Some background information, I am a ELS students and some of the PT 70+ arguments are really convoluted for me (language wise) so I am trying to get into the habit of not reading the part of LR argument that starts with although as it is not an essential part of the argument except for agree/disagree questions. Do you think it is a bad habit? I have not been burnt by it yet. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Comments
What I would do instead is get into the habit of reading what the although is addressing, putting it aside for a moment and being ready to use what the although is addressing if needed. If possible you can also read it once through without the although and then once again with the although. This is a method that runs through the 7 sage question explanations and has really helped me. I will be on the look out this week for problems that contain an although so I could provide you with further details.
For stimulus that start with although, I have often found that when the author does bring his main point or premise he does so using referential phrasing that only makes sense when you read that although statement. So up to you, but I end up kind of finding that statement useful to understand what the author means.
First, I think you should err on the side of prudence and not skip any words on the LSAT. Like @David3389 says, there is simply too much that can go wrong. If tricks like this worked, the psychometricians who create these tests would be out of work sooner than later.
Second, like @Motivated explains, reading that although statement can be useful, especially when the author employs the oft-used referential phrasing.