Critical Reasoning
Verbal
7 min readComplete-the-passage questions present a short argument with a blank. The blank may sit at the end, in the middle, or near the beginning. Your job is to choose the option that makes the passage logically complete. The answer must fit the argument's structure, not just its topic.
A typical passage reads like this: "The city increased parking fees in the downtown area last year. Revenue from parking fees rose, but the number of cars entering downtown fell. Therefore, the city should..." The blank asks for the conclusion that follows from the evidence. The correct choice completes the reasoning, not the grammar.
Some blanks ask for an assumption, some for a conclusion, and some for an explanation. Read the sentence before the blank and the sentence after it. The surrounding text tells you what role the missing piece plays.
Complete-the-passage questions are structure questions. Identify the argument's evidence and conclusion, then choose the option that fills the missing role. A choice that is true but does not complete the structure is wrong.
The wording of the blank usually signals the type. "Therefore" signals a conclusion. "Because" signals a reason. "However" signals a contrast. "The argument assumes that" signals an assumption.
Find the main conclusion before you look at the choices. The conclusion is the claim the author wants you to accept. Evidence is the support. If the blank is at the end, the conclusion is missing. If the blank is in the middle, the missing piece may be an assumption or an intermediate conclusion.
Pay attention to contrast words: "but," "however," "although," "yet," and "nevertheless." These words tell you that the second part of the passage reverses or qualifies the first. A blank after a contrast word usually completes the reversal.
Example. The new training program was expensive and required employees to miss two days of work. Nevertheless, the company's productivity increased sharply in the following quarter. This shows that the program...
The contrast word "nevertheless" sets up a result that goes against the cost and lost time. The completion should say that the program was worth the cost or that it improved productivity enough to justify the expense. A choice about the program's popularity does not complete the contrast.
The correct completion must be supported by the evidence in the passage. Do not add outside facts. If the passage says sales rose after a new ad campaign, the completion can say the campaign may have contributed to the rise. It cannot say the campaign was the best in the company's history unless the passage supports that claim.
Stay within the scope of the passage. If the passage is about a local school, the completion should not make a claim about all schools in the country. If the passage is about one product, the completion should not generalize to the entire industry.
Wrong choices often fail in one of four ways:
A choice can be true in the real world and still be wrong. The GMAT tests whether the choice follows from the passage, not whether it is a reasonable opinion.
Passage: "The museum's attendance rose after it began staying open until 9 p.m. on Fridays. However, the museum's revenue did not increase. One explanation is that ____."
The blank asks for an explanation of why attendance rose without revenue rising. A good completion is that many of the additional visitors came during free-admission hours or spent little in the gift shop. A choice saying that the museum is popular does not explain the revenue result.
Passage: "A study found that employees who took regular breaks made fewer errors than employees who did not. The study controlled for experience and type of work. Therefore, ____."
The evidence supports a causal claim about breaks and errors, at least for the studied group. A good completion is that regular breaks may reduce errors. A choice saying that all companies should require breaks goes beyond the evidence. A choice saying that breaks are popular does not follow from the error data.
Some passages set up an expectation and then state that the opposite occurred. In these questions, the blank must preserve the contrast. Signal words such as "although," "despite," and "yet" tell you that the second part of the sentence will reverse the first. A choice that simply continues the first idea is wrong even if it is true.
Example. Although the new policy was expected to reduce costs, ____.
A correct completion: administrative expenses rose because the policy required additional staff. The completion contrasts with the expectation of lower costs. A choice saying the policy was popular does not complete the contrast.
When the blank follows "the argument assumes that," the missing piece is a necessary assumption, not a conclusion. Use the negation test. If negating the completion destroys the argument, it is the right answer. If the argument still works, the completion is not necessary.
For example, if a passage says a new drug reduces symptoms and concludes that it should be approved, the assumed statement might be that the drug's benefits outweigh its side effects. Negating that statement weakens the recommendation. A statement about the drug's manufacturing cost is not necessary unless the passage discusses cost.
After you choose an answer, read the entire passage with the completion in place. Check three things: the grammar fits, the logic flows from the previous sentence, and the scope matches the evidence. A choice that is grammatically correct but logically disconnected is still wrong.
The blank is a structural missing piece. Identify its role first, then choose the option that fills that role. Do not choose an option simply because it sounds true.
| Signal | Likely blank type |
|---|---|
| Therefore, thus, so | Conclusion |
| Because, since | Reason or evidence |
| However, but, yet | Contrast or qualification |
| The argument assumes | Assumption |
| One explanation is | Cause or explanation |
The completed passage should read as one argument, not as two unrelated statements. If the blank feels like a new topic, the choice is probably wrong. Match the role, the scope, and the strength of the evidence.
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