can somebody share ideas on how to tackle CR's with EXCEPT in the question stem i.e EXCEPT this which weakens or strengthens....
There is no generalization, but in most cases, it will be the opposite of the question asked. so, in case the statement is for strengthen, EXCEPT will mean you have to look for something that weakens. but I think reading the Q throughly and seeing things is whats more important. not applying a rule to everything.
sr_1795 Sayscan somebody share ideas on how to tackle CR's with EXCEPT in the question stem i.e EXCEPT this which weakens or strengthens....
In CR follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of questions follow the basic principle:
Argument = Assumption + Premise
Typically the questions that follow the above variety is:
1. What is the Assumption?
2. What is the Argument?
3. What if true will strengthen the argument?
4. What if true will weaken the argument?
Now the approach for EXCEPT questions is doing a flip i.e. replace "strengthen with "weaken" and vise-versa. So read the question Which of the following will STRENGTHEN EXCEPT as which of the following will WEAKEN.
MAJOR CAVEAT: DOING A FLIP IT IS NOT NECESSARY THAT THE STATEMENT MIGHT STRENGTHEN/WEAKEN. IT CAN ALSO DO "NOTHING".
So your approach is to find answer choices which will either strengthen/weaken (flip of what is asked) or do nothing.
The toughest questions in this type (the diabolic variety featured in LSAT) are the ones where you will have 2 answer choices which will apparently do "nothing". The way to crack such questions are to see which one is further away i.e. has the least impact on the given argument and no corelation to the assumption.
Ofcourse these techniques are better taught than through a post on a forum. However hope I was able to be of some assistance.
Arun
I thought answer should be A, but answer is B. "A" being wrong for being extreme.
Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the early editors of Dickinsons poetry often distorted her intentions. Yet Johnsons own, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms of distortion. To standardize Dickinsons often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinson chose the dash as her typical mark of punctuation when, in fact, she apparently never made any definitive choice at all.
Which of the following best summarizes the authors main point?
(A) Although Johnson is right in criticizing Dickinsons early editors for their distortion of her work, his own text is guilty of equally serious distortions.
(B) Johnsons use of the dash in his text of Dickinsons poetry misleads readers about the poets intentions.
(C) Because Dickinson never expected her poetry to be published, virtually any attempt at editing it must run counter to her intentions.
(D) Although Johnsons attempt to produce a more faithful text of Dickinsons poetry is well-meaning, his study of the material lacks sufficient thoroughness.
(E) Dickinsons editors, including Johnson, have failed to deal adequately with the problem of deciphering Dickinsons handwritten manuscripts.
Please give the solution of this one....
1. Ergonomically designed computer keyboards tend to
lose their playthe responsiveness of the keys
more quickly than do traditional keyboards. A software
designer has suggested that it is in fact the
curvature of the key rows and not increased typing
speed that is to blame. Due to the bent shape of the
board, it is more difficult for the average user to clean
between the keys, resulting in a gradual deadening of
the spring mechanisms.
The answer to which of the following questions will
most likely yield significant information that would
help to evaluate the software designers hypothesis?
(A) Do traditional keyboards and ergonomically
designed keyboards utilize the same plastics?
(B)Does sprinkling a keyboard with dust impede
the spring action beneath the keys?
(C)Does a keyboard with deadened play make
typing more difficult?
(D)Do computer manufacturers receive more
complaints about ergonomically designed
keyboards than about traditional keyboards?
(E)Are software designers more likely than other
users to utilize their keyboards when working?
I do not have the OA for the above. Kindly provide your take & OA if possible as well.
Regards,
Rohit.
lose their playthe responsiveness of the keys
more quickly than do traditional keyboards. A software
designer has suggested that it is in fact the
curvature of the key rows and not increased typing
speed that is to blame. Due to the bent shape of the
board, it is more difficult for the average user to clean
between the keys, resulting in a gradual deadening of
the spring mechanisms.
The answer to which of the following questions will
most likely yield significant information that would
help to evaluate the software designers hypothesis?
(A) Do traditional keyboards and ergonomically
designed keyboards utilize the same plastics?
(B)Does sprinkling a keyboard with dust impede
the spring action beneath the keys?
(C)Does a keyboard with deadened play make
typing more difficult?
(D)Do computer manufacturers receive more
complaints about ergonomically designed
keyboards than about traditional keyboards?
(E)Are software designers more likely than other
users to utilize their keyboards when working?
I do not have the OA for the above. Kindly provide your take & OA if possible as well.
Regards,
Rohit.
1. Ergonomically designed computer keyboards tend to
lose their playthe responsiveness of the keys
more quickly than do traditional keyboards.
