How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 27 (Verbal review)
Another cribsheet: my Verbal notes and a checklist for attacking sentence correction.
Critical reasoning
Always 2-5 sentences giving an argument and question or conclusion. FIRST note down the argument's premises (bits of evidence) and the conclusion drawn.
- What most weakens or strengthens the argument
- What conclusion can we draw about
- Find the author's assumptions
- Which of these is most similar to...
- Deductive reasoning, come up with a specific conclusion from general premises
- Inductive reasoning, come up with a general conclusion from specific premises
Deductive question types:
- Cause-and-effect (check if they CORRELATE)
- Drawing analogies (check if they're similar enough to be VALID)
- Presenting statistics (check if they COMPARABLE)
Throw out answers that are OUTSIDE THE SCOPE of the passage (i.e. those that make broad claims that go beyond the passage's remit, or refer to info not in the passage)
Numbers and statistics
What are the numbers used to prove? 'Doubling' doesn't necessarily mean high percentages. Rates of change and growth do not mean large absolute figures.
Surveys and studies
Is the conclusion valid? Check demographics different between two groups. Are there extenuating circumstances that make for lopsided data. Was the sample biased in any way, i.e. do the survey participants have some reason for being surveyed that makes the result a foregone conclusion?
Shifts in scope
Does the answerer foil the questioner by expanding/changing his choice of evidence? 'All expert teachers are unhappy' answered by '80% of teachers are perfectly happy' changes the scope by including non-expert teachers
Look out for types of question:
Assumption
Weaken the argument
Logical flaw
Causation and correlation
Does the question draw a conclusion not supported by the evidence presented?
Look for alternative explanations
"Oh yeah? But..." - does the new argument present another view but fail to rebut the existing view? A piece of evidence can lead to >1 possible conclusion
Explaining a paradox
Solving an apparent discrepancy: shake out the 2-3 basic facts in the passages and note them down, then see which of the answers could explain it.
Odd one out
What is NOT an assumption? What does the argument NOT rely on? Find evidence for the 4 that do support it, and choose the one left over. What the author would agree with, What the subject is most like... AVOID leaps of logic and ALWAYS check an answer's phrasing is fully supported by the question.
Reading comprehension
First, note down the main point - what is the purpose of the passage?
Second, grok the author's tone - what's his view on the subject?
Third, note down the outline - what 3-4 events take places down the paragraphs?
In general, eliminate answer choices that:
- deal in absolutes ("the author would NEVER...")
- Refer to information not found in the passage
- That contradict the passage's main theme
- List a counterexample to throw you off (i.e. listing an advantage when you're looking for a disadvantage)
What is the theme questions
The author is concerned with which of the following?
The author's primary goal is to do what?
An appropriate title for this passage is:
For these, eliminate answers that refer to one specific point in the passage - it's looking for an overarching theme or principle.
Finding specific information questions
The passage states that...
According to the passage,
In the passage, the author indicates that...
If the question highlights specific info, it's asking more than just asking you to repeat that info!
The right answer will paraphrase, not parrot, the passage
Making inferences questions
It can be inferred from the passage that...
The passage suggests that...
The author brings up X to imply which of the following?
Check the evidence for each answer. Is the inference supported neither directly (i.e. it's not an inference) nor abstractly (i.e. it's not supported.) An inference is some general conclusion that the author of the passage would agree with.
Think of them as 'third bullet point': A happens, B only happens if A happens, so B may be a consequence of A
Assessing the tone questions
The author's attitude appears to be one of...
With which of these statements would the author agree?
The tone suggests the author is skeptical about...
Determine the tone from the main idea and his attitude to it, not isolated bits within the passage
Sentence correction
Main things: eliminate wrong answers by checking if they:
- DISAGREE in tense and subject/verb
- have MODIFYING PHRASES that modify the wrong thing
- lack PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION in list items
Approach to solving:
Work out the three main parts of the passage: subject, verb, third element or object
(Who's doing it, what he's doing, and what he's doing it to!) LIST these three for any sentence correction question.
Determine first WHAT THE ERROR IS - at least the most important one! Don't just go ahead and pick what 'sounds right'
Modifying phrases - look for strange-sounding subsentences set off by a comma; make sure it's clear what this phrase is modifying and in what sense
Idioms
among/between: between for two things, among for three or more
as verb as it is verb: balance the as's
better and worse: better and worse to compare two things, best and worst to compare more than two
but: don't use but after doubt or help
different from (not different than)
effect/affect: effect as a noun, affect as a verb
farther for distance, further for time or quantity
Hopefully: means 'with hope', not 'I hope'
However at the beginning of a sentence: means 'to whatever extent'
imply means suggest; infer means deduce
in regard to - not 'regards to'
much/less and many/fewer - much/less for masses, many/fewer for countables
more/less and most/least: more/less to compare two, most/least to compare more than two
loan is a noun, lend is a verb
Try to do it - not 'try and do it'
Parallel construction: sentences or items in a list must balance. All phrases must joined by conjunctions should be constructed in the same manner
Comparisons
Look for like, unlike, similar to, in contrast to, as compared with: make sure the things being compared are constructed in parallel
Nouns, verb, and adjectives
Check for verb tense agreement and subject-verb agreement. What time is the passage referring to (now, then, dim and distant past, past with relevance to today?) And what subject does the verb belong to? Check it agrees
Adverbs
Adverbs answer 'where, when, how, why' with words in front of verbs like gradually, precisely, loosely, extremely)
Make sure the adverb is not separated from the verb it modifies
Pronouns
Pronouns are problems if it's UNCLEAR what a pronoun in the sentence refers to, or if the WRONG pronoun is used. (The wrong pronoun may be close to a word for which it's the right pronoun, but it doesn't refer to that word, so is wrong!)
