, solving a problem, implementing a recommendation

Enthusiastic endorsement: The author wholeheartedly approves of the idea and / or supports the findings, recommendations or propositions

Eulogy: Extreme praise for a person referred to or topic of discussion

Satirical: The author expresses scorn / ridicule / derision; he laughs at ideas or people

Ironical: The author uses words to convey the opposite meaning of what he expresses. One thing is said and its opposite is implied

GMAT jargon

Take home Some GMAT jargon. Jus gorge on them

Yes, you heard it right…there are words typical to GMAT verbal ( critical reasoning and reading comprehension).. here’s a list comes handy in RC/CR.

Allusion : Indirect reference to a person, place or event to another.

Archaism : The use of words and expressions that have become obsolete in common speech.

Burlesque : An incognito imitation; it imitates the matter or form of a play in an amusing manner.

Connotation and denotation : The denotation of a word is its primary meaning; connotation is the range of accompanying meanings in which it suggests or implies.

Motif and theme : A motif is an element – an incident, device or formula – which recurs frequently.

Prosody : Systematic study of writing verse (poem); principles in the use of rhyme, stanza etc.

Anecdote : Simple narration of a single incident.

Pastoral elegy : Represents both the mourner and the one he mourns.

Figurative language : Deviates from what we apprehend as the standard significance or sequence of words, in order to achieve special meaning or effect.

Symbol : A word or set of words that signifies an object or event which itself signifies something else.

historicism : A theory that history is determined by unchangeable laws and not by human agency or, it is a theory that all cultural phenomena are historically determined and that historians much study each period without imposing any personal or absolute value system.

Historical School : A school of economics maintaining that any economic theory must be based on historical studies of economic institutions.

Idealism : A philosophical system or theory that maintains that are real is of the nature of thought or that the object of external perception consists of ideas; the pursuit of high noble principles.

Existentialism : A philosophical movement that stresses the individual’s position as a self-determining agent responsible for his or her own choices.

Humanism : Assumes the dignity and central position of man in the universe and emphasizes on moral and practical rather than purely aesthetic values.

aberrant/aberration deviating from the norm.

aesthetic dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful.

anomaly deviation from the normal order, form, or rule, abnormality.

archaic outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time.

aver to state as a fact; to confirm or support.

bolster to provide support or reinforcement.

bombast / bombastic self–evident or pompous writing or speech; pompous; grandiloquent.

buttress to reinforce or support.

capricious inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable.

censure to criticize severely; to officially rebuke.

cynicism an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness.

derision scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment.

diatribe a harsh denunciation.

didactic intended to teach or instruct.

digress(ive) to turn aside; to stray from the main point.

discretion cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions.

disinterest(ed) (edness) indifferent; free from self-interest.

dogma(tic) (tism) (tist) stubbornly opinionated.

eclectic composed of elements drawn from various sources.

elegy a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead.

empirical based on observation or experiment.

enigma(tic) mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand.

ephemeral brief; fleeting.

equivocate to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent.

erudite (ition) very learned; scholarly.

esoteric intended for or understood by a small, specific group.

eulogy(ize) a speech honoring the dead.

fallacy an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief.

foster to nourish, cultivate, promote.

grandiloquence pompous speech or expression.

hackneyed rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage.

hyperbole an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech.

iconoclast one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions.

indifferent having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice.

inimical damaging; harmful; malevolent.

laconic using few words; terse.

laud (able) (-tory) to praise highly.

loquacious extremely talkative.

lucid clear; easily understood.

maverick an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party.

pedant(ic)(ry) uninspired, boring academic.

pragmatic/pragmatism practical; moved by facts rather than abstract ideals.

profundity depth (usually depth of thought).

prosaic dull; unimaginative.

refute to disprove; to successfully argue against.

repudiate to refuse to have anything to do with; disown.

rhetoric the art of study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion.

satire a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision.

specious(ness) seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive.

subtle not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern.

succinct brief; concise.

superfluous exceeding what is sufficient or necessary.

tacit implied; not explicitly stated.

terse brief and concise in wording.

tirade a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation.

trenchant sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating

untenable indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable.

veracity truthfulness; honesty.

Objective assessment: (dispassionate / disinterested presentation)
The author reacts to a piece of work not influenced by personal feelings or prejudice. Assessing a piece of work based on its own inherent reality than by the evaluators whims and fancies. Judgment done through the intrinsic criteria of the work itself.

Biased interpretation: (subjective / prejudiced.)
An author’s opinion or feeling that strongly favours one side of an argument, sometimes unfairly.

Skepticism: This would imply criticism, doubt or questioning the logic of an argument. This expresses the author’s disagreement with a hypothesis, idea, proposition, finding of a study and the like.

Pointed disagreement: Sharp criticism / unrelenting criticism; the author disagrees with an idea completely. There will be explicit statements in the passage denoting this.

Qualified admiration: (Limited / modified / restricted endorsement.)
Here the author is quite specific in his approval; he admires the person / idea discussed for certain qualities and may be critical of certain other aspects.

Grudging respect / approval: This is characterized by unwillingness from the part of the author to concede completely to the idea; he expresses his opinion reluctantly.

