GMAT CR Argument: Planning Pattern

One of the most popular patterns of GMAT CR Argument is the Planning pattern. A GMAT aspirant needs to be thorough with this pattern because a good number of question of GMAT CR section are based upon this pattern.

Typically, a CR question based upon the planning pattern starts with a problem statement. The author of the argument then puts forth a solution for the problem. While putting across a solution to the problem, He assumes that the solution that he is suggesting is full proof and would be able to solve the problem if implemented.

I will Illustrate the planning pattern with the help of an example. For the sake of Illustration lets assume that I am the Manager of a Security system providing company and you are reporting to me. Thefts are on the rise at Kukatpally Hyderabad. The Residents’ Association of Kukatpally Hyderabad has given the contract of designing security system of Kukatpally Area to our Company. I have delegated this project to you. After deliberating upon this problem, You have come to me with a solution for this problem. The solution that you are going to suggest is that the company should install CCTV cameras at important junctions of Kukatpally so that whenever a thief tries to escape from Kukatpally after stealing something from one of the houses present there, the CCTV will be able to capture a pic of the thief thereby helping the police personnel to catch him red handed.

After formulating this solution to the problem, You are confident that the solution reached is devoid of defects. In other words, there is no problem with the plan. This is the assumption undertaken in this pattern.

In order to weaken this plan, a problem has to be identified in it. In our case, it can be that there are lots of bylanes available in Kukatpally area. Hence there is no need for the thief to cross important junctions of Kukatpally. And to strengthen the plan the only thing that one has to do is to identify a potential problem with the plan and knock it off as not a problem anymore. In our case, to strengthen the plan, it can be stated that there are no bylanes available in Kukatpally area.

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