GMAT Critical Reasoning Discussions

1)You won't find many big companies on the "fastest growing" list. That's not surprising - the unwritten law says that all companies slow down as they get big. But you can still drive pockets of outrageous growth at your old-line company. In his new book, Hamel shows how the best companies transform themselves into "gray-haired revolutionaries".
For a company to qualify for the title suggested by the author, which of the following would need to be true?

(A) The company tends to have older managers in the higher echelons of the company.
(B)The company has, over the last two decades acquired numerous patents.
(C) The company has a consistent track record of being able to deliver quality even in the face of stringent difficulty.
(D)
The company is a huge corporation that owes its decades of success to its founder who was a revolutionary thinker.
(E)
The company deals in products that are always susceptible to being outclassed by recent innovations.


2)If your experiences at school or university have given you rather less confidence in your ability to think, and rather more of a tendency to defer to others, you'll be sure to try to bend exam questions so as to reproduce in your answer a safe old essay that scored A or B. You might even discount the question altogether and just rehash revision notes, study notes, or notes a kind teacher offered you to learn by heart. This passage would be a suitable introduction to which of the following themes?
(A) Ways of bettering your grades
(B)
Futility of education
(C) Strategies for mastering examinations
(D)Definitive guide to ruining your papers
(E) Confusing your examiners


3) It is not surprising that many American men are taking a closer look at the products that can camouflage those ageing signs. In the age of downsizing, being young, fit and healthy is not just about vanity. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
(A) Americans are definitely not getting any younger.
(B)
Camouflaging signs of ageing is not indicative of vanity.
(C)
There are cosmetic products exclusively available for men.
(D)
Youthful looks help retain jobs.
(E) None of the above.

Help Needed


hmm seems everybody was njoying the weekend.

the ans are
1) B (i had chosen C)
2) D (had chosen B)
3) D (had chosen A)
Can somebody explain the ans 2 these set of ques.
hmm seems everybody was njoying the weekend.

the ans are
1) B (i had chosen C)
2) D (had chosen B)
3) D (had chosen A)
Can somebody explain the ans 2 these set of ques.


got only one correct.. third one...
ne puy please provide explanation for the anwers ..
1)You won't find many big companies on the "fastest growing" list. That's not surprising - the unwritten law says that all companies slow down as they get big. But you can still drive pockets of outrageous growth at your old-line company. In his new book, Hamel shows how the best companies transform themselves into "gray-haired revolutionaries".
For a company to qualify for the title suggested by the author, which of the following would need to be true?

(A) The company tends to have older managers in the higher echelons of the company.
(B)The company has, over the last two decades acquired numerous patents.
(C) The company has a consistent track record of being able to deliver quality even in the face of stringent difficulty.
(D)
The company is a huge corporation that owes its decades of success to its founder who was a revolutionary thinker.
(E)
The company deals in products that are always susceptible to being outclassed by recent innovations.


2)If your experiences at school or university have given you rather less confidence in your ability to think, and rather more of a tendency to defer to others, you'll be sure to try to bend exam questions so as to reproduce in your answer a safe old essay that scored A or B. You might even discount the question altogether and just rehash revision notes, study notes, or notes a kind teacher offered you to learn by heart. This passage would be a suitable introduction to which of the following themes?
(A) Ways of bettering your grades
(B)
Futility of education
(C) Strategies for mastering examinations
(D)Definitive guide to ruining your papers
(E) Confusing your examiners


3) It is not surprising that many American men are taking a closer look at the products that can camouflage those ageing signs. In the age of downsizing, being young, fit and healthy is not just about vanity. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
(A) Americans are definitely not getting any younger.
(B)
Camouflaging signs of ageing is not indicative of vanity.
(C)
There are cosmetic products exclusively available for men.
(D)
Youthful looks help retain jobs.
(E) None of the above.

Help Needed

Here again we see cases of "choose the best answer and not necessarily the correct one".

1) The para does not speak about anything but about growth. (A), (D) and (E) are clearly ridiculous. Only by providing quality you dont necessarily achieve growth. But having many patents surely will. Hence (B).

