Must be True Questions

[colinturner06]

Hello,

I wanted to ask a general question regarding the "Must be True" questions in the logical reasoning section. I am more of a "list" kind of learner and typically need a list to attack most questions. I was wondering if you could provide me with such a list to follow when attempting to answer these questions. For example, 1. Identify Premise and Conclusion, 2. Identify the types of reasoning, etc. etc.

I'm sorry if this is pretty broad but when I go through the chapters they seem to bunch all together so having a clear list of the steps to take for Must Be True would be very beneficial to me.

Thank you

[Eric Ockert]

Hi Colin!

I would reference, at least in part, the list of Primary Objectives for Logical Reasoning questions found in your course materials (this is located immediately before the Must Be True questions in Lesson 1 of our current Full Length course materials). Must Be True questions typically do not have arguments in the stimulus, so the typical argument breakdown you employ for most LR questions isn't usually part of the analysis.

Your best bet up front with the stimulus is to make sure and read closely, paying particular attention to the wording of the facts presented. Look for any key logical words that indicate the degree of certainty (must, probably, could, etc.), quantity (all, most, some, none, etc.), or even words that set off certain types of reasoning (conditional reasoning, for example). In other words, you certainly need to know what the facts are, but you also need to know how those facts are presented. It's a good idea to mark these key words when they are used.

As you move into the answer choices, pay close attention to the wording in the answer choices as well. Your ultimate job is to find an answer choice that you can prove based on the stimulus. So, how each answer choice is worded will affect this provability. Once again, pay particular attention to the key logical wording used in each answer choice.

As you move through the answer choices, keep a close eye out for some of the incorrect answer types common to Must Be True questions. You will note many answers with exaggerated language (often in those logical terms mentioned above), new information, or even information similar to, yet slightly different than the stimulus (Shell Game Answers). Actively eliminate these Loser answers when you see them.

The bottom line is that language is king, both in the stimulus and the answer choices, when it comes to Must Be True questions. Know the language you have in the stimulus and you will know the bounds of what you can and cannot prove.

Hope that helps!