Premise. He clearly states that they lose their play.
A software
designer has suggested that it is in fact the
curvature of the key rows and not increased typing
speed that is to blame. Due to the bent shape of the
board, it is more difficult for the average user to clean
between the keys, resulting in a gradual deadening of
the spring mechanisms.
This is the argument - he is saying its not increased typing speed but the fact dust cannot be removed.
The underlying assumption is it is the dust that causes it and not the usage.
Now anything that talks about dust v/s usage would be what i would want to look at.
The answer to which of the following questions will
most likely yield significant information that would
help to evaluate the software designers hypothesis?
He wants you to strengthen the argument. So anything that will support the assumption i.e. something about the dust.
(A) Do traditional keyboards and ergonomically
designed keyboards utilize the same plastics?
Any option choice which is a question should be answered with a yes or no. If the answer to this question is yes then it leads us to nothing. If the answer to it is no then it might make us think. hmm so it could also be about the plastic. But would that help us with the dust waala argument? No - it doesnt help so I move on.
(B)Does sprinkling a keyboard with dust impede
the spring action beneath the keys?
If the answer is yes it clearly states the argument is true. If answer is no then it would severely damage the argument. Yaay! I got my answer
But let me still move ahead and knock off the rest of the options.(C)Does a keyboard with deadened play make
typing more difficult?
If yes so what? If no so what? So knock off this option.
(D)Do computer manufacturers receive more
complaints about ergonomically designed
keyboards than about traditional keyboards?
Same as above - this is all over and beyond the argument. Answer either ways is not going to help me make my argument better/worse.
(E)Are software designers more likely than other
users to utilize their keyboards when working?
How does "who" uses the system have anything to do with why it is not working. Clearly a red herring.
QED
Arun
3. Poor management, not the changes in the economy is responsible for the low profits reported in Aztec Inc., a subsidiary of Wilson Industries. since its new CEO took over. Maya Inc, another subsidiary, has to function in the same economic conditions, but while Aztec's profits have been falling, Maya's profits have been rising.
Which of the following arguments, if true, would most seriously weekens the argument above?
a. R&D; at Aztec Inc. is progressing at a slower rate.
b. Whereas the astec plant is located in a small town, Maya's plant is situated in an industrial area of the largest city of the state.
c. Both companies have been operating in an recessed economy.
d. The products that are offered by the astec subsidiary are different from the products that are offered by the Maya subsidiary.
e. Aztec's new CEO reorganized the breakdown of the departments.
Can someone explain why answer b is wrong. According to me, it says that since two subsidiaries are located in different areas (with different resource/labour availability) they can have different productivity.
Correct answer mentioned is d
3. Poor management, not the changes in the economy is responsible for the low profits reported in Aztec Inc., a subsidiary of Wilson Industries. since its new CEO took over. Maya Inc, another subsidiary, has to function in the same economic conditions, but while Aztec's profits have been falling, Maya's profits have been rising.
Which of the following arguments, if true, would most seriously weekens the argument above?
a. R&D; at Aztec Inc. is progressing at a slower rate.
b. Whereas the astec plant is located in a small town, Maya's plant is situated in an industrial area of the largest city of the state.
c. Both companies have been operating in an recessed economy.
d. The products that are offered by the astec subsidiary are different from the products that are offered by the Maya subsidiary.
e. Aztec's new CEO reorganized the breakdown of the departments.
Can someone explain why answer b is wrong. According to me, it says that since two subsidiaries are located in different areas (with different resource/labour availability) they can have different productivity.
Correct answer mentioned is d
Sarabji ,
As per me the answer shud be the one which suggests that management is not responsible for the lower profits. Now both B and D absolve the management of this .
However option B gives the reason of poor profits to its rustic location , Now this infact, can be attributed to the management in a mild way , coz the management can actually get the office shifted to a different plce to bolster profits, However due to a recession (Cosmetic products for instance will definitely go down -- assuming Aztec manufactures cosmeic products and maya manufactures more useful products ) the cosmetic products may go down.
Can u tel me which book do u refer to for CRs
am using OG for all .. and just doing any 75 min tests that i can lay my hands on .. not too sure anything else is required cause there is really no fundas that you need to learn in CR. your thoughts?
Well I think that, it is not fair to say that there are no fundas one needs to learn in CR. There are certain fundas, which can be used, to a large extent, to eliminate the incorrect answers.
In Weaken questions
1. There will be only 1 answer choice that will weaken the argument.
2. The rest four answer choices will either strengthen the argument or will have no effect (just irrelevant or out of scope).