2) The para suggests how you might not give good answers just to play safe. Since you are writing answers that give you average grades (A) and (C) do not qualify. The passage doesnt really talk about the education but about what you might do. (E) doesnt seem relevant. Hence (D).

3) The key word here is "downsizing" which means "laying off" i.e. losing jobs. Hence (D).

Here are some questions:

1. Below is an excerpt from a letter that was sent by the chairman of a corporation to the stockholders.
A number of charges have been raised against me, some serious, some trivial. Individuals seeking to control the corporation for their own purposes have demanded my resignation. Remember that no court of law in any state has found me guilty of any criminal offense whatsoever. In the American tradition, as you know, an individual is considered innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, as the corporation's unbroken six-year record of growth will show, my conduct of my official duties as chairman has only helped enhance the success of the corporation, and so benefited every stockholder.
Which of the following can be properly inferred from the excerpt?
(A) The chairman believes that all those who have demanded his resignation are motivated by desire to control the corporation for their own purposes.
(B) Any misdeeds that the chairman may have committed were motivated by his desire to enhance the success of the corporation.
(C) The chairman is innocent of any criminal offense.
(D) The corporation has expanded steadily over the past six years.
(E) Any legal proceedings against the chairman have resulted in his acquittal.

2. In the years since the city of London imposed strict air-pollution regulations on local industry, the number of bird species seen in and around London has increased dramatically. Similar air-pollution rules should be imposed in other major cities.
Each of the following is an assumption made in the argument above EXCEPT:
(A) In most major cities, air-pollution problems are caused almost entirely by local industry.
(B) Air-pollution regulations on industry have a significant impact on the quality of the air.
(C) The air-pollution problems of other major cities are basically similar to those once suffered by London.
(D) An increase in the number of bird species in and around a city is desirable.
(E) The increased sightings of bird species in and around London reflect an actual increase in the number of species in the area.

3. Current farm policy is institutionalized penalization of consumers. It increases food prices for middle- and low-income families and costs the taxpayer billions of dollars a year.
Which of the following statements, if true, would provide support for the author's claims above?
I. Farm subsidies amount to roughly $20 billion a year in federal payouts and $12 billion more in higher food prices.
II. According to a study by the Department of Agriculture, each $1 of benefits provided to farmers for ethanol production costs consumers and taxpayers $4.
III. The average full-time farmers have an average net worth of over $300,000.
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II, and III

4. As an experienced labor organizer and the former head of one of the nation's most powerful labor unions, Grayson is an excellent choice to chair the new council on business-labor relations.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
(A) The new council must have the support of the nation's labor leaders if it is to succeed.
(B) During his years as a labor leader, Grayson established a record of good relations with business leaders.
(C) The chair of the new council must be a person who can communicate directly with the leaders of the nation's largest labor unions.
(D) Most of the other members of the new council will be representatives of business management interests.
(E) An understanding of the needs and problems of labor is the only qualification necessary for the job of chairing the new council.

5. In the effort to fire a Civil Service employee, his or her manager may have to spend up to $100,000 of tax money. Since Civil Service employees know how hard it is to fire them, they tend to loaf. This explains in large part why the government is so inefficient.
It can be properly inferred on the basis of the statements above that the author believes which of the following?
I. Too much job security can have a negative influence on workers.
II. More government workers should be fired.
III. Most government workers are Civil Service employees.
(A) I only
(B) I and III only
(C) II only
(D) I, II, and III
(E) III only

6. The U.S. census is not perfect: thousands of Americans probably go uncounted. However, the basic statistical portrait of the nation painted by the census is accurate. Certainly some of the poor go uncounted, particularly the homeless; but some of the rich go uncounted as well, because they are often abroad or traveling between one residence and another.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument above depends?
(A) Both the rich and the poor have personal and economic reasons to avoid being counted by the census.
(B) All Americans may reasonably be classified as either poor or rich.
(C) The percentage of poor Americans uncounted by the census is close to the percentage of rich Americans uncounted.
(D) The number of homeless Americans is approximately equal to the number of rich Americans.
(E) The primary purpose of the census is to analyze the economic status of the American population.

