Boldface roles decoded for GMAT CR

Before you classify either boldface chunk, ask what the author ultimately wants you to believe. Everything else is support, opposition, concession, or background.

Students who skip this step match keywords and lose easy points. Students who lock the conclusion first usually finish boldface under two minutes.

The main conclusion is not always the last sentence. Sometimes it follows however or therefore mid paragraph. Sometimes the first boldface chunk is the conclusion. Sometimes neither is.

Ask: if the author could leave the reader with one belief, what would it be? That belief is your anchor.

Two statements can talk about the same topic and still play opposite roles. One may be evidence. One may be a claim the author rejects. Function is the game, not topic overlap.

Watch for however and although. Those words often mark concessions the author grants and then argues past.

A sentence can describe a view the author does not hold. Label it opposing view or position the author rejects, not evidence for the final conclusion.

Example style reasoning: first boldface states a rival theory. Second boldface says that theory fails because data show X. The first is setup or opposing view. The second may be evidence supporting the author’s preferred conclusion.

Main conclusion: the author’s final claim. Intermediate conclusion: a sub claim that supports a bigger conclusion. Evidence: facts offered to support a claim. Background: context that frames the issue without proving anything.

Concession: something the author admits but does not let defeat the argument. Counterpoint the author rebuts: a view introduced then attacked. Judgment or recommendation: what the author thinks should happen.

Answer choices mix these labels with tricky wording. Translate each option into plain role language before you compare.

For boldface one, pick one label: conclusion, evidence, concession, opposing view, or setup. For boldface two, do the same. Write two words in the margin. Nothing longer.

Check relationship language in the stem: supports, opposes, calls into question, provides evidence for. Match those verbs to your labels.

If an answer says both boldface chunks are conclusions, ask whether they could both be final beliefs the author wants you to accept. Usually one is subordinate or foreign to the author.

Eliminate answers that describe content accurately but assign wrong jobs. Boldface traps love true summaries with false roles.

If thirty seconds pass and you cannot name the main conclusion, flag and return. Fresh eyes beat stubborn rereading.

Do not reread the entire passage for each answer choice. Move your two role labels across the options like a sliding window.

Boldface is a sinkhole for many students. Decide in advance that you will not spend three minutes on one item unless you have banked time elsewhere.

For each boldface, force a one word label: conclusion, evidence, concession, or setup. Then read the answer choices against those labels only.

Redo missed boldface items after forty eight hours using only role labels, not memory of the letter. If you still miss, the error is classification, not content.

Pattern Cards in MBA Jump include Argument Anatomy for exactly this drill, unlocked as you solve related questions. Pair one card review with a short boldface set so roles stay fresh.