LSAT Logical Reasoning Stems

Main Point

ID conclusion, premises, use Why test, eliminate extreme wording in answers

Necessary Assumption

ID conclusion, premises, and assumptions, use negation test (when down to 2) (required, relies on, depends on)

Sufficient Assumption

ID conclusion, premises, and assumptions, eliminate new info, paraphrase answer (if assumed, which of the following justifies the conclusion?)

Weaken (very Prevalent)

ID Conclusion, premises, and assumption. look for leaps in logic and best choice

Strengthen

ID conclusion, premises, and assumption, leaps in logic, most positive impact

Resolve/Explain

ID discrepancy/paradox, allows both facts from argument to be true

Inference (most prevalent on LSAT)

relevance and extreme language, use if→then and the contrapositive to outline question.

Reasoning

purpose structure, question asks what is structure of author’s reasoning, how is the argument made?

Flaw (Very Prevalent)

ID an assumption, find a problem in the argument related to the assumption

Principle Match

Know argument direction, match general principal of argument

Parallel the Reasoning (longest)

Diagram the argument, compare choices to diagram, use conditionals or whatever argument requires to diagram