LR Study Guide

emli1000

*I was sent this LR study guide a couple of months ago from a fellow 7Sager and it has been very helpful. It's not as detailed as some of the others floating around but it does have enough information for you to get a head-start on your own notes. I hope this helps those study for the upcoming LSAT!

LR Question Types:
Main Point/Main Conclusion Questions
- The most fundamental skill on the LSAT. Take a label and slap it on the sentence that you think is the main point

Most Strongly Supported Questions
- They are similar to MP/MC questions in that you must locate the conclusion then find the answer choice that provides support
- The “fine” difference is that in MP/MC questions the conclusion is in the stimulus and you just need to identify it and in MSS questions the conclusion is removed from the stimulus and placed into the answer choices.
- If you properly understand support then you will be able to identify the displaced conclusion among the answer choices

Assumption and Weakening Questions
- Assumptions are the weakness of the argument; they are premises that the author has left out.
- Assumptions are subtle: they are hard to detect but you must be sensitive to them as assumptions determine the strength of the argument
- When looking at the answer choices consider answer choices that support the conclusion
** Note, arguments are good and bad. An argument is considered “good” insofar as the premise support the conclusion
- The more assumptions the argument makes, the weaker the argument
- How to weaken an argument?
It is very abstract and subtle
You must remove the support
• What support? The support the premise provide to the conclusion
- Weakening questions test you on:
*YOU DO NOT ATTACK OR CONTRADICT a PREMISE, EVER
* YOU DO NOT CONTRADICT OR DENY a CONCLUSION, EVER
• An answer choice will strip the existing premise of its strength.
• A correct answer choice will show, despite the premise being true, with the consideration of the additional premise (correct answer choice) the existing premise(s) are now, way less supportive
- Ask yourself?
Why is it, that despite the fact the I accept the premises I no longer accept the conclusion
The correct answer choice will give you a reason

Causation and Phenomenon Hypothesis Questions
- Causation Theory:
- Type of Logic
- Employed in LR
- Causal Relationship
- Causation Theory: (as the LSAT understands it)

1) Causation implies correlation: if you have no correlation then you have no causation
2) Causation implies chronology: If A--> Then A must have come first
3) Causation strongly suggests there are no competing causes

- Correlation Theory:
~~ Empirically observes co-variance: CORRELATION DOES NOT IMPLY CAUSATION
**Empirically Observed: Out in the world. Data we see/observe/find
** Covariance: Change that happens together
Example: Fire Fighters (A) and Fire (B) (correlated)
** Just because A and B are correlated, it does not mean (A) fire fighters causes (B) fires.

*If you are given a correlation you cannot assume causation, but causation DOES imply correlation

4 Possible Explanations:
When we observe that A is CORRELATED or CO-INCIDENTAL with B there are 4 possible " situations"
1. A caused B
2. B caused A
3. C caused both A and B
4. There is no relationship at all (alternative cause)

We Use Causation Strategy:
1. Stimulus: Premise gives us either correlation or coincidence and then the argument proceeds to assume causation or concludes causation
2. Answer Choices: Check for the following
A) Competing Explanation: the intro or denial of an alternative cause
Chronology: causes MUST precede effects
C) Third common cause: Maybe there is a third cause that is causing both 1 and 2 and both effects are the effects of a 3rd common cause
D) Data Sets: Look for competing or corroborating data sets.

Strengthening Questions
- The answer choice you choose will introduce a new idea that increases the support from the existing premises to the conclusion
- You are tasked with exposing and affirming and assumptions made by the author
- You make the premise(s) more supportive of the conclusion

Sufficient Assumption Questions
- You are looking for the answer choice that provides the stimulus with the missing information that will help the argument to reach the holy grail status of validity
- Your goal is to bridge the gap between the premise
- Ex: Here is my premise A and here is my conclusion B, you must provide the “if then”; If A, then B. With this additional premise you have a VALID (MBT) argument.
- These question types rely heavily on conditional logic and diagramming/mapping
-If you understand validity, sufficiency and necessity relationships these questions should be “gimmies” on the LSAT


Pseudo-sufficient Assumption Questions:
- Very similar to sufficient assumption questions in that they rely heavily on logic. The difference is, they LSAT writers are leaving a small window that says the answer choice may not make the argument valid but it is ALMOST valid.

Must Be True Questions
- Validity is the strongest most special relationship between premises and the conclusion, it is an argument which makes zero assumptions so therefore, it is valid.
- The definition of a valid argument: 
If the premises are true, then the conclusion must also be true. So choose the answer choice that considering the info provided, MBT

Must Be False Questions
- Rare on the LSAT, are the opposite of must be true.
- The Stimulus will provide you with a set of outlines/rules etc and then give you answer choices
- One of the answer choices will violate the outlined “rules” there for making it a must be false/cannot be true

emli1000

(Continue...)
Argument Part Questions
- The question stem will directly quote a section of the passage and ask you to identify what role that section plays in the stimulus.
- The role can be many things: Main conclusion, major premise, sub conclusion, context etc.

Method of Reasoning Questions
- This is a descriptive level question. You are being asked how the argument proceeds
- Method of reasoning questions will have repeat cookie cutter answer choices used over and over.
- These questions are key to dissection of the LSAT.
- You will see a large amount of referential phrases and abstract language

Principle Questions
- They are SA questions in reverse. You are provided with an argument with a gaping whole in them, but if you take the principle supplied in the stimulus and insert it you will have a valid argument

Parallel Method of Reasoning Questions
- Identify the method of reasoning used in the stimulus and then find the answer choice that parallels it


Flaw Descriptive Weakening Questions
- You are being asked to engage with the question and describe where the question is weak
- You don’t point directly out the flaw, you say the argument fails to do something, fails to account for something
- Can be considered a weakening question and you will likely be successful
- The wrong answer choices will be correct for other questions, make sure you understand what each answer choice is saying.

Parallel Flaw Questions
- Identify how the argument in the stimulus is flawed and then read the answer choices to find a similar flaw

Necessary Assumption Questions
- A valid argument encompasses every single NA you can think of. A necessary assumption does very little to help the argument, but without it—the argument falls apart
-If you say you are the best surfer in the whole wide world and it is phrased in a way that is valid, all NA included are: you are alive, you know the difference between surfing and hockey.
-If you deny any of the NA then you demolish the argument

Resolve-Reconcile-Explain Questions
- They give a set of statements that appear contradictory of one another. You are asked to use the 5 answer choices to show or provide a reason why they facts are not actually at odds
- It is an alternative explanation for why the contradiction is simply an appearance of a contradiction. You are granted some “wiggle room” to resolve and reconcile and explain the phenomenon you are presented with

Point at Issue/Disagree Questions
- It is almost always a dual speaker stimulus
- You are tasked with determining what the speakers agree or disagree on
- It is important to note that if a speaker has no opinion on it than you cannot say that they agree or disagree

harrismegan

Nice, thanks!!

arabprodigy30

Beautiful cheat sheet! thank you

emli1000

You're welcome!

natesbenham

This is really helpful! Thank you!

emli1000

You're welcome! Sharing is caring! ^_^

Alexandra3-2

Thank you so much!!!

WallaceJ

Thank you Emli. This is extremely helpful. I asked about this, but sadly it wasn't officially available from 7Sage. I will be reading this everyday now.

emli1000

No problem