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Trap Answers

Transcript

In this video, we are going to talk about an important part of the success on GMAT CR and that is being able to identify and navigate the various traps that the GMAT will put into the CR questions. So we're gonna identify the specific traps in a moment, but I wanna revisit some general strategies before we do so. First off and this also applies to this lesson of recognizing traps, don't take excessive time to categorize answers that you feel are clearly wrong or even answers that you think are fishy sometimes.

What that does is it take you out of the flow of homing in on the correct answer. So feel that, know that you can always come back to an answer choice once you go pass it. Do not take excessive time to decode an answer choice is basically the same idea. Instead of categorizing, oh, this is this kind of answer choice. This is trying to understand the answer choice in the first place.

Come back if necessary again. Come back through the answer choices. Don't get hung up in any one place. Again, why it takes you out of your groove. You're more likely to forget the analysis of your argument and even the answer you came up with.

And once you let the answer choices start doing the thinking for you, you are essentially being turned around, turned around, so that you become dizzy and you can't think straight. So make sure that doesn't happen, because in general, the correct answer should be accompanied by this I see, I get it, this click where things just fall into place. Of course, that won't come right away, but it does help to identify those answer choices that do have traps and that's what we're gonna do now for the rest of the video.

I'll look at the comment traps, you will see in the CR section. Starting with weak connection. Words to look out for some or sometimes. Let's have a look. Because Evert airport is congested and experiences delays, QuickJet plans on moving 40% of its plane flights to nearby Dorland airport.

Which of the following, if true, argues against this plan? So let's take a look at A. Sometimes Dorland airport experiences significant delays. Oh, I see. That's, that's a terrible idea of QuickJet, because Dorland also experiences significant delays.

But notice that word sometimes. What does it actually mean? Well, a few times, many, maybe a couple of times a day. You see, it's a little bit vague if you're trying to come up with exactly what that means. And the GMAT, when you're looking for a correct answer on the CR wants something that clicks into place not something that's vague and wishy-washy, like the word sometimes.

And also, A is very straightforward. There is no real thinking involved. It's just saying, oh, this airport also experiences significant delays. A little bit too obvious, but very attractive. And therefore, to make it wrong the GMAT will just put sometimes in front of it and you'll of course, be focusing on this part and you'll think, hey, that's the answer.

It's not. What would the answer look like? We'll look. Most QuickJet, Jet passengers use Evert airport as a hub to fly onto other airports that are not accessible from Dorland airport. Here we have most, sure that's vague, but the idea is many people who are in Evert airport can't use Dorland airport in the first, first place.

So, if you wanna to move 40% of the plane flights, well, many of those plane flights won't even be able to connect to the airports that people are flying to. And that is a much stronger answer choice. And of course, not as obvious as something like Dorland also experiences significant delays. Okay.

Next trap. It could be the answer if you assume something. This one's more subtle than the first one. Let's take a look here. Different question. You may wanna scan here, really quickly.

Okay. I assume you've done so. What do we have here? We have Cleverworks and their SpongeFloor. It's a synthetic material put below a condi, a kitchen floor. So, if there's flooding, that kitchen floor would be protected by the SpongeFloor, which can absorb significant amounts of water.

Which of the following calls this plan into question. Let's look at A. SpongeFloor is able to absorb only about 95% of the water that comes in contact with kitchen flooring. Oh, I see. So therefore, 5%.

That water, that 5% of the water could be enough to ruin the flooring. And therefore, 95% isn't good enough. So, I just assumed something about 5% and the really, the ratio of how much water SpongeFloor would have to absorb to protect the kitchen flooring above it. But I don't actually know that information. And notice as well, the conclusion is significant amounts of water that would otherwise, otherwise, you're in flooding.

95% is pretty significant to begin with. So you can see that is easy to miss that fact and start trying to rationalize that extra 5% of water that it doesn't absorb what it actually does to the floor and we just don't have enough information. Okay. Next, we have another trap, which is does the opposite.

So let's assume as we have here that we're dealing with a weaken question, which is with a sponge floor. Can we weaken that conclusion? So, an answer choice could be either a strengthen or a restating an assumption. And so therefore, it's tempting, because it would be correct if this part, the question were which of the following supports or which of the following is an assumption?

And therefore, it is tempting. What would that look like in this case? A small amount of space between SpongeFloor and kitchen flooring ensures that any water SpongeFloor absorbs will not come in contact with kitchen flooring. Well, that sounds like a great plan. SpongeFloor really does the trick.

But wait a second. We want the opposite, which is weaken. Restating the assumption, an answer trace could look like this. In the process of absorbing water, SpongeFloor does not damage kitchen flooring. Well, that again is a strengthener.

It provides support, because that is an assumption in the argument. But by identifying that assumption, that is not the same as weakening with assumption questions we usually negate to weaken. And in negating here, you can see that we would have to get rid of the not, but the not is there. So, if this were an answer choice, it would be incorrect, because it does the opposite.

Next, seems to do something or Vague wording. Let's take a look at this subtle answer choice type. And this one is usually long, it's wordy. They're dense in terms of what's going on. And so you think something is going on, but decoding that answer choice is really half of the battle.

So just trying to figure out what it's saying in the first place can really help you, but that's not easy to do. Let's take a look here. D, materials used to create SpongeFloor are derived from a variety of other synthetic products, some of which do not provide the absorptive qualities that Cleverworks claims SpongeFloor possesses.

