In this final article in a series of articles about LSAT Formal Logic, we will teach you what is possibly the best LSAT logic tip you can learn. We will teach you how to quickly identify which part of a statement goes with the “if,” and which part goes with the “then.” Other courses ask you to memorize large charts of possible statements, but we will teach you how to analyze any logic statement on the LSAT Test.
There is one surefire way to see if you have the right assumption. It’s called the denial test. If you assume the premises and the conclusion to be true, the assumption must also be true. Just because the author didn’t write it out explicitly, it’s there. The author takes it for granted.
The LSAT test. Has anything ever held as much importance for your future and yet remained as elusive as the LSAT test? The first step in your long journey to LSAT test mastery is to know as much about the test as you can. Sun Tzu said, “Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.” Of course, Sun Tzu was a mercenary who lived in a semi-barbaric state in second century BCE. The LSAT test is probably a worse enemy than he had in mind.
The LSAT asks you for the assumption, but in order to get to the assumption you must fully understand the conclusion and the supporting evidence. In that since, you’re doing all the work of a conclusion question and then some. Don’t just dive into the answers, try to come up with a prephrase based on your understanding of the argument.
This is the final article in a series of lesson articles introducing you to LSAT Assumption Questions. The series includes:
You’ve seen how the central assumption is the key to weakening and strengthening on the LSAT test. Now let’s see how to work with strengthen LSAT questions by analyzing one.
This is the second in a series of articles on Weakening and Strengthening questions on the LSAT Test. The series includes the following articles:
A common LSAT question type asks you to weaken or strengthen an argument. The LSAT is an excellent predictor or your success in law school. If you learn to think like the test requires, you’ll also learn skills that will help you get better grades. So it makes sense that the LSAT would ask you to weaken and strengthen arguments, since you’ll be spending a lot of time doing that in law school.
This is the first in a series of articles on Weakening and Strengthening questions on the LSAT Test. The series includes the following articles:
Now it’s time to put your knowledge of LSAT assumption questions into practice. We’re going to show you LSAT assumption questions that are just like the ones you will find on the actual LSAT test.
This is the fourth in a series of lesson articles introducing you to LSAT Assumption Questions. The series includes:
Since the assumption of an LSAT argument is the unstated portion of the argument, a key skill for the LSAT test is finding the hidden assumption. What is it that the author intends or implies but does not say outright?
This is the second in a series of lesson articles introducing you to LSAT Assumption Questions. The series includes:
In the last article, we practiced finding the central assumption of an LSAT argument in order to strengthen it. Our next step is to take the process a bit further and weaken an LSAT argument. To weaken an argument, you must find the central assumption and attack it. It is as if you are finding additional evidence among the answer choices that refutes the central assumption.
This is the third and final article in a series of articles on Weakening and Strengthening questions on the LSAT Test. The series includes the following articles:
Dealing with assumptions is the most critical skill you can develop for the LSAT test. This is the first in a series of lesson articles introducing you to LSAT Assumption Questions. The series includes:
LSAT Assumption Questions
As you already know, an argument contains three parts: premises, conclusions, and assumptions. The premises are stated facts or evidence used to support a conclusion. The conclusion is usually stated, but may be inferred. The assumption is the bridge between the premises and the conclusion. For example, consider the following argument: