Sample Previous Year Questions: Critical Reasoning | Verbal for GMAT PDF Download

Q1. Jasper: To be a woman in this century is far better than to be a woman in centuries past. Life expectancy for women has – for the first time – surpassed that for men and while only around 20% of college students in the late 1800s were women, today, almost 60% of college students are women.
Sunny: However, women educated in the top-ranked colleges in the country earn only about 70% of what their male counterparts earn. Also, studies show that even today, in a number of industries, women are refused top management positions simply because they are women.
Which of the following is Jasper most likely to say as a response to Sunny?

A. Women today are healthier and live longer than women in the 1800s, who primarily died because of child birth.

B. There are more women at the entry-level jobs of most industries than there are men.

C. Women today are better able to juggle professional and personal lives and a number of them are proving to be successful single mothers.

D. The proportion of women in the judicial and legislative branches of the country is at its highest and the country elected its first woman president recently.

E. Women are allowed more freedom today and are not likely to be sacrificed at the altar of marriage or in a witch hunt.

Ans: 
Analyzing the Argument
Jasper believes that women today are better off than in the past. Sunny however, believes that women are not on par with men at the workplace.
The important difference between the two arguments is that Jasper is making a time comparison (between the past and now) and Sunny is making a gender comparison (between men and women).
Jasper’ response to Sunny must simultaneously strengthen her stance that women today are better off while establishing that Sunny might not be entirely right and that women are treated equal to men, if not better.
Process of Elimination

Option (A) states that life expectancy for women has gone up. However, Jasper has already stated that it has. So, repeating the Sunnye point does not further strengthen her own or counter Sunny’s argument.

Option (B) can be eliminated because it only discusses entry-level jobs. Stating that there are more women in the entry-level positions does not undermine Sunny’s argument that women do not reach the higher-level positions.

Option (C) does not talk about professional success of women and only mentions that they are more successful at being single mothers. This statement still does not address Sunny’s point that women are not treated equal to men professionally.

Similarly, women being “allowed” more freedom and not subjected to a witch hunt does not imply that women are equal to or better than men. Option (E) can also be eliminated.

Option (D) implies that women are doing well in other professions, if not in the corporate world. It also implies that women are able to get higher ranked positions in the country. This validates Jasper’ argument that women are better off today than in the past and simultaneously questions Sunny’s argument that women aren’t treated equal to men.

Choice D is the correct answer

Q2. There are several scientific studies and research findings that are constantly discussed and publicized in the news media. Some of these are contrary to other research studies that are published. This conflict in information makes people believe that either science is inaccurate or that they can “choose” which scientific result they want to believe in. However, neither of these beliefs is accurate. Science is not inaccurate or subjective. Most of the time, scientific studies show inconsistent results either because of inaccuracies in methodology adopted or because of misrepresentation of actual results by the news media. For example, a recent study done on just 15 women showed that eating chocolate was not necessarily harmful during pregnancy and the media reported that chocolate was actually beneficial to the foetus.

Which of the following best further corroborates the author’s argument?

A. A study result that shows that the effect of automobile pollution on global warming is marginal.
B. An unverified study gaining popularity because it seemingly showed that red wine reduces the risk of cancer on a very small control group.
C. A new study that further corroborates an earlier finding that the consumption of some types of berries lower the risk of heart failure.
D. The news media highlighting the fact that a study had clearly proven that effects of certain drugs on rats need not be the Sunnye as on humans.
E. People not knowing what to believe because one study shows that a certain disease is caused by genetic factors, while another shows that it also caused by lifestyle factors

Ans: Analyzing the Argument
The author believes that scientific studies, when done right, are reliable and that the conflicting studies are the result of misrepresentation of data and inaccurate studies—not a problem with the scientific methodology itself.
To strengthen this reasoning, the correct answer must show another case in which a study’s methodology was flawed and/or the news media misrepresented the results.

Process of Elimination
Option (A) reports a study whose conclusion seems wrong, but it gives no indication that the study’s methods were faulty. Real-world plausibility can’t be used to judge CR options. Eliminate (A).
Option (C) simply corroborates an earlier finding—there is no conflict and no suggestion of poor methodology. Eliminate (C).
Option (D) notes that the media sensationalized a study on drugs in rats, but it does not say the study itself was misreported or methodologically unsound. Eliminate (D).
Option (E) shows conflicting beliefs about disease causes, but it doesn’t imply either study was flawed—it could just be that both factors play a role. Eliminate (E).
Option (B) describes an unverified study on a very small control group that nonetheless gains popularity. This directly illustrates both flawed methodology (tiny sample size) and media misrepresentation (widespread attention despite poor evidence).

Choice B is the correct answer.

Q3. It seems that medical care is constantly improving and is far better today than it was a few years ago. New medicines are being developed, and at a lower cost. Technological advancements are being made and new treatments are devised. However, hospital care has not improved as much as expected. Most hospitals do not have a large enough ER that can handle a sudden influx of patients and the number of people who die in a hospital due to reasons other than what they got admitted for is staggeringly high.

