Lsat Logical Reasoning

Front 1

What is the Fact Test?

Back 1

The correct answer to a Must Be True question can always be proven by referring to the facts stated in the stimulus (pg 73).

Front 2

Words that introduce a sufficient condition:

Back 2

If, When, Whenever, Every, All, Any People who, In order to,

Front 3

Words that introduce a necessary condition:

Back 3

Then, Only, Only if, Must, Required, Unless, Except, Until, Without

Front 4

Step 1) and Step 2) of the "Unless Equation"

Back 4

1. Whatever term is modified by "unless," "except," "until," or "without" becomes the necessary condition.

2. The remaining term is negated and becomes the sufficient condition.

Front 5

A Sufficient Condition

Back 5

An event or circumstance whose occurrence INDICATES that a necessary condition MUST ALSO occur. (The SC does not MAKE the necessary condition occur. Rather, it is a sign or indicator that the necessary condition will occur).

Front 6

A Necessary Condition

Back 6

An event or circumstance whose occurrence IS REQUIRED in order for a sufficient condition to occur.

Front 7

The Repeat form is a valid inference that:

Back 7

simply restates the elements in the original order they appeared.

Front 8

A Mistaken Reversal is an invalid inference that:

Back 8

switches the elements in the sufficient and necessary conditions, creating a statement that does not have to be true.

Front 9

A Mistaken Negation is an invalid inference that:

Back 9

negates both conditions, creating a statement that does not have to be true.

Front 10

A Mistaken Reversal of a given statement and a Mistaken Negation of that same given statement are:

Back 10

contrapositives of each other.

Front 11

The following terms often introduce a cause and effect relationship:

Back 11

caused by, because of, responsible for, reason for, leads to, induced by, promoted by, determined by, produced by, product of, played a role in, was a factor in, is an effect of

Front 12

Each question stem that appears in the Logical Reasoning section of the LSAT can be classified into one of thirteen different types:

Back 12

1) Must be True/Most Supported
2) Main Point
3) Point at Issue
4) Assumption
5) Justify the Conclusion
6) Strengthen/Support
7) Resolve the Paradox
8) Weaken
9) Method of Reasoning
10) Flaw in the Reasoning
11) Parallel Reasoning
12) Evaluate the Argument
13) Cannot Be True

Front 13

What are the fundamental rules to keep in mind when approaching Weaken questions?

Back 13

1) The stimulus will contain an argument.
2) Focus on the conclusion.
3) The information in the stimulus is suspect. There are often reasoning errors present, and you must read the argument very carefully.
4)Weaken questions often yield strong prephrases.
5) The answer choices are accepted as given, even if they include "new" information.

Front 14

What is the simple rule for weakening a conditional conclusion?

Back 14

Attack the necessary condition by showing that the necessary condition does not need to occur in order for the sufficient condition to occur.

Front 15

Correct Answer Types for Must Be True questions:

Back 15

1) Paraphrased answers are answers that restate a portion of the stimulus in different terms. When these answers mirror the stimulus, they are correct.
2) Combination answers result from combining two or more statements in the stimulus.

Front 16

Primary Objectives 1, 2 and 3:

Back 16

- Determine whether the stimulus contains an argument or if it is only a set of factual statements.
- If the stimulus contains an argument, identify the conclusion of the argument. If the stimulus contains a fact set, examine each fact.
- If the stimulus contains an argument, determine if the argument is strong or weak.

Front 17

Primary Objectives 4, 5, and 6:

Back 17

-Read closely and know precisely what the author said. Do not generalize!
- Carefully read and identify the question stem. Do not assume that certain words are automatically associated with certain question types.
- Prephrase: after reading the question stem, take a moment to mentally formulate your answer to the question stem.

Front 18

Primary Objectives 7, 8 and 9:

Back 18

-Always read each of the five answer choices.
- Separate the answer choices into Contenders and Losers. After you complete this process, review the Contenders and decide which answer is the correct one.
- If all five answer choices appear to be Losers, return to the stimulus and re-evaluate the argument.

Front 19

The First Question Family is based on the principle of using the information in the stimulus to prove that one of the answer choices must be true. Such questions types include the following: Must Be True, Main Point, Point at Issue, Method of Reasoning, Flaw in the Reasoning, and Parallel Reasoning. What rules apply to the First Question Family?

Back 19

1) You must accept the stimulus information - even if it contains an error or reasining - and use it to prove that one of the answer choices must be true.
2) Any information in an answer choice that does not appear either directly in the stimulus or as a combination of items in the stimulus will be incorrect.

Front 20

The Second Question Family is based on the principle of assisting or helping the author's argument or statement in some way, whether by revealing an assumption of the argument, by resolving a paradox, or in some other fashion. Such question types include the following: Assumption, Justify the Conclusion, Strengthen/Support, and Resolve the Paradox. What rules apply to the Second Question Family?

