Flashcards: LSAT keywords
All 110 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Cannot be false - def | Must be true |
| Cannot be true - opposite | could be true |
| Cannot be false - opposite | not necessarily true |
| Could be false - def | not necessarily true |
| Could be false - opposite | Must be true |
| Could be true - opposite | Cannot be true |
| Must be false - def | cannot be true |
| Must be false - opposite | could be true |
| Must be true - opposite | not necessarily true |
| As indicated by | premise |
| Because | premise |
| Due to | premise |
| For | premise |
| For example | premise |
| For the reason that | premise |
| Given that | premise |
| In that | premise |
| Owing to | premise |
| Since | premise |
| this can be seen by | premise |
| All | sufficient |
| Any | sufficient |
| Every | sufficient |
| If in order to | sufficient |
| People who | sufficient |
| When | sufficient |
| Whenever | sufficient |
| Not necessarily true - opposite | must be true |
| Not necessarily false - def | could be true |
| Not necessarily false - opposite | cannot be true |
| Then | Necessary |
| Only | Necessary |
| Only if | Necessary |
| Must | Necessary |
| Required | Necessary |
| Until | Necessary |
| Except | Necessary |
| Unless | Necessary |
| Without | Necessary |
| inconsistent | 2 things that cannot be true |
| consistent | 2 things that CAN be true |
| If it is snowing, then it must be cold. | If S happens then C happens. |
| It is snowing only if it is cold. | If S happens then C happens |
| It cannot snow unless it is cold. | If S happens then C happens |
| We know it is cold if it is snowing. | If S happens then C happens |
| Sierra goes for a walk if and only if Columbine goes for a walk. | Both or us go or neither of us go |
| Sara cannot be second unless Trang is first. | If S is second then T is first. Or if T is not first then S is not second. (Get rid of the cannot - arrow through the unless) |
| Cannot/Unless | Get rid of the cannot - arrow through the unless |
| R → B | No person who buys the red shirt does not buy the blue shirt. If someone buys the red shirt, that person buys the blue shirt. In other words, buying the blue shirt is a necessary condition for buying the red shirt. Since it is impossible to buy the red shirt without also buying the blue shirt, buying the blue shirt is a necessary condition for buying the red shirt. In other words, one can't buy the red shirt without buying the blue shirt, too. |
| Jameson does not attend the concert unless Steve does. | J --> S |
| Most | 51% or more |
| Most + Most | Some |
| Some | 1 to everyone |
| Some + Some | some or most |
| On the day after the day | 2 days next to each other |
| impugn | Dispute the truth |
| inculcate | Instill by persistent instruction |
| petulance | irritable, peevish, or impatient |
| preceding | come before |
| Fewer than three | two or less |
| efficacy | the capacity to produce an effect |
| transgression | A violation of a law, command, or duty |
| A occurred before B, so A must have caused B. | Common Causal Flaw |
| A and B tend to occur together, so A must cause B. | Common Causal Flaw |
| A is one possible cause, so A must be the only cause. | Common Causal Flaw |
| Weaken a causal argument | Provide an alternate cause Show that cause and effect are reversed Show there is no causal relationship (merely a coincidence) |
| Reading comprehension 4 points | Cast of Characters Author's Opinion Main Idea Passage Structure |
| Reading Comprehension pay attention | What's interesting What questions would you ask yourself Any ideas that are compared or contrasted Predictions |
| unprecedented | Never done or known before |
| immediately/far | be on the look out |
| some/most | be on the look out |
| ~h --> s | not s --> h can have both but must have at least one |
| h --> ~ s | s --> not h can have none but not both |
| If wrens are in the forest, then so are grosbeaks. | W--> G or no G --> no W |
| If harriers are in the forest, then grosbeaks are not. | H --> no G or G --> no H (not both) |
| If jays, martins, or both are in the forest, then so are harriers. | J or M --> H or no H --> no J and no M |
| Wendy appears in every photograph that Selma appears in. | S -> W |
| Raimundo appears in every photograh that Yakira does not appear in | Not Y--> R |
| because of | causal term |
| caused by | causal term |
| determined by | causal term |
