Lesson Eight: Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension Flashcards
–LOGICAL REASONING—
Parallel Reasoning Questions
Questions asks you to find the answer choice whose reasoning is most similar, in structure, to the reasoning of the stimulus.
To answer a Parallel Reasoning question, you must understand the _____________ of _______________ used by the author, and which answer choice reflects that _____________.
Method; Reasoning; reasoning
Things that are Irrelevant in Parallel Reasoning Stimulus:
- Topic of the Stimulus
- Topic-Matter of the stimulus is irrelevant.
- Answers with same subject matter as stimulus are irrelevant (oftentimes used as a trap answer choice for students who aren’t paying attention to the structure of the stimulus).
Things that are Irrelevant in Parallel Reasoning Stimulus:
- The Order of Presentation of the Premises and Conclusion
The order in which the premises and conclusion are presented is irrelevant. The order of the premises and conclusion in the correct answer choice could be completely different from the stimulus.
The structure of the logical reasoning in the answer choice just has to reflect the same structure of logical reasoning in the stimulus.
Parallel Reasoning Element Attack:
The following are tactics that will help you to attack the Parallel Reasoning questions by eliminating ___________ answers and identifying ___________ answers which have the most similar _____________ as the stimulus.
wrong; correct; reasoning
Parallel Reasoning Element Attack:
1) Parallel the Reasoning
Parallel the reasoning just says the kind of the reasoning used in the stimulus should be reflected in the answer choice.
Think about what kind of reasoning the stimulus uses: is it conditional? Causal? Whatever it is, the correct answer choice has to reflect the same reasoning.
Parallel Reasoning Element Attack:
2) Parallel the Conclusion: The Double Conclusion Test
The correct answer choices conclusion should match the stimulus’ conclusion, especially as it relates to logical force.
If the stimulus’ conclusion is absolute, then the answer choice’s conclusion should be absolute.
If the stimulus’ conclusion is not absolute, then the answer choice’s conclusion should not be absolute.
Parallel Reasoning Element Attack:
- Parallel the Premise: The Premise Test
The correct answer choices’ premise(s) should reflect the stimulus’ premises in logical force.
If the stimulus’ premise is absolute, then the answer choice’s premise should be absolute.
If the stimulus’ premise is not absolute, then the answer choice’s premise should not be absolute.
Parallel Reasoning Element Attack:
- Parallel the Validity of the Argument: The Validity Test
Validity Test: Evaluates the _____________ of an argument in the stimulus matching it to the answer choices. Parallel the Validity of the Argument just says the validity of the _____________ has to match the validity of the __________ ______________, such that the reasoning the ______________ ______________ has to be of the same _______________ as the reasoning in the ________________.
If the reasoning in the stimulus is __________, the reasoning of the answer choice is _________.
If the reasoning of the stimulus is _________, the reasoning of the answer choice is _________.
soundness; stimulus; answer choice; answer choice; quality; stimulus; bad; bad; good; good
Parallel Reasoning Element Attack:
- Parallel the Abstract Structure of the Argument
You should be able to define the method of reasoning used in the stimulus abstractly (abstracting away from the stimulus all the specific information and subject-matter, and just examining purely the line of reasoning technique).
If the abstract structure of the argument presented in the answer choice reflects that of the stimulus, then the answer is correct.
ex. “I have been near celebrities many times, so I have reason to believe they are just like us.”
Described abstractly this would say, “I was close, so I know what it is really like.” (faulty reasoning, but still evokes the point).
Parallel Reasoning Question Stem Examples:
“The pattern of reasoning displayed above is most closely paralleled in which one of the following?”
“Which one of the following argument is most similar in its logical features to the argument above?”
KEEP IN MIND: There is no EXACT __________ in which you apply the different ways of _______________ Parallel Reasoning questions. You don’t have to do it in a 1-2-3-4 fashion or in the __________ presented above. Whatever element of the stimulus is most readily ____________ to you first, use the corresponding attack that would help you identify the right answer.
Ex. If you have a stimulus where the conclusion says, “Therefore, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ will guaranteed happen…,” and that’s the first thing you realize, use the Double Conclusion Test and start eliminating answer choices that don’t have an absolute conclusion.
Ex. If you encounter a stimulus where the reasoning, as it stand out to you as the most obvious thing, is very poor on the author’s part, and the question stem asks you to find the answer choice that most clearly parallels the stimulus, employ the validity test and choose the answer whose ___________ of reasoning matches the stimulus.
order; attacking; order; obvious; quality
Parallel Flaw Questions
These are Parallel Reasoning Questions that contain a flaw in the reasoning.
LSAT test makers like to play a bit of a game with the test takers: they ALWAYS include a Parallel Flaw question, but they may opt out to say in the question stem that there is a _________ inherent in the stimulus (they’ll only mention the parallel portion). If they don’t include, in the question stem, the fact that there is a _____________ in the question stem, you CANNOT assume the stimulus is __________.
flaw; flaw; valid
