GMAT CR: Boldface Questions Prep

GMAT Critical Reasoning Boldface questions ask you to identify the role that each highlighted statement plays within an argument. On the GMAT, the verbal section contains 23 questions in total; of these, roughly 8 to 10 are Critical Reasoning questions, and typically one of those is a boldface question. Boldface Critical Reasoning questions are among the most engaging question types on the GMAT, yet many candidates struggle with them because they lack a clear, reliable method. Without a sound strategy, the argument structure feels complicated and the nuanced answer choices can appear extremely confusing. Any dependable GMAT prep course should therefore provide a thorough strategy for boldface questions, along with sufficient practice on well designed problems. With a disciplined, stepwise approach, you can realistically aim for 100 percent accuracy on GMAT CR boldface questions within the time limit. On this page, we present that approach in a structured manner and then help you apply it through guided practice and fully worked examples.

The Task on CR Boldface: What CR Boldface Questions Require You to Do

In GMAT Critical Reasoning boldface questions, you are presented with a passage that contains one or more bolded parts. Your task is to identify the role these bolded parts play in the argument.

How a Boldface CR Question Appears on the GMAT

Approach for Solving CR Boldface Questions

In GMAT boldface questions, a passage contains one or more bolded sections. The task is to identify the role those sections play in the argument. The following is a simple 4-step approach for solving the CR boldface questions:

Step 1: Identify the conclusion of the argument.

Step 2: Link the bold part(s) with the conclusion.

Step 3: Know what you are going to look for in the options.

Step 4: Go by elimination: eliminate four choices. The remaining, fifth, choice is your answer.

As always, before finalizing a choice, verify.

The following conceptual review brings this strategy to life and explains how to apply it to boldface questions on the GMAT, even under real exam conditions and time pressure. This short lesson also includes worked examples to illustrate the steps and the concepts. Pause the video each time to solve the question yourself, focusing on applying the approach and observing how the trainer uses it on live arguments.

Application of the Discussed Approach on a GMAT-like Boldface Question

Now that you have understood the correct approach for solving GMAT CR Boldface questions, let us apply it to a GMAT-like problem. Watch the following video carefully, pausing it to attempt the question yourself. Focus on applying the strategy rather than just getting the answer right, and observe how the trainer demonstrates the four-step approach effectively and efficiently.

Mastering the Frequently Used Vocabulary in Boldface Questions

One of the main challenges in solving GMAT CR Boldface questions is handling the nuanced vocabulary in both the questions and the answer choices. The terms are not difficult in themselves but carry precise meanings. Understanding these meanings helps process the options effectively and makes elimination and final selection easier.

Key Nouns Used in CR Boldface Questions

1. Conclusion – the claim that the reasoning tries to prove.
2. Judgment – a personal view or evaluation of something.
3. Prediction – a statement about what is expected to occur later.
4. Evidence – information that either backs or disputes an argument.
5. Fact – an established truth or verified detail.
6. Opinion – a perspective that may or may not be correct.
7. Main conclusion – the primary claim of the argument, separate from smaller conclusions.
8. Intermediate conclusion (a conclusion) – a secondary claim that may or may not support the main conclusion.
9. Circumstance – a condition or context relevant to the argument.
10. Assumption – an unstated belief taken as true for the reasoning to hold.
11. Consideration – a point or factor taken into account in reasoning.
12. Finding – a result discovered through study or effort.
13. Explanation – a clarification that makes something understandable.
14. Objection – a counterpoint or disagreement.
15. Claim – a statement put forward without definite proof.
16. Position – a firmly held stance on an issue.

 Key Verbs Used in CR Boldface Questions

1. To oppose – to counter or weaken.
2. To establish – to put forward or set up a viewpoint.
3. To evaluate – to judge or assess carefully.
4. To imply – to hint at indirectly.
5. To introduce – to bring something new into the discussion.
6. To support – to back or strengthen an argument.
7. To explain – to make an idea clear.
8. To undermine – to weaken or reduce strength.
9. To challenge – to question or dispute.
10. To describe – to present details or an account.

Vocabulary Test 1 for Boldface Questions

Now that you have learned the commonly used vocabulary in GMAT CR Boldface questions, let us apply it to a live argument. In the following video, you will see an argument with a boldfaced portion, followed by 10 terms. Your task is to decide which of the 10 terms fit the boldface. This exercise is Drill #1.

Vocabulary Test 2 for Boldface Questions

Let us continue practicing with another exercise. In the following video, you will see an argument with a boldfaced portion, followed by 10 frequently used GMAT CR Boldface terms. Your task is to determine which of these terms apply to the boldface. This exercise is Drill #2.

Vocabulary Test 3 for Boldface Questions

In the following video, you will find an argument with a boldfaced section, along with 10 frequently used GMAT CR Boldface terms. Your task is to work through the list and identify which terms can be linked to the boldface. This exercise is Drill #3.

Vocabulary Test 4 for Boldface Questions

For the next exercise, watch the video that presents an argument containing a boldfaced section, followed by 10 commonly used GMAT CR Boldface terms. Your task is to analyze and decide which of these terms correctly describe the boldface. This is Drill #4.

Vocabulary Test 5 for Boldface Questions

The video ahead presents an argument with one part in boldface and then provides 10 common GMAT CR Boldface terms. Review the terms and determine which ones accurately describe the boldface portion. This session is Drill #5.

Key Recap: Key Points for CR Boldface Questions

So far on this page, you have understood the CR boldface task on the GMAT, learned a clear strategy for these questions, explored frequently tested vocabulary, and practised it through focused vocabulary drills. Congratulations on the solid progress you have made. Before you move on to solving GMAT style CR boldface problems, it is important to briefly revisit the key points of the GMAT CR boldface strategy. The following short video details this approach, shows how it operates on questions, and trains you to use it in GMAT drills, sectional tests, and full-length GMAT practice tests.

How and Where to Practice GMAT CR Boldface Questions

Real practice for CR Boldface questions begins when you solve them on a software simulation that closely matches the official GMAT interface. You need a platform that presents the argument with its boldface portions and the question stem in a GMAT like layout, lets you work with the roles of the bold statements and the answer choices naturally, and provides all the on screen tools and functionalities that you will see on the actual exam. Without this kind of experience, it is difficult to feel fully prepared for test day. High quality CR Boldface questions are not available in large numbers. Among the limited, genuinely strong sources are the official practice materials released by GMAC and the Experts’ Global GMAT course.

Within the Experts’ Global GMAT online preparation course, every CR Boldface question appears on an exact GMAT like user interface that includes all the real exam tools and features. You work through more than 40 CR Boldface questions in quizzes and also take 15 full-length GMAT mock tests that include several CR Boldface questions in roughly the same spread and proportion in which they appear on the actual GMAT.

All the best!