Verbal ReasoningGMAT Focus Edition

GMAT Weaken practice questions

Weaken is a high-yield GMAT topic. Work through these practice questions to build accuracy and speed before test day.

Free Weaken practice

2 sample questions

Practice Question 1hardCritical Reasoning

A recent study found that participants who drank caffeinated coffee before a cognitive task performed significantly better on measures of focus and memory retention compared to those who drank water. Therefore, the caffeine in coffee must be responsible for these improvements in cognitive performance.

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

The study was conducted in a laboratory setting, which may not reflect real-world conditions.

The study did not measure the participants' baseline cognitive abilities before the experiment.

Coffee contains several compounds, including chlorogenic acid, which may have additional cognitive benefits.

Some participants who drank water also performed well on the test, despite not consuming any caffeine.

The participants who drank caffeinated coffee were also given a high-protein breakfast, which has been shown to enhance cognitive performance.

Practice Question 2very_hardCritical Reasoning

A recent study found that participants who drank caffeinated coffee before a cognitive test performed significantly better on measures of focus than those who drank water. Therefore, the caffeine in coffee must be responsible for the improvement in focus.

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

The study did not control for the amount of sleep participants had the night before the test.

Decaffeinated coffee contains small amounts of caffeine that could account for the observed improvement in focus.

Participants who consumed energy drinks containing caffeine showed no improvement in focus compared to those who drank water.

The study's participants were all habitual coffee drinkers, who may have developed a tolerance to caffeine.

Some participants who drank caffeinated coffee experienced increased heart rates.

Get instant feedback on every question

Sign up free to grade your answers instantly, see full explanations, track your weak topics, and run timed exam sessions. The full PrepSavvy bank spans every GMAT Focus topic at multiple difficulty levels.

Create a free account Try the 5-question sampler

GMAT Weaken practice questions

Free Weaken practice

Get instant feedback on every question

More Verbal Reasoning topics