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Writing out logical equations

Omed_OvOOmed_OvO Alum Member
in General 158 karma
Hey folks,

For which question types in LR am I supposed to write out a logical equations (translating the stimulus)? And, for those question types, when am I to employ intuition vs. writing out logical equations?

I'm really struggling with translating convoluted/complex stimulus into logical equations and then back into English again to find the answer choice. Any help would greatly be appreciated!

Comments

  • danielznelsondanielznelson Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4181 karma
    I would say translating is generally most important for NA, SA, and parallel questions (including flaw ones). Not sure how long you've been studying, but translating is quite difficult in the early stages and this difficulty can persist for a while. Even for higher scorers, some questions can still be tricky, especially those that don't use the same language for the same variables. I'm weaker with strengthening questions, so I would mentally translate so as to not lose focus as to what I should be strengthening, though I only do this in my head because I've been studying for a long time. If you're struggling to translate (which again is entirely normal), try to graph anything with sufficient/necessity conditions and even questions with causation, though be sure to understand the two. Later in your prep, you'll begin to be able to do this in your head, which is the ultimate goal. But this goal can only be achieved through steady and persistent practice in actually writing out your translations.
  • danielznelsondanielznelson Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4181 karma
    Occasionally, for parallel method of reasoning questions, I denote variables with respective letters (e.g. A and B --> C). You still need to be careful that you don't mix these up, but I helps connect reasoning between different arguments.
  • runiggyrunruniggyrun Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    edited March 2016 2481 karma
    There's a nice webinar on just this topic https://7sage.com/webinar/when-to-actually-diagram-in-lr

    I personally don't diagram very often and the questions I do diagram tend to be parallel reasoning and MBT/MBF questions with an occasional SA if I'm having trouble seeing the gap in the English version. So basically I diagram if there are a lot of conditional statements and it would be difficult to hold the implications in my head or if the precise conditional structure of the argument is key to answering the questions, as it would be for parallel reasoning.
    It is normal to be slow in the beginning and speed up with practice. Make sure you do the drills at the end of the lawgic lessons - they look tedious but the repetition helps commit the steps to muscle memory and thus helps you get faster
  • Omed_OvOOmed_OvO Alum Member
    158 karma
    Thank you!! Very helpful!
  • runiggyrunruniggyrun Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    2481 karma
    @Omed_OvO I've been meaning to ask one of you guys forever - what is this OvO that I see added to a lot of names?
  • Micaela_OVOMicaela_OVO Alum Member
    1018 karma
    @runiggyrun It all started with a BR call. Someone on the call was from Toronto, so I got excited and asked if they knew Drake (the rapper). A few other Drake fans started to chime in, and we decided it'd be funny to add "OVO" to the end of our names. OVO is Drake's record label, October's Very Own.

    I'm glad 7Sage has quite a few Drake fans :)
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27899 karma
    @"Micaela_OVO" said:
    OVO is Drake's record label
    I thought it was an owl.
  • Micaela_OVOMicaela_OVO Alum Member
    edited March 2016 1018 karma
    @"Cant Get Right" said:
    I thought it was an owl.
    I think it's supposed to look that way. The record label's logo is an owl!
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27899 karma
    Oh cool. I’ll keep right on thinking that then!
  • MrSamIamMrSamIam Inactive ⭐
    edited March 2016 2086 karma
    Don't translate based on question type. Translate when doing so would provide you with a better understanding of the stimulus.
    That said, in my experience the question types that demand the most diagramming are SA and PFlaw. NA and Flaw questions may also require you to diagram.
    @Micaela_OVO It is. Drake seems to have some type of obsession with owls, haha.
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