Citizens of Parktown are worried by the increased frequency of serious crimes committed by local teenagers. In response, the city...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

Source: Official Guide

Critical Reasoning

Weaken

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Citizens of Parktown are worried by the increased frequency of serious crimes committed by local teenagers. In response, the city government has instituted a series of measures designed to keep teenagers at home in the late evening. Even if the measures succeed in keeping teenagers at home, however, they are unlikely to affect the problem that concerns citizens, since most crimes committed by local teenagers take place between 3pm and 6pm.

Which of the following, if true, most substantially weakens the argument?

Similar measures adopted in other place have failed to reduce the number of teenagers in the late evening

Crimes committed by teenagers in afternoon are mostly small thefts and inconsequential vandalism

Teenagers are much less likely to commit serious crimes when they are at home than when they are not at home

Any decrease in the need for police patrols in late evening would not mean that there could be more intensive patrolling in the afternoon

The schools in Parktown have introduced a number of after school programs that will be available to teenagers until 6pm on weekday afternoons

Solution

Passage Analysis:

Text from Passage	Analysis
Citizens of Parktown are worried by the increased frequency of serious crimes committed by local teenagers.	What it says: People in Parktown are concerned because teenagers are committing more serious crimes What it does: Sets up the problem that needs to be addressed What it is: Background context Visualization: Crime frequency: 2019: 5 serious crimes → 2024: 25 serious crimes (5x increase)
In response, the city government has instituted a series of measures designed to keep teenagers at home in the late evening.	What it says: The city created policies to keep teens inside during late evening hours What it does: Shows the government's solution to the crime problem we just learned about What it is: Government's response/solution Visualization: Late evening curfew: 8 PM - 12 AM (teens must stay home)
Even if the measures succeed in keeping teenagers at home, however, they are unlikely to affect the problem that concerns citizens, since most crimes committed by local teenagers take place between 3pm and 6pm.	What it says: The curfew won't work because most teen crimes happen in afternoon (3-6 PM), not evening What it does: Challenges the effectiveness of the government's solution by revealing a timing mismatch What it is: Author's main conclusion with supporting evidence Visualization: Crime timing: 70% of crimes occur 3-6 PM vs. Curfew covers 8 PM-12 AM (no overlap)

Argument Flow:

"The argument starts with a problem (increased teen crime), presents a solution (evening curfew), then explains why that solution won't work (timing mismatch between when crimes happen and when curfew is in effect)."

Main Conclusion:

"The city's evening curfew measures are unlikely to solve the teen crime problem that worries citizens."

Logical Structure:

"The author uses a simple mismatch argument: since most teen crimes happen in the afternoon (3-6 PM) but the curfew only affects evening hours, the solution doesn't address the actual problem timing."

Prethinking:

Question type:

Weaken - We need to find information that reduces our belief in the conclusion that the evening curfew measures won't help solve the teen crime problem

Precision of Claims

The argument makes specific timing claims: most teen crimes happen 3-6 PM while curfew targets late evening. The conclusion is precise - the measures are 'unlikely to affect the problem'

Strategy

To weaken this argument, we need to find scenarios that show the evening curfew COULD actually help reduce teen crimes, despite the 3-6 PM timing mismatch. We can attack the connection between evening activities and afternoon crimes, or show that evening measures have broader impacts than just direct crime prevention during curfew hours

Answer Choices Explained

Similar measures adopted in other place have failed to reduce the number of teenagers in the late evening

This doesn't weaken our argument at all. Our argument already assumes the measures WILL succeed in keeping teens home in the evening - the issue isn't whether the curfew works, but whether it addresses the right time period for serious crimes. This choice is irrelevant to the timing mismatch problem.

Crimes committed by teenagers in afternoon are mostly small thefts and inconsequential vandalism

This significantly weakens the argument! The argument treats all teen crimes as the same problem, but this reveals a crucial distinction. If afternoon crimes (3-6 PM) are just minor offenses while the serious crimes that actually worry citizens happen in the evening when curfew would be effective, then the evening curfew could indeed solve the citizens' real concern. This breaks the assumption that afternoon and evening crimes are part of the same problem.

Teenagers are much less likely to commit serious crimes when they are at home than when they are not at home

This doesn't address the timing issue at all. The argument isn't about whether being home reduces crime rates - it's about whether an evening curfew addresses crimes that happen in the afternoon. This is too general and doesn't resolve the 3-6 PM vs evening timing mismatch.

Any decrease in the need for police patrols in late evening would not mean that there could be more intensive patrolling in the afternoon

This actually supports the argument rather than weakening it. If fewer evening patrols don't lead to more afternoon patrols, then the curfew truly doesn't help address the 3-6 PM crime problem. This makes the timing mismatch even more problematic.

The schools in Parktown have introduced a number of after school programs that will be available to teenagers until 6pm on weekday afternoons

This introduces a completely different solution (after-school programs) rather than addressing whether the evening curfew could work. This doesn't weaken the argument about the evening measures being ineffective - it just presents an alternative approach.

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