- Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:27 pm
#104480
Hi TootyFrooty,
Determining whether a Logical Reasoning stimulus contains an argument or just a set of facts is a critical first step to solving any LR question. In fact, it is the first step in our list of Logical Reasoning Primary Objectives. Depending on which of the two you are given, you approach the stimulus differently and look for different elements.
About 80% of the LR stimuli contain arguments, while the other 20% are just fact sets.
As for determining whether there is an argument present, ask yourself if there is a conclusion (at least one). In other words, is there a point that is trying to be made/argued (the conclusion) and at least one other statement made in support of that point (a premise)? If yes, then it's an argument.
If it's an argument, the next step is to identify the conclusion. (I'd strongly recommend highlighting or underlining the conclusion in the text once you've identified it.) The conclusion is the most important part of any argument.
The conclusion can appear anywhere in the argument, so you don't identify the conclusion based on where it appears in the argument.
A good place to start in identifying premises and conclusions is studying/memorizing the list of premise and conclusion indicator words and to actively look for them whenever you do any LR question. (These lists are found in Lesson 1 of The PowerScore LSAT Course and in Chapter 2 of The Logical Reasoning Bible.) These words appear in many LR arguments and are really helpful.
Unfortunately, there are some arguments that do not use these words. In this situation, you will need to examine the sentences and follow the logic of the argument to determine which statement is trying to be argued (the conclusion) and which statement(s) provide the support/reasons for that conclusion.
There are also several forms or patterns of arguments that are common in LR that you should learn (which are also discussed in the relevant lessons/chapters.)
This is a fundamental LR skill that takes practice, so you should work on it right away at the beginning of your LSAT studies. This is why we introduce the concept at the beginning of the PowerScore LSAT Course and The Logical Reasoning Bible. Correctly identifying the parts of any argument is critical to any LR question involving arguments, which is almost all of them.