bold-faced arguments
summary
mastering bold-faced questions in paragraph arguments on the gre requires understanding the function of specific sentences or clauses within the overall argument, a skill that demands practice and strategic thinking.
- bold-faced questions are challenging because they require identifying the function of a sentence or part of a sentence within the context of the argument.
- reading the entire paragraph before focusing on the bold-faced parts is crucial to grasp how sentences connect and to interpret the argument correctly.
- describing the function of bold-faced parts in your own words can simplify the process and provide clarity amidst potentially convoluted answer choices.
- identifying the roles of different parts of the argument and the positions they support or oppose is essential for answering bold-faced questions accurately.
- practicing with specific strategies, such as focusing on one bold-faced part at a time and confidently eliminating incorrect answer choices, can improve accuracy and efficiency.
chapters
00:01
understanding bold-faced questions
01:21
strategies for approaching bold-faced parts
01:46
analyzing and describing functions
02:59
navigating answer choices
04:01
practical application and review
why is choice c incorrect?
it's true that burning toxins would lead to negative consequences, which might weaken the author's conclusion. but the reason that c is incorrect is that the author doesn't dismiss the fact that switching to barrels would improve air quality. the author isn't dismissing this fact, since she/he says it's "clearly" true. so instead, the author accepts that it would improve the air -- the author introduces this as a fact. and the paragraph goes on to say that despite this fact (which the author accepts), switching to barrels would have negative consequences. the reason why c doesn't work is because the author is accepting (rather than dismissing) the fact introduced in the first bolded statement.
