The method that has helped me the most is what I call the “therefore” method. If the argument has 3 claims (A, B, C), you can test which way the support flows by stating to yourself, “A, therefore B”. If that framing follows logically, then you know that B is closer to the conclusion than A is. I really struggled with establishing flow of support when I started, but this method has helped me a lot.
To extend the idea:
A, therefore B ✅ A supports B
A, therefore C ❎ A does not support C
C, therefore B ✅ C supports B
The chain of support ends at B. B is the conclusion. You can also use this to determine if there are sub-conclusions. Like if C supports A, then A may be a sub-conclusion supported by C, and there is a possibility for assumptions to link premise C and sub-conclusion A.
“Chocolate is better for you than gummy bears [A], so you should choose chocolate instead of gummy bears when getting a treat [B]. After all, chocolate has beneficial compounds that gummy bears lack [C].”
C therefore A therefore B is the best way to frame it. You can also swip-swap the claims around if it’s not quite clicking. Hope this helps some other folks who also have conclusion confusion!
I’m sure there is benefit to memorizing the words that signal to a conclusion, premise, or premise but also a contain a conclusion, but is it a good use of time?
@aTov777 Absolutely a good use of time! I just finished the entire curriculum and came back to review a few things. You will encounter these indicators all day long and having them memorized will save you a lot of headache
@PaulinaBaczkowski think of it like this. Dogs are mammals. After all, they have fur. Here, I am using fur as evidence for my conclusion that dogs are mammals.
Definitely. Which is why the placement of any indicator is very important, and we shouldn't declare something a conclusion just because there's an indicator present.
Do you think that "given that" could also function as a premise indicator? For example, you could say: "Not all mammals are suitable as pets, given that tigers are aggressive and can injure people."
yes, that's why it's under premise indicator. it's a conclusion indicator if it's directly followed by a comma, e.g. "given that, not all mammals are suitable as pets."
as a premise indicator, it's: "given that tigers are aggressive, not all mammals are suitable as pets"
@kdumalo If anything I was thinking it might be a good place to start while analyzing a question. Possibly highlighting indicator words or phrases stick out. And then using method 1 or 2 to verify the claim is actually the conclusion or premise.
Is it possible for the conclusion to be in the middle of an argument? If so, how would that look when determining the premises and conclusion using these methods?
The conclusion can be anywhere in an argument, hence the reason for these methods. These methods would not be necessary if the conclusion were strictly at the end, as it would be easy to identify.
You can start by listing out the given information and then look for indicators to determine whether a statement is a premise or a conclusion. Be cautious, though! The LSAT often isn't very transparent, so it's important to use your own process of elimination as well.
just wanted to put it out there, the LSAT is TRYING to trick/test you. So we can assume (lol) that indicator words can sometimes confuse you more then actually help you. BE CAREFUL folks!
Not sure if it's just me - but I feel like I'm psyched out of using the indicators as a viable strategy after watching the end of that lesson. The "why should I believe this claim" seemed like a much more successful pathway to be able to identify premises and conclusions; am I the only one feeling that?
Something that helps me to identify the conclusion is by using the because test, so putting the two things you are debating with the because in the middle. EX: The lamp is on because the electricity plug works which sounds wrong, so if you flip it: the electricity plug works because the the lamp is on, you can identify it as conclusion, because, premise.
I have a strategy for determining the conclusion. I pretend that I am a journalist and my strict editor is forcing me to reduce the length of my story (lsat excerpt) to one sentence by eliminating the other sentences. By shrinking the excerpt down the excerpt to its most important sentence/phrase, it pretty consistently lands me on the conclusion.
Is it fairly correct for me to say that the sentence that answers my question of "What does the author want me to believe" = the conclusion and the sentence(s) that answers my question of "why should I believe this" indicates premises that support the conclusion in the passage? #help (Added by admin)
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58 comments
Get to the point ---- find the conclusion
Why should i believe this claim --- like why?
Indicators --- signs from heaven
needed this!
very helpful!
this is so helpful THANK YOU SO MUCH!
The method that has helped me the most is what I call the “therefore” method. If the argument has 3 claims (A, B, C), you can test which way the support flows by stating to yourself, “A, therefore B”. If that framing follows logically, then you know that B is closer to the conclusion than A is. I really struggled with establishing flow of support when I started, but this method has helped me a lot.
To extend the idea:
A, therefore B ✅ A supports B
A, therefore C ❎ A does not support C
C, therefore B ✅ C supports B
The chain of support ends at B. B is the conclusion. You can also use this to determine if there are sub-conclusions. Like if C supports A, then A may be a sub-conclusion supported by C, and there is a possibility for assumptions to link premise C and sub-conclusion A.
“Chocolate is better for you than gummy bears [A], so you should choose chocolate instead of gummy bears when getting a treat [B]. After all, chocolate has beneficial compounds that gummy bears lack [C].”
