LSAT Question Types

weaken

Q Stem: which of the following, if true; weaken; most undermine the conclusion; most vulnerable; undermines the argument

Most powerful thing to destroy the conclusion

BUP: Does this make the conclusion less likely to be true?

POWERFUL

strengthen

Q Stem: which of the following is true; strengthen semicolon most helps to justify / strengthen/support; Which of the following is true most helps to strengthen the argument?Which of the following principles if valid most strongly supports the reasoning is above space?

The most powerful thing you can find to help the arguments conclusion

BUP: does this make the conclusion more likely to be true the correct answer

POWERFUL

sufficient assumption

The most powerful thing you can find to prove the conclusion 100% valid

BUP: if this is true is the argument 100% completely valid

QSTEM: The conclusion drawn above follows logically if which of the following is assumed? Which of the following is an assumption that would allow the conclusion to be properly drawn

POWERFUL

counter

The most powerful thing the first speaker could say to destroy the second speakers argument

BUP: is this something the first Speaker would say and does it hurt the second speakers argument?

QSTEM: which one of the following, if true, could provide the strongest counter?

POWERFUL

contradiction

The thing that contradicts literal words from the stimulus

BUP: does this contradict the stimulus is the backup plan?

**do not choose the inference

QSTEM: If the statements above are true then on the basis of them which of the following cannot be true? If the statements above are true each of the following could be true EXCEPT? The information above, if accurate, can best be used as evidence against which of the following?

POWERFUL

evaluate

A powerful pop quiz for the arguments validity

BUP: is it crucial for the arguments validity

Looking for something that will ask whether the loophole is true or active 

Qstem: which of the following would be most helpful to know in order to judge…? which of the following would be most helpful in determining the answer to…? which of the following questions is most relevant to evaluating…?

POWERFUL

resolution

The most powerful thing you can find to make the Paradox make sense. The resolution is the correct answer!

BUP: does this make the Paradox make sense?

QStem: which of the following if true does most to explain the surprising result? which of the following if true most helps to resolve the discrepancy? which of the following is true most helps to resolve the apparent paradox?

POWERFUL

Conclusion

Translate the conclusion.

BUP: is this a translation of the conclusion?

QStem: Which of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion…? Which one of the following most accurately expresses the overall conclusion drawn?

PROVABLE

Inference

The inference is the correct answer. The thing we can prove to be true.

BUP: Does this have to be true?

Qstem: If the above is true, which one of the following must also be true? Which os the following follows logically from the statements above? Which of the following can be properly concluded? Which of the following can be properly inferred?

PROVABLE

Most strongly supported

The thing you can prove is very LIKELY to be true.

BUP: Does this pretty much have to be true?

QStem: which of the following is most strongly supported by… The statements above, if true, most strongly support which of the following?

PROVABLE

Fill in

The thing you can prove completes the authors thought.

BUP: Does this have to be true?

Qstem: Which of the following most logically completes the argument?

PROVABLE

Controversy

The thing you can prove the two speakers disagree about

BUP: Does the first speaker have to believe this is true/false? Does the second speaker have to believe this is true/false?

Qstem: X and Y disagree about… The statements above provide the most support for holding that X would disagree with Y about…

PROVABLE

Agreement

The thing you can prove the authors agree about

BUP: Does the first speaker have to believe this? Does the second speaker have to believe this?

Qstem: On the basis of their statements, X and Y are committed to agreeing about…?

PROVABLE

Necessary Assumption

The thing you can prove MUST be true, if the conclusion is true

BUP: If the conclusion is true, does this have to be true?

Qstem: The argument assumes which of the following? Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

PROVABLE

Method

A provable description of what happened in the stimulus

BUP: Did this happen?

Qstem: Which of the following most accurately describes how the argument proceeds? Of the following, which one most accurately describes X’s strategy of argumentation? X responds to Y argument by,..

PROVABLE

Argument Part

A provable description of what the phrase is doing in the argument

BUP: Is this what the phrase is doing?

QStem: The statement that….serves which of the following functions in the argument?

PROVABLE

Classic Flaw

A provable description of what the argument did wrong

BUP: Is this whats wrong with the argument?

QStem: The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument…Which of the following accurately describes a flaw in the reasoning of the argument

PROVABLE

Loophole Flaw

A provable description of how the argument overlooked the loophole

BUP: Was it bad that the argument overlooked this?

Qstem: The scholars reasoning is flawed because it overlooked…. because it presumes…fails to consider whether…

PROVABLE

Principle Conform

Matching example OR matching princple

BUP: Does this embody the principle OR does this underlie the example?

QStem: Which one of the following conforms most closely to the principle described above? The reasoning above conforms most closely to which of the following propositions? Which of the following propositions is best illustrated by the passage?

PROVABLE

Parallel Reasoning

The answer that is built around the same skeleton as the stimulus

BUP: Does this match the stimulus?

QStem: The reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which of the following?

PROVABLE

Parallel Flaw

The answer that has the same flaw as the stimulus

BUP: Does this match the flaw in the stimulus?

QStem: which of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning that is most parallel to that in the argument above? …most closely resembles the flaw reasoning?

PROVABLE