lsat meaning of the word "often"?

Comments

• 1 Like

  SaraFromOC Member

  August 2019 148 karma

  I usually categorize it the same way I would for 'most' or 'usually'. It allows for instances where, for example, lying is NOT the morally appropriate thing to do. So an answer choice that says something along the lines of, "it is always the case that" would be a red flag. Hope that helps!
• Tzvi___H Alum Member

  August 2019 209 karma

  That helps. Thanks
• 8 Likes

  EveryCookCanGovern Alum Member

  August 2019 401 karma

  Often only means some. For often to mean most it would have to be "more often than not."
• 1 Like

  _aisling_ Alum Member

  August 2019 edited August 2019 289 karma

  "Often" is left up to the interpretation of the writer. If I say, "I often take the train to work," I could mean that once a week I take the train to work and the other four days I walk to work. It could also mean that four times a week I take the train to work, but it doesn't have to mean any more than "sometimes."
• 1 Like

  BranTwice Alum Member

  August 2019 204 karma

  I agree that "often" is like "some". Another word I see on the LSAT quite a bit that reminds me of it is "many".
• 1 Like

  BlindReviewer Alum Member

  August 2019 855 karma

  Everyone already covered it, but combining what @BranTwice and @aisling said above, I think of "often" as "many" because both terms are left to interpretation. For example, three dogs is "many" to me, but maybe not someone who runs a kennel, or eating pizza twice a week is "often" to me but maybe not someone else. I feel like both terms can be easily read in casual conversation as "usually" or "most" so I think of them together rather than comparing them to "some" (though in effect "some" is the same thing, I don't think it's interpreted as "most" or "usually" like the other two terms are).