Critical Reasoning, although overwhelming at first, is an area that one can make a lot of improvement in a short span of time. This only requires mastering the CR question types and common answers for each question type.
So how to approach a CR question? The Powerscore bible book says that we should first read the stimulus as given and then go on to read the question (e.g, weaken question, strengthen question etc).
Let us consider a passage:
Many towns that have severe snow fall in the winter are prone to higher rate of accidents during the winter. <--------------------- Stimulus/Passage
Which of the following statements, if true, weakens the above conclusion? <---Conclusion
(a)
(b)
(c) <-----------Answer choices
(d)
(e)
This is a break-up of the three parts of a Critical Reasoning Question.
Approach to target a CR question:
First, read the stimulus and understand it. Try to answer the following questions in your mind: what is the author trying to say, what is he persuading us to believe, what is the evidence that he offers. ALWAYS, LOCATE THE CONCLUSION IF THE PASSAGE HAS ONE. Remember, most CR questions have a conclusion. A conclusion is a statement that begins with the word so,therefore, hence, as a result etc.
Second, move on to the question and place it into a particular question type(in your mind ofcourse). Eg. Does the question talk about strengthening the argument, then it is a strengthen question.
Fortunately, there are only 10 question types in CR and each one can be mastered.
Third, think of the possble 'correct' and 'incorrect' answers based on the question types posed. More on this point later.
Critical Reasoning questions fall into 3 categories except 'evaluate the argument' question that is combination of two categories. Learning the strategy for each category and question is all that is required to master CR.
Category 1: Answer choices are under suspect and passage is taken as true
Main Point
Must be true
Method of reasoning
flaw in reasoning
Parallel reasoning
Category 2: Passage is under suspect and answer choices are taken as true
Strengthen/support
Assumption
Resolve the paradox
Category 3: Passage is under suspect and answer choices are taken as true(similar to category 2 except that the right answer is a polar to the answer in category 2)
Weaken
Evaluate the argument is a combination of family 2 and 3.
As you go through CR strategies, you will learn to recognize the question types and most questions will be explicitly stated such as 'which of the following,if true, is an assumption to the conclusion above'. so we know this is an assumption question. This recognition will easily come within a few days of CR study, so do not fret.
Source:Powerscore CR bible
So how to approach a CR question? The Powerscore bible book says that we should first read the stimulus as given and then go on to read the question (e.g, weaken question, strengthen question etc).
Let us consider a passage:
Many towns that have severe snow fall in the winter are prone to higher rate of accidents during the winter. <--------------------- Stimulus/Passage
Which of the following statements, if true, weakens the above conclusion? <---Conclusion
(a)
(b)
(c) <-----------Answer choices
(d)
(e)
This is a break-up of the three parts of a Critical Reasoning Question.
Approach to target a CR question:
First, read the stimulus and understand it. Try to answer the following questions in your mind: what is the author trying to say, what is he persuading us to believe, what is the evidence that he offers. ALWAYS, LOCATE THE CONCLUSION IF THE PASSAGE HAS ONE. Remember, most CR questions have a conclusion. A conclusion is a statement that begins with the word so,therefore, hence, as a result etc.
Second, move on to the question and place it into a particular question type(in your mind ofcourse). Eg. Does the question talk about strengthening the argument, then it is a strengthen question.
Fortunately, there are only 10 question types in CR and each one can be mastered.
Third, think of the possble 'correct' and 'incorrect' answers based on the question types posed. More on this point later.
Critical Reasoning questions fall into 3 categories except 'evaluate the argument' question that is combination of two categories. Learning the strategy for each category and question is all that is required to master CR.
Category 1: Answer choices are under suspect and passage is taken as true
Main Point
Must be true
Method of reasoning
flaw in reasoning
Parallel reasoning
Category 2: Passage is under suspect and answer choices are taken as true
Strengthen/support
Assumption
Resolve the paradox
Category 3: Passage is under suspect and answer choices are taken as true(similar to category 2 except that the right answer is a polar to the answer in category 2)
Weaken
Evaluate the argument is a combination of family 2 and 3.
As you go through CR strategies, you will learn to recognize the question types and most questions will be explicitly stated such as 'which of the following,if true, is an assumption to the conclusion above'. so we know this is an assumption question. This recognition will easily come within a few days of CR study, so do not fret.
Source:Powerscore CR bible
