I'm starting to see an improvement in just knowing the premise and conclusion off the top of my head. Finding the indicators for the conclusion has started to just come very fast
These questions are relatively intuitive, leaving out 2 that did not include conclusions... I think I am getting them right because I am relying on indicator words, therefore aiding me in finding the conclusion. I would like to see more practice questions that are not indicator word-heavy.
For #2, on the explanation portion I can understand how the first sentence "One method of dating the emergence of species is to compare the genetic material of related species." is just the statement of a fact. At first though, I thought it could be a premise that was supported by the rest that followed. Anyone have any tips on how to distinguish that this isn't an argument?
For #2, I got confused thinking the below sentence was the conclusion since the other sentences support it as premises. I then remembered that the goal of every argument is persuasion, which helped a lot, since the author isn't trying to persuade us of anything here.
"Scientists theorize that the more genetically similar two species are to each other, the more recently they diverged from a common ancestor."
Question #2 needs a better explanation in the video. Shout out to Maliikm and cluade for the exaplaintion in the comments! ANd the Q#4 could have been explained better. It is an argument! A weak argument but it is an argument.
I feel like these and the examples before this are an exercise in recognizing indicator words. I've only noticed two questions that did not rely on indicator words. One of those is Q2 where the takeaway is that an author can present someone else's premises and conclusions, but not themselves make an argument.
Having returned to this section to improve my ability to identify premises and conclusions, I'd like to see examples less reliant on indicator words and more on identifying the relationships and support.
I feel 7Sage could do a better job of explaining why Q2 is not an argument, otherwise the explanation is confusing.
Thankfully, I've spoken with my good friend Claude, who says that in the future, I should look for clues to help me determine whether the author is reporting vs speaking from their own point of view.
For example, the passage says:
Scientists theorize...
Scientists concluded...
They further concluded...
These all show how the author is not making an argument or trying to persuade the reader of anything by making their own claim, but they are simply reporting about the scientists' research process and findings.
For this to be an argument, the author would need to be advocating for a position, like "This genetic dating method is reliable" or "These scientists' conclusions are correct."
Instead, the author is neutrally presenting information about what the scientists theorized and concluded.
About Q1, I identified the premises in these two sentences: "If such a business introduced minor variations into its operating system software, unauthorized access to all the computers at the same time could be virtually eliminated. Furthermore, variations in operating system software can be created without any loss of computer compatibility to the business."
But except for the conclusion, every sentence was a premise. Those sentences just looked like background information to me. What did I miss?
Is there a way to better recognize “no argument/no conclusion questions? These questions are the ones that I keep second guessing myself on in the skill builders. I chose the second sentence in Question 2 as the conclusion (“the more genetically similar two species are . . .”). Was Question 2 worded that way as a trap, or am I overthinking and trying to force an argument to be present?? Any help or tips for “no argument/no conclusion questions”?
When I read "The colors used by Michelangelo will be fully restored" and then say to myself, "Why should I believe this?", I do not find "None of the chemicals used for cleaning the Sistine Chapel will affect the original dyes" really supports that conclusion at all. I say to myself "...so what?"
Is the word hence just carrying the entire argument on its back? Without it, is it not an argument? Sounds like I can get 2 vaguely related sentences and slap a "hence" in there and it'll magically turn it into an argument.
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126 comments
4/5
5/5
5/5 but question 2 almost got me.
4/5
got 5/5 again the LSAT should fear me now
5/5 already feels like progress
I understand why two is not an argument but is it ever possible for a question to present two conclusions?
Number 2 got me because I was expecting an argument. 4/5 The word concluded also had me confused in example 2.
So for #2 can we say that since the author is just restating facts this wouldn't be an argument essentially?
I'm starting to see an improvement in just knowing the premise and conclusion off the top of my head. Finding the indicators for the conclusion has started to just come very fast
5/5 Lesssgooooo
These questions are relatively intuitive, leaving out 2 that did not include conclusions... I think I am getting them right because I am relying on indicator words, therefore aiding me in finding the conclusion. I would like to see more practice questions that are not indicator word-heavy.
number two almost got me lol
For #2, on the explanation portion I can understand how the first sentence "One method of dating the emergence of species is to compare the genetic material of related species." is just the statement of a fact. At first though, I thought it could be a premise that was supported by the rest that followed. Anyone have any tips on how to distinguish that this isn't an argument?
For #2, I got confused thinking the below sentence was the conclusion since the other sentences support it as premises. I then remembered that the goal of every argument is persuasion, which helped a lot, since the author isn't trying to persuade us of anything here.
"Scientists theorize that the more genetically similar two species are to each other, the more recently they diverged from a common ancestor."
Question #2 needs a better explanation in the video. Shout out to Maliikm and cluade for the exaplaintion in the comments! ANd the Q#4 could have been explained better. It is an argument! A weak argument but it is an argument.
I feel like these and the examples before this are an exercise in recognizing indicator words. I've only noticed two questions that did not rely on indicator words. One of those is Q2 where the takeaway is that an author can present someone else's premises and conclusions, but not themselves make an argument.
Having returned to this section to improve my ability to identify premises and conclusions, I'd like to see examples less reliant on indicator words and more on identifying the relationships and support.
Alright 5/5
5/5 Keep them coming!
5/5! 🤫🧏♂️
I feel 7Sage could do a better job of explaining why Q2 is not an argument, otherwise the explanation is confusing.
Thankfully, I've spoken with my good friend Claude, who says that in the future, I should look for clues to help me determine whether the author is reporting vs speaking from their own point of view.
For example, the passage says:
Scientists theorize...
Scientists concluded...
They further concluded...
These all show how the author is not making an argument or trying to persuade the reader of anything by making their own claim, but they are simply reporting about the scientists' research process and findings.
For this to be an argument, the author would need to be advocating for a position, like "This genetic dating method is reliable" or "These scientists' conclusions are correct."
Instead, the author is neutrally presenting information about what the scientists theorized and concluded.
About Q1, I identified the premises in these two sentences: "If such a business introduced minor variations into its operating system software, unauthorized access to all the computers at the same time could be virtually eliminated. Furthermore, variations in operating system software can be created without any loss of computer compatibility to the business."
But except for the conclusion, every sentence was a premise. Those sentences just looked like background information to me. What did I miss?
How do I best determine if there is no conclusion. I always keep second guessing myself.
Is there a way to better recognize “no argument/no conclusion questions? These questions are the ones that I keep second guessing myself on in the skill builders. I chose the second sentence in Question 2 as the conclusion (“the more genetically similar two species are . . .”). Was Question 2 worded that way as a trap, or am I overthinking and trying to force an argument to be present?? Any help or tips for “no argument/no conclusion questions”?
I don't understand how Question 4 is an argument.
When I read "The colors used by Michelangelo will be fully restored" and then say to myself, "Why should I believe this?", I do not find "None of the chemicals used for cleaning the Sistine Chapel will affect the original dyes" really supports that conclusion at all. I say to myself "...so what?"
Is the word hence just carrying the entire argument on its back? Without it, is it not an argument? Sounds like I can get 2 vaguely related sentences and slap a "hence" in there and it'll magically turn it into an argument.