Personal subjective pronouns (I, you, he, she, it we, they)
Personal objective pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them)
Indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone, anything, each, one, none, no-one)
Relative pronouns (that, which, who)
Check what a pronoun refers to; if it's unclear, choose another answer that makes it clear
Conjunctions & prepositions
Join elements of a sentence together:
Co-ordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
Correlative conjunctions: either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also - make sure to use them in pairs!
Subordinating conjunctions: although, because, if, when, while
Prepositions join nouns to the rest of the sentence: about, above, at, for, in, over, to, with
Clauses all contain subject and verb; they're not sentence fragments
Independent clauses are complete thoughts and can stand alone
Dependent clauses modify a sentence, a 'sub sentence' that has an effect on the rest of the sentence
Restrictive clauses alter the whole meaning of the sentence; it lacks vital info without it
Nonrestrictive clauses add info but the sentence makes sense without them
Effective expression
Can an answer express the sentence more effectively? Prefer active voice to passive
Sense changes: does an answer look good grammatically, but change the meaning? Watch out
Best of a bad bunch: even the right answer may be imperfect, so look for the one that's clearest
Passive not needed
Ellipsis
Participles are adjectives formed from verbs, ie. distracted by, wanting to do. Participles are NOT verbs; if they're used as verbs in an answer, that answer is WRONG. It will often create sentence fragments, another no-no.
Subordination: emphasise one part of a sentence over another (although, while, since)
Co-ordination: join two parts of a sentence and treat them on equal terms, (and, or, but)
Subjunctive clauses are wishful thinking - "I wish I were you"
Run-on sentences are missing punctuation, that just go on and on, without using the right punctuation, that should have punctuation, but don't have it, like this one
Critical reasoning
Always 2-5 sentences giving an argument and question or conclusion. FIRST note down the argument's premises (bits of evidence) and the conclusion drawn.
- What most weakens or strengthens the argument
- What conclusion can we draw about
- Find the author's assumptions
- Which of these is most similar to...
- Deductive reasoning, come up with a specific conclusion from general premises
- Inductive reasoning, come up with a general conclusion from specific premises
Deductive question types:
- Cause-and-effect (check if they CORRELATE)
- Drawing analogies (check if they're similar enough to be VALID)
- Presenting statistics (check if they COMPARABLE)
Throw out answers that are OUTSIDE THE SCOPE of the passage (i.e. those that make broad claims that go beyond the passage's remit, or refer to info not in the passage)
Numbers and statistics
What are the numbers used to prove? 'Doubling' doesn't necessarily mean high percentages. Rates of change and growth do not mean large absolute figures.
Surveys and studies
Is the conclusion valid? Check demographics different between two groups. Are there extenuating circumstances that make for lopsided data. Was the sample biased in any way, i.e. do the survey participants have some reason for being surveyed that makes the result a foregone conclusion?
Shifts in scope
Does the answerer foil the questioner by expanding/changing his choice of evidence? 'All expert teachers are unhappy' answered by '80% of teachers are perfectly happy' changes the scope by including non-expert teachers
Look out for types of question:
Assumption
Weaken the argument
Logical flaw
Causation and correlation
Does the question draw a conclusion not supported by the evidence presented?
Look for alternative explanations
"Oh yeah? But..." - does the new argument present another view but fail to rebut the existing view? A piece of evidence can lead to >1 possible conclusion
Explaining a paradox
Solving an apparent discrepancy: shake out the 2-3 basic facts in the passages and note them down, then see which of the answers could explain it.
Odd one out
What is NOT an assumption? What does the argument NOT rely on? Find evidence for the 4 that do support it, and choose the one left over. What the author would agree with, What the subject is most like... AVOID leaps of logic and ALWAYS check an answer's phrasing is fully supported by the question.
Reading comprehension
First, note down the main point - what is the purpose of the passage?
Second, grok the author's tone - what's his view on the subject?
Third, note down the outline - what 3-4 events take places down the paragraphs?
In general, eliminate answer choices that:
- deal in absolutes ("the author would NEVER...")
- Refer to information not found in the passage
- That contradict the passage's main theme
- List a counterexample to throw you off (i.e. listing an advantage when you're looking for a disadvantage)
What is the theme questions
The author is concerned with which of the following?
