"Most" in LR Question Stems

Comments

• keets993 Alum Member ⭐ ⏰ 🍌

  July 2018 6050 karma

  In the newer LSATs I've found that the right answer choices aren't as strong as they used to be, that is, they sometimes bait you to make an assumption. Whether it's reasonable or not is up to you, but it's still the best answer choice compared to the other 4. So in that sense "most" is a bit of a cop-out for the writers. I think you just have to be conscious of being consistent with how you treat answer choices. So if you think an anwer choice should be eliminated because it requires a bit of an assumption, then you better make sure none of the other 4 require assumptions, especially bigger ones. I don't know if you necessarily need to treat questions differently, since they've had 'most' in the q-stem for a while.
• OtakuWeeaboo Alum Member

  July 2018 edited July 2018 16 karma

  I personally find the "most" in stem most of the time (to qualify it, 99% if not 100% of the time) indicates there is only one correct answer - that is, for example, in "most weaken" questions, there is one and only one answer that actually weakens the argument, whereas the other four answers simply would not weaken the argument (but the LSAC would trick you into thinking they could).

  Sometimes certain answers would not be outright wrong, but they simply fail to address the crux of the argument and thus do not count as the right answer. This is perhaps the kind of situation closest to what you've described in your post; nevertheless, the rule still holds - in most if not all of the stems phrased with "most," only one answer actually proposes to weaken, strengthen, or do whatever they need to do.
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  Nabintou-1 Alum Member

  July 2018 410 karma

  Personally, I ignore the “most”. I found this especially helpful when it came to “most strongly supported” questions. Because prior to doing so, I’d always get tripped up on what the writers meant by “most”. But I read somewhere — possibly here on 7sage but I’m not 100% sure —“...Don’t be fooled, only one AC is [actually] supported.” And that was the most helpful advice I’ve gotten to date re: MSS questions. Hope that was helpful!
• 1 Like

  Heart Shaped Box Alum Member ⭐

  July 2018 edited July 2018 2426 karma

  Agreed with much said above. If anything, I do find "most" could come in play with parallel reasoning/parallel flaw questions. In those type of Qs, the pattern of (flawed) "reasoning" is what's at play, not necessarily the language and even the structure at times.

  Many times, if not most, the correct AC would match the stimulus pretty tight; reasoning pattern, language, structure etc. But there are definitely times the right one is bit 'off' on the last two but matches the reasoning pattern. I can't pinpoint exactly where but I do remember quite a few times when answering folks Qs under CC, this was one of the common complaints for those Q types -- that the correct AC doesn't really match the stimulus "exactly" but better than the other 4. I also remember there is "one" instance (just one that I have encountered) that there are actually two ACs both match the reasoning pattern but one is a bit better on the language or structure I don't quite remember. Man, that one was a 5 star with B and D almost 50/50 evenly selected by 7sagers. I remember J.Y. saying, "normally they really don't do this but what can I say, they do both match but this one is just a little bit better".

  So I do think it could be relevant with certain Q types. And I can image if someone wrote a complaint letter to the LSAC on that Q, their response would be:"well, the Q stem reads which one of the following most parallel the pattern of reasoning, so there you have it".
• Lucas Carter Alum Member ⭐

  August 2018 2804 karma

  Thank you everyone for the responses!! These are all really great points of view to consider when it comes the word "Most" in LR stems.