180 processes

Accept premises as true and,

highlight conclusion and attack its validity

on reading comp, read for:

detail and structure

how to read for detail:

turn long complex sentences into plain english by translating it into something you can visualize

break long sentence up by identifying the subject as “those people” and attaching the verb

when a sentence is broken up by a long interuptive sentence: 1) figure out what the definition is saying, 2) apply it to the subject, 3) read the rest of the sentence

how to read for structure

identify if the passage is being written by a:

journalist —> author themselves is not complaining, but is citing others who are

critic —> the author believes there is a problem

problem solver

how to interpret ‘most” in an answer choice?

Most requires at least 50%

LOOK TWICE: reference back to the stimulus/passage to ensure the subject identified in the answer is in the “most” category

“most” being in the answer can make it wrong

Necessary Assumption Q’s

Looking for an assumption that is absolutely necessary

Without this assumption, the argument will fail

The correct answer will fix one assumption, but does NOT need to prove the conclusion

Answer will have weak language

Sufficient Assumption Q’s

sufficient is sufficient bc it does not need anything else to qualify its existence

sufficient is ENOUGH to trigger N

Answer will be worded broadly

will GUARANTEE / PROVE the conclusion

be on the lookout for correlation and

causation

for =

because

properly inferred =

must be true

all arguments with an assumption

are invalid

if you only have N

you cannot assume/guarantee S

Sufficient is

sufficient in itself, enough to trigger N

Necessary is

must necessarily occur if S

Strengthen Q’s

1) show that the argument follows logically from the premises

2) defend the argument against some counter argument

3) make the conclusion more likely

“patch up the flaw”

look for answer that clarifies, not complicates

most implies

some, but some does not necessarily imply most

what are the 3 categories of statements

weak, strong, absolute

What is the chain of command for quantifiers

all —> most —> some

infer from left to right

what does the argument assume/presuppose? =

what must be true for the argument to logically hold

fails to consider =

assumption being made

how to “attack an argument”

identify the flaw being committed, there WILL BE ONE

new undefined term in conclusion

FLAW

why?: conclusion is suppose to follow from the premises. If a term was not defined or referenced in the premises, there is a logical gap

Ask: did the premises give me reason to accept the concepts in the conclusion

Assume =

an unstated premises

to accept something as true without proof

if two terms are similar

they may not mean the same thing unless there is proof or it is insignificant/negligible

Weaken Q’s

look for answer choices that would hurt the argument

Colons (:) always introduce

premises

flaws exist between

premises and conclusion

the author fails to consider =

the author forgets to think about something that needs to be thought about

the author takes for granted =

the author assumes a connection that does not exist

Structural components

background info

critic/expert opinion

authors own opinion

support

confirmation of a point

what does it mean to critically think on the LSAT?

comprehend the meaning of a stimulus/passage as to allow you to see why the conclusion is not justified

if there is a time limitation the answer should

maintain the same time limitation (part of being relevant to the stimulus)

providing an alternative example to the opposition will …

support the main claim

this is because it will weaken the opposition and strengthen the main claim

the order of facts …

does not matter in parallel arguments

What is the first step to accomplish when predicting an answer?

Understand what is guaranteed by the premises. What are the perimeters of the argument. how far can I go/not go

unless

Sufficient, negate s, means “if not”

without

Sufficient, negate S, means “if not”

no

Sufficient, negate N n

none

Sufficient, negate N

When looking at potential answer choices (when you might not be able to predict) you should…. ?

remember the scope of the argument.

Wrong answer choices will go beyond the scope, talk about things not relevant to the argument, be too strong (all, most, some), have the incorrect flaw or not be flawed at all (parallel questions, KNOW the argument)

A few times per test there will be a valid conclusion

notice this for the sake of answer choices Wh

what is an incomplete argument?

crucial pieces of evidence have been left out and the conclusion can not be understood Ten

tends to

most indicator

Paradox Q’s

look for the answer that allows both ideas to be true at the same time D

Discrepancy

a situation where two or more pieces of information presented in a passage seem to contradict each other, creating a puzzle or paradox that requires explanation.

statements, facts, or observations that clash

MBT Q’s

Choose answer choice that is conservative

AKA avoid answers that are even slightly speculative

ASK: what do the given facts allow + disallow

Speculative

statement or argument lacks sufficient factual basis or evidence, based on assumptions or guesses rather than evidence S

Sufficient Assumption Q’s

looking to prove the conclusion true

“win case for client”

connect evidence and conclusion to make conclusion a factWe

Weaken Q’s

look for a fact that if true would make the conclusion look worse As

Assumes the conclusion that it sets out to prove =

author said the same exact thing in the evidence as they did in the conclusion