GRE Verbal Logic Questions Practice Questions with Answers

Concept Explanation

GRE Verbal Logic Questions, often categorized as Critical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension logic tasks, are short passages that require you to evaluate, strengthen, weaken, or identify the underlying assumptions of an argument. These questions assess your ability to dissect a claim by identifying its premise—the evidence provided—and its conclusion—the claim being made. On the GRE Prep journey, these questions test your capacity for analytical thinking rather than your vocabulary or general knowledge. Successful test-takers look for the "gap" between the evidence and the conclusion. For instance, if an argument claims that a new law will reduce crime because it did so in a neighboring city, the logical gap is the assumption that the two cities are sufficiently similar. Understanding these logical structures is as vital as mastering GRE Data Interpretation Questions for a balanced score.

Solved Examples

1. Strengthening an Argument: A local government plans to install solar panels on all public buildings to save money on electricity. A critic argues this is wasteful because the installation costs are high. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the government's plan?
   1. Identify the goal: Saving money.
   2. Identify the objection: High upfront costs.
   3. Look for a fact that overcomes the objection: If federal grants cover 90% of installation costs, the "high cost" argument is neutralized.
   4. Solution: The government qualifies for a federal subsidy that offsets the initial investment.
2. Identifying an Assumption: The company's profits rose by 20% this year after they hired a new CEO. Therefore, the new CEO is responsible for the company's financial success.
   1. Identify the Premise: Profits rose after a new CEO was hired.
   2. Identify the Conclusion: The CEO caused the rise.
   3. Identify the Assumption: The argument assumes no other factors (like a market boom) caused the rise.
   4. Solution: The assumption is that the profit increase was not caused by external market trends.
3. Weakening an Argument: Recent studies show that people who drink green tea live longer than those who do not. Thus, green tea contains compounds that extend human life.
   1. Premise: Green tea drinkers live longer.
   2. Conclusion: Green tea compounds cause longevity.
   3. To weaken: Find an alternative explanation. If green tea drinkers also exercise more on average, the tea might not be the cause.
   4. Solution: People who drink green tea are significantly more likely to engage in daily physical exercise than those who do not.

Practice Questions

1. A tech startup decided to move its headquarters from San Francisco to Austin to reduce operational costs. Since the move, the company’s monthly rent has decreased by 30%. The CEO concludes that the move was a complete financial success. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the CEO’s conclusion?

2. Studies indicate that children who play musical instruments perform better on standardized math tests than children who do not. Educators conclude that music instruction improves mathematical reasoning. Which of the following is an assumption required by the educators' argument?

3. A city council proposes a tax on sugary drinks to reduce obesity rates. Opponents argue that the tax will not work because people will simply buy sugary drinks in neighboring towns. Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the city council's proposal?

4. To increase safety, a trucking company installed speed-limiting devices on all its vehicles. However, the number of accidents involving the company's trucks increased the following year. Which of the following, if true, helps explain the apparent paradox?

5. Most successful novelists write for at least four hours every day. Therefore, if you want to be a successful novelist, you must commit to writing for at least four hours every day. This argument is flawed because it:

6. An environmental group claims that the new dam will destroy the local salmon population. The construction company responds by pointing out that they are building a "fish ladder" to help salmon bypass the dam. Which of the following is most needed to evaluate the construction company's response?

7. Since the introduction of a new workplace wellness program, employee productivity at Firm X has increased by 15%. Management credits the wellness program for this boost. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the management’s claim?

8. All members of the chess club are also members of the debate team. Some members of the debate team are honors students. Therefore, some members of the chess club must be honors students. Which of the following describes the logical error in this argument?

Answers & Explanations

1. Answer: The cost of relocating employees and hiring new staff in Austin exceeded the total savings from rent. Explanation: Logical success is defined by "operational costs." If the rent goes down but other costs go up even more, the move isn't a financial success as claimed.
2. Answer: Children who are naturally gifted in math are not more likely to choose to play musical instruments. Explanation: This rules out reverse causality. If math-gifted kids simply like music more, then music isn't the cause of the math scores.
3. Answer: The neighboring towns are more than 50 miles away, making a trip for drinks cost-prohibitive for most residents. Explanation: This weakens the opponent's objection, thereby strengthening the council's original plan.
4. Answer: The speed-limiting devices made it difficult for truck drivers to accelerate quickly enough to merge safely onto high-speed highways. Explanation: This provides a direct causal link between the safety measure and the increase in accidents.
5. Answer: Mistakes a condition that is common among successful novelists for a condition that is sufficient to guarantee success. Explanation: Just because winners do something doesn't mean doing that thing will make you a winner (the "survivorship bias").
6. Answer: Whether fish ladders in similar climates have been proven effective at allowing salmon to reach their spawning grounds. Explanation: To evaluate the claim, we must know if the proposed solution (the ladder) actually works for the specific species.
7. Answer: During the same period, Firm Y, which has no wellness program, saw a 5% decrease in productivity. Explanation: This provides a control group, suggesting that the increase at Firm X was likely due to the program rather than a general industry trend.
8. Answer: It assumes that the overlap between the debate team and honors students must include the specific subset of the debate team that belongs to the chess club. Explanation: This is a classic syllogism error; the two subsets of the debate team (chess and honors) might be entirely separate.

1. An argument's "Assumption" is best defined as:

• AA stated piece of evidence that supports the conclusion
• BAn unstated premise that must be true for the conclusion to hold
• CThe final claim the author is trying to prove
• DA counter-argument provided by the author's opponent

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a premise and an assumption?

A premise is a stated fact or piece of evidence explicitly written in the text to support a claim. An assumption is an unstated, necessary condition that the author takes for granted to make the logic work.

How do I identify the conclusion in a GRE logic passage?

Look for indicator words like "therefore," "thus," "consequently," or "it follows that." If no indicators exist, ask yourself, "What is the main point the author wants me to believe based on this information?"

Can strengthening an argument involve adding new information?

Yes, strengthening questions often require you to select a new piece of outside information from the options that, if true, makes the conclusion more likely to be valid. You should treat each answer choice as a potential fact.

What is the most common logical fallacy on the GRE?

The most frequent fallacy is the confusion of correlation with causation, where the author assumes that because two things happen together, one must have caused the other. This is a concept often explored in GRE Statistics Practice Questions as well.

Should I bring outside knowledge to these questions?

No, you should only use the information provided in the passage and the answer choices. Using outside specialized knowledge can lead you to choose "true" statements that do not actually address the specific logic of the argument.

How do I handle "Except" questions in Verbal Logic?

In "Except" questions, four of the answers will perform a specific function (like weakening the argument), and the correct answer will be the one that does NOT. It is helpful to label each choice as "Weakens" or "Does Not Weaken" as you read.