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Critical Reasoning

Reasoning Ability · Mains Reasoning

Useful for: IBPS Banking

Overview

Critical reasoning tests arguments: what strengthens or weakens them, what they assume, and what can be inferred.

Key points

Weakeners give another cause or show the evidence does not support the conclusion.
Strengtheners rule out other explanations or add supporting data.
An assumption is necessary for the conclusion; negating it breaks the argument.
Inferences must follow from the passage.
Cause–effect: check timing and alternative causes.

Explanation

Focus on the conclusion, not on background details.
Avoid options that are true but irrelevant.
Extreme options are usually wrong for inference.
Correlation does not prove causation.

Step by step

Set up the frame (table, rows, steps).
Apply definite clues, then branch.
Verify every clue before answering.

Examples

"Sales rose after the advertisement, so the advertisement caused the rise." Weakener: prices were cut at the same time.
Strengthener: sales did not rise in shops without the advertisement.
Assumption: nothing else changed during that period.

Traps and advanced points

Trap: Choosing irrelevant true statements.
Trap: Mixing strengthen and weaken.
Trap: Treating correlation as causation.

Quick revision

Conclusion + evidence + gap.
Negation test.
Look for alternative causes.

Practice MCQs

Which option arranges 75, 79, 94, 119 from smallest to largest?
1. 119 < 94 < 79 < 75
2. 75 < 94 < 79 < 119
3. 75 < 79 < 94 < 119
4. 79 < 75 < 94 < 119
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Answer: (c) 75 < 79 < 94 < 119. Compare values and arrange ascending.
Which option arranges 85, 86, 121, 130 from smallest to largest?
1. 85 < 121 < 86 < 130
2. 85 < 86 < 121 < 130
3. 86 < 85 < 121 < 130
4. 130 < 121 < 86 < 85
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Answer: (b) 85 < 86 < 121 < 130. Compare values and arrange ascending.
Which option arranges 96, 105, 126, 141 from smallest to largest?
1. 141 < 126 < 105 < 96
2. 96 < 105 < 126 < 141
3. 96 < 126 < 105 < 141
4. 105 < 96 < 126 < 141
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Answer: (b) 96 < 105 < 126 < 141. Compare values and arrange ascending.
Statement: Every multiple of 10 is divisible by 10. 640 is a multiple of 10. Conclusion: 640 is divisible by 10.
1. Conclusion follows
2. Both statement and conclusion are unrelated
3. Statement contradicts conclusion
4. Conclusion does not follow
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Answer: (a) Conclusion follows. Apply the universal rule to the stated member.
Statement: Every multiple of 12 is divisible by 12. 384 is a multiple of 12. Conclusion: 384 is divisible by 12.
1. Conclusion follows
2. Both statement and conclusion are unrelated
3. Conclusion does not follow
4. Statement contradicts conclusion
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Answer: (a) Conclusion follows. Apply the universal rule to the stated member.
A strengthener often —
1. is irrelevant
2. rules out other explanations
3. adds a new cause
4. contradicts the premise
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Answer: (b) rules out other explanations. Strengthens.
An assumption is —
1. necessary for the conclusion
2. stated in the passage
3. always false
4. an example
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Answer: (a) necessary for the conclusion. Unstated but needed.
The negation test identifies —
1. assumptions
2. weakeners only
3. inferences only
4. examples
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Answer: (a) assumptions. If negation breaks the argument.
"Sales rose after the ad, so the ad caused the rise." A weakener is —
1. the ad was long
2. a festival season also began then
3. the ad was colourful
4. sales rose further
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Answer: (b) a festival season also began then. Alternative cause.
In cause–effect, you should check timing and —
1. length
2. alternative causes
3. spelling
4. font
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Answer: (b) alternative causes. Correlation ≠ causation.