So you can think hm, so there are other synthetic products there. So SpongeFloor is, has made up of a bunch of different things, but some of these things can't absorb the way they say, so that seems to be a weakener. So, once you sift through all of that information, it seems to be doing something. But notice that other trap we had at the very beginning, that wishy-washy, that some.

You can see that uh-huh, probably not the answer choice. But again, that's not so easy to see. That's one word in 30, 35 words. And therefore, what happens is you start rationalizing an answer, because it seems to be doing something. But it's actually not doing anything.

Why? It's not just because of some and these answer choice types won't always have just some, so you can get rid of it. But let's read it again. Materials used to create SpongeFloor are derived from a variety of other synthetic products.

So just because not all the synthetic products of SpongeFloor can absorb water. What about the synthetic products that can? Wouldn't that be enough? Well, maybe, maybe not. Fishy, wishy-washy. Not the kind of answer choice that likes.

So therefore, we can get rid of it. Best way, though is don't wrap your head around it in the first place really, but move on to another answer choices and look for that click, that uh-huh, moment and here we have it. Water that is absorbed by SpongeFloor is prone to collecting mold, which causes extensive damage to kitchen flooring.

You're talking about SpongeFloor not ruining the flooring. But wait, it's gonna get mold and mold ruins the flooring, click. There's our correct answer choice. Let's now continue on with possible trap answers, but with a different question. Here I want you again, I'm gonna pause it and you guys can read. Okay.

You've, I've paused it, you've unpaused it and we have here a great a idea. This Motorvation has this Ambi vehicle, it's a hybrid. But we have some issues here, because it was a very costly card to bring to the market. And therefore, what would we think? Well, Motorvation is confident that it will actually become one of the most profitable vehicles.

And therefore, we want something true supports this expectations. That even though it costs a lot to produce, it will become one of the, of the company's most profitable vehicles. So let's take a look, take a look here at choice A. The parts used to make the Ambi will be used on another line of cars that Motorvation also expects to be profitable, profitable.

Uh-huh, easy. That's the answer, because profitables, what we're going for here and because a lot on the production. But now we can use those parts and we'll, like make a lot more money, cuz those parts will be in other cars. Therefore, A is the answer.

Nice and easy. Nice and tricky. But no, that is not correct. My reasoning sounded perfectly fine. But however, I totally ignored the conclusion in that reasoning. Look at this.

Nonetheless, Motorvation is confident that the Ambi will become its most profitable vehicles not that parts from it will be used for other vehicles that will become profitable. Uh-huh, bait and switch, but this is definitely a trap answer that the GMAT likes and it was one that gets a lot of people. What else is, is another answer choice that is alluring?

It's the idea that information presented in the premise, premises and that one of the answer choice repeats that information. Twistings around a little bit of moose things in terms of words. Takes the same word, but then gives it, uses another word that's a synonym. But it's so familiar that it seems right. Let's take a look.

B, since the Ambi is Motorvation's, is Motorvation's first hybrid car, the company had several cost, costly setbacks during production. Yeah, this seems right. It seems right, because it says, it right here on the premises. But this doesn't relate to the conclusion about Motorvation thinking that the Ambi's actually going to become one of it's most profitable vehicles, just restating what's said in the premise.

So, out with that. And then we have not relevant. This one comes up a lot. And often times, when you can eliminate answer choices right off the bat, it's because they're not relevant as C. The Hi-Bird, a model from a competitor has gone on after initial lukewarm sales to become the market leader.

Well, we don't care about they Hi-Bird. It's from another company, we a care about the Ambi. So those are usually pretty easy to identify, but it's also important to note that sometimes, the correct answer you might think, oh, that doesn't seem relevant. So be careful not just to get rid of something right away, because it seems like there are a couple things that aren't mentioned.

Be careful, read the entire thing and reason your way through it. Don't just look at a word or two and think, oh, that's irrelevant. So what do we have here? Well, let's look at D. The majority of the Ambi's production costs came from research and development. Costs Motorvation will be able to recoup from sales of the Ambi within one year of the Ambi's release.

Uh-huh, the Ambi's gonna sell very well. So, even though it was costly, because of its production costs. Motorvation knows that it will be able to cover those costs. And in covering those costs within one year, that means that Ambi sold a lot and made a lot of money. It will continue making a lot of money, because there's no cost in production anymore and of research, because the car's already a finished product.

And therefore, D would be the answer. Okay. So those are the trap answers that you're likely to see in the GMAT CR. I would encourage you after watching this video to actually go through the official guide or some of the questions in the product here and try this out. That is try to figure out where a wrong answer lies in terms of the traps.

So, it's important to note that sometimes, these answer choices might not snugly fit into any one of these categories. Most of the time, they will, but not always. And so don't struggle to categorize these answer choices. If they're wrong, they're wrong. And I should also note in the OG in the back, sometimes, it's a little confusing exactly what they're saying.

And their reasoning doesn't always necessarily fit with the most elegant or clear reason. So don't use explanations or not, don't always use them as a guide. But again, your exercise should be to go through these questions from OG from the product and try to categorize them. But ultimately, make sure that you are focuse on homing in on the right answer and don't feel that you're always categorizing wrong answer choices.

This is something that should, you should do if you're stuck with two answer choices or three answer choices. Two of the incorrect tricky ones. In that case, what often happens is we go back and forth between the right answer and the one that's wrong and we get flustered. We get dizzy.

And we start thinking more from our gut, our feeling of something. And then the logical part of our brain turns off. But by remembering these trap answer types, that will help us keep our logical brain, brain intact, so that we can get the correct answer.

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