All of the following underscore the author’s argument EXCEPT

A. Most hospitals require doctors to do so much paperwork that they spend insufficient time on direct patient care.
B. Most hospitals recirculate air and therefore, it is very easy for diseases such as anthrax to spread through the hospital.
C. In smaller cities, the ambulance service is on a voluntary basis and the response time for calls is much lower than the national average, leading to a higher loss of life.
D. A number of doctors in private hospitals are not held accountable by the administration for the loss of patients.
E. Doctors in most private hospitals have performance appraisals based on how much money they have brought in for the hospital rather than based on how effectively they treated patients

Ans:
Analyzing the Argument
The argument states that medical care has improved but that does NOT mean that the hospitals have become better. At first glance, it may look like the argument counters itself. However, the first few sentences are discussing the development of medical care and the last few sentences are specifically about hospital care.The question asks us to identify the option that does NOT underscore, which is to strengthen, the author’s argument. Not strengthening does not necessarily mean weakening the argument. So, find four options that strengthen and the one left out is the answer.To strengthen the argument, we need to establish that hospitals are not so good and that people die in hospitals for reasons other than their illness.
Process of Elimination
Option (A) implies that the hospitals have the doctors do so much other work that patient care takes a backseat. This can be used to strengthen the author’s argument that hospital care is not great. Therefore, option (A) can be eliminated.
• If the hospitals recirculate air, making it easier for the diseases to spread, then that further justifies that people die of other diseases than the ones they get admitted for. 
Option (B) strengthens and can be eliminated.
• If the doctors are not held accountable or held accountable for something other than patient care, then patient care takes a backseat. Both options (D) and (E) imply therefore, that the hospital care is not up to scratch.
• The response time of ambulances do not reflect on extent of or quality of hospital care. This option does not weaken the argument nor does it strengthen. It is simply irrelevant to the discussion and Option (C) is therefore the answer.

Choice C is the correct answer.

Q4. Terrorist attacks invariably lead to tremendous losses in life, property, and morale of a country. The effects of a terrorist attack are not just immediate and can have long-lasting, trickle-down effects as well. The fear, for example, takes a long time to die down. However, some of these repercussions can be beneficial to the country. Take for instance, the recent terrorist attack on our capital city. In the weeks following the attack, the crime rate in the city came down significantly from what it was just before the attack. This must primarily be due to the increased presence of police resources that were moved to the area and is thus an indirect effect of the attack.

Which of the following options gives one more option as to why the crime rate decreased because of the terrorist attacks?

A. The capital city is under increased monitoring leading to quick detection of crimes – many times while the crime is still underway.
B. A number of people are frightened because of the terrorist attacks and have fled the capital city.
C. There was a recorded decrease in crime rate right after the terrorist attack in almost all cities of the country.
D. Intel reports show that the terrorists who pulled off the attack had been committing various other smaller crimes regularly to distract law enforcement from their true purposes.
E. The government had initiated schemes to decrease poverty and provide better livelihood for the people just before the terrorist attack.

Ans:
 Analyzing the Argument
The argument claims that there can be some benefits to terrorist attacks, such as the decrease in crime rates. The author argues that the crime rate was influenced by the recent terrorist attack.In order to further add credibility to the author’s argument, the correct option must establish that the terrorist attack had some tie to the crime rate in the city.

Process of Elimination
Option (A) repeats a fact that is mentioned in the argument – that there is an increase in policing. However, instead of saying that the increase in police forces is dissuading the criminals, the option states that they are getting caught red-handed. This option does not imply that the crime rate has come down – only that the criminals are being increasingly caught.
Option (B) extends a remark made in the argument about people feeling fear. However, what does this discussion have to do with the crime rate? The option makes no mention of the impact that the fleeing had on the crime rate.
Option (C) states that the crime rate has come down. However, this decrease in crime rate need not have anything to do with the terrorist attacks. The option does nothing to establish this link.
There need not necessarily be a link between crime and poverty. Even if that were the case, Option (E) would weaken the argument and not strengthen it. If the government had been taking measures to bring down the crime rate, then the crime rate has not come down because of the terrorist attack.
Option (D) implies that the terrorists had been contributing to the crime rate. This implies that, now that they have implemented their plan, they are no longer committing petty crimes to distract the police and that the crime rate has come down. Ultimately, the option strengthens the argument by establishing a link between the crime rate and the terrorist attacks.

Choice D is the correct answer.

Q5. During medieval times, the administrative system was organized such that jobs were traditionally held within the same family. The eldest son of the village’s blacksmith will take up his father’s business and become the next blacksmith. The other sons would join the army or serve the king in some fashion while the daughters did what their mother did. Although the world has undergone innumerable changes, the dynastic system has not undergone any change whatsoever. Children who have fathers who played major league baseball are 800 times more likely than other kids to become major league players themselves.

Which of the following best refutes the author’s reasoning?
​A. In countries with a royal family, the eldest son of the king is destined to be the next king.
B. The blacksmith’s eldest son in a medieval village could not choose any other profession even if he wanted to.
C. A major baseball player will have better knowledge and skills and will be able to guide his son better.
D. 60% of the country’s doctors have at least one parent who is a doctor.
E. It is a proven fact that success in any career is determined more by skill and practice rather than by genetic makeup.

Ans: 
​Analyzing the Argument
The argument draws parallels between medieval and modern times and concludes that the dynastic system of sons taking on their fathers’ jobs has not changed over the years. To make the point, the author gives an example of blacksmiths in medieval times and baseball players today.

In order to question the credibility of the argument, the correct option must point out that the times are different and that there need not be a parallel between career systems today and in medieval times.

Eliminating Options
Option (A) gives one more example of dynastic systems today. If anything, (A) lends further credibility to the argument rather than refuting it. For the same reason, Option (D) can also be eliminated.
Option (C) implies that having a father in the same profession increases the possibility that the son follows in his father’s footsteps. That, too, actually supports the author’s point.
Option (E) might look attractive, but the argument never claims that genetic makeup determined career choice; it only discusses the accepted practice of the day, not success. Thus (E) is irrelevant.
Option (B) works because it highlights that medieval sons had no choice—they had to follow their fathers’ trade—whereas modern baseball players do choose their careers. That contrast undercuts the argument’s assumption of a perfect parallel.

Choice B is the correct answer.