GRE REASONING QUESTIONS

The current GRE Verbal section has question which tests logical reasoning. These questions
have three separate parts. A short passage taken from a variety of sources, a questions stem and
five multiple choices.

PART ONE: THE SHORT PASSAGE

The short passage could be an argument or a set of facts. When answering the GRE Reasoning
question and the passage is an argument, identify the conclusion and the premise(s) on which the
conclusion is based. When the passage is a set of facts, examine the facts.

WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?
Logically speaking, an argument can be defined as a set of statements wherein one statement is
claimed to follow from or be derived from the others. Consider the following short example of an
argument:
“Trees that shed their foliage annually are deciduous trees. Black Oak
trees shed their leaves every year. Therefore, Black Oak trees are deciduous.”

The first two statements in this argument give the reasons (or “premises”) for accepting the third
statement, which is the conclusion of the argument.

WHAT IS A SET OF FACTS?

Fact sets, on the other hand, are a collection of statements without a conclusion, as in
the following example:

“The Jacksonville area has just over one million residents. The Cincinnati area
has almost two million residents. The New York area has almost twenty million
residents.”

The three sentences above do not constitute an argument because no conclusion is present.
The three sentences merely make a series of assertions without making a judgment.

WHAT IS A CONCLUSION
A conclusion can be defined as a statement or judgment that follows from one or more reasons.
Conclusions, as summary statements, are supposed to be drawn from and rest on the premises.
To identify conclusions, ask yourself, “What is the author driving at? What does the author want
me to believe? What point follows from the others?”

WHAT IS PREMISE?
A premise can be defined as a fact, proposition, or statement from which a conclusion is made
Premises support and explain the conclusion. Literally, the premises give the reasons why the
conclusion should be accepted. To identify premises, ask yourself, “What reasons has the author
used to persuade me? Why should I believe this argument? What evidence exists?”

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PREMISE AND CONCLUSION INDICATORS
There are words that indicate when a premise or conclusion is present. These words are like road
signs; they tell you what is coming next. Premises and conclusions can be presented in any order—
the conclusion can be first or last, and the relationship between the premises and the conclusion
remains the same regardless of the order of presentation. The premises and the conclusion can
appear in the same sentence, or be separated out into multiple sentences.
PREMISE INDICATORS: because, since, for, for example, for the reason that, in that, given
that, as indicated by, due to, owing to, this can be seen from, we know this by.

CONCLUSION INDICATORS: thus, therefore, hence, consequently, as a result, so,

accordingly, clearly, must be that, shows that, conclude that, follows that, for this reason

Examples for Class Discussion:

1. Humans cannot live on Venus because the surface temperature is too high.
2. The economy is in tatters. Therefore, we must end this war.
3. We must reduce our budget due to the significant cost overruns we experienced
during production.
4. Fraud has cost the insurance industry millions of dollars in lost revenue. Thus,
congress will pass a stricter fraud control bill since the insurance industry has one
of the most powerful lobbies.

ADDITIONAL PREMISE INDICATORS

In argument forms, sometimes the author will make an argument and then for good measure add
another premise that supports the conclusion but is sometimes non-essential to the conclusion.
There are indicators words which serve as guide post for additional premise.
Some additional premise indicators are: furthermore, moreover, Besides, in addition, what’s more.
Examples for class discussion:
1. Phenylketonurics are people who cannot metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. There
are dangers associated with phenylketonuria, and products containing phenylalanine must
carry a warning label that states, “Phenylketonurics: contains phenylalanine.” In addition,
all children in developed societies receive a phenylketonuria test at birth. Hence, at the
moment, we are doing as much as possible to protect against this condition.

COUNTER PREMISE INDICATORS

When creating an argument, an author will sometimes bring up a counter- premise—a premise that
actually contains an idea that is counter to the argument. At first glance, this might seem like an
odd thing for an author to do. But by raising the counter-premise and then addressing the complaint
in a direct fashion, the author can minimize the damage that would done by the objection if it was
raised elsewhere.

