{"id":950,"date":"2012-02-14T15:31:42","date_gmt":"2012-02-14T23:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/?p=950"},"modified":"2012-02-15T10:15:34","modified_gmt":"2012-02-15T18:15:34","slug":"gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Critical Reasoning: Words You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For many, one advantage of taking the GMAT over the Revised GRE is that they do not have to cram such polysyllabic franken-words as juxtaposition, tendentiousness, and didacticism. That doesn\u2019t mean that a shaky grasp of vocabulary will hold you in good stead come time for the GMAT. There are certain words you must know, words that pertain to the Critical Reasoning section on the GMAT.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve done any prepping on the GMAT critical reasoning, you may have noticed that certain vocabulary pops up frequently. Most of these words relate to weakening or strengthening an argument. As long as you have a strong grasp of these words, you will not get tripped up by the jargon and will instead be able to focus your energy and effort in dissecting the argument.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a list of vocabulary words that you have to know for the GMAT Critical Reasoning section.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Undermine<\/h2>\n<p>To undermine is to weaken over time. In argument-speak to undermine an argument is to weaken it. Undermine should not be confused with underscore, which means to provide support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of the following serve to <strong>undermine<\/strong> the editorial\u2019s contention that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Maintain<\/h2>\n<p>Maintain is known as a homonym \u2013 a word that has multiple meanings. The definition we are concerned with here is to state strongly, assert.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProponents of the accumulation theory <strong>maintain<\/strong> that\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Posit<\/h2>\n<p>To posit is to make an argument on something that is unknown. For example, many astronomers posit that we are not alone in the universe. We of course don\u2019t know for sure whether little green men are out there.<\/p>\n<p>Important synonyms for posit include postulate and advance, the latter of which is a homonym.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecently, some researchers into sunspot activity have <strong>posited<\/strong> that\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Corroborate<\/h2>\n<p>To corroborate is to lend support to. The word corroborate is typically accompanied by the word evidence. Corroborating evidence strengthens a claim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich of the following, if true, best corroborates\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Paradox<\/h2>\n<p>Many test prep programs classify an argument type as a paradox. Specifically, if there is some unaccounted for discrepancy in an argument \u2013 and we of course have to figure out what that discrepancy is \u2013 we are dealing with a paradox.<\/p>\n<p>More broadly speaking, a paradox is a statement that, on the surface may seem absurd or untrue, may actually be true. For instance, the French are known to have very rich diets yet remain thin. The Americans, on the other hand, ever obsessed with the latest diet fad, are\u2026.well not so French. Who would have thought? (A sentiment that embodies the paradox).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich of the following could best account for the paradox noted above\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many, one advantage of taking the GMAT over the Revised GRE is that they do not have to cram such polysyllabic franken-words as juxtaposition, tendentiousness, and didacticism. That doesn\u2019t mean that a shaky grasp of vocabulary will hold you in good stead come time for the GMAT. There are certain words you must know, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[143],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13210],"class_list":["post-950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-critical-reasoning"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>GMAT Critical Reasoning: Words You Need to Know - Magoosh Blog \u2014 GMAT\u00ae Exam<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GMAT Critical Reasoning: Words You Need to Know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For many, one advantage of taking the GMAT over the Revised GRE is that they do not have to cram such polysyllabic franken-words as juxtaposition, tendentiousness, and didacticism. 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There are certain words you must know, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh Blog \u2014 GMAT\u00ae Exam\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshGMAT\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ChrisLeleMagoosh1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-02-14T23:31:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-02-15T18:15:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Lele\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@chrismagoosh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MagooshGMAT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris Lele\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Lele\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#\/schema\/person\/3b6630b4f786513b81a860849cffd546\"},\"headline\":\"GMAT Critical Reasoning: Words You Need to Know\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-02-14T23:31:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/\"},\"wordCount\":452,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"GMAT Critical Reasoning\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/\",\"name\":\"GMAT Critical Reasoning: Words You Need to Know - Magoosh Blog \u2014 GMAT\u00ae Exam\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-02-14T23:31:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-critical-reasoning-words-you-need-to-know\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"GMAT Critical Reasoning: Words You Need to Know\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/\",\"name\":\"Magoosh Blog \u2014 GMAT\u00ae Exam\",\"description\":\"Everything you need to know about the GMAT\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Magoosh\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2019\/04\/Magoosh-logo-purple-60h.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2019\/04\/Magoosh-logo-purple-60h.png\",\"width\":265,\"height\":60,\"caption\":\"Magoosh\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshGMAT\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MagooshGMAT\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#\/schema\/person\/3b6630b4f786513b81a860849cffd546\",\"name\":\"Chris Lele\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/0acb1b2097fd77b56ab6475c9b41cb27\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/39381a6b4ab74cd4c87c7e678683c33c3b18f1e14f6f0ac762a946185968952b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/39381a6b4ab74cd4c87c7e678683c33c3b18f1e14f6f0ac762a946185968952b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris Lele\"},\"description\":\"Chris graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology and has 20 years of experience in the test prep industry. 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He's been quoted as a subject expert in many publications, including US News, GMAC, and Business Because.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ChrisLeleMagoosh1\/","ttps:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-lele-095005a0","https:\/\/twitter.com\/chrismagoosh","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCZ4sGYJ6l0cgnVNIHY8GY6w"],"knowsAbout":["GRE","GMAT","SAT","ACT","MCAT (CARS)","LSAT"],"jobTitle":"Principal Curriculum Manager","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/author\/chris\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":13210,"user_id":10,"is_guest":0,"slug":"chris","display_name":"Chris Lele","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/39381a6b4ab74cd4c87c7e678683c33c3b18f1e14f6f0ac762a946185968952b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Lele","first_name":"Chris","description":"Chris Lele is the Principal Curriculum Manager (and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Vocabulary-Builder-Workbook-Activities-Must-Know\/dp\/193975481X\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vocabulary wizard<\/a>) at Magoosh. Chris graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology and has 20 years of experience in the test prep industry. He's been quoted as a subject expert in many publications, including US News,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mba.com\/exams-and-exam-prep\/gmat-exam\/why-take-the-gmat-in-2021-when-many-schools-are-test-optional\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> GMAC<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessbecause.com\/news\/gmat\/3263\/mba-admissions-gre-challenges-gmat\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Business Because<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\r\nIn his time at Magoosh, Chris has taught countless students how to tackle the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/GRE-Prep-Magoosh\/dp\/1939418917\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> GRE<\/a>, GMAT, SAT, ACT, MCAT (CARS), and LSAT exams with confidence. Some of his students have even gone on to get near-perfect scores. You can find Chris on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCZ4sGYJ6l0cgnVNIHY8GY6w\">YouTube<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-lele-095005a0\"> LinkedIn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chrismagoosh\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ChrisLeleMagoosh1\/\">Facebook<\/a>!"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=950"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}