Finding the Conclusion of Argument

Arguments on the GMAT are generally written so that the conclusion is fairly easy to identify.
Most of the time, the conclusion is presented in one of three common ways. Since two
of these ways involve the question, you should read the question first when you approach
any new Critical Reasoning problem.
Type A: Question contains the conclusion.
Some universities are changing the structure of financial aid awards given
to students who cannot afford to pay full tuition. In the past, the largest
proportion of financial aid distributed to students was in the form of federal,
interest-deferred loans. Now, these institutions are awarding a higher
proportion of grants, money that students do not need to pay back.
If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that the shift from loan to
grant awards gives students the freedom to choose careers in less lucrative
professions, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken
that argument?
The CONCLUSION of this argument is given in the question: The shift from loan to
grant awards gives students the freedom to choose careers in less lucrative professions.
This assertion is the main point of the argument. (The question goes on to ask for a way to
weaken the argument. We will discuss how to address this kind of question later in this
guide.)
Type B: Question hints at the conclusion in the argument.
A program instituted by a state government to raise money allows homeowners
to prepay their future property taxes at the current rate. Even if the
government were to raise the tax rate in a subsequent year, any prepaid
taxes would allow the homeowner to maintain taxes at the lower rate, lowering
the overall property tax burden over time. For this reason, homeowners
should participate in the program.
Which of the following is an assumption that supports the indicated rationale
for homeowners participating in the program?
The CONCLUSION of this argument is hinted at in the question. The word rationale
points us to the final sentence: For this reason, homeowners should participate in the
program. Reason and rationale are synonyms.
Incidentally, the reason is located in the sentence prior to the conclusion: any prepaid taxes
would allow the homeowner to maintain taxes at the lower rate, lowering the overall
property tax burden over time. In essence, the question is asking us to determine an
assumption that connects this premise and the argument’s conclusion.
Type C: Argument contains an obvious conclusion.
Transportation safety data indicate that trains are safer than cars, and that
airplanes are safer than trains. Injuries and deaths per passenger-mile of
airplane travel are less than one-tenth the figure for car travel. Therefore,
buses must also be more dangerous than airplanes.
Which of the following, if true, most significantly weakens the argument?
The question contains no specific reference to any information in the argument. In this
case, for the majority of questions, the argument will contain a very clear signal word or
expression that indicates the conclusion. In this case, the signal is the word Therefore at the
beginning of the third sentence.
Which type is this example?
Certain genetic diseases are more prevalent among certain ethnic populations.
For example, Tay Sachs disease, a usually fatal genetic condition
caused by the build-up of gangliocides in nerve cells, occurs more frequently
among Ashkenazi Jews than among the general population.
Which of the following assertions can most properly be drawn from the
above information?
Where is the conclusion? The question does not contain any clues; neither does the body of
the argument.
In fact, the argument above does not contain a conclusion at all; both sentences present factual
information rather than a claim. Some GMAT Critical Reasoning questions ask you to
draw a conclusion, make an inference, or explain a situation using only a passage of premises.
In these cases, the conclusion will be in the answer choices (though, as you will see in
the “Draw a Conclusion” chapter, the correct conclusion will not look very much like the
kinds of conclusions that other GMAT arguments usually present).