Elements of the Argument

1. Elements of the argument: premises/finding the conclusion

Premise = Facts

Conclusion = Tying together of facts

2. The gap: something that the conclusion does not take into account

Weakening the Argument

how to spot ‘weaken’ question

‘Which of the following, if true, most severely/seriously weakens the argument above?’

‘Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the viability of the plan described above?’

‘Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the force of the evidence cited?’

Basic Approach

- identify premises

- spot the conclusion

找到connection

- think of unstated assumptions

Recap

1. Read and simplify argument(focus on conclusion)

2. Think of the major assumption

3. Read the question and anticipate answer

4. Go through every answer choice, not spending too much time on any one answer

5. Make sure your answer directly attacks the assumption

6. Do not add an ‘inferential jump’ to answer choice(‘if...then’)

Strengthening the Argument

Assumption Questions

Negating an assumption

The validity of the conclusion rests on several unstated assumption

If the assumption is not valid, then the conclusion completely falls apart

This insight gives us a powerful technique: negating the assumption

The idea is that if you add a ‘no’ or ‘not’ to an assumption. You will negate, or come up with opposite of the assumption

If this ‘negated answer choice’ is true, the argument will completely fall  apart

Wrong Answer Choices

The paradox Argument

Answer: two seemingly contradictory statements that are true

Key points

- two premises and no conclusion

- you must find the answer choice that resolves the discrepancy

- should have an ‘oh, I see!’ moment

Question Stems

The paradox described above is best resolved by which of the following?

Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above?

Which one of the following most helps to explain the apparent contradiction above?

Strategy

A. Identify premises

B. Restate premises

C. Find answer

Bold-faced Arguments

- some of the most difficult GRE questions

- understand the function of a sentence or a part of a sentence

- understand the functions of two distinct parts of the prompt

Question stems

‘In the above argument, the portion in boldface plays which of the following roles?’

Strategy

1. Read entire paragraph

2. Use your Own words to describe the function of bold-faced part

3. Do one bold-faced at a time

4. Watch out for multiple positions on an issue

5. Do not get lost in the verbiage of the answer choice

6. If you can confidently eliminate one part of an answer choice, do not read the second part

The 1st provides evidence that challenges the conclusion; the 2nd part is a consideration that weakens the force of this challenge against the conclusion.

Review

1. Identify the role the parts

2. If one half of the answer choice is wrong, the entire answer is wrong

3. Do not eliminate answer based on vague wording or convoluted structure

4. Feel free to skip convoluted answer choices and come back to them if necessary

5. Takes practice; considered by many the hardest kind of paragraph argument questions

Do not Forget the Conclusion

Recap

- always remember the specifics to the conclusion

- refer back to the conclusion if...

1. You are unsure about an answer choice

2. You want to check your answer

Eliminating All the Answers

Numbers vs. Percents

Percentage =/= Actual Number