LSAT LR Closed & Open Questions

1. What “Open” Means

• Definition: Open question types allow multiple plausible answers that could, in varying degrees, fit the task. The correct answer is the best among them, but several might “help” or “hurt” somewhat.
  
  

• Key Idea: They are flexible, evaluative, and degree-based.
  
  

2. What “Closed” Means

• Definition: Closed question types allow only one logically valid answer that follows with certainty from the stimulus. The others are flat-out wrong.
  
  

• Key Idea: They are deterministic, rule-based, and discrete.
  
  

3. Structure of Open Questions

• Premise(s) → evidence presented.
  
  

• Conclusion or situation → something the argument is trying to prove or explain.
  
  

• Logical Gap → the disconnect between premise and conclusion.
  
  

• Task: You are asked to add, remove, test, or evaluate a piece of reasoning.
  
  

• Answer choices: Compete in terms of strength (better vs. worse). The test-taker must choose the one that has the most impact (strengthens most, weakens most, explains best, etc.).
  
  

4. Structure of Closed Questions

• Premise(s) → evidence presented.
  
  

• Conclusion or claim → sometimes explicit (Conclusion questions), sometimes implicit (Must Be True, Supported, Reasoning).
  
  

• Logical Gap: Present, but not tested by "degree." Instead, you must identify the precise logical relationship.
  
  

• Task: You are asked to pinpoint exactly what must follow, what is assumed, what is flawed, or what the reasoning is.
  
  

• Answer choices: Only one can be 100% valid. Others are simply false, distortions, or irrelevant.
  
  

5. Gap of Open Questions

• The gap is wide, flexible, and bridgeable in multiple ways.
  
  

• Example: In a Weaken question, there are many possible ways to attack—alternative causes, missing data, counterexamples. The LSAT offers 5 choices, all potentially plausible, but only one maximally undermines.
  
  

• In Sufficient Assumption, the gap is filled with one decisive condition that locks the reasoning, but other answer choices may feel like they help partially.
  
  

6. Gap of Closed Questions

• The gap is narrow and rigid.
  
  

• In Must Be True or Supported: the correct answer is fully contained in the text—no flexibility.
  
  

• In Necessary Assumption: the gap is small and precise; you must identify the one thing the argument literally cannot function without.
  
  

• In Flaw: the gap is specific—only one exact logical misstep is being committed.

Summary Table

Feature	Open Questions	Closed Questions
Meaning	Flexible, evaluative, degree-based	Deterministic, rigid, rule-based
Answer space	Multiple plausible, one best	One correct, others outright wrong
Task	Add/remove/test/evaluate reasoning	Identify exact logical relationship
Gap	Wide, flexible, bridgeable many ways	Narrow, precise, rigid
Examples	Strengthen, Weaken, Sufficient Assumption, Paradox, Evaluate	Must Be True, Conclusion, Flaw, Necessary Assumption, Reasoning, Parallel, Disagree, Supported

Strategies for Open Questions

(Weaken, Strengthen, Sufficient Assumption, Paradox, Evaluate)

Core Mindset: You’re playing in a field of degrees—many answers may “sort of” work, but only one maximally addresses the task.

Step-by-Step Strategy

1. Identify Premise(s) and Conclusion.
   
   

   • These are your anchor points. Without a clear map of the argument, you’ll miss the logical gap.
     
     

2. Spot the Logical Gap.
   
   

   • Ask: What is the assumption? What’s missing? What alternative explanations exist?
     
     

3. Match the Task.
   
   

   • Strengthen: Look for an answer that plugs the gap directly (or provides new support).
     
     

   • Weaken: Look for an answer that exposes a flaw, alternative cause, or counterexample.
     
     

   • Sufficient Assumption: Look for an answer that guarantees the conclusion if added—be formal, think conditionals.
     
     

   • Paradox: Look for an answer that reconciles both sides by removing the apparent conflict.
     
     

   • Evaluate: Look for an answer that tests the assumption—a question that, depending on its answer, could strengthen or weaken.
     
     

4. Eliminate “partial helpers.”
   
   

   • Wrong answers often:
     
     

     • Help a little but not decisively.
       
       

     • Are out of scope.
       
       

     • Are too weak/irrelevant.
       
       

5. Select the most impactful choice.
   
   

   • It must move the argument the furthest in the direction asked.
     
     

Strategies for Closed Questions

(Must Be True, Conclusion, Supported, Flaw, Necessary Assumption, Reasoning, Disagree, Parallel)

Core Mindset: You’re operating in a yes/no binary world. Only one answer matches the text’s exact logical boundaries.

Step-by-Step Strategy

1. Read for Precision.
   
   

   • Every word matters. Closed questions live and die on scope, modality, and logical form.
     
     

2. Pre-phrase where possible.
   
   

   • Must Be True / Supported: Think, “What must follow from these premises?”
     
     

   • Conclusion: “What’s the author trying to prove?”
     
     

   • Flaw: “What’s the exact misstep in reasoning?”
     
     

   • Necessary Assumption: “What must be true for this argument not to collapse?”
     
     

   • Disagree: “What would one speaker say ‘yes’ to that the other would say ‘no’ to?”
     
     

   • Parallel: “What’s the skeleton of the reasoning? Which choice matches?”
     
     

3. Apply Logical Exactness.
   
   

   • Must Be True → can’t go beyond the text.
     
     

   • Necessary Assumption → use the Negation Test: if negated, argument collapses.
     
     

   • Flaw → match the LSAT’s catalog of flaws (causation, sampling, equivocation, etc.).
     
     

   • Parallel → check form (conditional, causal, analogy) and strength (some vs. all).
     
     

4. Eliminate by Scope and Strength.
   
   

   • Wrong answers often:
     
     

     • Exaggerate (“always” vs. “some”).
       
       

     • Are out of scope (introduce new elements).
       
       

     • Flip direction (cause vs. effect, necessary vs. sufficient).
       
       

5. Select the One Exact Match.
   
   

   • Closed questions are “winner-take-all.” No partial credit—either it’s the logical twin or it’s out.
     
     

 Condensed Playbook Table

Open Questions	Closed Questions
Think: “What helps/hurts most?”	Think: “What exactly follows or matches?”
Multiple plausible answers, pick strongest	One correct, others completely wrong
Anchor: Argument gap → Add/Evaluate	Anchor: Exact logic → Match/Pinpoint
Watch out for: Too weak, out of scope	Watch out for: Overreach, strength shifts, scope creep