Toughest weakening questions

Comments

• sydmcrae06-1-1 Member

  November 2022 14 karma

  Weaken questions have always been a category I struggle with. I think the most basic advice I can give is to look for ways to argue with the stimulus. In my head, as I am reading the stimulus for weaken questions, I try to think about what I would say if I were to argue with the author. Also remember that you're trying to disprove the conclusion using the premises (finding a flaw in the premises' reasoning/relationship), so be sure to know what the conclusion of the stimulus is. Hope this helps!
• sydmcrae06-1-1 Member

  November 2022 14 karma

  Also drill, drill, drill! And thoroughly review each question after (whether you got it right or wrong). Validate yourself on the correct answers, and work to understand what you missed in the stimulus on the ones you get wrong. It's all about training your mind to notice where the argument is lacking.
• Matt Sorr Alum Member ⭐

  November 2022 2245 karma

  With the tougher ones, I often focus on eliminating ACs. If you're positive an answer choice doesn't affect the argument or strengthens it, you've got to get confident eliminating it. Sometimes, it hinges on a single word, which can make it intimidating to eliminate, but you've got to be willing to do it. Often, once I've eliminated two or three wrong answers and I can focus on the true contenders, I'm able to figure out which AC actually weakens the argument. Particularly with the tougher weakening questions, the correct answer might just barely weaken the argument. That's a large part of the difficulty. Having less ACs to compare against helps a ton.