Question Stem Types & Their Corresponding Families Flashcards
Each of the ___ question stem types belongs to 1 of ___ different ___________:
- Family #1: __________
- Family #2: __________
- Family #3: __________
- Family #4: __________
13; 4; families; prove; help; hurt; disprove
Family #1: Prove
- Model (& what it means)
- Question Stem Types
Stimulus
↓
Answer Choice
- Use information from the stimulus to prove the correct answer choice.
Question Stem Types:
1. Must Be True
2. Main Point
3. Point at Issue / Point of Agreement
9. Method of Reasoning
10. Flaw in the Reasoning
11. Parallel Reasoning
1) Must Be True Question:
Family #1: Prove
Question stem asks you to choose answer choice that directly follows from information in the stimulus.
- Cannot choose could be true / likely to be true answers.
- Cannot introduce new / outside info.
- Questions are easily identified: The stimulus connected to Must Be True questions is don’t have a conclusion.
2) Main Point Question:
Family #1: Prove
Question stem asks you to choose the answer the summarizes the author’s point of view.
- If an answer choice gives correct information, but doesn’t summarize the authors point of view, it’s incorrect.
3) Point At Issue Question:
Family #1: Prove
Connected to a stimulus with 2 speakers, each of whom have differing viewpoints that are either ethical, or decision oriented; their disagreeing views are never factual.
Question stem asks you to identify the statement that the authors views disagree are true.
3) Point of Agreement Question:
Family #1: Prove
Connected to a stimulus with 2 speakers, each of whom have differing viewpoints that are ethical, or decision oriented; their disagreeing views are never factual.
Question stem asks you to identify the statement that both author’s views would agree on.
9) Method of Reasoning Question:
Family #1: Prove
Method of Reasoning (Argument Part) Question:
- Question stem asks you to identify what role the cited portion of the text plays in relation to the whole argument.
- (There will always be an argument with Method of Reasoning Questions)
Method of Reasoning Question:
- Abstract Must Be True Question
- Question stem asks you to depict/understand the logical organization argument, and using the information the stimulus, choose the answer choice that reflects that logical organization
Characteristics of Method Questions (2):
- Like Abstract Questions.
- ALWAYS have an argument.
How are Method questions like Abstract MBT questions?
- To solve method questions you can only rely on the facts of the stimulus.
- (Fact Test) an answer choice describes a situation or event that did not occur in the stimulus, is incorrect.
How to Use the Fact Test for Method Questions:
Because Method Questions are so similar to MBT questions, we will use a version of the fact test to solve them.
Fact Test for Method Questions: an answer choice that describes events / situations that didn’t occur in stimulus are incorrect.
How to Prephrase for a Method Question:
Prephrasing for Method questions is a pretty tall order, especially since they are the most abstract questions on the LSAT.
When prephrasing, you wan to make a general, abstract prephrase of what happened in the argument (more accurately, how the argument proceeds), then rigorously examine your answer choices.
Look for answer choices that paraphrase your prephrase. Whichever answer choice does this is the correct answer.
What must right answers look like for Method questions?
For method questions, EVERY PART of the answer choice must be able to be found in the stimulus.
Ex. If an answer choice says “___________ disagree with the analogy used by the critic.” we need to see BOTH the disagreement AND the analogy. Having one and not the other is an incorrect answer.
If you have answer choice that describes the disagreement with the critic, excellent. But the answer should NOT be accepted unless you see the disagreement with the analogy as well.
Incorrect Answers:
- Answers that only say part, none, or more than what the stimulus says.
Because Method questions are so much like MBT questions, the several of the wrong answers will be the same as well.
- Half Right, Half Wrong Answers.
- Test makers LOVE to construct answers where the first half of information is right, but the second half is wrong. Half wrong is ALL wrong. These answers are incorrect. - Exaggerated Answers.
- Author takes information from the stimulus take make an extreme statement that is not supported by the stimulus.
- BUT REMEMBER: just because an answer choice is extreme, does not mean it’s wrong. It’s wrong when this extreme statement says something that is not supported by the stimulus. - New Element Answers.
- Answers that describe elements that didn’t occur in the stimulus OR new elements are incorrect. - Reverse Answers.
- These are answers that seem correct because they have the same elements from the stimulus, but reverse these elements. Because the stimulus doesn’t state these elements in reverse, these are incorrect answers. - Opposite Answers.
- Answers that say the opposite of what is correct (say the opposite of what is in the stimulus) are incorrect.
10) Flaw in the Reasoning Question:
Family #1: Prove
- Like a Method of Reasoning Question in that you have to understand the underlying logical organization of the argument, except here there is an inherent flaw in the argument.
