Method of Reasoning

[vsb2007]

How do you approach a method of reasoning problems and evaluate the incorrect choices? Page 282 number 2 of the Week End Course Book. VSB

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hey vsb2007,

As I mentioned in the post re: Flaw questions, Method questions require you to identify an answer choice that best describes what the author did in the stimulus. These are generally "big picture," abstract "Must Be True" questions: the correct answer choice must be provable by the information contained in the stimulus. They involve abstract thinking, and you should absolutely have an idea - even if a general one - as to how the argument proceeds before you examine the five answer choices. Yes, the same argument can be described in multiple ways, some of which may be extremely abstract, unexpected, even deceptive. But, since each answer choice is related to the logical organization of the argument, you must think about its structure first and foremost. While you may not be able to identify your exact prephrase in any of the answers, structural awareness will invariably provide a filter through which you can start eliminating answer choices that describe an entirely different structural organization.

This is our Method approach in a nutshell, something I hope your Weekend LSAT instructor was able to convey in class, and is also something discussed in your Weekend course book. As far as Question 2 on page 282 is concerned, you need to tell us a bit more about how you approached it. What was your prephrase like? Did you fall for a "decoy" answer choice? The more you tell us about your own line of reasoning here, the better we can help correct it.

Thanks!