The author's primary goal is to do what?
An appropriate title for this passage is:
For these, eliminate answers that refer to one specific point in the passage - it's looking for an overarching theme or principle.
Finding specific information questions
The passage states that...
According to the passage,
In the passage, the author indicates that...
If the question highlights specific info, it's asking more than just asking you to repeat that info!
The right answer will paraphrase, not parrot, the passage
Making inferences questions
It can be inferred from the passage that...
The passage suggests that...
The author brings up X to imply which of the following?
Check the evidence for each answer. Is the inference supported neither directly (i.e. it's not an inference) nor abstractly (i.e. it's not supported.) An inference is some general conclusion that the author of the passage would agree with.
Think of them as 'third bullet point': A happens, B only happens if A happens, so B may be a consequence of A
Assessing the tone questions
The author's attitude appears to be one of...
With which of these statements would the author agree?
The tone suggests the author is skeptical about...
Determine the tone from the main idea and his attitude to it, not isolated bits within the passage
Sentence correction
Main things: eliminate wrong answers by checking if they:
- DISAGREE in tense and subject/verb
- have MODIFYING PHRASES that modify the wrong thing
- lack PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION in list items
Approach to solving:
Work out the three main parts of the passage: subject, verb, third element or object
(Who's doing it, what he's doing, and what he's doing it to!) LIST these three for any sentence correction question.
Determine first WHAT THE ERROR IS - at least the most important one! Don't just go ahead and pick what 'sounds right'
Modifying phrases - look for strange-sounding subsentences set off by a comma; make sure it's clear what this phrase is modifying and in what sense
Idioms
among/between: between for two things, among for three or more
as verb as it is verb: balance the as's
better and worse: better and worse to compare two things, best and worst to compare more than two
but: don't use but after doubt or help
different from (not different than)
effect/affect: effect as a noun, affect as a verb
farther for distance, further for time or quantity
Hopefully: means 'with hope', not 'I hope'
However at the beginning of a sentence: means 'to whatever extent'
imply means suggest; infer means deduce
in regard to - not 'regards to'
much/less and many/fewer - much/less for masses, many/fewer for countables
more/less and most/least: more/less to compare two, most/least to compare more than two
loan is a noun, lend is a verb
Try to do it - not 'try and do it'
Parallel construction: sentences or items in a list must balance. All phrases must joined by conjunctions should be constructed in the same manner
Comparisons
Look for like, unlike, similar to, in contrast to, as compared with: make sure the things being compared are constructed in parallel
Nouns, verb, and adjectives
Check for verb tense agreement and subject-verb agreement. What time is the passage referring to (now, then, dim and distant past, past with relevance to today?) And what subject does the verb belong to? Check it agrees
Adverbs
Adverbs answer 'where, when, how, why' with words in front of verbs like gradually, precisely, loosely, extremely)
Make sure the adverb is not separated from the verb it modifies
Pronouns
Pronouns are problems if it's UNCLEAR what a pronoun in the sentence refers to, or if the WRONG pronoun is used. (The wrong pronoun may be close to a word for which it's the right pronoun, but it doesn't refer to that word, so is wrong!)
Personal subjective pronouns (I, you, he, she, it we, they)
Personal objective pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them)
Indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone, anything, each, one, none, no-one)
Relative pronouns (that, which, who)
Check what a pronoun refers to; if it's unclear, choose another answer that makes it clear
Conjunctions & prepositions
Join elements of a sentence together:
Co-ordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
Correlative conjunctions: either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also - make sure to use them in pairs!
Subordinating conjunctions: although, because, if, when, while
Prepositions join nouns to the rest of the sentence: about, above, at, for, in, over, to, with
Clauses all contain subject and verb; they're not sentence fragments
Independent clauses are complete thoughts and can stand alone
Dependent clauses modify a sentence, a 'sub sentence' that has an effect on the rest of the sentence
Restrictive clauses alter the whole meaning of the sentence; it lacks vital info without it
Nonrestrictive clauses add info but the sentence makes sense without them
Effective expression
Can an answer express the sentence more effectively? Prefer active voice to passive
Sense changes: does an answer look good grammatically, but change the meaning? Watch out
Best of a bad bunch: even the right answer may be imperfect, so look for the one that's clearest
Passive not needed
Ellipsis
Participles are adjectives formed from verbs, ie. distracted by, wanting to do. Participles are NOT verbs; if they're used as verbs in an answer, that answer is WRONG. It will often create sentence fragments, another no-no.
Subordination: emphasise one part of a sentence over another (although, while, since)
Co-ordination: join two parts of a sentence and treat them on equal terms, (and, or, but)
Subjunctive clauses are wishful thinking - "I wish I were you"
Run-on sentences are missing punctuation, that just go on and on, without using the right punctuation, that should have punctuation, but don't have it, like this one
posted by chrisworth at 8:33 AM
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