Core Argument Tasks
51%of exam
AssumptionFlawStrengthenWeakenCausation
Inference + Method
20%of exam
InferenceMethodAnalogyEvidenceConclusion
Formal Matching
8%of exam
ParallelConditionalQuantifiersContrapositiveStructure
Other LR Tasks
21%of exam
PrincipleRolePoint at IssueParadoxEvaluate
Quick Facts
- Administrator
- LSAC
- Sections
- Two scored LR
- Time
- 35 min each
- Questions
- Varies, about 24-26
- Score
- 120-180 overall
- Standalone Pass
- Not published
- Official Weights
- Not published
- Unscored
- LR or RC
- Format
- Short arguments
Assumption Tests
Negate necessary; bridge sufficient
Necessary: must holdSufficient: enough proofGap: missing link
Necessary vs Sufficient
Necessary
- Required by argument
- Fails if false
- Often modest
Sufficient
- Proves conclusion
- May be strong
- Closes gap
Needed vs enough
Attack Picker
- Conclusion adds term→Bridge(Connect terms)
- Cause from correlation→Alternate cause(Weakens)
- Survey supports all→Sample check(Represent)
- Analogy supports result→Difference check(Relevant)
- Plan predicts outcome→Feasibility check(Can work)
- Expert supports claim→Authority check(Relevant field)
- Percent hides total→Number check(Base rate)
- Before-after proof→Control check(Other changes)
Assumption Tasks
- Necessary
- Required link
- Sufficient
- Guarantees conclusion
- Bridge
- Connects terms
- Defender
- Blocks threat
- Negation
- Tests necessity
- Gap
- Missing support
- New term
- Bridge likely
Causal Weakening
Cause? check alternate, reverse, third
Alternate causeReverse causeCoincidenceNo control
Strengthen vs Weaken
Strengthen
- Supports link
- May be partial
- Helps conclusion
Weaken
- Attacks link
- May be partial
- Hurts conclusion
Help vs hurt
Strengthen + Weaken
- Strengthen
- Helps gap
- Weaken
- Hurts gap
- Alternative cause
- Weakens cause
- Controls
- Strengthen cause
- Counterexample
- Weakens generalization
- Representative sample
- Strengthens survey
- No difference
- Strengthens comparison
- Relevant difference
- Weakens analogy
Flaw vs Weaken
Flaw
- Labels error
- Stimulus flawed
- No new fact
Weaken
- Adds fact
- Damages support
- Conclusion less likely
Describe vs attack
Flaw Patterns
- Causation
- Correlation leap
- Sampling
- Unrepresentative base
- Equivocation
- Meaning shift
- Circularity
- Assumes conclusion
- Ad hominem
- Attacks source
- False choice
- Missing options
- Composition
- Parts to whole
- Division
- Whole to parts
- Reversal
- Converse error
- Negation
- Inverse error
Conclusion Test
Because supports; therefore concludes
Because: premiseTherefore: conclusionBut: contrast
MBT vs MSS
MBT
- Strictly follows
- No outside assumptions
- Often weak
MSS
- Best supported
- Can be probable
- Still text-bound
Forced vs supported
Argument Roles
- Premise
- Support claim
- Conclusion
- Main claim
- Intermediate
- Supported support
- Background
- Context only
- Concession
- Admitted opposing point
- Objection
- Counterposition
- Example
- Illustration
- Indicator
- Direction cue
Method vs Role
Method
- Whole argument
- Reasoning pattern
- Neutral description
Role
- Specific statement
- Premise/conclusion job
- Local function
Whole vs part
Inference Tasks
- MBT
- Must follow
- MSS
- Best supported
- Cannot infer
- Outside support
- Quantifier
- Scope limiter
- Causal claim
- Needs support
- Comparison
- Same basis needed
Method Tasks
- Method
- Describes move
- Principle
- General rule
- Analogy
- Similar case
- Counterexample
- Refutes generalization
- Elimination
- Removes alternatives
- Application
- Rule to case
- Explanation
- Accounts for facts
Parallel Filters
Match force, direction, count
ForceDirectionTermsConclusion
Parallel vs Parallel Flaw
Parallel
- Same structure
- May be valid
- Abstract terms
Parallel Flaw
- Same error
- Invalid structure
- Ignore topic
Pattern vs error
Formal Logic Picker
- If P then Q→P then Q(Trigger)
- Given not Q→Infer not P(Valid)
- Given Q only→No inference(Converse)
- Given not P→No inference(Inverse)
- Only if appears→Necessary side(After phrase)
- Unless appears→Negate trigger(Other required)
- Most plus most→Some overlap(Shared base)
- Some appears→At least one(No most)
Conditional Logic
- Sufficient
- Triggers rule
- Necessary
- Required result
- Contrapositive
- Reverse and negate
- Only if
- Necessary marker
- If
- Sufficient marker
- Unless
- Negate trigger
- Some
- At least one
- Most
- More than half
- All
- Every member
Quantifier Ladder
All > most > some
All: everyMost: over halfSome: at least one
Parallel Tasks
- Validity
- Match valid/flawed
- Structure
- Same skeleton
- Quantifiers
- Same force
- Polarity
- Match positive/negative
- Terms
- Same count
- Conclusion
- Same strength
- Direction
- Same conditionals
Principle Identify vs Apply
Identify
- Find rule
- Justifies argument
- Generalizes facts
Apply
- Use rule
- Match conditions
- Draw consequence
Choose vs use
Stem Picker
- Find required assumption→Necessary(Negate)
- Guarantee conclusion→Sufficient(Bridge gap)
- Make conclusion stronger→Strengthen(Help link)
- Make conclusion weaker→Weaken(Attack link)
- Describe reasoning error→Flaw(Name mistake)
- Explain surprising facts→Paradox(Both true)
- Find shared dispute→Point at issue(Both speakers)
- Judge useful information→Evaluate(Test gap)
Other Tasks
- Main conclusion
- Primary claim
- Role
- Statement function
- Point at issue
- Shared disagreement
- Paradox
- Coexistence explanation
- Evaluate
- Tests assumption
- Principle apply
- Rule's consequence
- Principle identify
- Justifying rule
- Agree/disagree
- Speaker stance
Issue vs Paradox
Point at issue
- Two speakers
- Same claim
- Opposite stances
Paradox
- Two facts
- Both accepted
- Needs explanation
Dispute vs coexist
Common Traps
True but irrelevant
True statement ≠ Wrong task
Outside assumptions
Text supports ≠ World knowledge distracts
Causal shortcut
Correlation shown ≠ Cause not proven
Reversed conditionals
P triggers Q ≠ Q proves nothing
Stronger conclusion
Evidence modest ≠ Answer overclaims
Similar topic
Topic matches ≠ Structure differs
One speaker only
One addresses claim ≠ Other stays silent
Paradox denial
Facts stand ≠ Answer explains both
Last Minute
- 1.Find conclusion first
- 2.Name task before choices
- 3.Premises are accepted
- 4.Assumptions bridge gaps
- 5.Necessary? negate answer
- 6.Sufficient? prove conclusion
- 7.Weaken attacks support
- 8.Strengthen helps support
- 9.MBT avoids outside assumptions
- 10.Parallel ignores subject matter
- 11.Flaw labels bad reasoning
- 12.Paradox keeps both facts
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