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Counter-premises can also be ideas that compare and contrast with the argument, or work against
a previously raised point. In this sense, the general counter-premise concept discusses an idea that
is in some way different from another part of the argument.
Some counter premise indicators are: but, yet, however, on the other hand, admittedly, in contrast,
although, even though, still, whereas, in spite of, despite after all.
Examples for class discussion:
1. During last night’s robbery, the thief was unable to open the safe. Thus, last night’s robbery
was unsuccessful despite the fact that the thief stole several documents. After all, nothing
in those documents was as valuable as the money in the safe.

2. A free marketplace of ideas ensures that all ideas get a fair hearing. Even ideas tainted
with prejudice and malice can prompt beneficial outcomes. In most countries, however, the
government is responsible for over half the information released to the public through all
media. For this reason, the power of governments over information needs to be curtailed.
Everyone grants that governments should not suppress free expression, yet governments
continue to construct near monopolies on the publication and dissemination of enormous
amounts of information.

PART TWO: THE QUESTION TYPES AND HOW TO ANSWER

After reading the passage and determining if it is an argument or a set of facts, you must read the
question and determine the type of logical reasoning question given. The following are some of
the few logical reasoning questions that you may find on the GRE and how to answer them.

The words ‘most’,’ except’ and ‘least’ may be added to a question stem. When “most” appear in
a question stem, you can rest assured that only one answer choice will meet the criteria. So, if
you see a “most weakens” question stem, only one of the answers will weaken the argument.
“Except” means “other than” If “except” is added to the question stem, as in “Each of the
following strengthens the argument EXCEPT,” the four incorrect answers strengthen the
argument and the one correct answer does not strengthen the argument. If “least” is added to a
question as in “Which one of the following, if true, helps LEAST to resolve the apparent
discrepancy described above?” the four incorrect answers resolve the paradox and the one correct
answer does not resolve the paradox.

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 1. ARGUMENT PART QUESTIONS: ROLE & FUNCTION
The question stem cites a specific portion of the passage and then asks you to identify the role
the cited portion plays in the structure of the argument. The answer choices in each problem then
describe the structural role of the citation, often using terms you are already familiar with such as
“premise,” and “conclusion.”

Sample Argument Part Role & Function Question 1

It is well documented that people have positive responses to some words, such as “kind” and
“wonderful,” and negative responses to others, such as “evil” and “nausea.” Recently,
psychological experiments have revealed that people also have positive or negative responses
to many nonsense words. This shows that people’s responses to words are conditioned not only
by what the words mean, but also by how they sound.

In the argument given, the portion in boldface play which of the following roles?

(A) It is a premise offered in support of the conclusion that people have either a positive or a
negative response to any word.
(B) It is a conclusion for which the only support provided is the claim that people’s responses
to words are conditioned both by what the words mean and by how they sound.
(C) It is a generalization partially supported by the claim that meaningful words can trigger positive
or negative responses in people.
(D) It is a premise offered in support of the conclusion that people’s responses to words are
engendered not only by what the words mean, but also by how they sound.
(E) It is a conclusion supported by the claim that people’s responses under experimental conditions
are essentially different from their responses in ordinary situations.

Sample Argument Part Role & Function Question 2

Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another
record? Well, a new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-
up of a new company. Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below
last year’s record pace. At the same time, there is considerable evidence that the number of new
companies starting up will be no higher this year than it was last year, and surely the new
companies starting up this year will create no more jobs per company than did last year’s
start-ups. Clearly, it can be concluded that the number of new jobs created this year will fall
short of last year’s record.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

(A) The first is a prediction that, if accurate, would provide support for the main conclusion of
the argument; the second is that main conclusion.
(B) The first is a prediction that, if accurate, would provide support for the main conclusion of
the argument; the second is a conclusion drawn in order to support that main conclusion.
(C) The first is an objection that the argument rejects; the second is the main conclusion of the
argument.

