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Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Verbal Reasoning Flashcards
51 question-and-answer cards covering Verbal Reasoning as it is examined in Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Verbal Reasoning deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What is the "percent vs. number" (rate vs. absolute) flaw?
Confusing a change in percentage/proportion with a change in absolute number. A higher percentage need not mean a higher total if the base size changed, and vice versa.
Define the "equivocation" or term-shift flaw in arguments.
Using the same word or concept in two different senses, or treating two non-identical terms as equivalent. The conclusion only follows if the meanings match, which they do not.
What is the "false dilemma" (either/or) flaw?
Assuming only two options exist when other possibilities are available, then rejecting one to "prove" the other. The argument ignores middle-ground or alternative outcomes.
What is "pre-thinking the answer" in GMAT Critical Reasoning?
Before reading the answer choices, identifying the gap in the argument and predicting what a correct answer should do (e.g., the assumption it relies on, or how to strengthen/weaken it). This guards against trap answers.
Why is pre-thinking valuable on Strengthen/Weaken and Assumption questions?
It focuses you on the logical gap between premises and conclusion, so you can match a prediction to the choices instead of being lured by tempting but irrelevant or out-of-scope answers.
What does a Strengthen question ask you to do?
Find the choice that, if true, makes the conclusion more likely to follow from the premises—typically by affirming a key assumption, ruling out an alternative explanation, or adding supporting evidence.
What does a Weaken question ask you to do?
Find the choice that, if true, makes the conclusion less likely—typically by attacking an assumption, introducing an alternative cause, or showing the evidence does not support the conclusion. It need not disprove the argument, only undermine it.
On a Weaken question about a causal claim (X causes Y), what are the classic ways to weaken it?
Show Y occurs without X; show X occurs without Y; show a third factor causes both; or show the causation is reversed (Y causes X). Any of these undercuts the proposed cause-and-effect link.
How do you weaken an argument based on an analogy?
Show that the two compared cases differ in a relevant way, so what holds for one need not hold for the other. Breaking the relevant similarity undermines the inference drawn from the analogy.
What is the "negation test" for Assumption questions?
Negate a candidate assumption; if the argument falls apart when the negation is true, that choice is a necessary assumption. If the argument survives the negation, the choice is not the required assumption.
What is the difference between a necessary assumption and a sufficient assumption?
A necessary assumption must be true for the argument to hold (tested by negation). A sufficient assumption, if added, would guarantee the conclusion. GMAT "Assumption" questions ask for necessary assumptions.
Why are extreme or overly strong choices usually wrong on Assumption questions?
A necessary assumption needs to be only as strong as required to bridge the gap. Words like always, only, never, or all assert more than the argument needs, so negating them rarely destroys the argument.
What does an Evaluate the Argument question ask?
It asks which question, if answered, would most help determine whether the argument is sound—i.e., which piece of information would most affect the conclusion's validity.
What is the "Variance Test" for Evaluate questions?
Consider the two extreme answers to the candidate question. If one answer strengthens and the other weakens the argument, the question is relevant and correct. If both answers leave the argument unchanged, it is irrelevant.
How does an Inference/Conclusion question in Critical Reasoning differ from a Strengthen/Weaken question?
In Inference questions the stimulus is treated as a set of facts (premises) and you must find the choice that must be true based on them. There is no flawed argument to attack; you draw a guaranteed conclusion from given information.
What is the safest type of answer on a CR Inference (must-be-true) question?
A conservatively worded choice that follows directly and necessarily from the given statements—often weaker/qualified ("some," "at least," "may"). Avoid choices needing outside information or making stronger claims than the facts support.
What is a Boldface (reasoning-structure) question?
A CR question with one or two bolded portions where you must identify the logical role each bolded statement plays—e.g., the conclusion, a premise, an objection, evidence the author argues against, or a position the author opposes.
What is the first step in attacking a Boldface question?
Find the author's main conclusion and determine the author's position. Then classify each bold statement by whether it supports or opposes that conclusion and whether it is the author's claim or someone else's.
In Boldface questions, what is the key distinction between an "intermediate conclusion" and the "main conclusion"?
An intermediate (subsidiary) conclusion is supported by some premises but is itself used to support the main conclusion. The main conclusion is the final claim that everything else supports and that supports nothing further.
What does a Resolve the Paradox (discrepancy) question present?
Two facts that seem contradictory or surprising together. You must find the choice that explains how both can be true at once, eliminating the apparent conflict without disputing either fact.
What is the correct approach to a Resolve the Paradox question?
Pinpoint the two seemingly conflicting facts, then choose the option that introduces information making both consistent. The right answer reconciles them; wrong answers deepen the paradox, address only one fact, or are irrelevant.
In a Resolve the Paradox question, why is a choice that only restates or supports one of the facts wrong?
Resolving the paradox requires bridging both facts. A choice that merely confirms one side leaves the tension intact; the correct answer must explain why both facts can coexist.
What is "scope" in GMAT Verbal, and why does it matter for eliminating answers?
Scope is the specific topic and boundaries of the passage or argument. Out-of-scope answers introduce people, comparisons, or issues the text never addresses; they are wrong even if true, because they fall outside what is discussed.
Across CR question types, what general rule distinguishes Strengthen/Weaken/Assumption from Inference questions about where new information may come from?
Strengthen, Weaken, and Assumption questions allow outside information in the answer choices to act on a flawed argument. Inference (must-be-true) questions require the answer to follow solely from the given statements, with no outside information.
What this deck covers
The Verbal Reasoning deck follows the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Verbal Reasoning syllabus — 4 chapters and 17 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 12.8 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 207 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Verbal Reasoning flashcards FAQ
How many Verbal Reasoning flashcards are in this Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) deck?
51 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 51-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Verbal Reasoning cards cover?
They follow the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Verbal Reasoning syllabus — 4 chapters and 17 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.