How I will approach this question, is look for an answer choice that attacks an assumption made by the author. Also there is a common weakening scenario, where the author makes unfair comparison to reach to a conclusion.
Going by this logic, answer choice (D), explains that the conclusion might not be correct as there is an improper comparison made (of comparing companies which produce different product), while reaching the conclusion.
Even you can argue that (B) and (D) are the choice left, out of which (D) looks much solid and stronger than (B).
sarabji_dua Saysam using OG for all .. and just doing any 75 min tests that i can lay my hands on .. not too sure anything else is required cause there is really no fundas that you need to learn in CR. your thoughts?
Well Sarabji ,
My take on CRs is -- ya there aren't any formulaes obv ,, so u see, we need to understand the problem , It's more like we have to feel the problem as if it were our own problem and then try to find a solution
.I somehow feel - the more u delve into the question the more clear the answer gets.I am sure there are thousand ways to ans a CR question.
7. If A, then B.
If B, then C.
If C, then D.
If all of the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?
(A) If D, then A.
(B) If not B, then not C.
(C) If not D, then not A.
(D) If D, then E.
(E) If not A, then not D.
OA is (C). Any "If, then" rule applied here puys? What is it that i am missing?
Thanks,
Rohit.
If B, then C.
If C, then D.
If all of the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?
(A) If D, then A.
(B) If not B, then not C.
(C) If not D, then not A.
(D) If D, then E.
(E) If not A, then not D.
OA is (C). Any "If, then" rule applied here puys? What is it that i am missing?
Thanks,
Rohit.
1. Ergonomically designed computer keyboards tend to
lose their playthe responsiveness of the keys
more quickly than do traditional keyboards. A software
designer has suggested that it is in fact the
curvature of the key rows and not increased typing
speed that is to blame. Due to the bent shape of the
board, it is more difficult for the average user to clean
between the keys, resulting in a gradual deadening of
the spring mechanisms.
The answer to which of the following questions will
most likely yield significant information that would
help to evaluate the software designers hypothesis?
(A) Do traditional keyboards and ergonomically
designed keyboards utilize the same plastics?
(B)Does sprinkling a keyboard with dust impede
the spring action beneath the keys?
(C)Does a keyboard with deadened play make
typing more difficult?
(D)Do computer manufacturers receive more
complaints about ergonomically designed
keyboards than about traditional keyboards?
(E)Are software designers more likely than other
users to utilize their keyboards when working?
I do not have the OA for the above. Kindly provide your take & OA if possible as well.
Regards,
Rohit.
Choice B looks to be plausible answer to me......
7. If A, then B.
If B, then C.
If C, then D.
If all of the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?
(A) If D, then A.
(B) If not B, then not C.
(C) If not D, then not A.
(D) If D, then E.
(E) If not A, then not D.
OA is (C). Any "If, then" rule applied here puys? What is it that i am missing?
Thanks,
Rohit.
ya...u can easily solve this using if then rules: let me try to explain it how it works -
For any sentence like: if A, then B......label the first part as P and second part as Q.....now if then rule: p-->q and ~q-->~p............keep this basics in mind and note the order of given 3 sentences......now come to the options...
if D, then A....not possible bcozzz p-->q construction not possible since D comes last in the order....
If not B, then not C......not possible bcozz according to first sentence not B will give not A.....for second sentence ~c gives ~b and not the other way round
If not D, then not A....correct....from last sentence ~d gives ~c...from second sentence ~c gives ~b....from first sentence ~b gives ~a...hence correct
If D, then E....E is unknown....not possible
If not A, then not D.....not possible to apply ~A in the first sentence , has to be other way round....
7. If A, then B.
If B, then C.
If C, then D.
If all of the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?
(A) If D, then A.
(B) If not B, then not C.
(C) If not D, then not A.
(D) If D, then E.
(E) If not A, then not D.
OA is (C). Any "If, then" rule applied here puys? What is it that i am missing?
Thanks,
Rohit.
My response - (C) is the correct answer
(A) If D, then A - From the 3 given statements it implies that if A happens, then D will definitely happen, but this does not hold true vice versa. D can happen because of other reasons also even if A doesn't happen. So If D happens, then it is not necessary that A should happen
(B) If not B, then not C - B, then C, doesn't mean C only if B. C can happen because of other reasons also even if B doesn't happen. So if even if B has not happened C can happen
(C) If not D, then not A - From the 3 given statements it implies that if A happens, then D will definitely happen. This means if D has not happened then definitely A has not happened.