Optimism / hope: The author would express hope and expectation in say, solving a problem, implementing a recommendation.

Enthusiastic endorsement: The author wholeheartedly approves of the idea and / or supports the findings, recommendations or propositions.

Eulogy: Extreme praise for the author being reviewed or person or idea under discussion.

Satirical: The author expresses scorn / ridicule / derision; he laughs at the matter under discussion.

Ironical: The author uses words to convey the opposite meaning of what he expresses. One thing is said and its opposite is implied.

GMAT critical reasoning concepts

Are you feeling the heat while preparing for GMAT critical reasoning? You are not alone, there are 1000’s of GMAT aspirants who are struggling with GMAT CR. Do you want to know why?

Plain simple, they have not studied the concepts.

For algebra there are concepts, for geometry there are concepts so why not for GMAT Critical reasoning.

Let me take you through one concept in Critical reasoning

Concept: Inference vs assumption
What is an inference? What is an assumption….
Test aspirants get confused with these two terms.

Lets take an example and clear the confusion
If A>B and B>C ….what can you conclude?…. Yes A>C
A>C is a conclusion.

Now what is an inference.
If A>;B you can infer B….. This is an inference.
You need more than one statement(CR term-premises) to arrive at a conclusion. You can arrive at an inference with one statement.

Lets take a CR case
In film and videotape, it is possible to induce viewers to project their feeling on to characters on screen. In one study, when a camera shot of a woman’s face was preceded by a shot of a baby in a crib, the audience thought that the woman’s face was registering happiness. When the same shot of the woman’s face was preceded by a shot of a lion running toward the camera, the audience thought that the woman’s face was registering fear.


Find out the inference……..common give it a shot….
First look out for a premise….
“when a camera shot of a woman’s face was preceded by a shot of a baby in a crib, the audience thought that the woman’s face was registering happiness.”

When the audience saw the picture of the baby, they thought the woman washappy,but in actuallity it was the audience
itself that was happy.

So you can infer –
 A camera shot of a baby in a crib provoked feelings of happiness in the audience.

Similarly since there is one more evidence there can be one more inference.

 A camera shot of a lion running towards camera provoked feelings of fear in the audience.

Simple…… Yes CR is as simple as this if you know concepts…mail me if you want more info….



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Sentence correction faux pas by JOHN JOVI

What errors do the sentence correction qs present?

Subject- verb agreement, pronoun error, tense error, misplaced modifier, preposition error, faulty comparison ...

I am very comfortable with SVA

Let me show you

Eg. one of the countries participating in the SAARC meet is Indonesia.

Indonesia is one of several countries that is participating in the SAARC meet.

PS; John Jovi, you are right in the first, but wrong in the second…

Here’s the correct sentence:

Indonesia is one of several countries that are participating in the SAARC meet.

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Ten ways to score poorly in GMAT! If you are rich enough for retakes, that is

1. I know math, so no need to go thru the same old arithmetic, algebra, geometry stuff

2. Tones of free downloads on your pc..what is relevant, what is not, even God may not know..

3. Just official guide, what else, nothing official about it…

4. I will join for the costliest, longest duration course in town…let them get me the score, no need to study at home..

5. I wont do the essays while practicing, only math and verbal mock exams will do

6. I speak and write good English, so verbal is going to be a cake walk, no less

7. I need just one month for preparation, after all I had high grades in college.

8. Do as many tests as possible, in fact 90 percent of my preparation time should be spent on tests. concepts? What concepts?

9. My friend said GMAT was easy for him, no tough qns ( hey, what was your friend’s score?)

10. Out of five tests I did, one test I scores above 650. So I will give the test as planned. I believe in luck!

PS Good luck

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GMAT sentence correction: Think beyond grammar

Fine, you know the GMAT SC jargon – tense error, pronoun error, subject verb disagreement. Good. Useful. But you must think beyond grammar to do justice to the range SC questions.

One of such errors is ambiguity. That is something is not clear. To make clear the meaning conveyed. So keep track of meaning also while checking a sentence for errors.

Illustration - real GMAT questions

1. Incorrect: In mammals, a lifetime’s supply of egg cells is produced during fetal development and remain dormant until maturity.

Here remain dormant is ambiguously used; one may ask what remain egg cells or development? In such cases, we need to repeat the word, cells, since these remain dormant until maturity. The verb is agrees with the singular sub lifetime’s supply.

Correct … is produced during fetal development and the cells remain dormant until maturity.

2. In 1869, anxious to balance its population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming legislature extended voting rights to women in Wyoming.

A. its population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming legislature

B. their population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming’s legislature

C. the state’s population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming legislature

D. a state population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the legislature in Wyoming

E. its population of 8,000 men with 2,000 women, the Wyoming’s legislature

So since you know that singular pronouns agree with singular nouns, its agrees with Wyoming legislature. But grammar alone wont rescue us here.

Look at the meaning, can Wyoming legislature have population? No the population belongs to the state, C is clear and exact. D, would mean any state’s population, not necessarily Wyoming’s.

Moral of the story

Attention to detail…is very important..

keep looking out for similar errors; match grammar with meaning.

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