Here are some questions:

1. Below is an excerpt from a letter that was sent by the chairman of a corporation to the stockholders.
A number of charges have been raised against me, some serious, some trivial. Individuals seeking to control the corporation for their own purposes have demanded my resignation. Remember that no court of law in any state has found me guilty of any criminal offense whatsoever. In the American tradition, as you know, an individual is considered innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, as the corporation's unbroken six-year record of growth will show, my conduct of my official duties as chairman has only helped enhance the success of the corporation, and so benefited every stockholder.
Which of the following can be properly inferred from the excerpt?
(A) The chairman believes that all those who have demanded his resignation are motivated by desire to control the corporation for their own purposes.
(B) Any misdeeds that the chairman may have committed were motivated by his desire to enhance the success of the corporation.
(C) The chairman is innocent of any criminal offense.
(D) The corporation has expanded steadily over the past six years.
(E) Any legal proceedings against the chairman have resulted in his acquittal.

2. In the years since the city of London imposed strict air-pollution regulations on local industry, the number of bird species seen in and around London has increased dramatically. Similar air-pollution rules should be imposed in other major cities.
Each of the following is an assumption made in the argument above EXCEPT:
(A) In most major cities, air-pollution problems are caused almost entirely by local industry.
(B) Air-pollution regulations on industry have a significant impact on the quality of the air.
(C) The air-pollution problems of other major cities are basically similar to those once suffered by London.
(D) An increase in the number of bird species in and around a city is desirable.
(E) The increased sightings of bird species in and around London reflect an actual increase in the number of species in the area.

3. Current farm policy is institutionalized penalization of consumers. It increases food prices for middle- and low-income families and costs the taxpayer billions of dollars a year.
Which of the following statements, if true, would provide support for the author's claims above?
I. Farm subsidies amount to roughly $20 billion a year in federal payouts and $12 billion more in higher food prices.
II. According to a study by the Department of Agriculture, each $1 of benefits provided to farmers for ethanol production costs consumers and taxpayers $4.
III. The average full-time farmers have an average net worth of over $300,000.
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II, and III

4. As an experienced labor organizer and the former head of one of the nation's most powerful labor unions, Grayson is an excellent choice to chair the new council on business-labor relations.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
(A) The new council must have the support of the nation's labor leaders if it is to succeed.
(B) During his years as a labor leader, Grayson established a record of good relations with business leaders.
(C) The chair of the new council must be a person who can communicate directly with the leaders of the nation's largest labor unions.
(D) Most of the other members of the new council will be representatives of business management interests.
(E) An understanding of the needs and problems of labor is the only qualification necessary for the job of chairing the new council.

5. In the effort to fire a Civil Service employee, his or her manager may have to spend up to $100,000 of tax money. Since Civil Service employees know how hard it is to fire them, they tend to loaf. This explains in large part why the government is so inefficient.
It can be properly inferred on the basis of the statements above that the author believes which of the following?
I. Too much job security can have a negative influence on workers.
II. More government workers should be fired.
III. Most government workers are Civil Service employees.
(A) I only
(B) I and III only
(C) II only
(D) I, II, and III
(E) III only

6. The U.S. census is not perfect: thousands of Americans probably go uncounted. However, the basic statistical portrait of the nation painted by the census is accurate. Certainly some of the poor go uncounted, particularly the homeless; but some of the rich go uncounted as well, because they are often abroad or traveling between one residence and another.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument above depends?
(A) Both the rich and the poor have personal and economic reasons to avoid being counted by the census.
(B) All Americans may reasonably be classified as either poor or rich.
(C) The percentage of poor Americans uncounted by the census is close to the percentage of rich Americans uncounted.
(D) The number of homeless Americans is approximately equal to the number of rich Americans.
(E) The primary purpose of the census is to analyze the economic status of the American population.



