LSAT How to Solve LR Question Types Flashcards
(20 cards)
How do you solve a Must Be True question?
Treat all statements in the stimulus as 100% true.
Use only information explicitly stated or logically deduced.
Eliminate answer choices that go beyond the stimulus.
Watch for strong wording—correct answers tend to be conservative.
How do you solve a Soft Must Be True question (e.g., “most supported”)?
Look for what is most reasonably inferred from the stimulus.
It doesn’t have to be 100% provable, but must strongly follow from the text.
Avoid choices that add new ideas or stretch the logic.
Weaker language is often correct
How do you solve a Strengthen question?
Identify the conclusion and the reasoning gap.
Look for an answer that fills the gap, supports the reasoning, or rules out alternatives.
New information is okay if it helps.
The correct answer doesn’t prove, but makes the argument more likely.
How do you solve a Weaken question?
Find the conclusion and assumption the argument depends on.
Look for an answer that introduces doubt, shows an alternative explanation, or challenges a premise.
Strong language is often correct in Weaken questions.
The correct answer undermines the reasoning.
How do you solve a Sufficient Assumption question?
Find the conclusion and the gap.
Look for an answer that, if assumed true, makes the argument logically valid.
Often introduces new information that connects the premise to the conclusion.
Use the “gap-filler” test—does it bridge the gap?
How do you solve a Necessary Assumption question?
Find the conclusion and identify what’s taken for granted.
Use the Negation Test: if you negate the answer, the argument should fall apart.
Avoid extreme language.
Often reaffirms the connection between premise and conclusion.
How do you solve a Flaw question?
Identify the conclusion and the reasoning.
Look for common logical fallacies (e.g., correlation ≠ causation, ad hominem, exclusivity, etc.).
Match the answer to the exact error in reasoning—not just any flaw.
Watch for flaw descriptions in abstract language.
How do you solve a Parallel Reasoning question?
Identify the logical structure of the argument (validity, type of reasoning, conditional logic, etc.).
Eliminate answers with different conclusion types or reasoning styles.
Watch out for same topic traps—the correct answer mirrors logic, not content.
How do you solve a Resolve (Paradox) question?
Identify the contradiction or mystery in the stimulus.
Find an answer that explains how both sides can be true.
Avoid answers that make the paradox worse or only address one side.
How do you solve an Explain question?
Treat like a Resolve question—identify the unexpected outcome.
Choose the answer that makes the surprising result make sense.
Think: “What would clarify or account for this odd result?”
How do you solve a Crux (Evaluate) question?
Find the main assumption or weakness in the argument.
Look for a question that, if answered one way, strengthens, and if answered another, weakens the argument.
Use the “Yes? Strengthens. No? Weakens.” test.
How do you solve a Main Point question?
Find the overall conclusion of the argument.
Eliminate answers that are premises, too narrow, or too strong.
Ask: “What is being argued for?”, not just discussed.
How do you solve a Role (Statement in Argument) question?
Identify whether the underlined sentence is a premise, conclusion, objection, etc.
Understand how it fits in the argument structure.
Read above and below to find its purpose.
How do you solve a Describe question?
Abstractly summarize how the argument works.
Match the reasoning structure, not the topic.
Be precise—eliminate vague or incomplete descriptions.
How do you solve a Parallel Reasoning question?
Identify the logical form (e.g., conditional, causal, analogy).
Match structure, not topic or specific content.
Focus on conclusion type (e.g., definite, conditional, recommendation).
How do you solve a Parallel Flaw question?
Identify the flawed reasoning in the stimulus.
Match the answer that replicates the same flaw, not just the format.
Use process of elimination to rule out structurally valid arguments.
How do you solve a Point of Disagreement question?
Find the statement that one speaker agrees with and the other disagrees with.
Use the Yes/No Test: One must say “yes,” the other “no.”
Eliminate vague or neutral options.
How do you solve a Point of Agreement (Agree) question?
Find a statement that both speakers agree with, even if they argue different things.
Be cautious—agreement must be explicitly or clearly implied.
Avoid answers that go beyond the speakers’ claims.
What is the Operation Family in Logical Reasoning?
The answer choices are used to affect the stimulus.
Includes: Strengthen, Weaken, Crux, Sufficient, Necessary, Resolve, Explain.
Think: “What can I add to help or hurt the argument?”
What is the Characterization Family in Logical Reasoning?
The stimulus is used to describe or identify something.
You are not adding new info—just understanding what’s there.
Includes: Main Point, Role, Describe, Flaw, Parallel, Parallel Flaw, Point at Issue.
