Last time, I covered in detail how to approach weaken the conclusion, strengthen the conclusion, and identify the best conclusion/inference question types in GMAT critical reasoning. Today, I’d like to review another popular CR question type – identify a parallel argument. It’s important to properly identify the question type because the question type will dictate how we analyze the argument. “Identify a parallel argument” questions can be phrased in a variety of different ways.
Common forms of this question are:
- Which one of the following most closely parallels the reasoning used in the argument …
- Which one of the following statements is consistent with…
- Which one of the following arguments is flawed in a way most similar to the way in which the passage is flawed?
- Which one of the following has a logical structure most like that of the argument above?
- Which of the following arguments most closely mimics the reasoning used in the above argument?
What to look for
This is the type of question that people usually have the most difficulty with. A useful technique to solve this type of problem is to:
- Construct a pattern for the argument. This can be accomplished by substituting key nouns with alphabet letters and using arrows to denote the sentence’s logical flow.
- Browse through the answer choices, replacing keywords from the answer choices into the pattern constructed.
- Select the answer choice that best fits the logical flow of your pattern.
Example
If, in a tennis tournament, a match reaches a fifth-set tiebreak, the lower-ranked player always loses the tiebreak (and, therefore, the match). If Rafael, the second-ranked player, wins a tournament by beating Roger, the top-ranked player, then the match must not have included a fifth-set tiebreak.
Which of the following arguments most closely mimics the reasoning used in the above argument?
- If a woman with a family history of twins gets pregnant three times, she will have one set of twins. Jennifer, who falls into this category, had two sets of twins, so she must not have gotten pregnant exactly three times.
- If a salesman sells more product than anyone else in a calendar year, then he will earn an all-expenses-paid vacation. Joe earned an all-expense-paid vacation, so he must have sold more product than anyone else for the year.
- A newspaper can charge a 50% premium for ads if its circulation surpasses 100,000; if the circulation does not pass 100,000, therefore, the newspaper can’t charge any kind of premium for ads.
- If a student is in the top 10% of her class, she will earn a college scholarship. Anna is not in the top 10% of her class, so she will not earn a scholarship.
- All of the players on a football team receive a cash bonus if the team wins the Super Bowl. If quarterback Tom Brady earned a cash bonus last year, he must have been a member of the winning Super Bowl team.
Diagram
The logic of the passage follows this pattern: if A, then B; if not B, then not A.
Solution
If, in a tennis tournament, a match reaches a fifth-set tiebreak, (A) the lower-ranked player always loses the tiebreak (B) (and, therefore, the match). If Rafael, the second-ranked player, wins a tournament by beating Roger, (Not B) the top-ranked player, then the match must not have included a fifth-set tiebreak. (Not A)
If a woman with a family history of twins gets pregnant three times, (A) she will have one set of twins (B). Jennifer, who falls into this category, had two sets of twins, (Not B) so she must not have gotten pregnant exactly three times ( Not A). A is the only answer choice that fits this pattern. The answer is A
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