Back 20

1) The information in the stimulus is suspect. There are often reasoning errors present, and depending on the question, you will help shore up the argument in some way.
2) The answer choices are accepted as given, even if they include "new" information. Your task is to determine which answer choice best meets the question posed in the stem.

Front 21

The Third Question Family consists of only the Weaken question type. You are asked to attack the author's argument. What rules apply to the Third Question Family?

Back 21

1) The information in the stimulus is suspect. There are often reasoning errors present, and you will further weaken the argument in some way.
2) The answer choices are accepted as given, even if they include "new" information. Your task is to determine which answer choice best attacks the argument in the stimulus.

Front 22

The Fourth Question Family consists of only the Cannot Be True question type. As such, this question family is based on the principle that you must use the information in the stimulus to prove that one of the answer choices cannot occur. What rules apply to the Fourth Question Family?

Back 22

1) You must accept the stimulus information - even if it contains an error of reasoning - and use it to prove that one of the answer choices cannot occur.
2) If an answer choice contains information that does not appear directly in the stimulus or as the result of a combination of items in the stimulus, then that answer choice could be true and it is incorrect. The correct answer choice will directly disagree wit the stimulus or a consequence of the stimulus.

Front 23

Which question types appear the least frequently on the LSAT?

Back 23

Main Point, Evaluate the Argument and Cannot be True.

Front 24

The Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc fallacy pertains to what kind of question?

Back 24

Questions with causal conclusions.

Another fallacy infers causation from correlation: but while one event could have caused the other, the two events could be the result of a third event, or the two events could simply be correlated without one causing the other, or be the result of random chance.

Front 25

What does the speaker believe in EVERY argument with a causal conclusion?

Back 25

The speaker believes that the stated cause is in fact the ONLY cause and all other theoretically possible causes are not, in fact, actual causes. This is an incredibly powerful assumption, and the results of this assumption are most evident in Weaken, Strengthen, and Assumption questions.

Front 26

How do you attack a cause and effect relationship located in the conclusion of a Weaken question type?

Back 26

A) Find an alternate cause for the stated effect, or
B) Show that even when the cause occurs, the effect does not occur, or
C) Show that although the effect occurs, the cause did not occur, or
D) Show that the stated relationship is reversed, or
E) Show that a statistical problem exists with the data used to make the causal statement.

Front 27

How are causal statements found in the premises or conclusion of an argument different?

Back 27

If the causal statement is in the conclusion, then the reasoning is flawed. If the causal statement is a premise, then the argument may be flawed, but not because of the causal statement.

Front 28

What are the differences among Strengthen, Justify the Conclusion and Assumption questions?

Back 28

1) In Strengthen questions, any answer choice that strengthens the argument, whether by 1% or 100%, is correct.
2) In Justify the Conclusion questions, the answer must strengthen the conclusion so it is 100% proven.
3) The answer to an Assumption question is an unstated premise that is necessary for the argument to be true.

Front 29

How does one use the "mechanistic approach" to solve Justify the Conclusion questions?

Back 29

This method requires that you identify which elements appear in the conclusion but not the premises. Then the following rules apply:
1) Any "new" element in the conclusion will appear in the correct answer.
2) Elements that are common to the conclusion and at least one premise, or to two premises, normally do not appear in the correct answer.
3) Elements that appear in the premises but not the conclusion normally appear in the correct answer.

Front 30

Why can we consider the answer to an Assumption question minimalist?

Back 30

Because the statement must be something the author believed when forming the argument, assumption answer choices cannot contain extraneous information. For example, let us say that an argument requires the assumption "all dogs are intelligent." The correct answer could be that statement, or even a subset statement . . . But, additional information would rule out the answer, as in the following case: "All dogs and cats are intelligent." The additional information about cats is not part of the author's assumption.

Front 31

What is the difference between a Must Be True question answers and Assumption question answers?

Back 31

The difference of BEFORE vs. AFTER: Assumption answers contain statements that were used to make the conclusion; Must Be True answers contain statements that follow from the argument made in the stimulus.

Front 32

The Assumption Negation Technique for Assumption Questions:

Back 32

1. Logically negate the answer choices under consideration.
2. The negated answer choice that attacks the argument will be the correct answer.

Negating the answer choices turns an Assumption question into a Weaken question.

Front 33

The correct answer to both Strengthen and Assumption questions will normally fit one of the following categories:

Back 33

A. Eliminates an alternate cause for the stated effect.
B. Shows that when the cause occurs, the effect occurs
C. Shows that when the cause does not occur, the effect does not occur
D. Eliminates the possibility that the stated relationship is reversed
E. Shows that the data used to make the causal statement are accurate, or eliminates possible problems with the data