GRE Strengthen the Argument Questions

GRE Critical Reasoning strengthen the argument questions present a short argument with stated facts, a conclusion, and a clear gap in reasoning between them, which Experts’ Global refers to as the missing link. The correct strengthen answer adds information that tightens this missing link and makes the conclusion more convincing. Unlike assumption questions, the strengthen statement does not need to be necessarily true for the argument to hold, but it must clearly support the logic and move the reasoning in a stronger direction. This overview explains how to identify such answers by focusing on how well an option reinforces the connection between the evidence and the conclusion. A part of our GRE prep course, the comprehensive video below explains this approach clearly, applies it to GRE-style examples, and prepares you to use it effectively in your GRE preparation and practice.

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How Strengthen the Argument Questions Appear on the GRE

GRE CR Strengthening Question Appears

A CR strengthening question begins with a short paragraph, usually between 60 to 100 words, presenting an argument that needs support. The question asks you to evaluate information that strengthens the argument. Common wordings include phrases like “what, if true, most strengthens the argument,” “what most strongly supports the argument,” or “what best supports a proposed explanation.” These questions are typically in a multiple-choice format, where you select one answer from five choices, and only one answer is correct.

Understanding Strengthening Statements

Strengthening Statements

A strengthening statement is a piece of information that supports a conclusion when added to an argument. Every CR passage includes a premise and a conclusion. The premise presents the facts mentioned in the passage, and the conclusion presents the main point of the argument. Often, the conclusion does not logically flow from the premise, creating a gap known as the missing link. Identifying this missing link is crucial for solving most CR questions because strengthening statements directly fill this gap. By filling the missing link, a strengthening statement provides clear support to the conclusion and strengthens the argument.

Virtues of a Valid Strengthening Statement

Valid Strengthening Statement

A valid strengthening statement strengthens the argument directly by addressing a weakness in the reasoning and removing it. It fills the missing link between the premise and the conclusion and may also provide additional information that supports the conclusion. Both assumptions and strengthening statements work by filling the missing link in an argument, but they differ. Assumptions must be true for the argument to hold, while strengthening statements fill the missing link without needing to be true in all cases. This makes strengthening questions easier than assumption questions. In strengthening questions, the key task is to check whether an answer choice strengthens the argument, without needing to evaluate whether the answer choice must be true for the argument to hold.

Strategy for Solving Strengthen the Argument Questions

MLA Strengthening Questions

Read the question first and clearly recognize that it is a strengthening question. Then, read the paragraph carefully, focusing on the reasoning. Create a mind map that builds a logical train of thought, connecting the key points in the passage clearly and directly. Ensure the mind map highlights a clear conclusion. Identify the missing link between the premise and the conclusion, as this step is essential. Set a broad expectation for what the correct answer choice should achieve. Look for a strengthening statement that fills the missing link and strengthens the argument. Use the grid method to systematically eliminate the answer choices. Grasp this approach and apply it in your GRE quizzes, GRE sectionals, and GRE full mocks.

Example of a Strengthening Statement

Strengthening Statement 1

The question asks which statement, if true, would most significantly strengthen the conclusion. The argument connects a five-year period of governance with strong annual GDP growth. The conclusion links this GDP growth to strong performance by the political party, while the highlighted idea emphasizes GDP growth as an important factor in evaluating political performance. The reasoning focuses on the missing link between economic growth and the evaluation of the political party.

The given answer option strengthens the argument by highlighting the importance of GDP growth in evaluating the political party’s performance, thereby filling the missing link between GDP growth and party performance.

Another Example of Strengthening Statement

Strengthening Statement 2

This statement strengthens the argument by establishing a clear causal link between GDP growth and the role of the political party under discussion.

Another Example of Strengthening Statement

Strengthening Statement 3

This option strengthens the argument by presenting the GDP growth as extraordinary, which reinforces the conclusion about the strong performance of the ruling political party during the tenure in question.

GRE-style Strengthen the Argument Practice Question with Explanation

GRE-Style CR Strengthening Questions

Correct Answer: D

For a detailed explanation of this question, please refer to the video presented earlier on this page.

Following is a step-wise written explanation, using our Missing-Link Approach (MLA)…

Ebony trees can only grow in areas with high groundwater levels. Throughout the parts of the southeastern United States where ebony trees were once common, average temperatures have increased, causing rainfall levels to plummet. As a result, the amount of water absorbed by the soil to replenish the groundwater has fallen dramatically. Thus, it is likely the decreased absorption of water into the soil, caused by declining rainfall, that has led to the ebony tree practically disappearing from the southeastern United States.

Which of the following, if true, best strengthens the argument?

Many of the areas in the southwestern United States that have experienced noticeable increases in average temperatures were never ideal environments for ebony trees.
Since 1995, average temperatures in the southeastern United States have risen considerably faster than those in the southwest of the country.
Ebony trees have disappeared from some parts of the southeastern United States that saw a marked increase in average temperatures fifty years ago, but where temperatures have largely remained stable since.
Poplar trees, which can thrive both in areas with high groundwater and low groundwater, continue to grow well in regions of the southeastern United States where ebony trees have disappeared.
The rise in average temperatures across the southeastern United States has led to the extinction of several native insect species, endangering local bird populations.

1. Read the Question First

The question asks for a statement that best strengthens the argument.

2. Read the Paragraph Carefully

Premise 1: Ebony trees need high groundwater to grow.
Premise 2: In the Southeast, temperatures rose, rainfall plummeted, and soil absorption fell.
Conclusion: The decline in rainfall (leading to lower groundwater) is what caused the ebony trees to disappear.

3. Identify the Missing-Link (ML)

The link between the decline in rainfall and the disappearance of the trees.

4. Set a Broad Expectation

The correct answer will show that the trees disappeared specifically where groundwater/rainfall dropped, or that the heat alone did not kill them.

5. Eliminate

Focuses on the Southwest and whether environments were ever ideal. This does not strengthen the causal link for the Southeast.
Compares temperature trends across regions but does not support the claim that reduced groundwater caused ebony tree disappearance.
Talks about temperature stability after the disappearance, but does not directly support the groundwater based mechanism proposed in the argument.
Shows that trees which thrive in both high and low groundwater continue to grow in areas where ebony trees vanished. This supports the claim that groundwater conditions, not general environmental collapse, explain the disappearance of ebony trees.
Discusses insects and birds, which does not strengthen the argument about groundwater and ebony trees.

Correct Answer: D