GRE Verbal Flashcards: Strengthen Argument

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Strengthen Argument, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for GRE Verbal.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: Which option best strengthens: "Most residents support the policy" based on 50 online responses?

Answer: Respondents were randomly sampled from all residents, not self-selected. Random sampling minimizes selection bias, enhancing the poll's representativeness and the argument's reliability.

Flashcard 2: What kind of information most strengthens an argument based on an expert's testimony?

Answer: Evidence the expert is qualified and unbiased in the relevant field. Validating the expert's credibility and neutrality enhances the reliability of their input, thereby fortifying the argument's evidential base.

Flashcard 3: Which option best strengthens: "This painting is authentic because it matches the artist's style"?

Answer: The pigment composition matches materials the artist used in that period. Matching materials add forensic support to stylistic evidence, increasing confidence in the painting's authenticity.

Flashcard 4: Which option best strengthens: "The museum should extend hours; many visitors request it"?

Answer: Extended hours at similar museums increased attendance enough to cover costs. Evidence from analogous cases supports the feasibility and benefits of the proposal, bolstering its potential success.

Flashcard 5: Which statement best describes an argument's assumption for strengthen tasks?

Answer: An unstated link needed for the premises to support the conclusion. Strengthening often involves supporting these implicit assumptions, making the argument's logic more robust without introducing new premises.

Flashcard 6: What is the primary goal of a Strengthen Argument question in GRE Verbal Reasoning?

Answer: Choose evidence that makes the conclusion more likely to be true. This approach directly supports the argument by providing information that increases the probability of the conclusion following from the premises.

Flashcard 7: What is the best strengthening move when an argument relies on a definition or categorization?

Answer: Evidence the item clearly meets the defining criteria. This directly affirms the categorization by aligning the subject with established standards, reinforcing the argument's logical foundation.

Flashcard 8: Which option best strengthens: "The company will profit next year because demand is rising"?

Answer: Costs and supply constraints will remain stable while demand continues rising. Stability in external factors ensures rising demand translates to profits, reinforcing the prediction's validity.

Flashcard 9: What type of statement most strengthens an argument from a small sample to a broad claim?

Answer: Evidence the sample is typical or the effect is consistent across groups. Such evidence mitigates concerns about generalizability, supporting the extension of findings from the sample to the larger population.

Flashcard 10: What is a common trap choice in Strengthen questions?

Answer: A statement that is true but irrelevant to the conclusion. These options distract by offering information that does not impact the argument's logic or the conclusion's validity.

Flashcard 11: What type of new information most directly strengthens a causal conclusion?

Answer: Evidence ruling out plausible alternative causes. By eliminating other potential explanations, this evidence enhances the likelihood that the proposed cause is responsible for the observed effect.

Flashcard 12: Which option best strengthens: "Because A resembles B, A will have outcome X like B"?

Answer: A and B share the specific trait that is known to produce outcome X. Identifying a key shared characteristic relevant to the outcome reinforces the analogy's applicability and the argument's conclusion.

Flashcard 13: What generally strengthens an argument that uses a correlation to imply causation?

Answer: Evidence of temporal precedence plus controls for confounders. These elements help establish a causal link by demonstrating timing and isolating variables, reducing the chance of spurious correlations.

Flashcard 14: Which option best strengthens: "The decline in bees is due to pesticide P"?

Answer: Bee declines began after P was introduced and are greatest where P is used most. Temporal and correlational patterns provide evidence of causation, strengthening the link between the pesticide and bee declines.

Flashcard 15: What is the most reliable first step for strengthening an argument?

Answer: Identify the conclusion and the key supporting premises. Understanding the core structure of the argument allows for targeted identification of evidence that bolsters the logical connection between premises and conclusion.

Flashcard 16: What kind of information most strengthens an argument using an analogy?

Answer: A relevant similarity in the feature that drives the conclusion. Highlighting pertinent parallels reinforces the validity of applying outcomes from one scenario to another, strengthening the analogical reasoning.

Flashcard 17: Which option best strengthens: "Sales rose after ads; therefore ads increased sales"?

Answer: Competitors did not cut prices or exit the market during that time. Eliminating alternative explanations for sales growth strengthens the causal link to the advertising campaign.

Flashcard 18: Which option best strengthens: "This drug improved patients; therefore it is effective"?

Answer: A randomized placebo-controlled trial shows greater improvement than placebo. A controlled study isolates the drug's effect, providing stronger evidence of efficacy beyond mere observation.

Flashcard 19: Which option best strengthens: "The new training caused productivity gains"?

Answer: A comparable untrained group did not show similar productivity gains. A control group isolates the training's impact, ruling out other factors and supporting the causal claim.

Flashcard 20: What kind of option most strengthens an argument based on a survey or poll?

Answer: Evidence the sample is representative and the method is unbiased. Such evidence addresses potential biases or sampling errors, increasing confidence that the results generalize to the broader population.

Flashcard 21: What type of evidence most strengthens a prediction argument?

Answer: Evidence the key conditions will persist and the trend is stable. This supports the reliability of extrapolating past patterns into the future, making the forecasted outcome more probable.

Flashcard 22: Which option best strengthens: "New lights reduced accidents; therefore lights caused the reduction"?

Answer: Other safety changes were not implemented during the same period. This rules out confounding factors, increasing the likelihood that the lights were the primary cause of the accident reduction.

Flashcard 23: What kind of option usually strengthens an argument that infers a cause from an effect?

Answer: Evidence the effect rarely occurs without that cause. This reduces the plausibility of alternative causes, making the inferred causal relationship more compelling.

Flashcard 24: Which option best strengthens: "If we ban cars downtown, pollution will fall"?

Answer: Most downtown pollution comes from car traffic rather than other sources. Confirming the primary source of pollution ensures the ban targets the main contributor, making the predicted reduction more likely.

Flashcard 25: What kind of option most strengthens an argument that proposes a plan will work?

Answer: Evidence the plan addresses the main cause and is feasible at scale. By confirming the plan targets the root issue and can be implemented effectively, it bolsters the argument's claim of success.