Verbal Flashcards
What are the three steps for sentence equivalence?
- ignore the answer choices
- come up with your own word for the blank
- who or what is the blank describing?
- what insight does the sentence give you into what is being described? - Process of elimination
What are contrast transitions?
once, now, although, unlike
Contrast transitions tell you that the word in the blank is the opposite of the information that provides insight into the word for the blank
What are the 3 steps for a one blank text completion question?
- Ignore answers
- Use the sentence to come up with your own word
- who/ what?
- insignt? - POE
What is a giveaway that a question is a argument question?
if you see a short passage followed by a single question
... find an assumption strengthen weaken draw an inference identify the reasoning offer an explanation
if you know it is an arguments question what should you do?
apply the arguments basic approach
- identify the question type by reading the question stem
- work the argument
- conclusion
- premises
- assumptions - know what the answer needs to do
- Process of elimination
- irrelevant / out of scope
- extreme
In an assumption question, what does the correct answer need to do?
connect the premise to the conclusion
in a weaken question what does the correct answer need to do?
attack the assumption
Every argument has three or more basic parts, what are they?
conclusion
premise (s)
assumption
Orion is a dog, and Orion is very active. Therefore, all dogs are very active
What are the premises (or statements) or this example?
What is the conclusion ?
Premise: Orion is a dog
Premise: Orion is very active
Conclusion: All dogs are very active
What is a premise ?
A statement the author uses to convince the reader or a conclusion
Which words do conclusions usually start with?
Therefore, thus, so… etc.
When a conclusion doesn’t start with the obvious conclusion marker words, what should you do?
The why test
choose the sentence in the argument that you think is most likely the conclusion and then ask yourself “why” if the answer you get back based on the argument is true, then you have most likely identified the conclusion
How do you find the assumption ?
Orion is a dog, and Orion is very active. Therefore, all dogs are very active
look for what is missing
- look for a shift in language between the premises and conclusion. In this example the passage is taking about Orion and then it shifts to talking about all dogs. So, the assumption is something along the lines that “all dogs have the same behavior”
- Look for patterns of reasoning withing the argument, such as causality or sampling. So, with the example given it could be that Orion’s behavior represents all dog’s behavior.
The mayor of City X wishes to increase voter turnout for the next city council election. A recent poll of registered voters in neighboring City Y showed a high level of dissatisfaction with the city’s voting facilities. Based on this result, City X’s mayor proposed a dramatic update of her city’s voting facilities to increase turnout at the next election.
Which of the following, if true, strengthens the mayors plan?
What is the conclusion of this argument?
Based on this result, City X’s mayor proposed a dramatic update of her city’s voting facilities
The mayor of City X wishes to increase voter turnout for the next city council election. A recent poll of registered voters in neighboring City Y showed a high level of dissatisfaction with the city’s voting facilities. Based on this result, City X’s mayor proposed a dramatic update of her city’s voting facilities to increase turnout at the next election.
Which of the following, if true, strengthens the mayors plan?
What are the premises of this argument?
remember to find the premises, do the why test
why is the conclusion true?
Here there are two premises:
- The mayor of City X wishes to increase voter turnout for the next city council election.
- A recent poll of registered voters in neighboring City Y showed a high level of dissatisfaction with the city’s voting facilities.
