Lsat Argument Question Answer Methods

Front 1

Main Point: action 1

Back 1

· Identify the conclusion and premises.

Front 2

Main Point: action 2

Back 2

· Use the Why Test and then match your conclusion against the five answer choices.

Front 3

Main Point: action 3

Back 3

· Be careful not to fall for the opposite

Front 4

Main Point: action 4

Back 4

Whendown to two choices look extreme wording and relevance to eliminate one choice

Front 5

Necessary Assumption: Action 1

Back 5

· Identify the conclusion,premises and assumptions of the author.

Front 6

Necessary Assumption: Action 2

Back 6

· If you are having trouble finding the assumption, look for a gap between two different ideas in the argument.

Front 7

Necessary Assumption: Action 3

Back 7

The assumption will always at least mildly strengthen the author’s conclusion and is necessary for the conclusion to follow from information provided.

Front 8

Sufficient Assumption: Action 1

Back 8

· Identify the conclusion, premises, and assumptions of the author.

Front 9

Sufficient Assumption: Action 2

Back 9

· Look for language in the conclusion that is not accounted for in the premise.

Front 10

Sufficient Assumption: Action 3

Back 10

· Paraphrase an answer that would strongly connect the premises to the conclusion and shore up the language gap.

Front 11

Sufficient Assumption: Action 4

Back 11

Eliminate answer choices to be hypothetically true.

Front 12

Weaken: Action 1

Back 12

· Identify the conclusion, premises, and assumptions of the author.

Front 13

Weaken: Action2

Back 13

· Read critically, looking for instances in which the author made large leaps in logic.

Front 14

Weaken: Action 3

Back 14

· Then when you go to the answer choices, look fora choice that has the most negative impact on that leap in logic.

Front 15

Weaken: Action 4

Back 15

Assume all choices to be hypothetically true.

Front 16

Strengthen: Action 1

Back 16

· Identify the conclusion, premises and assumptions of the author.

Front 17

Strengthen: Action 2

Back 17

· Read critically, looking for where the author made large leaps in logic.

Front 18

Strengthen: Action 3

Back 18

· Then, when you go to the answer choices, look for a choice that has the most positive impact on that gap.

Front 19

Strengthen: Action 4

Back 19

· Assume all choices to be hypothetically true.

Front 20

Resolve/Explain: Action 1

Back 20

· Identify the apparent discrepancy or paradox.

Front 21

Resolve/ Explain: Action 2

Back 21

· Go to the answer choices and look for a piece of the information that, when added to the argument, allows both facts to be true.

Front 22

Resolve/ Explain: Action 3

Back 22

Assume all choices to be hypothetically true.

Front 23

Inference: Action 1

Back 23

· Read carefully, paying close attention toqualifying language, and then go to the answer choices

Front 24

Inference: Action 2

Back 24

· Once there, cross off any answer choices that are not directly supported by evidence in the passage.

Front 25

Inference: Action 3

Back 25

· Look for relevance and extreme language to eliminate answer choices.

Front 26

Inference: Action 4

Back 26

Usecontrapositive if there are “if…then” statements contained in the passage andin the answer choices

Front 27

Reasoning: Action 1

Back 27

· Read the arguments care-fully and then describe what is happening in your own words, focusing on the author’s conclusion and premises.

Front 28

Reasoning: Action 2

Back 28

· Take this description and rigorously apply it toall the answer choices

Front 29

Reasoning: Action 3

Back 29

· Once you’re at the answer choices, use the technique of comparing the actions described in the answer choices against those that actually occur in the arguments.

Front 30

Reasoning: Action 4

Back 30

Cross out anything that didn’t appear in the argument.

Front 31

Flaw: Action 1

Back 31

· Break down the argument into its part; the flaw is usually related to an assumption

Front 32

Flaw: Action 2

Back 32

· State in your own words what the problem with the argument is.

Front 33

Flaw: Action 3

Back 33

· With each answer, try to match the actions describe in the answer choices with those of the argument itself. Look for the choice that has the same problem you found.

Front 34

Flaw: Action 4

Back 34

Eliminate the answers that don’t match; look for the answer that addresses the assumption.

Front 35

Principle Match: Action 1

Back 35

· Make sure you know which direction the argument flows. Are you being asked to find a principle that conforms to a situation, or a situation that conforms to a principle?

Front 36

Principle Match: Action 2

Back 36

Once you’re sure, look for an answer that most closely matches the general principle underlying the argument.

Front 37

Parallel-the-Reasoning: Action 1

Back 37

· Parallel-the-Reasoning questions will contain either flawed or valid reasoning, and the question will tip you off.

Front 38

Parallel-the-Reasoning: Action 2

Back 38

· Try and diagram the arguments and then diagram each of the answer choices, comparing each one to the diagram you came up with for the argument itself.

Front 39

Parallel-the-Reasoning: Action 3

Back 39

· If the argument is flawed, be careful not to choose and answer that fixes it.

Front 40

Parallel-the-Reasoning: Action 4

Back 40

Save Parallel-the-Reasoning questions for last on the LSAT.