1. A
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. B
6. B
1. A
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. B
6. B
7. B

Will wait for a few more replies before giving out the answers. But dumbJoe, there are only 6 questions. Where did number 7 come from? :satisfie:

man-h
doesnt my display name give you enough idea as to where that 7th answer came from :satisfie:

ciao

Here are some questions:

1. Below is an excerpt from a letter that was sent by the chairman of a corporation to the stockholders.
A number of charges have been raised against me, some serious, some trivial. Individuals seeking to control the corporation for their own purposes have demanded my resignation. Remember that no court of law in any state has found me guilty of any criminal offense whatsoever. In the American tradition, as you know, an individual is considered innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, as the corporation's unbroken six-year record of growth will show, my conduct of my official duties as chairman has only helped enhance the success of the corporation, and so benefited every stockholder.
Which of the following can be properly inferred from the excerpt?
(A) The chairman believes that all those who have demanded his resignation are motivated by desire to control the corporation for their own purposes.
(B) Any misdeeds that the chairman may have committed were motivated by his desire to enhance the success of the corporation.
(C) The chairman is innocent of any criminal offense.
(D) The corporation has expanded steadily over the past six years.
(E) Any legal proceedings against the chairman have resulted in his acquittal.

2. In the years since the city of London imposed strict air-pollution regulations on local industry, the number of bird species seen in and around London has increased dramatically. Similar air-pollution rules should be imposed in other major cities.
Each of the following is an assumption made in the argument above EXCEPT:
(A) In most major cities, air-pollution problems are caused almost entirely by local industry.
(B) Air-pollution regulations on industry have a significant impact on the quality of the air.
(C) The air-pollution problems of other major cities are basically similar to those once suffered by London.
(D) An increase in the number of bird species in and around a city is desirable.
(E) The increased sightings of bird species in and around London reflect an actual increase in the number of species in the area.

3. Current farm policy is institutionalized penalization of consumers. It increases food prices for middle- and low-income families and costs the taxpayer billions of dollars a year.
Which of the following statements, if true, would provide support for the author's claims above?
I. Farm subsidies amount to roughly $20 billion a year in federal payouts and $12 billion more in higher food prices.
II. According to a study by the Department of Agriculture, each $1 of benefits provided to farmers for ethanol production costs consumers and taxpayers $4.
III. The average full-time farmers have an average net worth of over $300,000.
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II, and III

4. As an experienced labor organizer and the former head of one of the nation's most powerful labor unions, Grayson is an excellent choice to chair the new council on business-labor relations.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?
(A) The new council must have the support of the nation's labor leaders if it is to succeed.
(B) During his years as a labor leader, Grayson established a record of good relations with business leaders.
(C) The chair of the new council must be a person who can communicate directly with the leaders of the nation's largest labor unions.
(D) Most of the other members of the new council will be representatives of business management interests.
(E) An understanding of the needs and problems of labor is the only qualification necessary for the job of chairing the new council.

5. In the effort to fire a Civil Service employee, his or her manager may have to spend up to $100,000 of tax money. Since Civil Service employees know how hard it is to fire them, they tend to loaf. This explains in large part why the government is so inefficient.
It can be properly inferred on the basis of the statements above that the author believes which of the following?
I. Too much job security can have a negative influence on workers.
II. More government workers should be fired.
III. Most government workers are Civil Service employees.
(A) I only
(B) I and III only
(C) II only
(D) I, II, and III
(E) III only

6. The U.S. census is not perfect: thousands of Americans probably go uncounted. However, the basic statistical portrait of the nation painted by the census is accurate. Certainly some of the poor go uncounted, particularly the homeless; but some of the rich go uncounted as well, because they are often abroad or traveling between one residence and another.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument above depends?
(A) Both the rich and the poor have personal and economic reasons to avoid being counted by the census.
(B) All Americans may reasonably be classified as either poor or rich.
(C) The percentage of poor Americans uncounted by the census is close to the percentage of rich Americans uncounted.
(D) The number of homeless Americans is approximately equal to the number of rich Americans.
(E) The primary purpose of the census is to analyze the economic status of the American population.




