LOGICAL REASONING BREAKDOWN (LSAT
CORRECT AND VERIFIED ANSWERS|LATEST
Find the Flaw (6-10 questions) - ANSWER "The reasoning in the argument is
most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it..."
focus on reasoning, ELIMINATE (wrong answers will mostly be unrelated)
Match the Flaw (2) - ANSWER "Which of the following arguments contains flaws
most similar to that in the argument above?"
focus on reasoning, do not use physical location to eliminate, eliminate if different
qualifiers: "some" vs "all", "either/or"
negation test: does opposite of correct answer severely damage the author's
reasoning?
Basic Assumption (0-1) - ANSWER "This argument assumes that..."
correct answer expresses flaw as assumption
Sufficient Assumption (1-4) - ANSWER "The conclusion follows logically if which
one of the following is assumed?"
Look for an answer that makes the argument air-tight
Supporting Principle (3-5) - ANSWER "Which of the following principles, if valid,
helps to justify the reasoning?"
1
, DON'T predict answer
- ID flaw, fill gap, eliminate (correct answer might be beyond what's necessary)
Required Assumption (2-8) - ANSWER "Which of the following is an assumption
required by the argument?"
correct answer needs to be true for argument to work, does not need to fix flaw
- use elimination (do not eliminate answer bc it is not what you expected)
Strengthen (2-5) - ANSWER "Which of the following, if true, most strengthens,
the argument?"
might say, "most strengthens" but only one answer will strengthen, correct answer
may only mildly strengthen; it must "fit" between support and conclusion
- isolate conclusion and support, often unnecessary "fluff"
- use elimination (wrong answers might strengthen conclusion but we need to
strengthen reasoning)
Weaken (3-6) - ANSWER ""Which of the following, if true, most weakens, the
argument?"
"Which of the following, if true, most calls into question the author's reasoning?"
might say, "most weakens" but only one answer will weaken, correct answer may
only mildly weaken; it must "fit" between support and conclusion
- isolate conclusion and support, often unnecessary "fluff"
2
CORRECT AND VERIFIED ANSWERS|LATEST
Find the Flaw (6-10 questions) - ANSWER "The reasoning in the argument is
most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it..."
focus on reasoning, ELIMINATE (wrong answers will mostly be unrelated)
Match the Flaw (2) - ANSWER "Which of the following arguments contains flaws
most similar to that in the argument above?"
focus on reasoning, do not use physical location to eliminate, eliminate if different
qualifiers: "some" vs "all", "either/or"
negation test: does opposite of correct answer severely damage the author's
reasoning?
Basic Assumption (0-1) - ANSWER "This argument assumes that..."
correct answer expresses flaw as assumption
Sufficient Assumption (1-4) - ANSWER "The conclusion follows logically if which
one of the following is assumed?"
Look for an answer that makes the argument air-tight
Supporting Principle (3-5) - ANSWER "Which of the following principles, if valid,
helps to justify the reasoning?"
1
, DON'T predict answer
- ID flaw, fill gap, eliminate (correct answer might be beyond what's necessary)
Required Assumption (2-8) - ANSWER "Which of the following is an assumption
required by the argument?"
correct answer needs to be true for argument to work, does not need to fix flaw
- use elimination (do not eliminate answer bc it is not what you expected)
Strengthen (2-5) - ANSWER "Which of the following, if true, most strengthens,
the argument?"
might say, "most strengthens" but only one answer will strengthen, correct answer
may only mildly strengthen; it must "fit" between support and conclusion
- isolate conclusion and support, often unnecessary "fluff"
- use elimination (wrong answers might strengthen conclusion but we need to
strengthen reasoning)
Weaken (3-6) - ANSWER ""Which of the following, if true, most weakens, the
argument?"
"Which of the following, if true, most calls into question the author's reasoning?"
might say, "most weakens" but only one answer will weaken, correct answer may
only mildly weaken; it must "fit" between support and conclusion
- isolate conclusion and support, often unnecessary "fluff"
2
