PSA - find or complete the application

(PSAa)

Stems that tell us there will be a general rule or principle in the stimulus, and ask us which answer choice illustrates or conforms to that rule.

Avg. 0.35 per section

“Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms to the principle above?”

14%
17%
32%
19%
19%

Avg. difficulty: 3.1

Correct answer criteria

  • An argument or situation that matches one of the principles in the stimulus.

Key tactics

  • Understand the principle in the stimulus
  • Often the principle will involve conditional logic. Be ready to break down the principle into "if" and "then"
  • You may need to think about the contrapositive of the principle

Answer choice tips

  • Common wrong answers will involve a reversal of the conditional logic
  • If you're stuck, make sure to identify the answer's conclusion and premises, and then see whether each part of the argument fits the principle. The conclusion should match up to the "then" part and the premises should match up to the "if" part

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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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