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(D) The first is an objection that the argument rejects; the second presents a conclusion that
could be drawn if that objection were allowed to stand.
(E) The first is a claim that has been advanced in support of a position that the argument
opposes; the second is a claim advanced in support of the main conclusion of the argument.

2. ARGUMENT PART QUESTIONS: FILL IN THE BLANK

The question stem asks you to fill in the blank with an appropriate answer. The placement of the
blank in the stimulus is not random—the blank is always at the very end of the stimulus. There is
a conclusion/premise indicator at the start of the sentence to help you recognize that you are being
asked to fill in the conclusion/premise of the argument. In every case, you should fill the blank
with the answer choice that best represents the main point/premise of the argument.

Sample Argument Part Fill in the Blank Question 1

Although studies of young children have revealed important facts about the influence of the
environment on language acquisition, it is clear that one cannot attribute such acquisition solely to
environmental influences: innate mechanisms also play a role. So, the most reasonable question
that ought to be studied is whether…………………………...

Which one of the following most logically completes the passage?

(A) language acquisition can ever be fully explained

(B) innate mechanisms are a contributing factor in language learning
(C) language acquisition is solely the product of innate mechanisms
(D) parents and peers are the most important influence on a child’s learning of a language
(E) innate mechanisms play a more important role in language acquisition than a child’s
immediate environment

Sample Argument Part Fill in the Blank Question 2

People buy prestige when they buy a premium product. They want to be associated with
something special. Mass-marketing techniques and price-reduction strategies should not be used
because………………………………………………..

Which of the following best completes the passage above?

(A) affluent purchasers currently represent a shrinking portion of the population of all purchasers
(B) continued sales depend directly on the maintenance of an aura of exclusivity
(C) purchasers of premium products are concerned with the quality as well as with the price of
the products
(D) expansion of the market niche to include a broader spectrum of consumers will increase
profits
(E) manufacturing a premium brand is not necessarily more costly than manufacturing a standard
brand of the same product

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 3. RESOLVE THE PARADOX QUESTIONS

Questions that require you to select the answer choice that will explain differences in two
statements allowing both statements to be hold. A key feature is, the use of language in the passage
that signals a contradiction, such as: But, However, Yet, Although, Paradoxically, Surprisingly,
etc.

The first part of the question stem describes the action you must take such as Resolve, Explain,
Reconcile, etc. The second part of the question describes the paradox present in the passage such
as Paradox, Discrepancy, Contradiction, Conflict, Puzzle, etc. Some examples of the question
stem are:

Which one of the following would most effectively resolve the apparent paradox above?
Which one of the following most helps to explain the puzzling fact cited above?
Which one of the following most helps to reconcile the discrepancy indicated above?
Which one of the following most helps to resolve the apparent conflict described above?

The correct answer will actively resolve the paradox, that is, it will allow both sides to be factually
correct and it will either explain how the situation came into being or add a piece of information
that shows how the two ideas or occurrences can coexist. Because you are not seeking to disprove
one side of the situation, you must select the answer choice that contains a possible cause of the
situation. So, when examining answers, ask yourself if the answer choice could lead to the situation
in the stimulus. If so, the answer is correct. When attempting to resolve the paradox in the passage,
you must address the facts of the situation. Many incorrect answers will try to lure you with
reasonable solutions that do not quite meet the stated facts. These answers are incorrect. The
correct answer must conform to the specifics of the passage otherwise how could it resolve or
explain the situation?

Sample Resolve the Paradox Question 1

Provinces and states with stringent car safety requirements, including required use of seat belts
and annual safety inspections, have on average higher rates of accidents per kilometer driven than
do provinces and states with less stringent requirements. Nevertheless, most highway safety
experts agree that more stringent requirements do reduce accident rates.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the safety experts’ belief with the
apparently contrary evidence described above?

