Self-study
😖 Frustrated
Need Advice from top scorers or those really awesome at Phenomenon/Hypo and Causal Reasoning Questions!!
I'm scoring pretty high, one of the only areas that regularly causes me the most problems (both incorrect answers and getting them right but going too slow) are questions with Causal Reasoning , and I suppose Phenomenon/Hypo questions.
I've been through core curriculum, it just hasn't really helped me. I want to know for those of you who are exceptionally good at questions with this sort of logic, what are your tips? What helped break through to reliably be fast and accurate? I sometimes miss or take a long time on super easy questions. I've been to a lot of classes I understand the general mistakes/flaws, I think I just struggle most when the stimulus doesn't have obvious language indicating that it is a causal relationship or that it is a phenomenon/hypothesis relationship.
Just an example, on pt 158, s4, q12, didn't realize it was a phenomenon/hypo relationship (was it just the causal : The only effective check on grass and brush fires is rain. If the level of rainfall is below normal for an extended period of time, then there are many more such fires. Yet grass and brush fires cause less financial damage overall during long periods of severe drought than during periods of relatively normal rainfall.
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4 comments
Hello!
I totally agree with what @PhoebeHopp said about focusing less on specific categorizations. Qhen I look at 158.4.12, I don't necessarily categorize it as 'Phenomenon-Hypothesis' but merely see it as a standard Resolution question.
And in this case, the explanation we're looking for is a valid hypothesis to explain this phenomenon. So you don't necessarily try to do something special because this is tagged as a Pheno-Hypo, but just to find an explanation that can resolve this paradoxical situation.
For this specific question, I want to add something about AC (B), because it is a trap that many people fell for. (B) is wrong mainly because it shifts the comparison. The stimulus is comparing two different time periods in the same area (during a severe drought vs during normal rainfall). comparing two separate lands: long-drought land and normal-rainfall land. However, (B) compares two completely different geographical locations (areas subject to fires vs areas with few fires).
In short, it is important to identify for 'which situation you need to provide an explanation for,' and I believe this applies for all types of questions, regardless of their specific tags. Lastly, I think it will be most helpful to investigate specific reasons why you got Causal Reasoning or Pheno-Hypo questions wrong.
I hope this helps, and good luck!
As another option, I've found moving away from specific rules or categorizations to focus on what a stimulus is actually saying to be really helpful in reaching that top echelon of understanding.
For 158.4.12, what is the actual paradox/conflict? Why is this not what we would expect to see? Which factors would need to be addressed to even things out? The more we understand a scenario, the easier it is to take a step back and see the bigger picture of an argument.
I also struggled with these initially, but one piece of advice I would offer is to intentionally and explicitly clarify the phenomenon or event from the hypothesis. This helps to find a gap or flaw in the hypothesis.
To help identify when you need to use this, pay attention to an author pointing out something that has happened and see if they propose a hypothesis for why it happens. This is also where most flawed reasoning will come into play since there is often a missing piece or assumption.
following lol