In today’s post, we will look at how to answer “useful to evaluate” Critical Reasoning questions in the Verbal section. Arguably, this is one of the toughest question types for test-takers to tackle
To answer this type of question, all you will need to do is follow these six simple steps:
1) Identify the conclusion.
2) Ask yourself the question raised by answer choice A.
3) Answer it with a “yes” and figure out whether it affects the conclusion.
4) Answer it with a “no” and figure out whether it affects the conclusion.
5) Repeat this for all other answer choices.
6) Only one option will affect the conclusion differently in the two cases – that is your answer.
Let’s illustrate this concept with a problem:
In a certain wildlife park, park rangers are able to track the movements of many rhinoceroses because those animals wear radio collars. When, as often happens, a collar slips off, it is put back on. Putting a collar on a rhinoceros involves immobilizing the animal by shooting it with a tranquilizer dart. Female rhinoceroses that have been frequently re-collared have significantly lower fertility rates than uncollared females. Probably, therefore, some substance in the tranquilizer inhibits fertility.
In evaluating the argument, it would be most useful to determine which of the following?
(A) Whether there are more collared female rhinoceroses than uncollared female rhinoceroses in the park.
(B) How the tranquilizer that is used for immobilizing rhinoceroses differs, if at all, from tranquilizers used in working with other large mammals
(C) How often park rangers need to use tranquilizer darts to immobilize rhinoceroses for reasons other than attaching radio collars
(D) Whether male rhinoceroses in the wildlife park lose their collars any more often than the park’s female rhinoceroses do
First, we need to break down the argument to find the premises and the conclusion:
- Many rhinoceroses wear radio collars.
- Often, collars slip.
- When a collar slips, the animal is shot with a tranquilizer to re-collar.
- The fertility of frequently re-collared females is less than the fertility of uncollared females.
- Conclusion: Some substance in the tranquilizer inhibits fertility.
Let’s take a look at each answer choice:
(A) Whether there are more collared female rhinoceroses than uncollared female rhinoceroses in the park.
Even if there are more collared female rhinoceroses than uncollared females, this does not affect the argument’s conclusion. This answer choice talks about collared females vs. uncollared females; we are comparing the fertility of
re-collared females with that of uncollared females. Anyway, how many of either type there are doesn’t matter. So, whether you answer “yes” or “no” to this question, it is immaterial.
(B) How the tranquilizer that is used for immobilizing rhinoceroses differs, if at all, from tranquilizers used in working with other large mammals.
This option is comparing the tranquilizers used for rhinoceroses with the tranquilizers used for other large mammals. What the conclusion does, however, is compare collared female rhinoceroses with uncollared female rhinoceroses. Hence, whether you answer “very different” or “not different at all” to this question, in the end, it doesn’t matter.
(C) How often park rangers need to use tranquilizer darts to immobilize rhinoceroses for reasons other than attaching radio collars.
This answer choice can be evaluated in two ways:
- Very Often – Tranquilizers are used very often for uncollared females, too. In this case, can we still say that “tranquilizers inhibit fertility”? No! If they did, fertility in uncollared females would have been low, too.
- Rarely – This would strengthen our conclusion. If tranquilizers are not used on uncollared females, it is possible that something in these tranquilizers inhibits fertility.
(D) Whether male rhinoceroses in the wildlife park lose their collars any more often than the park’s female rhinoceroses do.
This answer choice is comparing the frequency of tranquilizers used on male rhinoceroses with the frequency of tranquilizers used on female rhinoceroses. What the conclusion actually does is compare collared female rhinoceroses with uncollared female rhinoceroses. Hence, whether you answer this question with “more frequently” or “not more frequently,” it doesn’t matter.
Note that only answer choice C affects the conclusion – if you answer the question it raises differently, it affects the conclusion differently. Option C would be good to know to evaluate the conclusion of the argument, therefore, the answer must be C.