(A) Annual safety inspections ensure that car tires are replaced before they grow old.
(B) Drivers often become overconfident after their cars have passed a thorough safety inspection.
(C) The roads in provinces and states with stringent car safety programs are far more congested
and therefore dangerous than in other provinces and states.
(D) Psychological studies show that drivers who regularly wear seat belts often come to think
of themselves as serious drivers, which for a few people discourages reckless driving.
(E) Provinces and states with stringent car safety requirements have, on average, many more
kilometers of roads then do other provinces and states.

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Sample Resolve the Paradox Question 2

A report that many apples contain a cancer-causing preservative called Alar apparently had little
effect on consumers. Few consumers planned to change their apple-buying habits as a result of the
report. Nonetheless, sales of apples in grocery stores fell sharply in March, a month after the report
was issued.

Which of the following, if true, best explains the reason for the apparent discrepancy described
above?

(A) In March, many grocers removed apples from their shelves in order to demonstrate concern
about their customers’ health.
(B) Because of a growing number of food-safety warnings, consumers in March were indifferent
to such warnings.
(C) The report was delivered on television and also appeared in newspapers.
(D) The report did not mention that any other fruit contains Alar, although the preservative is
used on other fruit.
(E) Public health officials did not believe that apples posed a health threat because only minute
traces of Alar were present in affected apples.

4. STRENGTHEN QUESTIONS

Strengthen questions ask you to identify the answer choice that best supports the argument. The
correct answer choice simply helps the argument in some way. The correct approach to supporting
an argument is to help the author’s conclusion.

The stem uses the word “strengthen” or a synonym. Following are some examples of words or
phrases used to indicate that your task is to strengthen the argument: strengthen, support, helps
and most justifies. Here are several question stem examples:

“Which one of the following most strengthens the argument?”

“Which one of the following most strongly supports the statement above?”
“Which one of the following does most to justify the conclusion above?”
“Each of the following supports the claim above EXCEPT:”

Sample Strengthen Question 1

At most jewelry stores, the person assessing the diamond is the person selling it so you can see
why an assessor might say that a diamond is of higher quality than it really is. But because all
diamonds sold at Gem World are certified in writing, you’re assured of a fair price when
purchasing a diamond from Gem World.

The reasoning in the advertisement would be most strengthened if which one of the following were
true?

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(A) Many jewelry stores other than Gem World also provide written certification of the quality of
their diamonds.
(B) The certifications of diamonds at Gem World are written by people with years of experience
in appraising gems.
(C) The diamonds sold at Gem World are generally of higher quality than those sold at other
jewelry stores.
(D) The diamond market is so volatile that prices of the most expensive diamonds can change by
hundreds of dollars from one day to the next.
(E) The written certifications of diamonds at Gem World are provided by an independent company
of gem specialists.

Sample Strengthen Question 2

Wood smoke contains dangerous toxins that cause changes in human cells. Because wood smoke
presents such a high health risk, legislation is needed to regulate the use of open-air fires and
wood-burning stoves.

Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the argument above?

(A) The amount of dangerous toxins contained in wood smoke is much less than the amount
contained in an equal volume of automobile exhaust.
(B) Within the jurisdiction covered by the proposed legislation, most heating and cooking is
done with oil or natural gas.
(C) Smoke produced by coal-burning stoves is significantly more toxic than smoke from wood
burning stoves.
(D) No significant beneficial effect on air quality would result if open-air fires were banned
within the jurisdiction covered by the proposed legislation.
(E) In valleys where wood is used as the primary heating fuel, the concentration of smoke results
in poor air quality.

5. WEAKEN QUESTIONS

Weaken questions require you to select the answer choice that undermines the author’s argument
as decisively as possible. Almost all correct Weaken answer choices impact the conclusion. The
more you know about the specifics of the conclusion, the better armed you will be to differentiate
between correct and incorrect answers.