Here are my Answers:-
1)B
2)D
3)D
4)E
5)B
6)E

Please mail ans asap.

I request all to please post explanations with answers. @dumbJoe and @nssaini - Please edit your answers and post explanations as well.

1.a
2.a
3.a
4.b
5.b
6.b
Q1. b.there is no reason or motive given behind any of his misdeeds, if any.
c. he is innocent cantbe said, he can be convicted in any ongoing litigation
d. past six years we don't know, although a time span of six years is metioned.
e. acquittal and a case ongoing both satisfy his logic that he is not guilty if not found by court.
Answer A is the closest without any serious objections
Q2
a.we don't know this, and a very strong statement indeed without a premise
b. the effect is there but there is no claim as to if it is significant
c.industries might well be the only component in common among the causes of air pollution, so yes similarity is there.
d.Very likely the assumption, as the author assumes the number has increased after regulations and hence similar regulations be implemented elsewhere
e.This is a clear assumption

Q3
Statement 1 satisfies both claims, S2 says nothing about the amount of subsidies in aggregate as well as ethanol is not food item.
S3 toatally unrelated
Q4
a. he was a former head, that doesn't imply he still has their support
b. likely
c. likely, but in what capacity he can communicate directly other than head of the council, since he is no more the union leader.
d. Unrelated
e. The answer, because with the citations it is a measly assumption that he has good understanding of labour relations

Q5
S1 sound deduction, s2 they are loafing because there is no fear, but if there is may be they will improve without actually having to do the firing. S3, being a bit presumptuous here, if it is the major cause then the number must be significant and I am taking it to be majority.
Q6
a. no reason given for homeless
b. only this explains the statistical portrait being accurate, if there had been middle class as well then thc. ir non absence or absence would definitely affect the overall picture.
c. not given
d. not given
e.certainly not given

after this much of hardwork, i hope you would give the answers and solutions now
Here are some questions:
..............................

Here are the answers: Might frustrate you rather than provide relief I am afraid...
Question Source: 1000 CR, Test B. Hence no explanations available.

1) D
2) A
3) D
4) E
5) A
6) C

hey alien u might find the explanations at scoretop. try it out. might help

mama miya!!!!!!!
i am good for nothing 😞 and you tricked me into writing all those explanatios when only bloody two of them were matching

but can somebody else care to take a shot and explain why are these answers right, if they are.


but i see the light now,
1. overlooked 'unbroken'
2. was right here
3. why ethanol should be charade as food item is beyond my understanding and additionally the quanta of tax payers' burden is not mentioned.
4. was right here
5. revised the lesson, getting presumptuous is not appropriate in GMAT :P
6. the overall picture stays correct only if the other sectios besides the rich and poor too are also left out in the same proportion as rich and poor are. so still have my resrvations on this one


critique on this treatise warranted πŸ˜‰

Here are the answers: Might frustrate you rather than provide relief I am afraid...
Question Source: 1000 CR, Test B. Hence no explanations available.

1) D
2) A
3) D
4) E
5) A
6) C


Hey could you plz provide me da question #s.
We have in our minds an a priori motorcycle which has continuity in time and space and is capable of changing appearance as one moves one's head and is therefore not contradicted by the sense that one is receiving, that is, the objective world does not change, but our a priori concept of it changes. Which of the following concepts, fit the above metaphor of a motorcycle?
Answer Choices :
(A) Communication that is limited to face-to-face meetings changes with coming of the wireless.
(B)
A shift from the belief that the Sun moves around the earth to the one that the earth moves around the Sun.
(C)
An economic movement that shifts from mass-production to customized production.
(D)
A machinery capable of successive tasks is geared to handle multi-tasking.
(E) A promotion elevating a junior manager to the position of Head of the Department

Help Needed????

is the answer B, from what I gather, the metaphor is involved to demonstrat change of perspective rather than actual change

