NA Questions: It's not clicking. I'm not sure I know what the QS is asking me to do. Please help!!

shindavis16

I am dying on these NA, SA, PSA questions. I don't seem to know what the QS is wanting me to look for in the AC's. I get one right and 3 wrong. I do great on MC, MSS, PAI, and strengthen. I seem to struggle once I reach NA, SA, PSA, and weaken.
What is the QS really asking me to look for? Which of the 5 AC's MBT? or Which of the 5 makes the stem most true? I feel like there has to be an easy "NA for dummies" explanation that I am missing. JY's basketball example makes perfect sense- 'I can't be one of the greatest BB players alive if I don't know how to dribble'. That makes common sense. Then I get on a live class and there's a question about something I have never heard of with ridiculously convoluted language and that BB does nothing to help me identify the correct AC.
Can anyone put this in basic terminology that makes sense? I understand the difference between NA and SA- 'beating the NBA all star team single handedly vs do I know how to dribble' but I cannot seem to understand what the questions are wanting me to do. I also feel like I am struggling more on the topics that JY didn't provide videos for. Please tell me I am not the only one feeling this way.

tbynum30

In essence you're looking for a required assumption that must be true in order for the argument to hold up. It's something that they do not explicitly state but hold to be true in order for their argument to be valid.

In terms of what the question stem is asking you to do, you're essentially plugging in the ACs that are provided and seeing what is required. If you negate it and say "X is NOT ..." and the argument falls apart, that is your correct answer.

I hope this helps and answers your question. Here's a link to an article that talks about it and also includes strategy: https://www.thinkinglsat.com/articles/how-to-solve-necessary-assumption-questions

Cowardly

i will just make the note that PSA are quite different answering approach in NA and SA. there is a strict formula you should follow for PSA.

arg will provide a: P, therefore C argument structure.
there is a major gap within this argument.
your job is to find the AC that provides you with the (P->C) bridge in order to bridge the gap.

now your arg will be
P
P->C
therefore C

Cowardly

for NA:
it is what little detail HAS to be true for this argument to even hold any water.

this little detail is so subtle and common sense that it does not even have to be explicityl stated by the arguement.

you often cant guess these before looking at AC because there can be so many that exist for a given scenario.

ex) im going to visit my grandma today.
theres a necessary assumption that my grandma is alive, that i can travel, that im alive, that earth isnt frozen over, etc

if you are stuck on an AC you can try to use the negate trick to see if negating the AC completely dismantles the argument. if yes its correct AC.

i know im probs restating things you know but hopefully something i said helps a bit. keep trying

zjjenks11

It helps me to kind of think of NA as a type of flaw question. An argument is made. I picture myself responding by saying "but you are assuming that _______." The thing that makes sense in that blank is the NA.

farzanachameli

for NA, I recommend approaching it as MBT... This will help eliminate a lot of the wrong answers. If you are down to two, then negate each AC and see which negation destroys the argument. The one that destroys the argument once negated is your answer

spittingnickels

like farzana said, youll get to a point in your lsat studying where necessary assumption questions start to feel like must be true questions. approach them like that , and youll have an easier time finding the right answer