Weaken question stems use the word “weaken” or a synonym to indicate that your task is to
weaken the argument such as attack, undermine, refute, argue against, call into question, cast
doubt, challenge, damage, counter. Here are several Weaken question stem examples:

“Which one of the following most seriously weakens the argument?”

“Which one of the following most undermines the researcher’s argument?”
“Which one of the following would most call into question the analysts’ explanation of the
price increase?”

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 “Which one of the following could be used by Cora to counter Bernard’s rejection of her
explanation?”

Sample Weaken Question 1

Carl is clearly an incompetent detective. He has solved a smaller percentage of the cases assigned
to him in the last 3 years—only 1 out of 25—than any other detective on the police force.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
(A) Because the police chief regards Carl as the most capable detective, she assigns him only
the most difficult cases, ones that others have failed to solve.
(B) Before he became a detective, Carl was a neighborhood police officer and was highly
respected by the residents of the neighborhood he patrolled.
(C) Detectives on the police force on which Carl serves are provided with extensive resources,
including the use of a large computer database, to help them solve crimes.
(D) Carl was previously a detective in a police department in another city, and in the 4 years
he spent there, he solved only 1 out of 30 crimes.
(E) Many of the officers in the police department in which Carl serves were hired or promoted
within the last 5 years.

Sample Weaken Question 2

Cable-television spokesperson: Subscriptions to cable television are a bargain in comparison to

“free” television. Remember that “free” television is not really free. It is consumers, in the end,
who pay for the costly advertising that supports “free” television.

Which of the following, if true, is most damaging to the position of the cable-television
spokesperson?

(A) Consumers who do not own television sets are less likely to be influenced in their purchasing
decisions by television advertising than are consumers who own television sets.
(B) Subscriptions to cable television include access to some public-television channels, which do
not accept advertising.
(C) For locations with poor television reception, cable television provides picture quality
superior to that provided by free television.
(D) There is as much advertising on many cable television channels as there is on “free”
television channels.
(E) Cable-television subscribers can choose which channels they wish to receive.

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 6. ASSUMPTION QUESTIONS

Assumption questions requires you to select the answer choice which is the assumption underlying
the given argument. An assumption is simply an unstated premise of the argument; that is, an
integral component of the argument that the author takes for granted and leaves unsaid. The stem
uses the word “assumption,” “presupposition,” or some variation. “Presupposition” is another
word for “assumes.” Some examples of the question type are:

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument above?

The argument assumes which one of the following?
The position taken above presupposes which one of the following?

After reading the author’s argument you may be able to pick a supporter assumption or a defender
assumption answer choice from the answer choices or use the Assumption Negation Technique.

SUPPORTER AND DEFENDER ASSUMPTIONS

Assumptions play one of two roles—the Supporter or the Defender.

Supporter Assumption
The Supporter role is the traditional linking role, where an assumption connects the pieces of the
argument. Consider the following example:

All male citizens of Athens had the right to vote. Therefore, Socrates had the right to vote
in Athens.

The linking assumption is that Socrates was a male citizen of Athens. This connects the premise
element of male citizens having the right to vote and the conclusion element that Socrates had the
right to vote (affiliated assumptions are “Socrates was male” and “Socrates was a citizen of
Athens”).

The Supporter assumption, by definition, closes the hole by linking the elements together. Should
you ever see a gap or a new element in the conclusion, a Supporter assumption answer will almost
certainly close the gap or link the new element back to the premises.

Defender Assumption
The Defender role is entirely different, and Defender assumptions protect the argument by
eliminating ideas that could weaken the argument. Consider the following argument:

People who read a lot are more intelligent than other people. Thus, reading must cause a
person to be intelligent.

Although the conclusion is questionable (for example, the situation may be reversed: intelligence
might be the cause of reading a lot), in the author’s mind all other alternative explanations are
assumed not to exist. Literally, the author assumes that any idea that would weaken the argument
is impossible and cannot occur. Consider some of the statements that would attack the conclusion
above:

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 Sleeping more than eight hours causes a person to be intelligent.
Regular exercise causes a person to be intelligent.
A high-protein diet causes a person to be intelligent.
Genetics cause a person to be intelligent.