(D) If D, then E - No reference of E is given in the 3 statements
(E) If not A, then not D - Taking explanation given in (A) D can happen because of other reasons also even if A doesn't happen. So if even if A has not happened D can happen
1. Ergonomically designed computer keyboards tend to
lose their playthe responsiveness of the keys
more quickly than do traditional keyboards. A software
designer has suggested that it is in fact the
curvature of the key rows and not increased typing
speed that is to blame. Due to the bent shape of the
board, it is more difficult for the average user to clean
between the keys, resulting in a gradual deadening of
the spring mechanisms.
The answer to which of the following questions will
most likely yield significant information that would
help to evaluate the software designers hypothesis?
(A) Do traditional keyboards and ergonomically
designed keyboards utilize the same plastics?
(B)Does sprinkling a keyboard with dust impede
the spring action beneath the keys?
(C)Does a keyboard with deadened play make
typing more difficult?
(D)Do computer manufacturers receive more
complaints about ergonomically designed
keyboards than about traditional keyboards?
(E)Are software designers more likely than other
users to utilize their keyboards when working?
I do not have the OA for the above. Kindly provide your take & OA if possible as well.
Regards,
Rohit.
Evaluate means the Y/N answer to the questions given below will strengthen or weaken the hypothesis.
This is basically an assumption question. The s/w engg. is assuming that dust deadens the spring mechanism. So the answer to the question given in B (Does sprinkling a keyboard with dust impede
the spring action beneath the keys?) if it is Yes, then the hypothesis is strengthened, but if it No then his argument is flawed.
So Question in B can evaluate the software designers hypothesis
Prateek & Anshul..thankz for ur responses guyzz!
12. Are you still reading the other newspaper in town? Did you know that the Daily Bugle is owned by an out-of-town business syndicate that couldnt care less about the people of Gotham City? Read the Daily Clarion, the only real voice of the people of Gotham City!
Which of the following most directly refutes the argument raised in the advertisement above?
(A) Over half of the advertising revenues of the Daily Clarion come from firms whose headquarters are located outside of Gotham City.
(B) The Daily Clarion usually devotes more of its pages to out-of-town news than does the Daily Bugle.
(C) Nearly 40 percent of the readers of the Daily Clarion reside outside the limits of Gotham City.
(D) The editor-in-chief and all the other members of the editorial staff of the Daily Bugle have lived and worked in Gotham City for ten years or more.
(E) The Daily Bugle has been published in Gotham City for a longer time than has the Daily Clarion.
Rohit.
I think it is (D).
Prateek & Anshul..thankz for ur responses guyzz!
12. Are you still reading the other newspaper in town? Did you know that the Daily Bugle is owned by an out-of-town business syndicate that couldnt care less about the people of Gotham City? Read the Daily Clarion, the only real voice of the people of Gotham City!
Which of the following most directly refutes the argument raised in the advertisement above?
(A) Over half of the advertising revenues of the Daily Clarion come from firms whose headquarters are located outside of Gotham City.
(B) The Daily Clarion usually devotes more of its pages to out-of-town news than does the Daily Bugle.
(C) Nearly 40 percent of the readers of the Daily Clarion reside outside the limits of Gotham City.
(D) The editor-in-chief and all the other members of the editorial staff of the Daily Bugle have lived and worked in Gotham City for ten years or more.
(E) The Daily Bugle has been published in Gotham City for a longer time than has the Daily Clarion.
Rohit.
The Ans is B
In the argument Daily Bugle .... couldnt care less ...., Read the Daily Clarion, the only real voice of the people of Gotham City!, there is a hidden meaning that Daily Clarion care more about people than Daily Bugle. So the answer should be the statement which denies this.
B - says that Daily Clarion usually devotes more of its pages to out-of-town news than does the Daily Bugle, this means that Daily Clarion doesn't care about the people of Gotham more than Daily Bugle.
A - Advertising firms' Headquarters being outside the town has no implication
C - 40% readers outside the city doesn't give any reason for city people to not to read that paper
D - Editors living in town or outside town doesn't means the paper is good or bad
E - Daily Bugle even though been published for a longer time doesn't say that it is good even now.
7. If A, then B.
If B, then C.
If C, then D.
If all of the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?
(A) If D, then A.
(B) If not B, then not C.
(C) If not D, then not A.
(D) If D, then E.
(E) If not A, then not D.
OA is (C). Any "If, then" rule applied here puys? What is it that i am missing?
Thanks,
Rohit.
option c is right because-
if it is given that if p then q then the only possible conclusion that can be deduce from this is not q then not p
so we get
not b then not a
not c then not b
not d then not a
and thus we get
not d then not a
so option c is correct.