We have in our minds an a priori motorcycle which has continuity in time and space and is capable of changing appearance as one moves one's head and is therefore not contradicted by the sense that one is receiving, that is, the objective world does not change, but our a priori concept of it changes. Which of the following concepts, fit the above metaphor of a motorcycle?
Answer Choices :
(A) Communication that is limited to face-to-face meetings changes with coming of the wireless.
(B)
A shift from the belief that the Sun moves around the earth to the one that the earth moves around the Sun.
(C)
An economic movement that shifts from mass-production to customized production.
(D)
A machinery capable of successive tasks is geared to handle multi-tasking.
(E) A promotion elevating a junior manager to the position of Head of the Department

I think answer is B as pointed out by dubbjoe.....

Thanks a lot guys n the ans is indeed B.
In B/W here is another ques

Industrialists from the country Distopia were accused of promoting the Distopian intervention in the Arcadian civil war merely to insure that the industrialists' facilities in Arcadia made substantial profits during the war. Yet this cannot be the motive since, as the Distopians foresaw, Distopia's federal expenses for the intervention were eight billion dollars, whereas, during the war, profits from the Distopian industrialists' facilities in Arcadia totaled only four billion dollars.
Which of the following, if true, exposes a serious flaw in the argument made in the second sentence above?
(A) During the Arcadian war, many Distopian industrialists with facilities located in Arcadia experienced a significant rise in productivity in their facilities located in Distopia.
(B) The largest proportion of Distopia's federal expenses is borne by those who receive no significant industrial profits.
(C) Most Distopian industrialists' facilities located in Arcadia are expected to maintain the level of profits they achieved during the war.
(D) Distopian industrialists' facilities in Arcadia made substantial profits before the events that triggered the civil war.
(E) Many Distopians expressed concern over the suffering that Arcadians underwent during the civil war.

We have in our minds an a priori motorcycle which has continuity in time and space and is capable of changing appearance as one moves one's head and is therefore not contradicted by the sense that one is receiving, that is, the objective world does not change, but our a priori concept of it changes. Which of the following concepts, fit the above metaphor of a motorcycle?
Answer Choices :
(A) Communication that is limited to face-to-face meetings changes with coming of the wireless.
(B) A shift from the belief that the Sun moves around the earth to the one that the earth moves around the Sun.
(C) An economic movement that shifts from mass-production to customized production.
(D) A machinery capable of successive tasks is geared to handle multi-tasking.
(E) A promotion elevating a junior manager to the position of Head of the Department
Help Needed????

The question and the answer before I even saw the question 😞 ...

Anyways... I didnt peek at the answer before answering. My answer was B as well. πŸ˜ƒ
Thanks a lot guys n the ans is indeed B.
In B/W here is another ques

Industrialists from the country Distopia were accused of promoting the Distopian intervention in the Arcadian civil war merely to insure that the industrialists' facilities in Arcadia made substantial profits during the war. Yet this cannot be the motive since, as the Distopians foresaw, Distopia's federal expenses for the intervention were eight billion dollars, whereas, during the war, profits from the Distopian industrialists' facilities in Arcadia totaled only four billion dollars.
Which of the following, if true, exposes a serious flaw in the argument made in the second sentence above?
(A) During the Arcadian war, many Distopian industrialists with facilities located in Arcadia experienced a significant rise in productivity in their facilities located in Distopia.
(B) The largest proportion of Distopia's federal expenses is borne by those who receive no significant industrial profits.
(C) Most Distopian industrialists' facilities located in Arcadia are expected to maintain the level of profits they achieved during the war.
(D) Distopian industrialists' facilities in Arcadia made substantial profits before the events that triggered the civil war.
(E) Many Distopians expressed concern over the suffering that Arcadians underwent during the civil war.

On reading the passage before looking at the options what I think the flaw is that as long as the profits of the industries went up during the war, how much the total federal expenses were is irrelevant.

Based on the above analysis, I think the answer is (A).
(B) is not a flaw. It strengthens the argument.
(C) & (D) What happened after or before the war is not relevant.
(E) is also irrelevant.