Each of these ideas would undermine the conclusion, but they are assumed by the author not to be
possible, and the author therefore makes the following assumptions in the original argument:

Sleeping more than eight hours does not cause a person to be intelligent.
Regular exercise does not cause a person to be intelligent.
A high-protein diet does not cause a person to be intelligent.
Genetics do not cause a person to be intelligent.

These assumptions protect the argument against statements that would undermine the conclusion.
In this sense, they “defend” the argument by showing that a possible avenue of attack has been
eliminated (assumed not to exist). As you can see, this list could go on and on because the author
assumes every alternate cause does not exist. This means that although the argument only
discussed reading and intelligence, we suddenly find ourselves with assumptions addressing a wide
variety of topics that were never discussed in the passage. In a typical argument, there are an
infinite number of assumptions possible, with most of those coming on the Defender side.

ASSUMPTION NEGATION TECHNIQUE

The purpose of this technique is to take an Assumption question and turn it into a Weaken question.
To apply the technique, take the following steps.

(a) Logically negate the answer choices under consideration.

(b) The negated answer choice that attacks the argument will be the correct answer.

Negating a statement means to alter the sentence so the meaning is logically opposite of what was
originally stated. To logically negate is to completely divide the subject under consideration into
two parts. Negation largely consists of taking a “not” out of a sentence when one is present, or
putting a “not” in a sentence if one is not present. For example,

“The congressman always votes for gun control” becomes

“The congressman does not always vote for gun control” when properly negated.

Be careful not to use the polar opposite instead of the logical opposite when negating. What is the
logical opposite of sweet? Most people reply “sour” to the above question. While “sour” is an
opposite of “sweet,” it is considered the polar opposite of “sweet,” not the logical opposite. Sweet
and sour fail as logical opposites since tastes such as bland or bitter remain unclassified. The
correct logical opposite of “sweet” is in fact “not sweet.” “Sweet” and “not sweet” divide the taste
spectrum into two complete parts, and tastes such as bland and bitter now clearly fall into the “not
sweet” category

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Note that the logical opposite of ‘all’ is ‘not all’, ‘some’ is ‘none’, ‘always’ is ‘not always’,
‘sometimes’ is ‘never’, ‘everywhere’ is ‘not everywhere’ and ‘somewhere’ is ‘nowhere’

Sample Assumption Question 1

A study of 20 overweight men revealed that each man experienced significant weight loss after
adding SlimDown, an artificial food supplement, to his daily diet. For 3 months, each man
consumed one SlimDown portion every morning after exercising, and then followed his normal
diet for the rest of the day. Clearly, anyone who consumes one portion of SlimDown every day for
at least 3 months will lose weight and will look and feel his best

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A. The men in the study will gain back the weight if they discontinue the SlimDown program
B. No other dietary supplement will have the same effect on overweight men.
C. The daily exercise regimen was not responsible for the effects noted in the study.
D. Women won't experience similar weight reductions if they adhere to the SlimDown program
for 3 months
E. Overweight men will achieve only partial weight loss if they don't remain on the SlimDown
program for a full 3 months.

Sample Assumption Question 2

In recent years, many cabinetmakers have been winning acclaim as artists. But since furniture
must be useful, cabinetmakers must exercise their craft with an eye to the practical utility of their
product. For this reason, cabinetmaking is not art.

Which of the following is an assumption that supports drawing the conclusion above from the
reason given for that conclusion?

(A) Some furniture is made to be placed in museums, where it will not be used by anyone.
(B) Some cabinetmakers are more concerned than others with the practical utility of the products
they produce.
(C) Cabinetmakers should be more concerned with the practical utility of their products than they
currently are.
(D) An object is not an art object if its maker pays attention to the object’s practical utility.
(E) Artists are not concerned with the monetary value of their products.

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