| is an effect of | causal term |
| induced by | causal term |
| leads to | causal term |
| promoted by | causal term |
| produced by | causal term |
| played a role in | causal term |
| product of | causal term |
| responsible for | causal term |
| reason for | causal term |
| was a factor in | causal term |
| Socrates is a man All men are mortal | Socrates is mortal |
| No budget committee member serves on the planning committee. | P -->not B |
| Neither giraffes nor bears are on display | no giraffes and no bears. Make sure that you are looking at the NOT ~ conditional. |
| Some professors at the school teach Spanish. Some Spanish teachers have been to Spain. | This tells you nothing because you don't know that the Spanish teachers are from the school. |
| Tautology | needless repetition of an idea, statement, or word |
| Two types of Conclusions | Descriptive or Prescriptive which are either absolute or possible. |
| Types of Descriptive Conclusion | 1. Assertions of Truth 2. Comparisons 3.Predictions 4.Conditionals |
| Define Assertion of Truth | In an Assertion of Truth, the author states that something is or is not the case. "So, there are always situations in which it is healthy to try to express one's anger." "Clearly, then, our patrons prefer not to eat potatoes." |
| Comparison | In a Comparison, the author makes a claim about one thing in relation to another thing. "This advantage makes B.t. toxins preferable tochemical insecticides for use as components of insect pest management programs." "On the basis of these results the official concluded that the new pesticide was more effective thanthe old pesticide, at least in the short term, in limiting the loss of certain fruit to insects." |
| Prediction | In a Prediction, the author states what will happen or what is likely to happen in the future. "So once humans begin to tap into this tremendous source of creativity and innovation, many problems that today seem insurmountable will be within our ability to solve." |
| Conditional | In a Conditional, the author states the conclusion in terms of, "if...then..." "Clearly, ifyou buy a Sturdimade, you can rely on being able to drive it for a very long distance." "So ifthey were not so brittle, one could reliably determine a rattlesnake's age simply from the number of sections in its rattle." |
| Prescriptive Conclusion | Prescriptive Conclusionsstate what "should" or "ought" to be the case. Prescriptive Conclusions are always some form of recommendation. |
| Recommendation Conclusion | In a Recommendation, the author proposes a course of action. "Additional restrictions should be placed on driver's licenses of teenagers." "So individuals who want to reduce their risk of cancer should reduce their fat intake." |
| Absolute Certainty | Absolute Something definitely is or is not the case. A course of action should definitely be undertaken. |
| Possible Certainty | Something is likely or maybe the case. A course of action should perhaps be undertaken. |
| Ways that author supports conclusion. | Offer an alternative explanation? Eliminate possible alternative explanations? Apply a general principle to a specific case? Argue by analogy? Use an example to prove a point? Cite a relevant authority? |
| How should you attack a Method of Argument question? | 1. Identify what the question is asking you to do. What is your job? 2. Engage the stimulus as directed by the question. How do you do your job? 3. Consider the requirements of the correct answer. What should the correct answer look like? 4. Evaluate the choices looking for the correct answer. Which answer looks like your prediction? Eliminate answer choices that do not accurately describe the author's method of reasoning. |
| What is the evidence and the conclusion? It is inaccurate to say that a diet high in refined sugar cannot cause adult-onset diabetes, since a diet high in refined sugar can make a person overweight, and being overweight can predispose a person to adult-onset diabetes. | Evidence: A diet high in refined sugar can make a person overweight. Being overweight can predispose a person to adult-onset diabetes. Conclusion: It is inaccurate to say that a diet high in refined sugar cannot cause adult-onset diabetes. Method of Argument: It is inaccurate to say that A cannot cause C because A can cause B and B can cause C. |
| Any language learned by the geologist is learned by the the historian. | g --> h |