Test: Bold Face CR - GMAT MCQ

In the statement above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
(A) The first is an opinion that is supported by the argument; the second is one part of the information uncovered in the study.
There is no evidence the first portion is an opinion. And the second part seems to be a fact that was previously known. Wrong.

(B) The first is a fact that goes against the argument that is being presented; the second is one element of a logical argument in support of the scientists’ claim.
The argument is that increasing intake of fatty fish -> lowering rate of kidney cancer. The first BF states that this relationship is inconclusive and hence it goes against the argument or at the least does not support it. The second part uses logic to prove the opposite of consuming fatty fish. Correct

(C) The first presents the quandary the scientists are attempting to solve; the second is the result of that quandary.
The scientists are trying to solve whether fatty fish intake affects rate of kidney cancer.The first BF does not directly present this as a quandary. Wrong

(D) The first is a claim in support of the argument; the second is a piece of evidence against the argument.
As stated above the first BF at best does not support the argument. The second piece at best supports the claim by logically deducing what would happen by consuming non fatty fish. Wrong

(E) The first is an explanation advocated by the argument; the second is a finding used to challenge that explanation.
The first BF does not explain anything but presents information that goes against the conclusion. Wrong

(A) The first is an observation that the argument accepts as true; the second is a belief that forms part of the support for the main conclusion of the argument. The second statement is not a belief, it is an observation or an evidence. Eliminate A

(B) The first is evidence against the main conclusion of the argument; the second is an intermediate conclusion used to support the main conclusion of the argument. The second statement is also not an intermediate conclusion, it is an observation or an evidence. Eliminate B

(C) The first is evidence that is used to support a conclusion drawn in the argument; the second is part of the reasoning used to support another conclusion drawn in the argument. No there is only one main conclusion and the first statement implication goes against this main conclusion . Eliminate C

(D) The first is an observation, an implication of which is disputed in the argument; the second is part of the reasoning used to support the position taken by the argument as a whole. Yes, absolutely. This option perfectly aligns with the pre-thinking done above. Correct

(E) The first is a belief that the argument does not dispute; the second is an observation that forms part of the support for the main conclusion of the argument. The first statement is not a belief, it is an observation or an evidence. Eliminate E

The correct answer is (B) The first is a piece of evidence; the second is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence.

Here's why:

The first boldfaced statement, "one must have five years of work experience and a 90th percentile GMAT score," is a requirement for getting into a top MBA program. It is a piece of evidence about what is needed for acceptance.

The second boldfaced statement, "Alexis must be accepted into a top MBA program," is a conclusion drawn based on the evidence that Alexis has the required qualifications. However, this conclusion is not necessarily true based on the

Premise

In retail chains where store policy includes an allowance for merchandise returns based on dissatisfaction with the products, customers are twice as likely to report that they are dissatisfied with products as they are in retail chains that do not have such a policy. - an evidence, a trend in the customer behavior
Although there is no objective test for customer satisfaction -- no way to determine whether a customer is telling the truth

Conclusion
it is not logical to conclude, as some have done, that half of all these claims of dissatisfaction are false. main conclusion

because in retail chains lacking a satisfaction policy for returns, there is often no incentive for customers to report real dissatisfaction in the first place. reason supporting the main conclusion .

Now, we can see that the second bold face supports the main conclusion. As a result we can eliminate A, D and E.
Finally, between B and C. The second bold face is a reason that the claim might not be true. By no means the second bold face is supporting the accuracy of the claim. Therefore the answer is C.

The passage's point seems to be that the Arabic people had the idea of zero before the numeral was developed. It states that the Arabic people had been performing advanced calculations for a century before the numeral was developed; that other cultures had developed the idea before then; and that they could have acquired the idea through interaction with India. These all seem to be evidence for the passage's point.
Choice (A) is not correct, because the boldfaced portions support the argument, not contradict it.
Choice (B) is incorrect because the second boldfaced portion does not reject the author's position.
Choice (C) is incorrect because the passage doesn't mention any "methodology."
Choice (D) looks good, because the boldfaced portions do imply support for the idea that the Arab civilization had the concept of zero before the numeral; the first boldfaced portion indicates how advanced the Arab people were mathematically, and the second suggests they could have gotten the idea from India.
Choice (E) is incorrect because the second boldfaced portion is not a "conclusion." The conclusion is more accurately said to be in the last part of the first sentence: "[the Arabic civilization] understood the concept of numerical zero long before [its people] ever put it in writing."
The correct answer is Choice (D).

