Most strongly supported

(MSS)

Stems that ask which answer choice is "most strongly supported" by the claims in the stimulus. Related to MBT/Inf, but with a lower standard of support.

Avg. 2.45 per section

“Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?”

14%
21%
38%
17%
9%

Avg. difficulty: 2.9

Correct answer criteria

  • Very strongly supported by the information in the stimulus - it might not be 100% proven, but you have good reasons from the stimulus to believe that the answer is true.

Key tactics

  • Take statements in the stimulus as true
  • There is no need to identify conclusions and premises. If the stimulus does have an argument, it can be helpful to identify any assumptions made by the argument
  • If there are any statements that can be connected to each other, try to connect them

Answer choice tips

  • Be careful about picking extreme answers (e.g., "All..." "Every..." "always"). Although strong answers can be OK, particularly if the stimulus is conditional-based, you should double-check to make sure they are truly supported
  • Weak answers (e.g., "Sometimes..." "possibly" "not always") are more likely to be correct than strong answers, since they are easier to support
  • Answers introducing concepts not discussed in the stimulus are highly unlikely to be correct

Looking for more?

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Logical reasoning question types

Argument part Evaluate Fill in the blank Flaw or descriptive weakening Inference Main conclusion or main point Method of reasoning or descriptive Most strongly supported Must be false Must be true Necessary assumption Parallel flawed method of reasoning Parallel method of reasoning Point at issue: agree Point at issue: disagree Principle PSA - find or complete the application PSA - find the rule Resolve reconcile or explain Strengthen Sufficient assumption Weaken

Reading comprehension question types

Analogy (RC) Application Author’s attitude Author’s perspective Describe approach Describe organization Describe relationship Implied Logical continuation Main point Meaning in context (of word, phrase, or idea) Other’s perspective Principle or generalization Purpose in context (of word, phrase, or idea) Purpose of paragraph Purpose of passage Stated Structure WSE (RC)

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