Bold face questions put two portions of a short argument in bold and ask what role each plays. They are part of Critical Reasoning in the GMAT Focus Verbal section, and they test structure rather than content: you do not have to judge whether the argument is good, only how it is built.
Map the argument before you look at the choices. Find the main conclusion first; there is only one. Then label every other sentence: evidence for the conclusion, a position the author opposes, evidence for that opposing position, or background. Signal words help. “But”, “however” and “yet” usually introduce the author’s own view; “some argue” or “it has been claimed” usually introduce a view the author will challenge.
Now describe each bold portion in your own words, briefly: “the author’s conclusion”, “evidence against the conclusion”, “a claim the author rejects”. Then match. The answer choices use abstract language, so translate each one back into your labels and eliminate on a single wrong word.
The classic trap is a choice that gets the first portion right and the second almost right: calling a sub-conclusion the main conclusion, or evidence the author concedes evidence the author relies on. Check both halves of every choice.
4 practice questions
Critical ReasoningBold Face CRMedium
Question 1
Many observers predicted that the large discount store opening on the edge of Wexham would drive the town's independent shops out of business. In the two years since the store opened, however, the number of independent shops in Wexham's center has actually increased. The store appears to draw shoppers from surrounding villages who, once in Wexham, also visit the town center. It would be a mistake, then, to conclude that the discount store has harmed Wexham's independent retailers.
In the argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
AThe first is a prediction that the argument rejects; the second is evidence offered for that rejection.
BThe first is the argument's main conclusion; the second is evidence offered in support of that conclusion.
CThe first is evidence that the argument calls into question; the second is the argument's main conclusion.
DThe first is evidence offered in support of the main conclusion; the second is that main conclusion.
EThe first is evidence offered in support of the main conclusion; the second is an intermediate conclusion.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Key Concept or Approach
The observers' prediction (not in bold) is what the argument opposes. The first bold is a fact that counts against that prediction; the second bold, introduced by 'then', is the argument's conclusion.
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Identify the task (Bold Face CR): The observers' prediction (not in bold) is what the argument opposes. The first bold is a fact that counts against that prediction; the second bold, introduced by 'then', is the argument's conclusion.
Step 2: (D) Correct. The rise in independent shops supports the conclusion that the store has not harmed them, which is the second bold statement.
Step 3: (A) The prediction is in the first, non-bold sentence; the first bold statement is a fact, not a prediction.
Step 4: (B) The roles are reversed: the conclusion is the second bold statement.
Step 5: (C) The argument relies on the first statement; it does not question it.
Step 6: (E) Nothing further is concluded from the second statement, so it is the main conclusion, not an intermediate one.
Final Answer
Answer: D
Common trap: E is tempting because it gets the first statement right, but no claim in the passage is drawn from the second statement, so the second is the main conclusion rather than an intermediate one.
Critical ReasoningBold Face CRHard
Question 2
Solar-panel installations on homes in Kordia rose sharply after the government began offering tax rebates for them. Some policymakers conclude that ending the rebates would cause installations to drop back to their earlier level. That conclusion is premature. During the same period, the price of solar panels fell by more than half, which by itself could account for much of the increase. Moreover, installers now offer financing plans that did not exist before. Installations may well remain high even if the rebates end.
In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
AThe first is an observation that has been used to support a conclusion the argument calls into question; the second supports an alternative explanation of that observation.
BThe first is a conclusion that the argument rejects; the second is evidence offered against that conclusion.
CThe first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is evidence offered in support of that conclusion.
DThe first is an observation that has been used to support a conclusion the argument calls into question; the second is the argument's main conclusion.
EThe first is an observation whose accuracy the argument disputes; the second supports the argument's main conclusion.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Key Concept or Approach
The policymakers infer from the first boldface that the rebates drove the rise. The argument accepts the rise as fact but offers other causes, the price drop (second boldface) and financing, to conclude that installations may stay high.
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Identify the task (Bold Face CR) and the gap in the reasoning: The policymakers infer from the first boldface that the rebates drove the rise. The argument accepts the rise as fact but offers other causes, the price drop (second boldface) and financing, to conclude that installations may stay high.
Step 2: (A) Correct. The first is the accepted fact behind the policymakers' conclusion, and the second is part of the rival explanation for it.
Step 3: (B) The first is a fact, not a conclusion. The conclusion the argument rejects is the policymakers' prediction.
Step 4: (C) The main conclusion is that installations may stay high without rebates, not the first boldface.
Step 5: (D) The second boldface is evidence. The main conclusion is the final sentence.
Step 6: (E) The argument never disputes that installations rose. It disputes why.