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

A. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second
portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence. - First is not a conclusion

B. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion
is evidence in support of that conclusion. - First is not a conclusion

C. The first portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence; the
second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion. - First is not a conclusion

D. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion
that is not necessarily true based on the evidence. - Correct

E. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion
that must be true based on the evidence.- The premise states that houses will not collapse if they have a structure to withstand an earthquake of 6 or lesser magnitude. Consider a situation if an earthquake of magnitude >6 (say 10) occurs: in such a scenario Dora's house will collapse. Thus second part of the option is wrong.

Identify the Question Type: The words “portions in boldface” indicate that this as a Bolded Statement question.
The answer will describe the roles of the two bolded statements in the argument.
Untangle the Stimulus: Untangle the stimulus in a Bolded Statement question by identifying the purpose of every sentence in the stimulus. This will make it easier to predict the purpose of the two statements asked about.
Here, the first sentence describes a phenomenon.
The second sentence, which contains the first bolded portion, describes one possible theory for this phenomenon, as indicated by the keyword “because.”
The third sentence, which contains the second bolded portion, contradicts that theory, as indicated by the keyword, “however.”
The bolded portion doesn't offer a new theory; instead, it describes some observed evidence. The next sentence provides more evidence, and then the final sentence ultimately presents an alternative theory supported by the evidence previously presented, as indicated by the words, "as a result, this study suggests."
Predict the Answer: The first bolded portion is the theory that the author disagrees with. The second bolded portion is evidence to support the author's alternative theory.
Evaluate the Choices: (E) is a great match for the prediction and is correct. The first statement is indeed a theory that the author questions, and the second statement is evidence to support the author's "question," or argument against that theory.
(A) is wrong because the second boldface statement does not provide evidence for the first theory.
(B), like (A), starts correctly but breaks down in the second part. The second statement supports, not objects to, the alternative theory.
(C) is wrong because the second bolded portion does not clarify the first theory, it supports an contradictory theory.
(D) is incorrect because the argument ultimately rejects, rather than “advocates,” the theory in the first boldface statement.

Boldface 1: Preservation of the Wilgrinn land (that’s got to be the goal referred to by the answer choices). Reading on… The plan is ill-conceived (not the goal, but the plan—argument does not argue against the goal, but does argue against the plan for achieving the goal), so, the goal is preservation of the land (First Boldface) and that’s also part of the main conclusion so First Boldface is a goal with which the argument basically agrees so A and B are not true.

Boldface 2: Doesn’t really relate to the main conclusion, so… Return to the answer choices and consider second Boldface description in remaining choices. C and D are still possibilities, but… E implies that the argument suggests changing a situation in order to make attainment of the goal possible. But the argument suggests changing the entire strategy for attaining the goal, which is not the same thing, at all—so the second Boldface part of this choice doesn’t fit. Also, the argument doesn’t really endorse the goal so much as it endorses a particular strategy by which to attain the goal. So the first part of Choice E doesn’t fit, either E is not correct, leaving us with C and D. Read Choice C in its entirety: (1) says the first Boldface presents a goal that the argument concludes can be attained. Not exactly—the argument actually concludes that a different strategy is needed to attain the goal, not simply that the goal is attainable (so this part of this choice doesn’t match the argument). (2) Says the second Boldface in the argument is a judgment disputing whether the goal can be attained. NO, definitely not—the second BF in the argument suggests a reason why one strategy won’t succeed, but has nothing to do with whether the goal can be attained—the second part of this choice clearly doesn’t match the argument, at all so C is incorrect. Now look at the remaining choice, to make sure it fits: (1) Goal, strategies for achieving under consideration—YES. (2) An opinion or judgment that serves as the basis supporting an alternative to the earlier plan, but with the same ultimate goal—preservation of Wilgrinn land—YES. So, the final answer is D.

A. The first is the consultant's main conclusion; the second provides evidence in support of that main conclusion.

B. The first is evidence that serves as the basis for rejecting one explanation of a certain finding; the second is the consultant's own explanation of that finding.

C. The first is a claim whose truth is at issue in the reasoning; the second provides evidence to show that the claim is true.

D. The first presents a contrast whose explanation is at issue in the reasoning; the second is the consultant's explanation of that contrast.

E. The first presents a contrast whose explanation is at issue in the reasoning; the second is evidence that has been used to challenge the consultant's explanation of that contrast.

The first boldfaced section is clearly phrased as a conclusion ("justified" being a judgemental word), and it is a refutation of the argument which has just been put forward - thus, it is the argument's main conclusion.
The second boldfaced section is also, clearly, a conclusion ("indicates" being our main clue), but what is its relation to the first one? well, the structure (" it is true... but") and context (coming right ofter the previous boldface) of the sentence tells us this is a detailing of the precious conclusion - that is, it is a supporting conclusion.
Quickly skimming the answer, we see B is our answer.