The Knewton Blog

Recently, a few of our students had some questions about this Critical Reasoning problem: Some ecologists claim that forest fires are a natural part of the ecosystem in certain types of forest environments. Botany experts support this claim, citing the fact that some plant species have adapted to survive and even thrive in fires. Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the argument above? (A) Recent campaigns to eliminate forest fires have saved… Read more

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I want to take a moment to address some common confusion about the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) portion of the GMAT exam.  As many of you inveterate students know, the AWA portion involves two essays, and you get a maximum of 30 minutes for each essay.  And no, you don’t get 45 minutes for the second essay if the first only takes you 15 minutes.  As I like to say:  “There are no rollover minutes. … Read more

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Last time I wrote about how some students place too great an emphasis on memorizing grammar rules. This misplaced emphasis can cause those students to eliminate answer choices that are grammatically and logically correct. Let’s look at a sample problem: Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was a painter and a musician, created paintings both based on the pop-art works of Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, yet he rejected pop-art’s promotion of consumerism and embraced overtly political themes… Read more

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It is definitely important to learn the rules of grammar when studying Sentence Correction. But as a GMAT instructor, I’ve noticed that some students try to apply grammar rules so ruthlessly that they sometimes do not understand how certain sentences can be correct. When we teach the past perfect tense, for example, we teach that the past perfect tense is used when a sentence contains two events that occur at different times in the past…. Read more

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In my last post, I covered the theory behind the Denial Test for Critical Reasoning Assumption questions and demonstrated how to do  negations properly. If you’re not sure what the Denial Test is or want a refresher on negations, be sure to check out that post before you read on. All set?  Let’s now take a look at an actual GMAT Assumption question and see how the Denial Test can be very helpful. Try the… Read more

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Critical Reasoning Assumption questions ask you to identify an unspoken assumption made by the argument’s author. On these types of questions, one of the most powerful techniques you have at your disposal is the denial test. Before we go into the details of the test, let’s take a look at some sample Assumption question stems: “The commentator’s argument relies on which of the following assumptions?” “The official’s conclusion logically depends on which of the following… Read more

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In the first post of our “What to Memorize for the GMAT Verbal” series, we covered the business and logic vocabulary you should know for the test. In the second post, we covered 5 must-know grammar rules. Next up: more grammar! While GMAT grammar isn’t easy, there are certain concepts that the test loves to target. Here are a list of five more rules to memorize that will help you master even the trickiest grammar… Read more

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Sometimes, even as a GMAT teacher, it can be easy to be cynical about Reading Comprehension. “Why bother spending much time teaching Reading Comprehension?” I ask myself in those moments of despair. After all, it’s just reading and answering questions about a passage. It doesn’t have the diverse question types of Critical Reasoning or the grammar rules and “tells” of Sentence Correction. Compared to CR and SC, it sometimes seems that there’s little a GMAT… Read more

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I recently taught a particularly difficult Critical Reasoning Inference question. When no one chose the correct answer, I realized that many of my students were not employing one of most effective strategies on inference questions. Here’s the question: Not all art museums depend on financial support from the government. Some small, home-based art museums are funded primarily by the private wealth of their owners and do not rely on any government support or subsidies. At… Read more

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In the first post of our “What to Memorize for the GMAT Verbal” series, we covered the business and logic vocabulary you should know for the test. Next up: grammar rules. Like the SAT and other standardized tests, the GMAT includes a “sentence correction” section. Unlike the SAT, the sentences are more complex and the errors not as easily recognizable. However, there are certain concepts that the GMAT loves to target. Here are a list… Read more

Posted in GMAT, GMAT Tips, Verbal Guide | 10 comments

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