Critical reasoning questions are one of the most overlooked question types in GRE. This post looks at a few questions of the kind that you encounter in the GRE test.

Critical reasoning is very important in the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), as it is one of the three main sections tested on the exam. The critical reasoning section assesses your ability to analyze and evaluate arguments, and it plays a significant role in determining your overall score on the exam. As such, it is essential to spend adequate time preparing for this section, developing strong critical thinking skills, and practicing with GRE-style critical reasoning questions.

1 The average level of fat in the blood of people suffering from acute cases of disease W is lower than the average level for the population as a whole. Nevertheless, most doctors believe that reducing blood-fat levels is an effective way of preventing acute W. Which one of the following, if true, does most to justify this apparently paradoxical belief? The blood level of fat for patients who have been cured of W is on average the same as that for the population at large. Several of the symptoms characteristic of acute W have been produced in laboratory animals fed large doses of a synthetic fat substitute, though acute W itself has not been produced in this way. The progression from latent to acute W can occur only when the agent that causes acute W absorbs large quantities of fat from the patient’s blood. The levels of fat in the blood of patients who have disease W respond abnormally slowly to changes in dietary intake of fat. High levels of fat in the blood are indicative of several diseases that are just as serious as W.

2 As an experienced labor organizer and the former head of one of the nation’s most powerful labor unions, Grayson is an excellent choice to chair the new council on business-labor relations. The new council must have the support of the nation’s labor leaders if it is to succeed. During his years as a labor leader, Grayson established a record of good relations with business leaders. The chair of the new council must be a person who can communicate directly with the leaders of the nation’s largest labor unions. Most of the other members of the new council will be representatives of business management interests An understanding of the needs and problems of labor is the only qualification necessary for the job of chairing the new council.

3 A law requiring companies to offer employees unpaid time off to care for their children will harm the economic competitiveness of our nation’s businesses. Companies must be free to set their own employment policies without mandated parental-leave regulations. A parental-leave law will serve to strengthen the family as a social institution in this country. Many businesses in this country already offer employees some form of parental leave. Some of the countries with the most economically competitive businesses have strong parental-leave regulations. Only companies with one hundred or more employees would be subject to the proposed parental-leave law. In most polls, a majority of citizens say they favor passage of a parental-leave law.

4 In the years since the city of London imposed strict air-pollution regulations on local industry, the number of bird species seen in and around London has increased dramatically. Similar air-pollution rules should be imposed in other major cities. In most major cities, air-pollution problems are caused almost entirely by local industry. Air-pollution regulations on industry have a significant impact on the quality of the air. The air-pollution problems of other major cities are basically similar to those once suffered by London. An increase in the number of bird species in and around a city is desirable. The increased sightings of bird species in and around London reflect an actual increase in the number of species in the area.

5 Just as a bicycle chain may be too tight, so may one’s carefulness and conscientiousness be so tense as to hinder the running of one’s mind. Just as a clock may be wound too tightly, so may one’s time be spent fruitlessly in the pursuit of perfection. Just as a carousel may spin too quickly, so may one’s rapid concentration on several problems prevent a resolution of difficulties. Just as a machine may be oiled too much, so may one’s heavy drinking of alcoholic beverages lead to complete dissipation Just as a raging river may be frozen into stillness during the winter, so may one’s career falter at certain times of the year. Just as a boxer may become too tense before a big fight, so may one’s personal concerns stand in the way of professional success.

6 A work of architecture, if it is to be both inviting and functional for public use, must be unobtrusive, taking second place to the total environment. Modern architects, plagued by egoism, have violated this precept. They have let their strong personalities take over their work, producing buildings that are not functional for public use.

Unobtrusive architecture is both inviting and functional. Modern architects who let their strong personalities take over their work produce buildings that are not unobtrusive. An architect with a strong personality cannot produce buildings that functional well for the public. A work of architecture that takes second place to the environment functions well for public use. A work of architecture cannot simultaneously express its architect’s personality and be functional for public use.