Arguements Section LSAT

-Identify the conclusion, premises, and assumption
-To find the assumption look for a gap between ideas
-Assumption will always strengthen the conclusion
-Assumption is NECESSARY for the conclusion
-When down to two choices, negate each statement and see if the argument falls apart: Make the answer mean the opposite
-It is not true that.....
-If the argument falls apart when negating statement that is your answer
-Look for keywords in question: relies, depends on, requires
-Need to know what is wrong with the argument before looking at answer choices
-Do not pick the answer that has more than the argument needs.
-Bridge: Premise-Assumption-conclusion

How do assumptions help an arguement?

By fixing a problem in the argument

Identify Sample Question: Which one of the following if assumed, would enable the conclusion to be properly drawn?

Sufficient Assumption

Identify Sample Question: The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?Sufficient AssumptionWhat questions bring up ideas in the conclusion that are not discussed in the premise?Sufficient Assumption Questions-Identify the conclusion, premises, and assumptions -Look for language in the conclusion that is not in the premise -Identify gap in reasoning -Responses can be more extreme -Paraphrase an answer that strongly connects premise and conclusion and fixes gap -Eliminate answers that bring in new information -Negation test will not work on these questionsWhat questions bring up ideas in the conclusion that are not discussed in the premise?Sufficient Assumption QuestionsIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following, if true, would most undermine the author's conclusion?Weaken QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following statements, if true, would most call into question the results achieved by the scientists?Weaken QuestionWeaken Questions-Identify the conclusion, Premise, and assumptions -Look for instances where the author makes large leaps in logic - look for answer choices that have the most negative impact on the leap of logic -Assume all choices are true -The right answer will exploit the gap -Find an answer that hurts the conclusion -Don't eliminate answers that bring in new information -look for strong wordingCommon Patterns of Reasoning in Arguments-Causal Arguments -Sampling Arguments -Arguments by analogyCausal Arguements-Type of Reasoning Pattern -links observed effect with cause of that effect -correlation does not equal causation -Assuming that nothing else could have caused the effectThe answer to these questions paraphrase the cause or assumptionNecessary & Sufficient Assumption QuestionsThe answer to these questions suggest an alternative cause for the observed effectWeaken QuestionsThe answer to these questions eliminate the possibility of any other alternative cause to the observed effectStrengthen QuestionsSampling Arguments-Type of common reasoning pattern -uses statistics or sample for the argumentSampling Assumption-Mistakenly uses a statistic or sample to represent the whole -Assumes that the sampling was done correctlyArguments by analogy-Use a comparison to draw a conclusion about a certain groupAnalogy Assumption-Mistakenly assumes one group, idea, or action is the same as anotherIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following statements, if true, would most support the author's conclusion?Strengthen QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following statements, if true, would strengthen the author's arguments?Strengthen QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following principles, if established, justifies the conclusion drawn in the argument above?Strengthen QuestionStrengthen Questions-Identify the conclusion, premises, and assumption of the author -Look for where the author made large leaps -Look for answer choices that have the most positive impact on the gap -Assume all choices are true -Answer confirms the conclusion -Don't shy away from strongly worded answersWhat if you can't find the Assumption?-Look for shift in the author's language -Change in language between premise and conclusion -At least understand the gap between premise and conclusion -Be prepared to recognize the assumption: answer that will impact it -If spot anything in the choices that makes it wrong, it is all wrong: even if one word is offIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following provides the best resolution to the apparent paradox described by the committee member?Resolve/Explain QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following statements, if true, would explain the discrepancy found by the scientists?Resolve/Explain QuestionResolve/Explain Questions-Identify the apparent discrepancy or paradox -Go to the answer choices and look for a piece of information that allows both facts of the argument to be true when added to the argument -Assume all choices are true -Pieces of information will seem as if don't fit together -Have to find the answer choice that resolves discrepancy -Allows both pieces of information to be true -Don't need to find conclusion and premises -If want to supply additional information to answer choice to make it work, it is the wrong choiceIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following statements can be validly inferred form the information above?Inference QuestionIdentify Sample Question: If the statements above are true, then which of the following must also be true?Inference QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following conclusions can be validly drawn from the passage above?Inference QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following conclusions is best supported by the passage above?Inference QuestionInference Questions-Don't look for a conclusion -Can't use information that is not in the passage -Don't look for gaps -Pay close attention to qualifying language -Eliminate any choices that are not directly supported by evidence in the passage -Look for relevance -Eliminate extreme language -Use contrapositive "if....then"Using Contrapositives-For inference questions -Take original statement and flip its order -Negate each of them -Use A->B to diagram -"If.....then"Identify Sample Question: The argument proceeds by.....Reasoning QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Leah responds to Kevin by doing which one of the following?Reasoning QuestionIdentify Sample Question: The method the activist uses to object to the developer's argument is to........Reasoning QuestionIdentify Sample Question: Dr. Jacobs does which of the following?Reasoning QuestionReasoning Questions-Ask how the argument is made -Answers are general answers don't mention subject matter -Answers are specific answers that mention subject matter -Describe what is happening in arguments -Focus on the conclusion and premises -Identify purpose of the argument -Take the description and apply to choices -If one part is wrong, it's all wrongIdentify Sample Question: Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author's reasoning?Flaw questionIdentify Sample Question: A criticism of the arguments would most likely emphasize that it.....Flaw QuestionIdentify Sample Question: The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument....Flaw QuestionIdentify Sample Question: The argument above relies on which of the following questionable techniques?Flaw QuestionFlaw Questions- Break down the argument into its parts -Flaw is related to an assumption -State what the problem is with argument -Look for answer that has the same problem found in passage -Eliminate answers that don't match; look for the answer that addresses the assumption -Answer describes the way the argument is bad, not at what weakens it -Overly wordy answers are wrongIdentify Sample Question: The reasoning above most closely conforms to which of the following principles?Principal matchIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following examples conforms most closely to the principle given in the argument?Principle matchPrinciple Match Questions-Save for last or skip -Asks for generalization or rule that conforms with arguments -Understand what is happening in argument -Look for general principle -Answer is a principle that matches the conditions in a statementIdentify Sample Question: Which one of the following is most similar in reasoning to the argument above?Parallel-the-Reasoning QuestionIdentify Sample Question: The flawed pattern of reasoning exhibited by the arguments above is most similar to that in which of the following?Parallel-the-reasoning QuestionParallel-the-reasoning Questions-Skip or save for last -Will contain either flawed or valid reasoning - Diagram the arguments and choices -Find which diagram matches or is the same -If argument is flawed, don't choose answer that fixes it -Look for patterns easily summed upParallel-the-flaw Questions-Get rid of correct answers -Opposite of parallel-the-reasoning

Arguements Section LSAT

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