GMAT Verbal Section Skills - Critical Reasoning
The verbal section of the GMAT consists of three primary types of questions, which includes critical reasoning questions, reading comprehension questions, and grammar and sentence structure questions. The critical reasoning questions included on the exam are designed to assess an individual's ability to analyze a particular argument or action plan and use the information from the argument or plan to decide whether or not it is logical, well-founded, and ultimately whether or not it makes sense to carry out the plan or act on the argument. Each of these questions will present the exam-taker with an argument or plan of action and the individual will receive a question where he or she will have to choose the best conclusion that can be drawn from the argument, identify the flaws or merits of the plan or argument, or choose the argument or plan that is more logical from the choices available. For example, an individual might be presented with the argument "A pet store will sell more puppies than kittens because puppies are cuter" and the individual is instructed by the exam to identify the flaw in this particular argument. The choices for identifying the flaw in this particular example might include:
- ( A ) Kittens are cuter than puppies
- ( B ) Most full-grown dogs are bigger than full-grown cats
- ( C ) Puppies are more expensive than kittens
- ( D ) The argument is based on a matter of opinion
- ( E ) There is no apparent flaw in the argument
The answer for this particular example would be choice "D" as the argument is based on a matter of opinion as some individuals may believe that puppies are more appealing and some individuals may believe that kittens are more appealing. Choices "B" and "C" might also be true, but are both incorrect for this particular example as both options do not identify the flaw in this specific argument. The critical reasoning questions included on the exam will usually not be as simplistic as this particular example, but ultimately require similar logic in order to choose the correct answer. The verbal section of the GMAT usually includes approximately 13 to 15 questions related to critical reasoning.