GMAT Verbal Reasoning Syllabus

In an argument, how do you distinguish the conclusion from the premises?

The conclusion is the main claim being argued for (often signaled by "therefore," "thus," "hence"); premises are the supporting reasons (often signaled by "because," "since," "for"). Ask "what is the author trying to convince me of?"

What does it mean to "strengthen" an argument?

To provide new information that makes the conclusion more likely to follow from the premises — typically by validating an assumption, ruling out an alternative explanation, or adding supporting evidence.

What does it mean to "weaken" an argument?

To introduce new information that makes the conclusion less likely to follow — typically by attacking an assumption, offering an alternative cause, or presenting a counterexample.

For a causal argument ("X caused Y"), what is the most common way to weaken it?

Provide an alternative cause for Y, show Y occurred without X, show X occurred without Y, or reveal that the causation is reversed (Y caused X).

For a causal argument ("X caused Y"), how can it be strengthened?

Rule out alternative causes, show that when X is present Y follows, show that without X, Y does not occur, or confirm the direction of causation.

On strengthen/weaken questions, why must you accept the premises as true?

GMAT Critical Reasoning treats stated premises as given facts; you attack or support the LOGICAL LEAP from premises to conclusion (the assumption), not the truth of the premises themselves.

What is a common wrong-answer trap on strengthen questions?

Choices that restate a premise, are irrelevant to the conclusion, or actually weaken the argument. The credited answer must add NEW support that bears directly on the conclusion's logic.

What does an "Evaluate the Argument" question ask you to do?

Identify the piece of information or question whose answer would most help determine whether the argument's conclusion is well supported — i.e., the issue on which the argument's validity hinges.

What is the "Variance Test" for Evaluate-the-Argument questions?

Test the extremes of the answer's variable: if one extreme strengthens the argument and the other weakens it, that answer is relevant and correct. If both extremes leave the argument unchanged, it is irrelevant.

What is a logical flaw of "circular reasoning"?

When the conclusion is merely a restatement of a premise, so the argument assumes what it is trying to prove and provides no independent support.

What is the "sampling" (unrepresentative sample) flaw in arguments?

Drawing a general conclusion from a sample that is too small or not representative of the whole population, making the generalization unwarranted.

What is the logical flaw of "correlation implies causation"?

Concluding that because two things occur together or in sequence, one must cause the other — ignoring coincidence, reverse causation, or a common third cause.

In subject-verb agreement, what is the core rule?

A verb must agree with its subject in number: singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs (e.g., "The list of items is long," not "are long").

How do prepositional phrases affect subject-verb agreement?

They do not change the subject's number; ignore the phrase between subject and verb. In "The box of chocolates is here," the subject is "box" (singular), not "chocolates."

How do you determine agreement with "either...or" / "neither...nor" subjects?

The verb agrees with the nearer subject (the noun closest to the verb). E.g., "Neither the manager nor the employees are ready" vs. "Neither the employees nor the manager is ready."

What is the rule for pronoun-antecedent agreement?

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender, and the antecedent must be clear and unambiguous. "Each student must bring his or her book" (singular "each" → singular pronoun).

What is faulty parallelism, and how is it corrected?

Faulty parallelism occurs when items in a list or comparison have mismatched grammatical forms. Correct it by making them parallel: "She likes running, swimming, and biking" (all gerunds), not "running, swimming, and to bike."

What is a dangling (or misplaced) modifier?

A modifier that does not clearly or logically attach to the word it is meant to describe. "Walking to school, the rain started" wrongly implies the rain was walking; fix it: "Walking to school, I was caught in the rain."

What is a run-on sentence (comma splice), and how can it be fixed?

Two independent clauses joined incorrectly (with no punctuation or only a comma). Fix with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).

What are the seven coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS)?

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So — used with a comma to join two independent clauses.

What is a sentence fragment?

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but lacking an independent clause — missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought (e.g., "Because she was late.").

What is the difference between an independent and a dependent (subordinate) clause?

An independent clause has a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought (can stand alone). A dependent clause has a subject and verb but begins with a subordinator and cannot stand alone.

When is a semicolon used correctly?

To join two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction ("I was tired; I went to bed"), and to separate list items that themselves contain commas.

When is a colon used correctly?

After a complete independent clause to introduce a list, explanation, or elaboration ("She had one goal: to win"). The words before a colon must form a complete sentence.

How are commas used with non-essential (nonrestrictive) clauses?

Nonrestrictive clauses (extra, removable information) are set off by commas, typically introduced by "which" ("My car, which is red, is fast"). Essential (restrictive) clauses use "that" and take no commas.

What is the difference between "that" and "which" in GMAT usage?

"That" introduces a restrictive (essential) clause with no comma; "which" introduces a nonrestrictive (nonessential) clause set off by commas. "The book that I bought" vs. "The book, which I bought, ..."

How do you correctly use the apostrophe for possession vs. contraction with "its/it's"?

"Its" is the possessive of "it" (no apostrophe): "The dog wagged its tail." "It's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." Apostrophes mark contractions and possessives of nouns, not possessive pronouns.

What is the diction distinction between "fewer" and "less"?

Use "fewer" for countable nouns ("fewer cars") and "less" for uncountable/mass nouns ("less water"). GMAT tests this countable vs. uncountable distinction.

What is the diction distinction between "affect" and "effect"?

"Affect" is usually a verb meaning to influence ("The news affected her"); "effect" is usually a noun meaning result ("The effect was clear"). "Effect" can be a verb meaning to bring about ("to effect change").

What is the rule for comparisons using "like" vs. "as"?

Use "like" to compare nouns/pronouns ("She sings like a bird"); use "as" (or "as if") to introduce a clause with a verb ("She sings as a professional does"). GMAT flags "like" before a clause as an error.

What is a logical comparison error, and how do you fix it?

Comparing unlike things (e.g., an action to a person or one country's population to another country). Fix by comparing parallel items: "The population of India is larger than that of Japan," not "than Japan."