LSAT Logical Reasoning, Logic Games, and Reading Comprehension Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering LSAT logical reasoning question types, argument structures, conditional logic, flaws, logic games, and reading comprehension strategies.

Soft Must Be True Question

An answer choice that is almost certainly true if the information in the passage is true.

Strengthen Question

An answer choice that makes the argument in the passage more convincing.

Soft Must Be True (Principle) Question

An answer choice that presents a valid argument based on the specific rule stated in the passage.

Parallel (Principle) Question

An answer choice that illustrates the implicit rule used by the argument in the passage.

Must Be False Question

An answer choice that must be false if the information in the passage is true.

Crux Question

An answer choice that presents a question relevant to determining how convincing the passage's argument is.

Describe Question

An answer choice that describes how the argument uses evidence to reach a conclusion.

Role Question

An answer choice that describes the function (e.g., premise, subsidiary conclusion) a specific sentence plays in the argument.

Logical Reasoning Families

The three categories of logical reasoning questions: Implication, Characterization, and Operation.

Implication Family

The family of questions where statements in the stimulus are always accepted as true, including Must Be True and Must Be False.

Operation Family

The family of questions where the answer choices are always accepted as true.

Premise Indicators

Words including Since, Because, For, As, After all, Given that, and Moreover.

Conclusion Indicators

Words including Therefore, Thus, Hence, So, As a result, Clearly, Consequently, and It follows.

Subsidiary Conclusion

A conclusion supported by at least one premise that also supports another conclusion.

Assumption

An unstated claim that must be true for a conclusion to follow logically from the premises.

Valid Argument

An argument where the conclusion must be true if the premises are true.

Invalid Argument

An argument where the conclusion does not necessarily follow the premises, requiring unstated assumptions.

Sufficient Condition

A condition enough to guarantee that another condition is met.

Sufficient Indicators

Words including If, All, Any, When, Whenever, Every, Each, In the event that, As long as, and Provided.

Necessary Condition

A condition required or that must be true for another condition to be met.

Necessary Indicators

Words including Then, Only, If, Only when, Needs, Requires, Must, Depends, Relies, Demands, Always, Is/Are, and Will.

Fallacy of the Converse

Assuming that if $A \rightarrow B$ is true, then $B \rightarrow A$ is also true.

Fallacy of the Inverse

Assuming that if $A \rightarrow B$ is true, then $\text{No } A \rightarrow \text{No } B$ is also true.

Contrapositive

A valid inference where if the necessary condition is not met, the sufficient condition cannot be met, diagrammed as $\text{No } B \rightarrow \text{No } A$ if $A \rightarrow B$.

Logical Force: Weak Modality

Key words including May, Might, Can, Could, Possibly, and Often.

Logical Force: Moderate Modality

Key words including Probably, Likely, Usually, Most of the time, and Majority of the time.

Logical Force: Strong Modality

Key words including Must, Is, Are, Needs, Will, Does, Do, and Always.

Logical Force: Weak Quantification

Key words including Some, Few, Several, A significant number, and Many.

Logical Force: Moderate Quantification

Key words including Most, Majority, and More than half.

Logical Force: Strong Quantification

Key words including All, Any, Every, and Nearly all.

Causal Weakening Strategies

Methods including showing an alternate cause, the cause without the effect, or the effect without the cause.

Sufficient Assumption

An unstated claim that guarantees the conclusion follows logically from the premises.

Necessary Assumption

An unstated claim that must be true for the argument to be valid; if negated, the argument becomes totally invalid.

Quantifier Combination Rule

To combine an 'all' and a 'some' statement, the shared term must be the sufficient condition of the 'all' statement.

Fallacy of Exclusivity

Failing to meet requirements that options are exhaustive and exclusive, and that all but one option is eliminated.

Fallacy of Composition

Incorrectly applying characteristics of a whole to its parts, or characteristics of parts to a whole.

Equivocation Fallacy

Using a key word or concept in two different senses within the same argument.

Ad Hominem Fallacy

Attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

Absence of Evidence Fallacy

Mistaking the failure of evidence to prove a claim as evidence that the claim is false.

Principle of Distribution

A rule in logic games that signifies it is necessary to 'Play the Numbers'.

Comparative Reading Comprehension

Two passages that always share a topic, theme, or point of view, though they may discuss different contexts.