| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Main Point | 1. Identify the conclusion and premises. 2. Use the Why Test and then match your conclusion against the five answer choices. 3. Be careful not to fall for the opposite. 4. When down to two choices, look for extreme wording and relevance to eliminate one choice. |
| Necessary Assumption | Identify the conclusion, premisies, and assumption of the author. 2. If you're having trouble finding the assumption, look for a gap between two different ideas in the argument. 3. The assumption will always strengthen the author's conclusion and is Necessary for the conclusion to follow from the information provided. 4. When down to two choices, negate each statment to see if the argument falls apart. If it does, that's your answer. |
| Sufficient Assumption | 1. Identify the conclusion, premises, and assumptions of the author. 2. Look for language in the conclusion that is not accounted for in the premise. 3. Paraphrase an answer that would strongly connect the premise to the conclusion and shore up the language gap. 4. Eliminate answer choices that bring in new information. |
| Weaken | 1. Identify the conclusion, premise, and assumption of the author. 2. Read critically, looking for where the author made large leaps in logic. 3. Then, when you go to the answer choices, look for a choice that has the most negative impact on that leap in logic. 4. Assume all choices to be hypothetically true. |
| Strengthen | 1. Identify the conclusion, premise, and assumptions of the author. 2. Read critically, looking for where the author made large leaps of logic. 3. Then, when you go to the answer choices, look for a choice that has the most positive impact on that gap. 4. Assume all choices to be hypothetically true. |
| Resolve/Explain | 1. Identify the apparent discrepancy or paradox. 2. Go to the answer choices and look for information that, when added to the argument, allows both facts from the argument to be true. 3. Assume all choices to be hypothetically true. |
| Inference | 1. Read carefully, paying close attention to qualifying language, and then go to the answer choices. 2. Once there, cross of any answer choices that are not directly supported by evidence in the passage. 3. Look for relevance and extreme language to eliminate answer choices. 4. Use the contrapositive if there are "if...then" statements contained in the passage and in the answer choices. |
| Reasoning | 1.Read the argument carefully and then describe what is happening in your own words, focusing on the author's conclusion. 2. Take this description and rigorously apply it to all the answer choices. 3. 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. 4. Cross out anything that didn't appear in the argument. |
| Flaw | 1. Break down the argument into its parts; the flaw is usually related to an assumption. 2. State in your own words what the problem with the argument is. 3. With each answer, try to match the actions described in the answer choices with those of the argument itself. Look for the choice that has the same problem you found. 4. Eliminate the answers that don't match; look for the answer that addresses the assumption. |
| Principle | 1. Make sure you're clear as to which direction the argument is flowing-are you being asked to find something that supports a decision or that conforms to an idea? 2. Once you're sure, look for the answer that either justifies the action or matches the principle in the argument. |
| Parallel-the-Reasoning | 1. Parallel-the-Reasoning questions will either contain flawed or valid reasoning, and the question will tip you off. 2. Try to 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. 3. If the argument is flawed, be careful not to choose an answer that fixes it. 4. Save Parallel-the-Reasoning questions for LSAT. |
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