- Question stems asks you to, using the information in the stimulus, choose the answer that identifies the flawed reasoning of the argument, and describes the flaw in general terms.
11) Parallel Reasoning Question:
Family #1: Prove
- Question stem asks you to identify an answer choice whose reasoning is most similar, in structure, to the reasoning in the stimulus.
Characteristics of Parallel Reasoning Questions
There is always an argument.
If you want to parallel the reasoning, then you should be able to identify the Method of Reasoning.
You should never assume the argument is valid.
Parallel Flaw Questions
Derivative of Parallel Reasoning Questions
(Like Parallel and Method Questions, they follow the Family #1 format).
Question stem asks you to find the answer choice with reasoning that most closely resemble the reasoning in the stimulus, but that parallel the flaws of the stimulus as well.
To correctly answer a Parallel Flaw question, you need to know what kind of ___________ the stimulus is making. Fortunately, the flaws in Parallel questions are the same _____________ _________________ errors in __________ questions.
flaw; common reasoning; flaw
Talk about the trick LSAT Test makers play w/ students on Parallel Flaw questions
SOMETIMES, the test makers will omit telling the test taker that the question is a parallel flaw; they may leave out the indicator word/phrase that lets the student know it’s a parallel flaw question. This is, AGAIN, why you should NEVER assume the argument is valid.
Considerations that Don’t Matter to Parallel Questions (2)
- Subject Matter: The subject matter is irrelevant to what the right answer should be. Test Makers put these on here (answers dealing w/ same subject matter as stimulus) to lure in students who aren’t paying attention to structure, validity, reasoning of the argument.
- Order of Presentation: The order in which premises or conclusion are presented have no bearing on the logical relationship between them.
Ways to solve Parallel Question (Listed based on most useful to least)
- Parallel the Reasoning
- Whatever kind of reasoning is used in the stimulus should be used in the correct answer choice (conditional, causal, circular, analogy etc.). Once you recognize the form of reasoning used by the author (don’t Prephrase), move to the answer choices and eliminate those that don’t use same reasoning. - Double the Conclusion
- The conclusion in the stimulus should “match” the conclusion in the premises.
- They should match in absoluteness (“never, will, always”), language (i.e. “should” language), and the type of reasoning they’re using (conditional, causal, circular, analogy). - The Premise Test
- In all of the ways the conclusion of the answer choice should match that of the stimulus, the premises of the answer choice should do the same with the premises of the stimulus (match in absoluteness, “should” language, type of reasoning). - The Validity Test
- Whatever validity the argument has in the stimulus is the same validity that should be in the correct answer choice. If the prior 3 methods didn’t work, test the validity: if the stimulus’ reasoning is poor, the answer choice’s argument should be poor. If the stimulus’ reasoning is valid, the answer choice’s argument should be valid. - Parallel the Abstract Structure:
- (Last Resort) If you can’t seem to have success with any of the prior strategies, employ the Abstraction Test. Extract the subject matter info away from the stimulus’ argument, and, in general terms, prephrase the general, abstract structure of the argument. Leave the language vague too (e.g. what was once subject matter info, substitute that with “it” so you can fill that in with the answer choices). Evaluate your prephrase against each of the answer choice, and which ever doesn’t match your prephrase is incorrect.
Remember, when encountering Parallel Flaw questions, the procedure is no different. Use the same aforementioned tactics on Parallel Flaw questions.
2 Things that you should NOT consider when eliminating answers.
Wording
- A word said differently in an answer choice may serve functionally the same purpose as a word stated in the stimulus.
- Ex. “The majority of voters voted to endorse the amendment.”
- If I had an answer choice that reworded “majority” to “most,” or “more than half,” this new wording serves functionally the same purpose.
Opposite Language
- If the stimulus uses positive language and the answer choice uses negative language to describe the same thing (or vice versa), then the negative language serves functionally the same purpose.
- Ex. “The council member must be present at the meeting.” This is positive language in the stimulus. Now let’s say we had an answer choice that said “The council member cannot be absent from the meeting.” It uses negative language but serves functionally the same purpose.
Remember, you don’t have to apply these tactics in a 1, 2, 3, 4 fashion. Based on what’ readily obvious to you about the stimulus, apply the first strategy that comes to mind.
Keep in mind, the LSAT is like a waterfall. Everything’s coming at once. Your ability to succeed on the LSAT is largely attributed to your ability to adapt and solve questions in quick fashion.
Apply whatever strategy first comes to mind. The idea is that you’ll use all of them, but there’s no rigid order in which you do.