Final Answer
Answer: A
Common trap: E is tempting because the argument opposes the policymakers, but it accepts the first boldface as true and only challenges the explanation drawn from it.
Critical ReasoningBold Face CRVery hard
Question 3
Some economists predict that Estria's new tax on sugary beverages will not reduce consumption, since consumers of such beverages are relatively insensitive to price changes. This prediction is probably mistaken. When beverage prices have risen in the past, consumption did fall only slightly. But those increases came gradually over many years and were rarely noticed by shoppers. The new tax, by contrast, will appear as a separate line on every receipt, and shoppers respond far more strongly to price increases that are made conspicuous.
In the argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
AThe first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is evidence offered in support of that conclusion.
BThe first is a generalization that the argument accepts without qualification; the second is the argument's main conclusion.
CThe first is offered in support of a prediction that the argument disputes; the second is offered in support of the argument's main conclusion.
DThe first is a claim that the argument rejects as false; the second is the argument's main conclusion.
EThe first is offered in support of a prediction that the argument disputes; the second is a finding that the argument concedes weakens its own position.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Key Concept or Approach
Main conclusion: the economists' prediction (the tax will not reduce consumption) is probably mistaken. The first boldface is the economists' reason for that prediction. The second boldface supports the claim that this tax, unlike past price rises, will cut consumption.
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Identify the task (Bold Face CR) and the gap in the reasoning: Main conclusion: the economists' prediction (the tax will not reduce consumption) is probably mistaken. The first boldface is the economists' reason for that prediction. The second boldface supports the claim that this tax, unlike past price rises, will cut consumption.
Step 2: (C) Correct. Both roles are described accurately.
Step 3: (A) The first boldface is the economists' premise, not the argument's conclusion.
Step 4: (B) The argument qualifies the first claim: past insensitivity reflected unnoticed increases. The second boldface is support, not the main conclusion, which is "This prediction is probably mistaken."
Step 5: (D) The argument does not call the first claim false; it explains away the evidence behind it. The second boldface is also not the main conclusion.
Step 6: (E) The first half is right, but the second boldface helps the argument's position rather than weakening it.
Final Answer
Answer: C
Common trap: D is tempting because the argument pushes back on the first claim, but it never says the claim is false, and the second boldface is a premise rather than the conclusion.
Critical ReasoningBold Face CRVery hard
Question 4
Ash trees in the Durrow Forest are being killed by the emerald ash borer, a beetle that arrived from abroad two decades ago. Some ecologists propose releasing a parasitic wasp that preys on the borer. Critics point out that species deliberately introduced to control pests have often attacked native species instead. But the wasp in question lays its eggs only in the larvae of the ash borer and of two closely related beetles, neither of which occurs in the region. So the wasp is unlikely to harm the forest's native insects, and the ecologists' proposal deserves support.
In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
AThe first is evidence offered in support of the argument's main conclusion; the second is that main conclusion.
BThe first is a consideration that the argument seeks to show does not apply in this case; the second is the argument's main conclusion.
CThe first is a consideration that the argument seeks to show does not apply in this case; the second is a conclusion drawn in order to support the argument's main conclusion.
DThe first is the main conclusion that the argument opposes; the second is evidence offered in support of that conclusion.
EThe first is a premise used to support the argument's main conclusion; the second is a consideration that the argument acknowledges weighs against that conclusion.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Key Concept or Approach
Find the main conclusion first: 'the ecologists' proposal deserves support.' The second boldface is inferred from the facts about the wasp's egg-laying and is then used to support that main conclusion. The first boldface is the critics' objection, which the argument answers with 'But...'.
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Identify the task (Bold Face CR) and the gap in the reasoning: Find the main conclusion first: 'the ecologists' proposal deserves support.' The second boldface is inferred from the facts about the wasp's egg-laying and is then used to support that main conclusion. The first boldface is the critics' objection, which the argument answers with 'But...'.
Step 2: (C) Correct. The argument does not deny the critics' general point; it argues the point does not apply to this wasp. The second boldface is an intermediate conclusion ('So...') that in turn supports the recommendation to back the proposal.
Step 3: (A) The first boldface is an objection to the proposal, not evidence for it, and the second is not the main conclusion.
Step 4: (B) The description of the first is right, but the second is not the main conclusion; it is a step toward the main conclusion that the proposal deserves support.
Step 5: (D) The first is an objection, not a conclusion, and the second opposes the critics' worry rather than supporting it.
Step 6: (E) This reverses the roles: the first weighs against the argument's conclusion, and the second supports it.
Final Answer
Answer: C
Common trap: B is tempting because the second boldface begins with 'So' and sounds final, but the sentence continues to the real main conclusion, that the proposal deserves support.