C therefore A therefore B is the best way to frame it. You can also swip-swap the claims around if it’s not quite clicking. Hope this helps some other folks who also have conclusion confusion!
@TobiStein this is SO helpul!! Thank you
do you think this "theory" information we are learning is mainly being applied to logical reasoning, or is it also applied to reading comprehension?
@AdeenaRashid, to me, both cause reading comprehension is basically a longer version of logical reasoning.
I’m sure there is benefit to memorizing the words that signal to a conclusion, premise, or premise but also a contain a conclusion, but is it a good use of time?
@aTov777 Absolutely a good use of time! I just finished the entire curriculum and came back to review a few things. You will encounter these indicators all day long and having them memorized will save you a lot of headache
@Elecoo how long did it take you to finish the full curriculum?
@Cee🦋 I took a 4 month break in between foundations and the rest, so without counting that, I would say around 2 months
This has to be the most comprehensive work I've ever done on conclusions and premises. Thank you 7Sage.
So in theory, you could read a completely false argument in reality but if the premises support the conclusion, it makes the argument strong?
premise Not every mammal is a good pet.
Support Because…your pet tiger is going to maul your face.
Conclusion Clearly mammals can't be considered good pets.
I cannot reference my own knowledge.
You have to point to the information in the passage.
- If the tiger phrase was the conclusion the mammal phrase does not really support it
- but if you flip it around the tiger phrade does support the mammal phrase
I feel like "after all" seems more like a conclusion indicator than a premise indicator?
@PaulinaBaczkowski think of it like this. Dogs are mammals. After all, they have fur. Here, I am using fur as evidence for my conclusion that dogs are mammals.
Is the list of indicators here exhaustive?
@lizs1 No, not every indicator is included since there are just so many out there
"Given that" could also be a conclusion indicator, right? Essentially if it's saying "Given that previous information, this is the conclusion."
Definitely. Which is why the placement of any indicator is very important, and we shouldn't declare something a conclusion just because there's an indicator present.
Do you think that "given that" could also function as a premise indicator? For example, you could say: "Not all mammals are suitable as pets, given that tigers are aggressive and can injure people."
Makes sense, I should have watched the video before replying!
yes, that's why it's under premise indicator. it's a conclusion indicator if it's directly followed by a comma, e.g. "given that, not all mammals are suitable as pets."
as a premise indicator, it's: "given that tigers are aggressive, not all mammals are suitable as pets"
would it be in my best interest to sit and study all the indicator words? or would that be a waste of time?
Waste of time. Like JY said in the video, there are too many and they are used slightly differently in every stimulus.
I've heard that it is useful to study them but also to keep in mind they are not the end all be all for identifying a premise/conclusion.
@kdumalo If anything I was thinking it might be a good place to start while analyzing a question. Possibly highlighting indicator words or phrases stick out. And then using method 1 or 2 to verify the claim is actually the conclusion or premise.
Is it possible for the conclusion to be in the middle of an argument? If so, how would that look when determining the premises and conclusion using these methods?
The conclusion can be anywhere in an argument, hence the reason for these methods. These methods would not be necessary if the conclusion were strictly at the end, as it would be easy to identify.
You can start by listing out the given information and then look for indicators to determine whether a statement is a premise or a conclusion. Be cautious, though! The LSAT often isn't very transparent, so it's important to use your own process of elimination as well.
just wanted to put it out there, the LSAT is TRYING to trick/test you. So we can assume (lol) that indicator words can sometimes confuse you more then actually help you. BE CAREFUL folks!
Good point at the end - indicators, if used, won't always be neatly placed for you
Not sure if it's just me - but I feel like I'm psyched out of using the indicators as a viable strategy after watching the end of that lesson. The "why should I believe this claim" seemed like a much more successful pathway to be able to identify premises and conclusions; am I the only one feeling that?
Something that helps me to identify the conclusion is by using the because test, so putting the two things you are debating with the because in the middle. EX: The lamp is on because the electricity plug works which sounds wrong, so if you flip it: the electricity plug works because the the lamp is on, you can identify it as conclusion, because, premise.
I have a strategy for determining the conclusion. I pretend that I am a journalist and my strict editor is forcing me to reduce the length of my story (lsat excerpt) to one sentence by eliminating the other sentences. By shrinking the excerpt down the excerpt to its most important sentence/phrase, it pretty consistently lands me on the conclusion.
wait i love this, im going to try this
"If you can play it slowly, then you can play it quickly."
- Twoset Violin
The last paragraph in the transcript ("Interrupting Indicators") is not said in the video. #feedback
Is it fairly correct for me to say that the sentence that answers my question of "What does the author want me to believe" = the conclusion and the sentence(s) that answers my question of "why should I believe this" indicates premises that support the conclusion in the passage? #help (Added by admin)
you are exactly right!
This is such a useful way in identifying the premise and the conclusion. Thanks so much for this.